TEIN3-01Attach.pdf

ETA Advisory File Text

U.S . De pa rtme nt of La bor Employ me nt a nd T raining A dminis tration Office of A dult Serv ices Di visi on of A dul t and Dislocated Workers National Dislocated Wor ker Wor kgr oup 1. Timeliness The m ore q uick ly Rapid Response is beg un the m ore t ime is av ailable f or workers to ov ercom e their fear s and beg in t heir re-ent ry int o the w orkforce. Ear ly int ervent ion allow s em ploy ers and w orkers t o com municat e about worker concer ns to take adv ant ag e of worker transit ion com mittee oppor tunit ies to init iat e peer w orker pr oject s and t o ident ify desig n and ov ersee lay off av ersion and incum bent worker stra tegies. Hav ing time av ailable t o under take t hese act ivities can lead t o im prov ed m orale and product ivity and low er w orker absent eeism due to reduced st ress. T her e m ay also be f ewer problem s associat ed w ith w orkplace sabot ag e. In addit ion the w orkers m ay be able t o beg in ser vices including training bef ore t hey ar e laid off. T he sooner this pr ocess is beg un the sooner it can be com plet ed and t he m ore lik ely that the f ull ar ray of needed ser vices can be prov ided t o help dislocat ed w orkers obt ain re- em ploy ment . I t is benef icial t o conduct as much of the pr ocess as possible w hile w orkers are st ill em ploy ed or w hile unem ploy ment insur ance benef its sev erance pay ment s or other financial r esour ces ar e av ailable. It is im por tant as w ell t o link Rapid Response with the T rade Act pr og rams to deliv er timely benef its and ser vices t o t rade- affected workers. Including T rade Act r epr esent atives or staff trained in T rade Act pr og rams on Rapid Response t eam s can benef it w orkers throug h ear lier filing of Trade Adj ustment Assist ance or Q uality R apid R esponse P rinc iple s Nor th Am erica Fr ee Trade Act -Transit ional Adj ustment Assist ance pet itions t her eby incr easing the lik elihood t hat the pet itions w ill be appr ov ed by the t ime of the lay off. The Rapid Response t eam should also g ather inf ormation f rom t he em ploy er t hat would assist in ear ly ident ificat ion of f irms w hose workers m ight be secondar ily af fected. 2. Convenience Af fected w orkers ar e bet ter ser ved when meet ing s and ot her Rapid Response ev ent s are pr ov ided on- sit e rather than of f-sit e and when indiv iduals ar e not required to accom modat e t heir w orking schedules t o One- St op Cent er regular oper ating hour s. On-sit e means at a conv enient place f or the w orkers. This can be at a w ork sit e when the em ploy er per mits and t her e is space av ailable at a sit e close t o the w orkplace or at a local com munit y cent er or union hall. On-site prom otes conv enience and ease of access f or t he workers. Also the w orkers ar e in f amiliar sur rounding s and near t heir cow orkers. Ongoing ser vices may or m ay not be pr ov ided on- sit e depending on v arious f actors including log istics and how m any w orkers ar e inv olved. Special hour s out side of regular oper ating hour s of t he O ne- St op m ay be needed to assur e opt im al access t o ear ly int ervent ion serv ices. 3. C ust omer C hoice The St ate Rapid Response Dislocat ed W orker Unit DW U in collabor ation with local Boar ds and O ne- St op oper ators ensur es t hat as many Rapid Response st rategies ar e av ailable and used as are appropriate to the event. The DWU and One-Stop in consultation with the employer the worker and worker representative and the union if present will determine which services will be made available. Customization of services for the specific population being laid off enhances the success of Rapid Response in helping people transition back to employment. It is recommended that Rapid Response practitioners administer a worker survey prior to or during orientation sessions. A survey can provide a snapshot of worker interests and profiles and is one of many pieces of information that need to be gathered. The usefulness of the survey data will depend on the information available on the dislocation at that point and how the workforce is facing the reality of the layoff. It is important that every worker voices his or her needs. 4. Consistent and Accurate Information Rapid Response practitioners provide information to workers employers worker representatives and the community. The information concerns the availability of services such as unemployment compensation labor market information and strategies for re-employment as well as Trade Act program information where appropriate. In order to maximize the utility of the information it needs to be consistent accurate locally- driven and timely. Also in the best situations information will be specific to the work site and will include non-job specific referrals to services and agencies. Rapid Response staff and their partners at the state and local level must engage in an ongoing information gathering process and establish contacts that can provide information for dislocated workers. 