Rapid Response Solutions For Businesses

In our increasingly globalized and highly competitive economy, businesses are hardly ever stable. Companies are constantly growing or shrinking, or are facing barriers that keep them from growing. One of the biggest challenges companies must face is having a workforce that is skilled enough to allow them to innovate and compete, and ultimately grow and prosper, in this economy.

Your state and local area offer many resources that can assist your company, regardless of where your company is in this business cycle. One such resource is called Rapid Response. Rapid Response is a pro-active, business-focused, and flexible strategy designed for two major purposes.

  • First, to help growing companies access the resources they need to continue to be successful, including helping meet existing and future talent needs.
  • Second, to respond to announcements of layoffs and plant closings by quickly coordinating services and providing immediate aid to companies and their affected workers to ensure rapid reemployment and to minimize the negative impacts of the layoff.

Rapid Response teams will work with your company and any employee representative(s) (where applicable) to quickly maximize public and private resources to minimize the disruptions that are associated with job losses on your business, your workers, and the communities in which you do business and live. Rapid Response can provide customized services on-site at an affected your company, accommodate any work schedules, and assist company leadership and affected workers through the painful transitions associated with job loss.

If you are looking to access skilled workers, are expecting a layoff or plant closing, or even wish to learn more about the solutions Rapid Response can provide to your business, contact your state's Rapid Response team.

Benefits to Your Company

Working with Rapid Response during layoffs or plant closings will result in multiple benefits to you as a business. The more quickly the Rapid Response strategy is implemented, the better off your company and workers will be. Providing Rapid Response to your workers will help assure:

  • Higher productivity and worker morale and lower absenteeism during the layoff event due to reduced stress
  • Lower unemployment insurance costs as workers are re-employed more quickly when services are begun before the layoff
  • Decreased likelihood of sabotage or work disruptions
  • Media and rumor management. Rapid Response teams understand the often confidential nature of layoffs and will work with the company to ensure confidentiality at all times.
  • Better public relations for an employer. Rapid Response teams can also work with the media to highlight services an employer is providing to its workers during a layoff period, which will improve a company's public image

Rapid Response teams can also provide information to companies concerning any state or federal requirements or laws for notification, including the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.

Developing relationships with your Rapid Response team can also benefit you during hiring phases as the team will have access to skilled workers looking for employment in your area.

Benefits to Your Workers

The decision to lay off employees is one no employer wants to make. However, as layoffs do occur, inviting Rapid Response teams to meet with affected workers before the layoff will allow your employees to access services and programs that will help them through this difficult time. Rapid Response teams can provide your employees with a range of information and services, including:

Local services available may include use of computers, telephones, and fax machines for job searches; financial planning and stress management workshops; financial support for training; income support if jobs were lost due to foreign trade; and special services for veterans and adults with disabilities.

Additionally, Rapid Response on-site meetings will introduce your workers to representatives of many other programs that can help them through this transition. Perhaps the most important of these partners is the American Job Center. The American Job Center system was designed to bring together many separate partners to seamlessly provide an array of services, from resume preparation to job search to placement to supportive services, to anyone who wishes to have access to these services. Every state has an American Job network open to all residents, including those who have been laid off or expect to be laid off from their job. The American Job Center also has services tailored to meet the workforce needs of local employers, so contact your local American Job Center or state Dislocated Worker Unit to learn more.

Trade-Related Layoffs and Plant Closings

The federal government provides additional resources to workers whose jobs are lost due to foreign trade or shifts in production out of the United States. While not all job loss due to foreign competition meets the requirements of the Trade Act, the Rapid Response team will work with your company to provide information on Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and the benefits you can receive if your company is certified as trade-affected. Your company, the Rapid Response team, or the workers themselves can file a trade petition with the U.S> Department of Labor. For more information on the Trade Act Program and its benefits, contact your state's Rapid Response team. TAA and its benefits are provided at no cost to you as an employer and allow your workers to access an even wider array of services than they would otherwise be eligible for; ask your Rapid Response contact for more information on TAA and the petition process.

Additional Rapid Response Services

In addition to the benefits described above, the Rapid Response team can help provide you with important information and other services. Ask your Rapid Response team for information on

Avoiding Layoffs

Your state may offer incumbent worker training programs to help upgrade your workers' skills, employer loan programs to fund capital improvements, and many other services that may help prevent or minimize layoffs or even help your company grow. The Rapid Response team can provide information on these programs. Here are some links to other organizations and resources that might be beneficial to your company:

You may also wish to consider selling your business to a buyer, several buyers, a management group or employees. The Rapid Response team can help you with this and other layoff aversion options.

Meeting Government Reporting Requirements

Under certain conditions, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers to give their workers 60 day's notice before a plant closing or mass layoff. All businesses are encouraged to provide notice to the state Dislocated Worker Unit as quickly as possible. Some states also have plant closure laws, and those state laws may impose additional requirements. If you are an employer facing the prospect of a layoff, contact your state Rapid Response immediately to find out more information on notice requirements in your area.

Rights and Responsibilities under Employment Laws and Regulations

elaws Advisors help you understand your rights and responsibilities under the employment laws and regulations, such as the WARN Act, administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. Each Advisor imitates the interaction you might have with an employment law expert. The Advisors ask questions and provide answers based on your responses.

Rapid Response Contact Information

Contact your state's Rapid Response team for additional information on the benefits of Rapid Response and other services for your company, or to provide notice of an impending layoff.