THE HIDDEN LABOR POOL LEVERAGING NONTRADITIONAL EMPLOYEES REQUIRES CREATIVITY, EMPATHY

By Dwain Hebda

There have been any number of terms used to describe the current labor crunch in Arkansas, and with current statistics being what they are, economists can now apply another descriptor: historic.

No matter how you slice it, Arkansas is in uncharted water when it comes to its unemployment rate. On July 26, the St. Louis Fed reported unemployment in the state had fallen to 2.6 percent in June, the third straight month of decline after falling below 3 percent for the first time ever in April. The state’s unemployment rate is a full percentage point lower than the national average, about as much as the rate has dropped in just the first six months of the year.

While on the one hand, it’s decidedly positive news that so many in Arkansas are gainfully employed, the inches-deep labor pool presents steep challenges for companies in the state looking to grow after reeling from COVID, supply chain and inflationary blows over the past three years.

Employment in Arkansas increased by more than 4,200 month-over-month, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while the labor force grew by only about 2,900, demonstrating how job creation is outpacing the available bodies needed to fill them.

Yet there are many individuals that still go overlooked by companies. Individuals with disabilities, immigrants and the formerly incarcerated have long been on the fringes of the hiring mainstream, either due to mistrust of past deeds, language and culture barriers or because of stereotypical thinking about what accommodations are needed to put such individuals to work.

Free To Work

According to Restore Hope Arkansas, a Little Rock-based organization formed to help individuals move successfully from incarceration back into to society, the state averages between 8,000 and 8,500 individuals released from state incarceration annually. Half of these individuals reenter society in Arkansas without full time employment.

“We served 2,932 parents statewide in the last 12 months and 78 percent of those are moms and 22 percent are dads,” said Karen Phillips, Restore Hope’s associate director, community development, who is based in Fort Smith. “These all have children under the age of 18 and 48 percent, when they come in to meet with us, have no income from any source. The issues they’re facing are difficult, like 31 percent of them having been convicted of a felony at some point in time. That does cause inability to obtain employment, especially the type of employment that a parent needs that would work well with parenting young children.”

Contrary to popular belief, there are relatively few jobs that are closed to people by state or federal law strictly based on one’s criminal record, particularly nonviolent offenses. But where those restrictions do exist, they present another hurdle to people looking to get back into the labor force.

“There are some statutes that keep parents from being able to access certain types of employment after they’ve been convicted of a felony, or even a misdemeanor,” Phillips said. “There are tons of misdemeanor charges that keep people from being employed, such as childcare. A lot of these moms have little ones, so they want to work in the childcare field. I believe it’s three years, if you’ve been convicted of certain types of misdemeanors, where you’re not allowed to work in childcare. I have a mama that was doing amazing and that came up. So, she was no longer allowed to work there.”

Past that, most restrictions in hiring based on background are more often a company policy as opposed to a legal matter, meaning most companies can exercise their own judgement when considering felons for job openings. And more companies are doing just that, including corporate bell cows Google, Lowe’s and Arkansas’ own Tyson Foods. In fact, Tyson’s employment application doesn’t even inquire about prior convictions.

“[These individuals are] rehabilitated; they’ve recovered from a lot of past issues, and they just want to support their families. And they do work hard,” said Phillips. “It’s not that they don’t want to work hard. I have seen parents benefit greatly from employers removing some of those barriers that they used to have and saying that they will hire people with certain types of felonies.”

Such is not to say that bringing the formerly incarcerated on board will be exactly like any other applicant. Ex-cons commonly face challenges other employees don’t such as reliable transportation or court dates or probation requirements they must meet to remain on the outside. Challenges related to children can also be more acute for a family trying to reunite after a parent’s time in the system.

“If there’s not any flexibility in the hours and I can’t get my kids to school in the morning, or at least get them to the bus stop and then go in, then that’s a problem,” Phillips said. “I think that a lot of it has to do with keeping in mind how life works for the people that you’re trying to get hired and the things that they’re trying to overcome. Most can’t just call Mom to come watch the kids.

“Another piece of the flexibility is they almost always have regular parole probation meetings that they have to go to, and then they have court that they have to go to, and then they have to stop in for a drug test every week, which is as good thing. If you’re an employer, you would probably be like, ‘yay, they’re getting drug tested every single week.’ But they have no choice in having to do all this. They have to be able to go to those meetings or they’re absconding.”

Communities also have an important role to play in the successful reentry of former inmates by breaking down barriers between service agencies. Such is the mission of Restore Hope’s 100 Families Initiative, which helps communities identify bottlenecks that complicate access to needed services. Through this program, city stakeholders work together to help provide a single point of contact from which an individual can access multiple agencies and service providers.

