Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Employer Survey

1. Vermont Division of Vocational RehabilitationEmployer Survey Brian Robertson, PhD Patrick Madden

2. Some Goals: • Assess satisfaction among current clients. • Determine awareness of the Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and its services among the broader business community. • Determine the level of interest in VR services among the broader business community.

3. The Survey Questionnaire • The survey was tailored to ask questions of both current clients and those not currently receiving services through VR. • The main areas of focus were: • Awareness of and familiarity with the Division and VABIR. • Communications with and use of services provided by the Division and VABIR. • Satisfaction with the services provided by the Division and VABIR. • Interest in receiving services provided by the Division and VABIR. • Company hiring process and prior experiences with employees with disabilities. • Communications.

4. Sampling • The goal was to provide the views of both current clients as well as the broader business community. • A list of businesses was provided by the Division. The goal was to complete 100 surveys among this group of businesses. • The second sample was based on a random sample of all businesses in Vermont. The goal was to complete 200 surveys among this group of businesses. • The general business sample was stratified by region of the state as well as by the size of the business based on number of employees.

5. Data Collection • Data collection began on June 18, 2009 and was completed on July 13, 2009. • A total of 342 employers completed the survey. • The survey response rate was 57% among businesses from the list provided by the Division (83% cooperation rate). • The survey response rate was 21% among the general business community sample (46% cooperation rate).

6. Number of Surveys Completed by Sample Strata

7. Data Analysis When we looked at the data, respondents fell into three groups: • Current Clients – those that are currently receiving services from the Division (n=63, 17 identified among the general business sample). • DVR Non-clients – these represent respondents whose information was provided by the Division but during the interview indicated they had not received services from the Division during the past year (n=54). • General Business Non-clients – these are respondents drawn from the general business community that have not received services form the Division during the past year (n=225).

8. Presentation of Survey Results Results are provided for each of these three groups: • Current Clients – In charts, these respondents are identified by the green bars. • DVR Non-clients – In charts, these respondents are identified by the yellow bars. • General Business Non-clients – In charts, these respondents are identified by the red bars.

9. Summary of Survey Results

10. Awareness of and Familiarity with the Division and VABIR

11. 92% of clients are familiar with the Division while the general business community (non-clients) is in large part not familiar with the Division (69% are not familiar).

12. Clients think of the Division as providing assistance with finding jobs and vocational retraining. Most of the general business community (56%) is unsure of the services provided by the Division. Based on what you know or may have heard, what types of services are provided by the Vermont DVR?

13. 81% of current clients have a positive image of the Division, while 72% of those in the general business community have a neutral image or are simply unsure.

14. Only 44% of current clients are familiar with VABIR; only 9% of those in the general business community are familiar with VABIR.

15. Most respondents are unsure of the types of services provided by VABIR. Based on what you know or may have heard, what types of services are provided by VABIR?

16. 38% of current clients have a positive image of VABIR while 62% have a neutral image or are unsure.

17. Communications with and Use of Services Provided by the Division and VABIR

18. Two-thirds of clients have been working with the Division more than two years.

19. 79% of clients have met with a representative of the Division; only 12% of those in the general business community have met with a representative of the division.

20. 51% of clients have met with a representative of the Division within the past several months. Among those in the general business community, the largest percentage that met with a representative did so more than two years ago. When was the last time you met with a representative of VocRehab Vermont?

21. Only a small percentage of respondents have met with a representative of VABIR. When was the last time you met with a representative of VABIR?

22. Among the general business community (non-clients), 10% have received services from the Division or VABIR in the past.

23. Among those that have used services in the past, the most commonly used service was referral of candidates for job openings. Which services has your company or business used this service in the past? (% among all respondents in group)

24. Among employers in the general business community that have used services in the past, 29% had a relationship with the Division 1 – 2 years ago; 35% had a relationship with the Division more than 5 years ago.

25. The main reasons for not working with the Division are simply there is no need and the lack of openings. Why is your company or business no longer working with VocRehab Vermont and/or VABIR?

