A1. EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST

JOB DESCRIPTION

Definition: Works to provide and maintain job placement for program participants.

Supervision: Position is supervised by the Program Manager of the Supported Employment Program.

Examples of Work Performed:

Establishes and/or maintains community and participant contracts that support the Employment Program.

Establishes and maintains a cooperative working relationship with local agencies and business organizations. Job development for possible employment for individuals.

Conducts Job Club, employment assessments, job placement, job development, and follow-along services for program participants.

Develops new resources and/or identifies existing resources to create new work sites and resources.

Works in conjunction with the Employment Specialist/Program manager in conducting the program’s operations.

Maintains and submits all required documents to Program manager by due date.

Reviews available positions and consults with the individual member and the Supported Employment team, when necessary, to assure orderly program operations.

Job-site Job Coaching assistance available to all individuals that are employed.

Position Requirements:

Position requires an Associates Degree or 2 years College Education and one-year experience in working with individuals with disabilities or minimum of five years’ experience in a social science field.

EXAMPLE:

FRANCIS TUTTLE VO-TECH CENTER

Job Title: Employment Specialist (Job Coach)

Department: Supported Employment Services

Reports Directly to: Project Director

Primary Function:

Assists the Project Director in developing employment sites, assessing client skills, facilitating training plans and advocating for persons with disabilities for employment.

Major Responsibilities:

1. Develops mainstream jobs in the community through regular contact with business and industry. Analyzes work sites for quality and to identify work skills required.

2. Determines individual’s skills, work preferences and individual needs through screening and assessments.

3. Matches clients to jobs utilizing assessment and job site analysis information.

4. Assists clients in completing job applications and with other job search and readiness requirements.

5. Assists employers in training supported employees in tasks and related duties. Fades from work sites as independence in work is achieved and expectations of employers are met.

6. Facilitates natural work place supports through advocacy with employers, co-workers, family members, vocational rehabilitation and related community services.

7. Provides follow-along consultation services to supported employees and their employers.

8. Completes required reports on time and accurately.

9. Keeps confidential all knowledge of clients, their specific services, records and disability information.

Qualifications:

High School diploma, valid driver’s license, use of personal vehicle with auto insurance coverage. Experience working with persons with disabilities or related experience beneficial.

Organizational Relationship:

Support position directly responsible to Project Director.

Working Conditions:

Moderate physical effort required. Some evening and weekend work required. Able to work independently and adapt to a variety of working environments in the community.

A.3. NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENT FOR EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST

EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST

Supported Employment program seeks an individual to work with persons with disabilities. Experience preferred working with individuals with disabilities. Position requires a Bachelors Degree in Social Work or a related human services field and one year of related work experience. Must possess a valid driver’s license. Must have excellent verbal and communication skills. Please submit a resume to:

OR

JOB COACH

Supported Employment seeks an individual to work with persons with disabilities. Experience preferred working with individuals with disabilities. Position requires an Associates Degree or 2 years of College Education and one-year experience working with individuals with disabilities or five years experience in a Social Science Field. Please submit a resume to:

4.a. INTRODUCTION

Selecting competent staff is one of the most critical phases of program quality. Making sure you have an interview process that selects effective staff is very important and deserves a great deal of work and fine tuning. There are a variety of interview questions which could be used by a project coordinator in staff selection. If you have someone in your agency who has the responsibility for Personnel or Human Resources, work closely with them to select questions that meet your particular needs. Although some of the questions are very technical, candidate answers can give you insight into their values and ability to problem solve. Coming up with an effective format may require trial and error, but is well worth the effort.

a. GUIDE TO PRE-EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW PRACTICES

The examples that follow are intended to identify the pre-employment inquiries that are fair and unfair. The examples are not exhaustive. Pre-employment inquiries, which unnecessarily reveal race, sex, creed, national origin, religion, physical handicap, age, or political affiliation, are prohibited, whether or not the particular inquiry is covered in this guide.

