Of all the aspects of social misery,

1

• Of all the aspects of social misery,
• nothing is so heartbreaking as
• unemployment. 
• Jane Addams, 1910

2
Promoting Job Retention and Advancement among
TANF Recipients by Supporting Employers to
Implement Workplace Support Practices

• Tenth Annual ACF/OPRE
• Welfare Research Evaluation Conference
• A Decade of Findings that Inform Welfare Policy
  and Practice
• June 5, 2007
• Washington, D. C.
• Anthony J. Mallon, PhD, MSW
• Virginia Commonwealth University
• School of Social Work

3
Policy Context

• Work First, Devolution Privatization
• PRWORA mandated states to require TANF
  recipients to work.
• Recipients required/encouraged to work through
  use of work supports, sanctions and time
  limits.
• Quick workforce attachment with reduced emphasis
  on pre-employment education and training.
• Non-profit and for-profit organizations
  increasingly relied upon by state and local TANF
  agencies to deliver job placement services,
• based on the Work First approach.

4
Policy Impacts TANF Recipients

• Success Failure
• Caseloads declined dramatically
• Majority of leavers exited welfare for work
• Many workers remain poor
• Job loss often related to personal and
  structural barriers
• Returns to public assistance

5
Policy Impacts Employers

• Worksites increasingly the place where many
  employment barriers are
• identified and dealt with (or not).
• Job retention among welfare leavers remains a
  problem.
• Private businesses may often be functioning as de
  facto workforce
• development organizations, but how willing and
  able are they to fulfill
• this role?

6
Question

• Under what conditions will employers implement
  workplace
• support practices to promote job retention of
  welfare
• recipients they hire?

7
Methods

• Semi-structured interviews with forty-three
  representatives (ownership/upper
• management, human resources, middle management,
  line supervisors) from
• twenty businesses in the Detroit metropolitan
  area that ranged in the degree
• to which they engaged in workplace support
  practices (WSP).
• Initial list of WSPs generated from literature
  and amended during data
• collection (1) Adjustment to the Workplace (2)
  Job Skills/Human Capital
• Development and, (3) Logistic Support
• Rated companies based on direct counting of the
  number of WSPs a firm
• engaged in and the scope of these practices.
• Inductive analysis of interviews to identify
  factors associated with the degree
• of WSP implementation.

8

• Companies
  
• Workplace Support Practice
  Providing__
• Adjustment to the Workplace
• New employee orientation
  100
• Mentors/buddies on-site 55
• Paying one-to-one attention/policies to help
  acclimate new workers 40
• (Re)-training supervisors 20
• Job Skills/Human Capital Development (HCD)
• OJT Hard Skills Soft Skills 60
• Feedback, evaluations, and recognition
  60
• Opportunities to advance 60
• Raises, cash, gifts based on performance
  40
• Educational support ESL GED tuition
  reimbursement 25
• Logistic Support
• Release time from work for personal obligations
  70
• Flexible scheduling 60

9
Employers WSP Rating

• Very High (2) Large Hotel, Medium Auto Parts
  Manufacturer
• High (5) Large Retail Concessions, Small
  Wireless Retail,
• Small Industrial Maintenance, Small
  Residential Maintenance
• Medium Linen Supply
• Mid (6) Small Home Health Care, Large
  Cable, Large Iron Manuf.,
• Med. Construction, Small
  Res. Maintenance, Small Grocery
• Low (5) Large Entertainment Complex,
  Med. Res. Health Care,
• Large Retail Grocery, Med. Auto Parts
  Manuf., Med. Industrial Staffing
• Very Low (2) Med. Industrial Staffing, Med.
  Industrial Staffing
• Small 1-99 employees, Mid 100-499 employees,
  and Large More than 500 employees.
• Avg. wages Very High- 7.63 High-6.90 Mid-
  9.45 Low- 7.16, Very Low- 5.50

10
Sample Representation

• Service Retail Manufacturing Temp/
• Other
• Study 45 20 20 15
• National 46 24 14 16
• Richer, Savner, Greenberg (2001) Acs and
  Loprest (2004).

11
Findings

• Extent that firm leadership committed to
  promoting job retention of
• entry-level workers in general
• (2) Level of awareness/empathy about TANF
  recipient work barriers
• (3) Availability of organizational resources
  (financial, informational, and technical) for
  implementing WSPs
• Wildcard Strong ties, based on mutual
  expectations of reciprocal communication and
  effort, between employers and workforce
  development organizations.  

