Baltimore Employment Roundtable

Meeting Notes
November 3, 2004
8:30 a.m.

Prepared by Kevin Griffin Moreno

Topic: "Doing Business With Business: The Human Resources Connection"

Guest speaker: Harry Snow, Director of Human Resources Consulting and Labor Relations, Johns Hopkins Hospital

From his experience as a human resources professional, Mr. Snow identified the biggest obstacles to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of low-skill workers:
• Poor soft skills – employers are frequently willing and able to train new employees in the technical requirements of a position, but individuals with little mainstream work experience frequently lack key skills such as punctuality, ability to prioritize tasks, and a strong work ethic.
• Job abandonment – employers are frustrated by workers who leave entry-level positions (because of low pay, conflicts with supervisors, etc.) without giving themselves an adequate chance to develop new skills and work experience that will open further career doors.
• Low interpersonal communications skills – many low-skill workers display an inability to appropriately handle workplace conflicts with supervisors and co-workers.

Mr. Snow offered advice for service providers on how to address these problems:

Know the employer. When identifying a potential job placement source, providers should familiarize themselves with the nature of the company, trends within the industry, the kinds of jobs available, the qualifications the business might seek in job applicants, etc.

Many companies have websites or other promotional materials that can provide job developers with a better understanding of what the business does and what its ne3eds are. Data regarding occupations and industry trends can be found through the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and through the Office of Labor Market Analysis and Information of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

Conduct formal assessments of clients. Employers typically assume that when a job applicant is referred by a placement agency, the applicant has undergone a screening process. Providers should institute formalized screening processes for all job seekers, and be able to clearly describe those processes to employers.

Many standardized career assessment tools exist, although most charge a fee for use. The Center for Fathers, Families, and Workforce Development uses the Career Occupational Preference System (COPS). Verizon contracts with PeopleScout, a professional staffing agency that recruits and screens applicants. Additional resources for assessment and screening of job applicants can be found at: http://www.iseek.org/sv/81002.jsp

Providers can use screening and assessment mechanisms to develop career plans for clients. The Mayor’s Office of Employment Development and other workforce agencies currently work with job seekers to create individual career development plans. These plans are useful in matching applicants to appropriate jobs, which in turn can improve job satisfaction and reduce turnover.

Build partnerships with employers. Providers should cultivate collaborative relationships with businesses by understanding their workforce needs and making good faith efforts to address them. They can accomplish this through a variety of methods, such as:
• Succinctly describing how their organizations’ services can help businesses;
• Supporting their claims to businesses by supplying data on organizational performance and outcomes (i.e. number of clients served, types of service, number of placements, retention rates, etc.);
• Describing, in both quantitative and qualitative terms, how the provider works to reduce clients’ barriers to employment;
• Developing a professional appearance, demeanor, and marketing strategy (this helps employers view providers as professionals);
• Teaching basic business etiquette as an integral component of any soft skills program;
• Identifying client “success stories” and using them as a marketing tool to encourage employers who may be reluctant to hire from the provider’s service population;
• Demonstrating the ways in which a public or nonprofit service provider can compete with for-profit staffing agencies;
• Managing expectations among both job seekers and employers – avoid promises that can’t be kept;
• Once a placement has been made, setting up a process with the employer for regular follow-up site visits and calls;
• Asking employers if internships or other types of work experience are available short of full employment (this can be particularly helpful for youth, and can give employers an idea of how a provider may benefit their businesses).