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elevating EAP awareness

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elevating EAP awareness

Monthly Archives: July 2013

Pay Disabled Workers What They’re Worth

31 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by madjac1 in Supported Employment / JTPR, Uncategorized

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Disability advocates and Goodwill employees have started a new Change.org petition demanding that Goodwill petitionend the practice of paying their disabled employees as low as 22 cents an hour for their work. In under a week, the petition has drawn more than 150,000 signatures and passionate comments from customers, staff, and allies who say Goodwill should do more to live up to its “do good” image. See http://www.change.org/goodwill

Harold and Sheila Leighland, two blind Goodwill employees who launched the fast growing petition with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) last week, say the practice is dehumanizing and exploitative. Sheila worked at a Goodwill in Montana for four years making about $3.50 an hour but was forced to quit when Goodwill lowered her hourly wage to $2.75.

“Goodwill and others are profiting from exploiting disabled workers,” said Ari Ne’eman, president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and member of the National Council on Disability (NCD). “It is clearly and unquestionably exploitation and that’s why over 150,000 people are calling on Goodwill to help end this practice.”

Critics like Leighland and Ne’eman say the low wages are tied to a Depression-era law that allows companies to use time tests used to measure the output of a disabled worker. Disabled employees, like the Leighlands, are measured with a stopwatch to see how quickly they can complete a task like hanging up clothes. That time is then compared to how long it takes a non-disabled person to complete the task, and used to determine the disabled person’s pay.

“The time tests are the most degrading and stressful part of the job,” explains Sheila. “You never know how it’s going to come out and if you’re going to be making less money afterward.” For Harold, even when the timing goes well, the pay increase isn’t much. He says even though he recently improved his time for hanging up garments, his pay only increased from $5.32 an hour to $5.40.

In a report that came out last year, the NCD recommended that Sec. 14 (c), the law that allows employers to pay disabled workers subminimum wages, be gradually phased out calling it a “relic in policy left over from the 1930s” and that disabled workers need to be “given the chance to earn at least minimum wage or greater.”

Jim Gibbons, Goodwill International’s CEO, who is also blind, has defended the practice of paying disabled employees less than their non-disabled co-workers. Goodwill claims that if employers paid the minimum wage, “individuals with significant disabilities would likely never be offered the opportunity to work.”

Gibbons made $729,000 in 2011 while the salaries for CEOs for about 150 Goodwill franchises around the country total more than $30 million.

“Twenty-three years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Goodwill’s actions should be universally recognized as disgraceful,” said Ne’eman. “If you can afford to pay six- and seven-figure salaries to your executives, you can afford to pay minimum wage to your employees.”

Section 14 (c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to obtain special minimum wage certificates from the Department of Labor that provides them with the right to pay disabled workers according to their abilities, with no bottom limit to the wage. That law was passed in 1938.

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200th Post! Win a Free Book!

24 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by madjac1 in Child Care / CCSN, Employee Assistance, Supported Employment / JTPR, Uncategorized

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AnotherAdultReading1Two hundred is a pretty big number. It’s the equivalent of two centuries, two $100 bills, and America made a big deal out of our 200th birthday in 1976. Two hundred is also the number of posts that have appeared on this blog since its inception in February 2011. We’re celebrating by giving away free books!

Click to follow this free blog (see upper right of this blog’s home page) and you will be eligible to receive one of three FREE books:

* The skinny on Willpower, Jim Randel, $12.95    In an easy-to-read format, the author presents 15 points for improving willpower and self-discipline.

* Naked at Work (and Other Fears), Paul Hellman, $13    The author delivers simple, straightforward solutions that readers can use both on and off the job to get rid of unfounded fears, deal with the founded ones, and sort out the clutter of the mind.

* Super Networking, Michael Salmon, $15.99    Transform the concept of networking from something vague and arbitrary to a system that is swift, deliberate, effective, and easy to follow.

Questions? Email the author of this blog at mike.jacquart@impacttrainingcenter.net.  Be sure to include WHICH BOOK you’re interested in receiving.

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Important Tweet Chat on Thursday!

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by madjac1 in Supported Employment / JTPR, Uncategorized

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Thursday, July 25th at 2pm EST at www.twubs.com

Ron Reeve, APSE Board Member and Public Policy Committee Member and Ryley Newport, APSE’s Public Policy Associate, 11561662-various-colored-birds-chirpingwill be taking questions at #employmentfirst

APSE will be holding a special Tweet Chat to discuss the use of the sub-minimum wage, using a new platform (www.twubs.com). As many disability advocates know, on June 21st, NBC’s “Rock Center with Brian Williams” aired a special story highlighting the use of the special minimum wage certificate (Section 14 (c)).

(View the full segment at: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/rock-center/52280748

APSE’s Tweet Chat is intended to allow APSE members (and those across the field) to have an opportunity to share their feedback about the story. NBC’s story has received a lot of attention lately and APSE hopes to have everyone share their responses as well as brainstorm the next steps to support integrated employment opportunities, at or above minimum wage.

However, APSE does not wish to focus specifically on the practices of Goodwill. APSE understands that many Goodwill members are either converting their practices or stand opposed to the national policies of Goodwill. APSE welcomes anyone and everyone to join the chat to share thoughts, experiences and criticisms of a story that has provided an excellent opportunity for us to open up the conversation to improve practices around the country!

The Tweet chat will (also) provide an opportunity to learn more about ways to utilize Twitter in the Employment First movement!