SUBJECT	FAIR PRE-EMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES	UNFAIR PRE-EMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES
A. Age	over 65? under 18? (regarding hazardous duty jobs)	That imply preference for persons of a particular age or age group.
B. Arrests	None.	All inquiries relating to arrests.
C. Citizenship	Whether applicant is prevented from lawfully becoming employed in this country because of visa or immigration status.	Any inquiry into citizenship which would tend to divulge applicant’s lineage, ancestry, national origin, or descent, or birthplace.
D. Convictions	Inquiries concerning specified convictions, which relate reasonably to fitness to perform the particular job being applied for.	Inquiries which would divulge convictions that do not relate reasonably to fitness to perform a particular job.
E. Family	Whether applicant can meet specified work schedules and perform job responsibilities.	Specific inquiries concerning spouse, spouse’s employment or salary, children, child care arrangements.
F. Handicap or Health	Whether applicant has any handicaps or health problems which may affect work performance. Whether applicant has certain specific mental, sensory, or physical handicaps which relate reasonably to fitness to perform the particular job.	General inquiries (e.g., “Do you have any handicaps?”) which would tend to divulge handicaps or health conditions which do not relate to fitness to perform the job.
G. Height and Weight	Inquiries as to ability to perform job requirements.	Any inquiry which is not based on actual job requirements.
H. Marital Status	None.	Whether the applicant is married, single, divorced, separated, engaged, widowed, etc. ( ) Mr. ( ) Mrs. ( ) Miss ( ) Ms.
I. Military	Inquiries concerning education, training or work experience in the armed forces.	Applicant’s service in other than U.S. armed forces.
J. Name	Name under which applicant is known to references if different from present name.	Inquiry into original name where it has been changed by court order or marriage. Inquiries about a name which would divulge marital status, lineage, ancestry, national origin.
K. National Origin	Inquiries about applicant’s ability to read, write and speak language(s), when such inquiries are based on job requirements.	Inquiries into applicant’s lineage, ancestry, national origin, descent, birthplace, or mother tongue. National origin of applicant’s parents or spouse.
L. Organizations	Whether applicant has performed work or learned skills related to the position applied for, as a volunteer or member in an organization.	Requirement that applicant list all organizations, clubs, societies, and lodges to which he or she belongs.
M. Photographs	None.	Request that applicant submit a photograph, mandatory or option, at any time before hiring.
N. Pregnancy	Inquiries as to anticipated absences from job which are made to males and females alike.	All questions as to pregnancy, medical history concerning pregnancy, and related matters.
O. Race or Color	None.	Any inquiry concerning race, color of skin, hair, eyes, etc.
P. Relatives	Whether applicant would be directly supervising or receiving supervision from immediate family member if employed.	Names and addresses of any relatives working in state government.
Q. Religion or Creed	None.	Inquiries concerning applicant’s religious denominations, church, parish, pastor, or religious holidays observed.
R. Residence	Inquiries about address to extent needed to facilitate contacting applicant.	Names or relationship of persons with whom applicant resides.
S. Saturday or Sunday Work?	Inquiries concerning availability for Sat. Or Sun. work when related to job after public notice of position vacancy requiring Sat. Or Sun. work hours.	Any inquiry not related to job posted requiring Sat. Or Sun. work hours. Any inquiry asking applicant to divulge religion or creed requiring him or her to observe Sat. Or Sun. as Sabbath.
T. Sex	None.	Any inquiry.

b. Examples of Interview Questions

1. Why do you want to work with adults who have developmental disabilities?

2. In your past jobs which one caused you the most stress?

Why?

3. How do you deal with stress?

4. Have you ever had to do a lot of paperwork at a past job?

What did you think of it?

5. What sort of deadlines have you had in your previous job?

6. How do you go about meeting deadlines and staying on schedule?

7. Why are you seeking a supervisory position?

8. If you were a supervisor how would you get respect from your staff?

9. What is your definition of “having fun at work”?

10. What is your definition of “a business like atmosphere”?

11. Do you believe that clear, concise and continuing communication is important when supervising a large staff and working closely with many people?

12. What is your definition of “flexible work schedule”?

13. What do the following works mean to you:

A) Teamwork

B) Patience

C) Respect

D) Dignity

E) Loyalty

F) Confidentiality

G) Chain of command

H) Natural consequences

14. What do you know about supported employment?

15. If I were to have been a coworker at your most recent job what would I have observed you doing?

16. What did you like most about your most recent job?

17. What did you like least about your most recent job?

18. What did you like best about your most recent supervisor?

19. What did you like least about your most recent supervisor?

20. Five words which describe you.

21. What is your strongest quality?

22. What is your weakest quality?

23. What are your future plans, vocationally?

24. What are some of your pet peeves?

25. How do you feel about people with disabilities working in the community?

26. If you had your choice of working a job where the duties were stable and consistent or working a job where the duties changed constantly, which would you choose?

27. During a previous job, did your schedule and duties ever change daily?

28. What is the worst job you can imagine?

29. What is your preferred work schedule?

Days - Hours –

Why?