The results of these efforts at both the company and municipal level have been impressive. Where it’s been deployed, the 100 Families Initiative has cut recidivism, reunited children in foster care with their parents, and boosted employment among former inmates at rates well ahead of state and national averages.

Companies that have gone to the time and effort to adjust to the needs of this employee pool have also benefited. As the Second Chance Business Coalition noted, 85 percent of human resources leaders and 81 percent of business leaders report people with criminal records perform the same as, or better than, employees without criminal records. Similarly, the Society for Human Resource Management reported employers as describing employees with criminal records as strongly motivated, highly dedicated and long tenured.

“These folks want to be good employees,” Phillips said. “I’ve definitely seen more flexibility on the part of employers, and we have more people that are able to get employed because of that. If companies can look beyond some past felony charge, it makes such a huge difference in these people’s lives.”

Breaking Stereotypes

Imagine being a hiring manager and having access to a potential labor pool that not only numbers in the millions nationwide, but that data has shown to bring substantial gains in productivity, shareholder value and profitability. That’s exactly what Americans with disabilities offer for employers.

According to a national study by Accenture, this employee demographic checks all the boxes that any company could want. Those companies that have welcomed such workers — what Accenture called “disability inclusion champions” — have reaped substantial benefits including 72 percent more productivity, 30 percent higher profit margins and a whopping 200 percent higher net income, to say nothing of brand enhancement as a truly inclusive workplace.

Yet despite numbering 15.1 million people of working age in the U.S., only a fraction of this pool participated in the workforce in 2018 — Accenture reported it as 29 percent; the Bureau of Labor Statistics claims it’s closer to 19 percent — compared to 75 percent of American workers without a disability. And the unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities is roughly twice as high as the able-bodied, at 9.2 percent versus 4.2 percent, respectively, per Accenture.

One of the leading hesitancies by employers to hire a disabled worker stems from the belief it would require extensive and costly accommodations to do so. However, a recent study by Job Accommodation Network, a service of the U.S. De- partment of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, debunked such fears. Survey respondents reported nearly 60 percent of accommodations cost absolutely nothing to make, while the rest typically cost only about $500 per affected employee.

Access Academy of Little Rock has been changing minds about the employability of people with disabilities for years, one company, one employee at a time. Its adult programs include a variety of job training curriculums that have helped many clients find their way into meaningful employment and greater independence.

“Our young adults tend to stay on the job for a long period of time,” said Jenny Adams, director of adult services. “One of our big goals is finding the right job match; we don’t just find a job to find a job, that isn’t the point of our program. We try to find the right job match, one that our young adults enjoy and fits their ability levels and their interest level, because we want them to stay in that position for longevity.

“As a result, we have young adults who are celebrating 10 years on the job, and they are just as happy 10 years later as they were on the first day on the job. We even have some graduates who have been so successful at their job that they now mentor others in their department, in a leadership position. It’s really come full circle in that sense.”

Access offers multiple programs that address job skills and employability. One, Project Search, matches participants with local businesses through internships. Typically utilizing the hospital setting, the intern gets to learn and experience different departments during the course of their experience. To date, the program has graduated 400 over the last decade, with current cohorts numbering about 80 individuals.

The program, which is active in Fort Smith, Jonesboro, Hot Springs, Pine Bluff and Camden as well as Little Rock, has been enormously successful. Adams said 93 percent of graduates find and hold a job, thanks to the internship’s real-world training and ongoing support from the organization. Clients can receive additional job readiness training as needed through the organization’s AccessLife campusbased program.

“After [Project Search participants] graduate in May, we work to help them find employment in the community, based on the skill set that they’ve learned,” Adams said. “The majority of them find work in the community and then our job shifts to provide what’s called follow-along or employment support. We go with them and help them during orientation and then we help them learn their new job.”

Adams said companies that are new to the program tend to have certain trepidation that comes from inexperience being around people with disabilities in a workplace. Access over- comes these objections by helping to create common understanding between the potential employer and the job applicant.

“We are very open from the beginning, which I think is helpful,” Adams said. “From the first moment of the interview, we introduce ourselves as Project Search and that this is a young adult with a disability. Another thing is, we help the young adult by giving them the chance to talk about themselves. It’s important for them to be able to advocate for themselves and what their strengths are and what their needs are. I think that helps set things up for success with the employers.”

Access also plays an active role in educating employers on the myths versus the realities of adding individuals with disabilities to their workforce. She said while some accommodation may be needed, it’s usually not as extensive as people expect.

“What’s really helpful is that our staff is onsite when the young adult starts the job, and they act as a job coach who works sideby-side with them,” she said. “We know the young adult well, we know what their needs are and we’re standing next to them as they start the job.