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Organizational Commitment

• VERY HIGH
• Avian HR/Operations Director
• Paul (owner name) had a real strong interest in
  hiring the prior convicted felons. He had a
  family member who was wrongly convicted and he
  has struggled ever since being released from
  prison in getting his life back on track. He
  said, We need to be open-minded. People make
  mistakes. And if this is an opportunity where
  we can help people out, then we need to do it.
  And so our giveback to the community is to hire
  people who might otherwise be overlooked for a
  job because of lack of experience or prior felony
  convictions.
• When I hire a new manager, supervisor, whatever,
  theyre told, We use prior welfare recipients,
  prior convicted felons. If youre not
  comfortable with that, this isnt the place for
  you to work. That happens in the interview
  process because what that means to you as a
  supervisor is you have to train more. You have
  to mentor more. You have to cut a little slack
  here and there. They have to follow the rules,
  but lets give people an opportunity to conform
  to the system.

13
Organizational Commitment

• VERY HIGH
• Worldwide Resorts - HR Supervisor
• Its top-down. Its definitely something that
  its almost, you know, you need to have this
  mindset, this attitude to be successful in this
  company. I mean, yeah its one of our business
  goals. Training is one of our business goals.
  Recruiting, training, and retention are our
  business goals and that comes from (corporate
  headquarters).
• WR Housekeeping Supervisor
• Well, I havent been with Worldwide Resorts
  (Detroit property) very long, but what Ive seen
  from other managers that come from different
  Worldwide Resorts is the way that theythey are
  family-oriented. The first thing is our
  associates (employees). And if we take care of
  our associates, our associates will take care of
  our guests. So thats really our logo is that if
  we take good care of our associates, our
  associates will take good care of our guests.

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Organizational Commitment

• HIGH
• Quality Linen Operations Supervisor
• Ive got one (worker hired from TANF) down there
  now like that (needing flexible scheduling). I
  wont say her name but shes been here now 7 or 8
  years. She had two young boys her first job.
  She rode the bus. Our starting time is 500,
  well, where she lived at, the bus doesnt get her
  here until 600. So what we do in that case is,
  Bring me your bus schedule. Let me see. This
  is where you have to come from and theres no way
  you can get here. So shes been coming at 600
  for years. . .. . . well, see usually if I set it
  up, as long as I accepted it, management was ok
  with it.
• QL Owner
• These people, they dont understand discipline.
  They dont understand coming to work every day.
  If its cold out, you know, any excuse (chuckles)
  not to come to work, ok? They need the money and
  they need the support for themselves and their
  families, but it takes a certain amount of
  self-discipline, and they dont have that in
  their upbringing or their background or whatever.
  And how do youhow do you develop that?

15
Organizational Commitment

• MID
• United Maid Service Owner
• It started, actually, when we first started in
  1984. And we currently hire through the Michigan
  Work First agencies. Thats how we get a lot of
  our people now. . . you know, they need to work
  also. They need to work. They need to have a
  chance. And that is the reason why we hire them,
  to give them a chance.
• UMS Housekeeping Supervisor
• HS I find it hard to hire regular people,
  maybe people with education or something,
  because of the money.
• Interviewer So this was a group whom you
  thought might take the work and other people
  wouldnt.
• HS Right.

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Organizational Commitment

• MID
• Caring Angels Supervisor
• I have watched kids before. Yes, I have. We
  have an aid whose son is handicapped. And she
  didnt have a babysitter. I have watched
  children before.
• I did it about a month ago. . . Theres really
  nobody here, because again were not really
  involved with the community. We should be, but
  were not. I want to be more involved with it,
  but theres only so much I can do. Its like
  they dont care.
• Arena Facilities HR Assistant
• (Our company) found it hard to try to place some
  of our different custodial-type
• positions in our organization, particularly our
  housekeeping department
• they get here to work in our organization for a
  paycheck and then, they can do
• whatever they want, they can not call in, not
  show up one day and come in the next and say,
  Oh, I was sick, or whatever. . . no big deal.
  And they play that game here and there for
  eternity, if they can. And its just unfortunate
  because were not here as a training ground.
  Were here to get the business done, to get work
  done. Were here because we provide a service
  for people. Were here to make money. One of
  our goals is not to take people in society and
  train them and build them up.

