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Customized Employment. One Creative Option to Support Workplace Flexibility Lisa Cuozzo, Director of Operations TransCen, Inc. & MontgomeryWorks One Stop Workforce Center. A bit of history. Customized Employment is: a flexible blend of strategies, services, and supports…
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Customized Employment One Creative Option to Support Workplace Flexibility Lisa Cuozzo, Director of OperationsTransCen, Inc. & MontgomeryWorks One Stop Workforce Center October 18, 2007 BPW Foundation Webinar ● Workplace Design: Benefits & Challenges
A bit of history • Customized Employment is: • a flexible blend of strategies, services, and supports… • designed to increase employment options for job seekers with complex needs… • through voluntary negotiation with an employer. Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Dept of Labor October 18, 2007 BPW Foundation Webinar ● Workplace Design: Benefits & Challenges
Result: Employment where • tasks are carved from an existing job, • tasks are restructured from one or more existing jobs, or • tasks are created to meet specific employer need. i.e., a “customized” job description October 18, 2007 BPW Foundation Webinar ● Workplace Design: Benefits & Challenges
What we’ve learned • By customizing employment situations and job descriptions for people with complex needs (with a focus on workplace/ business needs), retention rates greatly improve. • A little creativity goes a long way! October 18, 2007 BPW Foundation Webinar ● Workplace Design: Benefits & Challenges
Customized Employment as a Flex Options Strategy • Typical flex options: • Flexible worksite (telecommuting) • Flex time (flexible scheduling) • Flexible staffing (job sharing or hiring temps) • Additional Customized Employment Flex Options: • Job carving • Task reassignment October 18, 2007 BPW Foundation Webinar ● Workplace Design: Benefits & Challenges
Task Reassignment • Some job tasks of incumbent workers are reassigned to a new employee • allows incumbent worker to focus on the critical functions of his/her job (i.e., primary job responsibilities) and complete more of the central work of the job. • Task reassignment typically takes the form of job creation • a new job description is negotiated based on current, unmet workplace needs. October 18, 2007 BPW Foundation Webinar ● Workplace Design: Benefits & Challenges
Why? • Customized Employment as a Flex Options strategy saves a company time and money. • Allows for a broader diversification of the workforce (diversity and corporate responsibility initiatives) • Creates a welcoming and highly inclusive environment. October 18, 2007 BPW Foundation Webinar ● Workplace Design: Benefits & Challenges
Given the Choice • Given the choice between work and idleness, people will almost always choose work.- Robert E. Drake, M.D, Ph.D. October 18, 2007 BPW Foundation Webinar ● Workplace Design: Benefits & Challenges