5. Leveraging Resources State Rapid Response resources combined with other available resources should provide workers with services they need to ease the adjustment process and return to productive employment. These should include services that are provided by the employer union community including volunteer religious and service organizations and other partners. Resources can be in-kind equipment staff time space and so on or cash. The foundation for leveraging resources for a specific layoff should be laid in advance by identifying all the resources available and thinking through the needs of dislocated workers. When learning about a specific layoff these resources can be fine-tuned and organized to meet the needs of that group of workers. By leveraging and coordinating resources a wider range of assistance can be directed at the effort to help workers and their families adjust to job loss and help the workers re-enter the workforce. Also leveraging resources shows the workers that there is a support network for them beyond Rapid Response activities and the local One-Stop. Early intervention and a timely certification of Trade Act petitions provide an additional resource to One-Stop operators to design individual service strategies for trade-affected workers that may include job search and relocation allowance training and income support in addition to the mix of core and intensive services provided to all dislocated workers in a One-Stop center. Through cooperative arrangements with One-Stop partners as well as with company and union officials community-based organizations and agencies with federal State and local funding a more effective and efficient use of available resources is possible. The delivery of services provided by different agencies programs or groups needs to be seamless that is the differences in programs or source of funding should be invisible to the customer. In order for this to occur thorough coordination among partners and stakeholders is essential. The basis of coordination is a solid understanding of one another s goals and practices and a willingness to work together so the customers the workers and employer have a smooth and productive experience. Written agreements procedures and common information systems can all help. These agreements can be based on a master state- developed agreement that is similar to an MOU or can be based on a standard framework that is customized to each dislocation event. A good communication system among all parties is also essential. Fully integrating the Trade Act programs into the One-Stop service delivery system ensures that trade-affected workers have access to the same comprehensive services as all dislocated workers. Providing services to trade-affected workers through One-Stop outreach intake and assessment processes should ensure a seamless delivery of services where the various programs are invisible to the customer and opportunities for increased performance outcomes are maximized. 7. Active Promotion Active promotion means having a strategy for making employers workers and others aware that Rapid Response exists and is available to help. It can involve the dissemination of information through brochures presentations at meetings with employer groups Chambers of Commerce and others and unions public service announcements and networking activities. A comprehensive marketing and promotion approach is necessary to ensure that employers workers and others organized labor community groups etc. involved in dislocation events are aware and take full advantage of the wide range of reemployment services available to all dislocated workers. When promotion is an ongoing activity Rapid Response is more likely to be successful. 8. Layoff Aversion Layoffs should be averted through the use of strategies that help retain or save jobs if possible. With a range of tools and relationships with other programs and organizations the Rapid Response team is in an ideal position to coordinate aversion strategies. In many cases the Rapid Response staff may refer companies to other entities that can help to avert a layoff. The aim of the aversion could be to help the company make changes so that layoffs are reduced or completely avoided. In other cases the strategy will be to find a buyer so that the layoffs are averted in that way. 9. Measures of Success Measurable goals established by State and local programs will provide valuable feedback to allow staff to determine whether Rapid Response activities are successful and to identify potential problems. By determining whether a goal has been met Rapid Response staff will have the information necessary to make changes that will ensure continuous improvement of Rapid Response activities. 10. Partnerships Partnerships help communities pull together during a dislocation because they can lead to the allocation of additional resources and information to address a dislocation. Some common partners that are involved in Rapid Response events are the local One-Stop operator Unemployment Insurance Trade Adjustment Assistance TAA and local economic development agencies. Other groups that are also sometimes involved in dislocation events include a variety of One- Stop partners such as vocational rehabilitation child care agencies mental health services and community-based organizations. The involvement of additional partners in a particular Rapid Response event is flexible to reflect the needs of that unique workforce. For more information on Rapid Response and on other Dislocated Worker issues visit the U.S. DOL s Dislocated Worker website at www.doleta.gov layoff. September 2001