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Relationships Reciprocal

• Avian Office Manager
• Its nice, say I need two people, one for
  midnights and one for days or
• something, I can call them (WDO). I work with
  either usually Keith or Bonnie. She would come
  up. Well set up a time like tomorrow morning
  and bring both
• candidates here. Usually the number I want.
  Then I give them the talk about
• Avian and everything. Then I interview them
  separately and then I usually
• hire them.
• Avian Plant Manager
• One of the benefits we have is a coordinator
  like (Keith), who works very closely (with us).
  We are his biggest employer, so he has a huge
  interest in maintaining a good relationship with
  Avian because we will take candidates from him
  very readily. We were having a huge issue and he
  worked out with the City of Detroit and got
  transportation provided on all three shifts in my
  New Baltimore facility. They pick up at the
  Woodward Center at a certain time and drop them
  right in my parking lot every day.

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Relationships Reciprocal
Worldwide Resorts HR Supervisor Well, I
guess it started out kind of slow. I guess you
could say sort of slowly. You know,
what I do with the agencies, kind of partner with
them. I kind of get to know them. I
would go and sit in on some of their classes. We
just form a relationship with our
participants and with the instructors. I spend a
lot of time at (name of WDO) investing in
that relationship. They knew what I was
looking for in someone. I felt like I could
trust them to tell me, you know, like maybe
there was someone who didnt stand out. But they
would say, Actually, so-and-so is really
responsible and looking for a job. Id say,
Ok. Ill take your person and give them
a shot. If I call them and say,
So-and-so hasnt been to work in two days.
They say, Oh my gosh! Ill call them
right now. They call them and find out whats
going on and resolve it.
19
Relationships One-sided

• Pristine Cleaning Operations Supervisor - High
• I dont work specifically with working on that
  (retention) issue. You
• know, I might call them (WDO) back and say,
  This is not working out.
• Can you send me somebody else?
• Homebuilders HR Director - Mid
• When I call them (WDO) and tell them I need
  certain individuals with
• certain types of job experience, they will get
  me people to interview
• right away. In manufacturing, its very
  difficult to get people right away.
• I mean, thats my big thing. I like that they
  do pre-screen for you. Its
• very beneficial.

20
Relationships Unsatisfactory

• Quality Linen HR Director - High
• I mean, not to dog any specific agency, but you
  know, you get calls, you might
• get calls looking for feedback on how an
  employee was doing and the person had been gone
  for (chuckles) for 30 or 40 days. You know, that
  was poor.
• Diamond Housekeeping Operations Manager - High
• They (WDO) follow up probably every now and then
  to see if theyre still here. Yes, they do.
  They do. But thats all they ask, Is she still
  employed? They dont want to know, you know,
  how well shes doing or anything of that nature
• Arena Facilities HR Supervisor - Low
• You might call them (WDO) and say, so-and-so
  didnt show up for work today or whatever but you
  dont hear from them.

21
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22
Conclusion Engaging Employers as Partners

• Identify employers that demonstrate an
  organizational commitment to hiring
• and retaining workers with barriers to
  employment.
• Cultivate relationships with various individuals
  within the company based on
• reciprocity and shared goals.
• Intervene to facilitate WSP implementation by
  employers (e.g. identify or
• provide resources, educate on cost benefits of
  lowering retention, facilitate
• communication with other employers successes,
  require reciprocity on the part of
• employers).

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Implications for Policy Practice Research

• Recognition that employers are key stakeholders
  in implementing TANF and occupy an important
  place in the service delivery network of
  public-private organizations.
• Better understanding of employers perspective on
  employee hiring and retention and their needs
  with respect to skills and aptitude.
• Better preparation in terms of meeting TANF
  recipients challenges regarding employment,
  before and after job placement.
• Preparedness of WDO staff and clients to interact
  with companies in a professional manner and
  communicate in a consistent and reciprocal way
  regarding employment challenges and potential
  solutions.
• Flexibility and willingness to require employer
  reciprocation in working with WDOs.
• Governance mechanisms that promote partnering
  relationships between WDOs
• and employers (may mean relaxing Work First
  emphasis).
• Determine the actual effectiveness of various
  WSPs on retention.
• Further analysis of the relationships between
  WDOs and Employers.

24

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Discussion