1.         Please visit http://www.twubs.com and click log in. Authorize the app so that you can tweet via twubs.

2.         Enter Hashtag at the top of the screen – where it says enter hashtag — #employmentfirst

3.         This will take you to our special Tweet Chat room for #employmentfirst

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Face Time is Still Important – Part II

15 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by madjac1 in Employee Assistance, Uncategorized

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happy-business-meeting-233x350By Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey

Face-to-face meetings can be expensive, but personal interactions are the still the best form of building relationships and enhancing communication in the business world. We presented two reasons why the personal touch is so effective in part I – the remainder appear below in the conclusion of this two-part article.

* You’re more effective in general. When you’re talking to someone in real time, you can make progress in real time and solve problems in real time. Thanks to facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice (see below for more information on each), you’ll usually find out more than just the basics when you have a verbal conversation. When an important client orcritical team member is on the other side of the globe, a face-to-face meeting once or twice a year can often be a smart investment. The rest of the time, if your communication is anything beyond a simple FYI, be sure to Skype or call.

* Facial expressions help get your message across… Did you know that the human face has at least 20 muscles that reveal facial expressions? When you put it that way, this is a powerful argument for face-to-face meetings, whether they’re in person or via Skype. Observing those expressions during verbal communication can give you instant feedback about how your message is being received. Facial expressions are also an invaluable way to express sincerity, interest, etc.

* …So does your body language… As humans and social animals, we’re equipped to share our own feelings and attitudes through the way we stand, sit, gesture, and more. Spend a little time learning the basics of body language. For instance, if you know that hands in one’s pockets indicate boredom or disinterest whereas leaning slightly forward indicates interest, you’ll be able to respond more accurately to others and avoid sending messages you don’t mean to.

* …and so does your tonality. It’s happened to everyone: You send an email that’s laced with sarcasm or humor, which the recipient totally fails to pick up on. Oops! Now you’re left frantically doing damage control. That’s one major reason why texting, emailing, and friending can be great ways to communicate while failing to succeed at relationship building. When spoken, the same words used in a text or email can have a very different meaning based on the tone, inflection, and the emphasis that the speaker gives. For example, if the other person sounds reluctant or uncomfortable, you can take advantage of the opportunity to ask why and discuss ideas that might never have been occurred electronically.

* Your vulnerability shows (and that’s a good thing!) In the virtual world, you can almost totally control the image you show to other people, and you can usually think about and edit what you want to say before pressing “send.” But in a real-time, face-to-face relationship, the other person can observe your tone of voice, expression, dress, and body language. The other party sees your human imperfections and is aware that you are vulnerable to potential personal rejection.

Summary

However, imperfections and vulnerability make you appear more believable and sincere. This can be a big advantage in the long run. And in the short run, you take precedence over virtual relationships.

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey are authors of “The Barefoot Spirit: How Hard Work, Hustle, and Heart Built a Bestselling Wine (Evolve Publishing, www.thebarefootspirit.com.   

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Face Time is Still Important – Part I

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by madjac1 in Employee Assistance, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Author’s note:  The author of this blog apologizes for the lengthy delay between posts – vacation can do that!  Watch for more timely posts; usually on at least a weekly basis.

situational-interview-questionsBy Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey

Technology has made many aspects of modern living more convenient and “connected,” but the pendulum has swung too far. Now, people are reluctant to do something as simple as pick up the phone, and face-to-face meetings — well, they’re almost unheard of.

This “technology takeover” is not without consequence. Misunderstandings abound. Relationships stagnate. Social media and technology do have their place, but they are not, and never will be, a substitute for in-person interaction. People don’t just buy your product or service; they buy you.

I worry that young people’s dependence on virtual communication has stunted the social skills they’ll need to attract customers. Through no fault of their own, they have inherited a world that provides a comfortable firewall insulating them from personal rejection — one in which they simply don’t have to communicate in real time. “Could you learn to walk if you were handed a crutch at birth?”

Of course, face-to-face meetings can be expensive. It’s not economically feasible to hop on a plane every time a meeting is needed. In these cases, Skype is the next best thing to being there. However, face to face is still the best whenever possible, and we’d like to share seven reasons why the personal touch will always be more effective than pixels on a screen. Two of them will appear below – the remainder will appear in part II of this two-part article.

* The time investment shows you really care. Human beings want to be valued and appreciated. Spending time with someone else, especially face to face, is one of the best ways to convey these feelings. An investment of time says, “While there are many other things I could be doing, I’m choosing to spend my time with you. That’s how important I think you are!”

Plus, face to face can also provide valuable non-verbal clues to someone’s values and concerns. On any business trip there will probably be instances that cause stress and anxiety, which presents an opportunity for both of you to see how the other handles a variety of situations and to learn to work together more effectively.

* You’re better able to give personalized attention. It’s hard to multi-task when someone is physically in front of you, demanding your attention. Unless you have no problem with blatant rudeness, you’re focusing on the other person, responding not only to what they say, but also to their mood, movements, and many other non-verbal signals. In my experience, when you use someone’s name along with eye contact and an attentive demeanor, they’re more likely to be agreeable and to give you the benefit of the doubt. People want to do business with people they know, and you can get to know them much better “off-screen.”

NEXT TIME: The authors reveal more benefits to the personal way of doing business.

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey are authors of “The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built a Bestselling Wine” (Evolve Publishing, www.thebarefootspirit.com).    Author’s note: This article appeared in the August 2013 issue of “Employee Assistance Report.” For more information on this monthly newsletter, check out the employee assistance professionals tab at www.impact-publications.com

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