February 2024 Special Needs Living

Hire us! It's ok! Really it is!

BY JASON DRESDEN

Are you a business owner who struggles to find quality, long-term employees? Is your staff retention rates in shambles? How about your company morale, down in the dumps too? Are your diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives close to zero? Well, I’m going to let you in on a little secret, there is a huge pool of talented, hard-working and qualified candidates with disabilities waiting to be hired! That’s right, you read it correctly, WAITING to be hired. So as a hiring manager or business owner, how do you engage and gain access to these ready and waiting job seekers, and how come you don’t know about them? It is becoming more and more common for businesses to hire people with disabilities and the resources to access these job seekers are becoming more and more available. Contact your local county’s Board of Developmental Disabilities to find out more.

Now that you know where to go find these future workers, what are the benefits of hiring them:

• State and Federal tax incentives

• Federal financial incentives include the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), the Architectural Barrier Removal Tax Deduction and the Disabled Access Credit. The State of Ohio also has tax credits available as well/

• Increased revenue

• Businesses are seeing an uptick in revenue, because these workers tend to be more focused and productive and can get more done in a smaller amount of time, not to mention paying attention to higher quality results

• Improved morale

• This talented group of job seekers always have the best attitudes when it comes to working and helping others. They are so excited to be at work, that their positivity carries over to other staff therefore improving the overall worker satisfaction and culture

• Unexplored Workforce

• Alleviate vacant positions you have trouble filling by now understanding that there is a gigantic workforce available

• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

• If you actively exercise (DEI) it will create a more extensive talent pool in your workplace which nurtures a healthy company culture and more satisfied workers. That means better productivity, lower turnover, and increased revenue…that’s a win win.

Now, how to get this going!

You need to take a look at your internal policies and procedures and it starts from the top down. You must have buy in from your leadership to create and embrace change in the workplace. I’ve seen company’s that have been running the same old school hiring and screening policies for years and they wonder why they can’t fill positions. Take a long hard look at your HR and recruiting procedures to see what you can to do to get with the times and, change.

According to The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, “Employment First,” the idea that competitive employment in an integrated setting should be the priority outcome for people with disabilities, is a national movement that continues to gain momentum. Governor John Kasich signed the Employment First Executive Order in March 2012, making Ohio one of 26 states with an official Employment First policy or legislation. A policy sets the direction but will not alone improve employment outcomes for people with developmental disabilities. Successful implementation of Employment First requires a multi-pronged approach and a long-term commitment to systems change.

So 10 years ago now, Ohio became an Employment First state, you feel outdated now? You can check out the website at https://ohioemploymentfirst. org/ and under the “Employers” tab you can find a wealth of information to get things rolling.

In conclusion, immediately take a hard look at restructuring your internal DEI and recruiting policies, look up the guidelines for implementing Employment First initiatives, and gain access to this highly qualified talent pool of job seekers. I promise you will not only see impactful results but you will be providing meaningful, integrated, and competitive employment for some of the best workers out there.