Developing Employer Support
Needs
Individuals new to the work force have numerous new situations to face as they balance their personal life and work life.
Concerns
Both the employer and the employee will have concerns about how to make the work experience as positive as possible. The employer wants a productive, responsible, and congenial worker; employees want to feel that they are performing in an acceptable manner in order to keep their jobs. Workers are also concerned about work injuries and attaining jobs with benefits.
Community Response
Workers come from diverse backgrounds and consequently have diverse attitudes and ways of processing and managing change. Workers also may have diverse basic needs that are not being met sufficiently. Workers have different resources, different management methods, different consumption patterns, and different methods of stress management. Most have managed by reacting to crisis rather than by working toward objectives. In some cases, errors in thinking rather than just poor attitudes that keep workers from being productive
Employers should be aware of the concerns workers have as they make the transition into the work force. Some daily work activities become challenging experiences that making coping difficult. A supportive employer helps workers get accustomed to procedures and the work situation.
Strategies
1. Present Pre-Work Training
Extension publications can be used by those in the community who work directly with Work First participants to improve participants own ability to handle new work experiences, work demand, and family concerns as they make the transition from welfare. However, in addition to improving Work First participants knowledge and ability to handle these experiences, communities need to provide direct supports and eliminate external obstacles that prevent successful work experiences.
2. Support Employees in Their New Positions
Receiving appreciation, praise, and encouragement from coworkers and employers is often very important for workers new to the work force. Examples of such support include providing assistance when a worker is having trouble with job tasks, giving honest and helpful feedback, showing confidence in workers, and trusting them with added responsibilities. These kinds of support help many workers feel accepted, needed, and successful, which can have a direct impact on their performance and the likelihood of remaining in a job.
3. Present On-the-Job Training
Provide access to training or workshops that will improve workers job skills and ability to work well with others. Workers who feel they are prepared for their jobs will be the most successful. Many workers note that when they have been adequately trained, they feel more confident and have greater success.
4. Present On-the-Job Training about the Work Culture
Classes which can increase the knowledge, skills, and aspirations of participants will also empower and motivate them. Workers who understand what is expected of them in their dress, social exchanges, and work ethic will have greater success.
5. Encourage Coworkers To Be Mutually Supportive
Promoting wider support networks among all workers increases the emotional support for those moving from welfare to work. Often people who are moving from welfare to work have been socially isolated and need additional support, especially as they begin a new job. These networks should not take away from productive work time, but they should encourage support among workers through meetings, telephone contact, or other means that are most appropriate, based on participants schedules, needs, and preferences. Planned lunch break chats, health fairs to encourage fitness, and group team meetings could contribute to a feeling of support and enhance long-term productivity.
6. Provide Mentoring Opportunities
Often new workers need a good role model and someone who is willing to help them think through decisions associated with their work. Job coaches or mentors can ease the transition into a new job; workers and retirees who have experience and skills in a particular area can give new workers individual attention in helping them learn new responsibilities, addressing any job concerns they might have, and providing some direct emotional support and encouragement.
7. Offer Workshops To Improve Work Relationships
Coworkers who understand each other contribute to job satisfaction. Workshops in the workplace can be important to the success of all workers. Possible topics include communication, honesty, and encouragement among coworkers; overcoming stereotypes; and understanding the diverse needs of former welfare recipients.
Workers perform best when they feel that others in the workplace have trust and confidence in them, rather than when they are stereotyped as lazy and unskilled. The importance of respect, helpfulness, compassion, and honest communication should be emphasized to all coworkers and supervisors.
8. Offer Workshops or Counseling on Selected Personal Problems
Many employers arrange for workshops or counseling to minimize the distraction caused by personal problems such as money worries. Helping workers deal constructively with such concerns has been shown to reduce stress and accidents and to increase worker productivity.
9. Consider On-site or Contracted Employee Assistance Programs
These programs can help employees deal with a variety of problems such as drug abuse.