“We’re also able to see when accommodations are needed, and we can help communicate to supervisors what those needs are. They’re typically small things, such as maybe extra time to complete a task or an anti-fatigue mat to stand on. Or it could be the task just may not be the right task for them and so we explore if there are different areas that might be a better fit. Typically, employers are very willing to try something different.”

Adams said the graduates of the program have found a place in a variety of work settings, from hospitality and hospitals to fulfillment and distribution centers. She said with a little bit of vision and flexibility on the employer’s part, most employees adapt and do very well in employment, so much so that the program has become a model for other organizations across the country and internationally.

“Some employers are used to saying, ‘I want it this way, exactly this way, every time,’ because that’s what they expect of their other employees,” she said. “What they realize is, if they allow a little bit of flexibility something really great can happen. Some employers, they hire their first young adult from us and then they call back and say, ‘Do you have anyone else that we could hire?’ And they are more than willing to make the accommodations that they need, because that creates an employee that is valuable to their company.

“Employers who are willing to be a little flexible find an employee that’s really wonderful; one who will show up every day, on time, with a smile on their face and be happy to do what they do.”

For more information about community-based programming serving the formerly incarcerated, contact Restore Hope Arkansas (RestoreHopeAR.org). For more information on Project Search and other vocational programs, contact Access (AccessGroupInc.org).

By Sarah Coleman

Whether it’s in relation to Greek life, college athletics or finding a job, the process of recruiting is an essential aspect to bringing any group of people together. In 2023, recruiting athletes to a Division 1 school is essentially a fulltime gig, taking place year-round except for dead periods and NCAA-mandated breaks from the process.

In the workforce, career recruitment mimics the athletic process, with resumes collected nonstop and talent acquisition emerging as an industry itself.

On the surface, recruiting college athletes to campus may not seem the same as recruiting employees to the corporate world, but there are many similarities. In the case of recruiting an athlete, coaches are looking for coachable talent and academically minded athletes who will add to the success of their program. The main goal for college coaches is to form a team, the members of which work well together and can succeed at a high level.

In the corporate world, recruiting talent boils down to the same thing — getting the best people and placing them in positions to “win,” ultimately benefiting the “team.”

According to Next College Student Athletes (NCSA), most colleges recruit similarly across all sports, generally following the same five-step process:

No. 1 — finding a list of prospective athletes who meet basic requirements

No. 2 — sending out recruiting letters, questionnaires and camp invites to prospects

No. 3 — conducting in-depth academic and character evaluations of recruits

No. 4 — extending scholarship offers

No. 5 — signing athletes after ensuring academic eligibility is a good fit for the school

For athletes, the recruitment process may take place over several years. In corporate recruiting, the process is sped up significantly, leaving less time for research and more time to wow potential employees.

According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023, the second-most popular roles from 2018-2022 were human resources and talent acquisition roles, which both relate heavily to talent acquisition and recruitment. The

• Talent progression and promotion processes

• Higher wages

• Effective reskilling and upskilling

• Positions that articulate purpose and impact

• Remote and hybrid work opportunities

• Internal communication strategies

• More diversity, equity and inclusion programs

Jobs Report also showed that in 2023, 81 percent of companies are investing in learning and on-the-job training as a key strategy in talent acquisition and retention. As much as D1 coaches in Arkansas are looking for academically minded players, corporations and job seekers are also passionate about continuing-education opportunities.

And, according to the Jobs Report, prospective hirees today are looking for the following:

• Support for employee health and well-being

• Improved working hours and overtime

• Safety in the workplace

• Less emphasis on degree requirements and more skill based hiring

• Supplemented childcare for working parents

• Jobs that support worker representation

The World Economic Forum predicts that between 2023 and 2027, these practices will represent the best way to attract talent. The Harvard Business Review reports that corporate recruiters now are hiring more on potential rather than experience, a practice not unheard of when it comes to college coaches. For those on the Division 1 level, recruiting essentially is a year-long practice, and coaches have to adopt a mindset similar to that of corporate recruiters.

“I believe the way we recruit can translate to any profession. We recruit off personality and fit before we recruit off talent,” said Nathan Brown, head football coach at the University of Central Arkansas. “If we sign young men that fit our program culture, we believe we can have success. This is something that any organization can use when hiring people for their departments.”

Other D1 coaches in Arkansas say recruitment strategies are generally the same. If they were to offer corporate recruiters any advice, it would be to remain realistic with prospective team members; gather as much information as possible, understanding that prospects are doing the same; check within one’s shared networks for connections; and look for evidence of culture fit.

And in today’s competitive world, it’s important not to narrow a search so much that you miss out on great hires.

“There are a lot of talented kids who seem to stay at the same level they were at when you first became aware of them,” Brown said. “In our program, we want to look for people who are seeking opportunities to improve their skills, no matter what level they are currently at.”