26. Satisfaction with the Services Provided by the Division and VABIR

27. Among current clients, the most commonly used services are referral of candidates for job openings (81%), training and consulting on disability and employment (49%), and assistance with accommodations for workers with disabilities (46%). Does your company or business CURRENTLY use this service: (% among current clients)

28. There is a high level of satisfaction with the services provided by the Division Overall, how satisfied are you with:... (% among clients receiving service)

29. There is also a high level of satisfaction with Division staff. How satisfied are you with Division staff providing this service? (% among clients receiving service)

30. Among dissatisfied clients and those offering suggestions for service improvement, common themes are the quality of the candidates, the burden of paperwork, and better communication. • The folks they provide need a little more training, they should look more closely at what we're trying to fill. • Job readiness would help some of the folks who tried out here. There needs to be more attention paid to this factor . • They need to be more aware of the job and the detail of what the job entails. • Because you have to fill out lots of paperwork and they still deny you or give you the run-around. • Less paperwork; I think that that is the thing that ties us up the most is the paperwork and the dates and they have to have a certain date on them - a lot more services could be used if there wasn't so much, so many hoops. • Staying in touch with us as much as possible. • They could have followed up on how the worker was doing after a week or so. This is not good as they need to know just how well they do in the workplace.

31. Among current clients, 73% have hired a candidate referred by the Division or VABIR.

32. Interest in Receiving Services Provided by the Division and VABIR

33. There is interest among employers for the services provided by the Division (among those not currently receiving services) How interested would your company or business be in receiving this service: (% very or somewhat interested)

34. Company Hiring Process and Prior Experiences with Employees with Disabilities

35. Seven in ten current clients (70%) say they have a diversity initiative implemented in their business. This compares to only 35% of employers in the general business community.

36. Eighty-seven percent of current clients are aware of the tax credits and deductions offered by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

37. The majority of both clients and non-clients say that the availability of tax incentives would not affect their likelihood to hire a candidate with a disability.

38. Almost three-quarters (73%) of current clients would be interested in a service where they could assess candidates with disabilities before committing to hire the candidate.

39. Seven in ten current clients (70%) would be interested in a service that provides assistance for employees who may develop age related disabilities.

40. Three-quarters (75%) of current clients indicate they are familiar with Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). 66% of these clients offer their employees access to an EAP. 53% of these non-clients offer their employees access to an EAP.

41. Among those who do not currently offer an EAP, few expressed interest in meeting an Invest EAP representative to learn about how it could benefit their company.

42. Three in ten current clients (29%) work with other placement programs in addition to VocRehab Vermont and VABIR. Note: The programs most commonly mentioned were the Department of Labor, VT Associates, and Recruiters or staffing agencies in general.

43. Among both current clients and non-clients, email and regular mail is the most effective method of providing companies with information about VocRehab Vermont and VABIR. What is the most effective method of providing your company or business with information about the services that VocRehab Vermont and VABIR provide?

44. Summarizing by Group:

45. Current Clients • The level of satisfaction is high so there are no broad concerns with client satisfaction. • Some potential areas of focus among current clients are: • Better preparation of candidates and working with clients to understand the specifics of their business in order to better prepare candidates for the workforce. • Work with clients to help minimize the burden of paperwork. • Communicate with clients more frequently including more personal contact via in-person meetings. • Look for opportunities to expand the list of services that you provide your current clients (cross promoting your services).

46. DVR Non-Clients • Among this group, awareness of DVR is quite high, but there is a lack of knowledge about specific services. • Half have received services from DVR in the past, but not recently. • 44% have met with a representative, but most meetings occurred more than 6 months ago. • There is interest among this group in the services that DVR provides. • This group represents an important opportunity because they are already aware of DVR. • Your efforts among this group should focus on communicating about the specific services you offer. • Get in touch and stay in touch. Follow up on their specific needs. Remember, a need for services can arise at any time.

47. General Business Non-Clients • Among this group, there is little awareness of DVR in general, let alone awareness of the specific services the Division offers. • Only 12% have met with a representative and most meetings occurred more than 2 years ago. • Your efforts among this group should focus primarily on increasing overall awareness of the Division as a first step. • There is interest among this group in the services that DVR provides. • Once you introduce yourself to the broader business community you can then provide the details of specific services and the benefits of these services.

48. Vermont Division of Vocational RehabilitationEmployer Survey Thank you for your time. I would be happy to answer any questions.