Brown is a firm believer in wanting to see prospective student athletes aim to achieve more than they have already successfully accomplished. For many hiring and recruiting managers, it is important to not immediately rule out those from different career backgrounds, but to look at what prospective hirees can offer in terms of experience.

Mike Neighbors, head women’s basketball coach at the University of Arkansas, is entering his seventh year leading the Razorbacks and his 10th as a head coach. The most important thing in recruiting, he said, is to show prospective athletes or employees the reality of the situation.

“We don’t roll out the red carpet when prospective athletes visit, we don’t put on a 48-hour facade,” he said. “We show them the actuality of being a student athlete in the program with no tricks, just evidence. We want them to know what their living arrangements would likely be, where they would actually eat on campus, what it would be like to have practice and then take a test.”

Neighbors attributes this philosophy to his program’s low player turnover. Showing prospective employees what their job would be like, or players their roles, results in a higher level of respect from both sides. And there is no bait and switch in the Razorback program, something that could apply to the corporate world, he said.

Just as job searchers are doing their homework on prospective employers, athletes looking to play at the next level are doing the same with prospective schools.

According to University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff head football coach Alonzo Hampton, this process is standard, and every person who plays a role in recruiting at a high level will likely be looking for the same thing: high character.

“During the recruiting process, we check with the community, we talk to their teachers, position coaches, we search for their social media, we are looking to ensure there won’t be liability with adding the recruit to our roster,” Hampton said, explaining that background research is often one of the most important parts of the process.

A University of Idaho study found that job seekers’ attitudes toward prospective employers could be impacted by the appearance of their social media accounts. More specifically, corporate Facebook and LinkedIn accounts seemed to make the most difference for those applying to vacant positions. High character may be a major factor in the hiring process for businesses, but it goes both ways.

“You can tell people all day what you can offer them, but you’ll get farther by actually showing them,” Neighbors said

Arkansas is known as a state that knows how to do business. Whether the subject is Fortune 500 mainstays or hometown businesses that fuel local economies, Arkansas is pro-business.

In this month’s issue, Arkansas Money & Politics highlights a special sales section dedicated to some of the state’s most distinguished businesses, our 2023 Companies of Distinction.

Elder Independence Home Care

Since 1999, Elder Independence Home Care in Bryant has been committed to the dignity of the elderly. Elder Independence makes some of the tough decisions easier by providing high-quality, affordable home care services, allowing clients to continue living in the comfort and safety of their own homes.

Elder Independence aids clients with non-medical personal care, companionship, light housekeeping, meal preparation, medication services and other acts of service to help them feel respected and cared for. A client’s individual needs are carefully assessed, understood and met through the selective assignment of qualified and compassionate caregivers.

Under the ownership and guidance of Kim Clatworthy since 2014, Elder Independence has solidified its place as the care provider of choice for elderly Arkansans. In the coming years, Clatworthy hopes to see the company expand further throughout the state and ensure that no elderly individual goes without the opportunity to be cared for.

One of the greatest strengths of Elder Independence is that they are not a franchise company. This allows the team at Elder Independence to provide more personalized care than many of their competitors. Caregivers will always show loved ones and family members the same level of quality care and compassion that they would expect for their own.

While it might seem like a high bar to some, excellent elder care is second nature to the staff at Elder Independence. With a dedicated team and a track record of exceptional service, the choice for families and their loved ones is simple.

Heathman Family And Cosmetic Dentistry

Montgomery “Monty” Heathman, DDS is the founder and owner of Heathman Family Dental in Little Rock and The Dental Clinic at Stuttgart. Heathman has been serving families in Arkansas for over 22 years, and his commitment to excellence keeps patients coming back.

Heathman’s passion for quality dental care is matched only by his compassion for patients. He treats patients of all ages, and his clinics offer the latest in cosmetic procedures as well as general dentistry, including tooth-colored fillings, ceramic crowns and veneers, root canal therapy, tooth extractions, TMJ therapies, implant restorations, all-on-four implant dentures, smile makeovers, full mouth rehabilitation and Botox and dermal fillers. Heathman’s use of state-of-the-art techniques ensures the latest and most effective treatments possible.

“Our team members are integral to our success,” Heathman says. “Our mission is to treat our patients like family in a caring and compassionate atmosphere.”

Heathman and his team also believe that one of the most important things they can do is to educate patients and guide them along the journey to attaining optimal oral health. Listening to patients’ needs and concerns allows Heathman to tailor custom treatment plans and establish long-lasting relationships in the communities he serves.

From routine cleaning to total smile makeovers, patients continue to trust their oral health with the experts at Heathman Family Dental and The Dental Clinic at Stuttgart.

501.223.3838 | Little Rock • 870.673.2687 | Stuttgart