30. How would you feel if you were given short notice and asked to work a day/time outside of your preferred schedule?

31. Do you have a valid OK drivers license?

32. Do you have reliable transportation?

33. What type of experience have you had with training individuals in a vocational setting?

34. If you were to make an error what would you do about it?

35. Give an example of a goal you have written and/or implemented and on which you have documented results.

36. What is the purpose of an IDT or IP?

37. What do you like to do in your spare time?

38. What is your expected pay rate?

What sort of raises or incentives do you expect from an employer?

39. Explain benefits, paperwork, etc.

Go over changes, need for flexibility, pay etc.

Let them know things will happen.

Ask “Can you handle this?”

40. Do you have any questions?

c. Interview Essays

You may wish to use essay questions during the selection process. (These questions can be used during the interview, but may be too complex for the applicant to process unless they are given in writing.) Choose which questions to use based on the previous experience of the applicant and particular issues that may be important to your program.

These questions will require time to answer. They might be given to the applicant at the end of the interview to be turned in before they leave. Answers to these questions will give an idea of problem solving and writing ability. Remember to evaluate answers based on the previous job experience of the applicant.

Please describe in as much detail as possible the course of action you would take in the following instances.

A. You have been job coaching a client for 5 weeks at 100% of his work time. Your job coaching guidelines tell you that after one month (4 weeks) you should begin fading to 90% of the client’s work time. Your client knows all the tasks he is supposed to perform and for the most part completes them accurately. He doesn’t have any significant problems with staying on task, though he does need more frequent breaks than the average worker. His problem seems to lie almost solely in the speed with which he performs his duties. That is, this client works at about 1/3 the pace of the average worker in this job site. You have tried three separate intervention strategies, all of which the client met with a great deal of resistance. This is particularly frustrating because you spent a great deal of time and effort writing up these plans. What do you do?

B. You have just been hired as a job coach. Congratulations. Unfortunately you find an immediate problem facing you from a fellow staff member. The job coach who is training you doesn’t appear to like you. She never chats with you, and when you ask questions tends to blow them off with vague answers. Secondly, whenever you try to engage her conversationally, she seems to withdraw. Tell me what you think is causing her behavior and what you would do about it?

C. As a job coach you are required to place 12 clients a year on job sites and then train them. How well you do on your yearly employee evaluation depends on your retention rate, that is how many of the clients you place on a job site are still working there 6-8 months later. Six months into your working year, you have place 6 clients, and 3 of them are still working. You have worked hard to keep all of them on the job, and you feel that overall, this record is something to be proud of, until you discover that the other two job coaches have placed 10 and 12 clients successively and retained 7 and 8 of their placements. How do you feel, and what action do you take?

D. You have just placed a rather high functioning client, Tom, at Martin’s. Tom feels uncomfortable having a “job coach” on the job site even though you have guaranteed him that you will protect his confidentiality and even though he has seen that the other workers in the area seem to accept you as just another employee. His employer offers employees a food discount, and has offered you one as well, but you know that job coaches accepting employee perks on a job site is against our policy. Now several workers are taking their dinner hour and invite you and Tom to join them. Everyone else is ringing up their food under employee discount; and you don’t want to set yourself and him apart from the other workers as integration into the company’s social structure is as important to you as teaching Tom his actual tasks. What do you do and why?

E. You have now been trained as a job coach and given your first client to place and train. After two weeks of marketing, you find your client a janitorial job at a local industrial plant. The work is dirty and physically taxing, involving heavy lifting. The work includes such tasks as moving boards and other large debris, sweeping large areas, running a floor waxer in the office areas, and cleaning all the bathrooms. Because the layout of the plant is complicated, the plant supervisor asked you to take a week to learn the job yourself. You tell him:

F. Same background as the first scenario. You have now learned the job and brought your client on the job site for two weeks. Your client basically knows how to perform the individual tasks involved in cleaning the building, but he gets confused easily, has trouble staying on task and likes to take a lot of breaks. In addition your client is slow enough that you need to supplement his work yourself to bring up his production. Describe how you would divide the tasks. Would you assign him one part of the building and yourself another or would you work through each part of the plant together? If the latter, what criteria would you use to divide the tasks between you and the client?

G. You have just been assigned a new client to your caseload. This client has had an open file in Supported Employment before. His primary diagnosis is Atypical Psychosis, with a secondary diagnosis of Mental Retardation in addition to an eating disorder. He is, however, stable on injected medications. This client has had Vo-Tech Training in Fast Food, and has verbalized Food Service as his career goal for some time. This client’s last file tells you he was place in restaurants but was never able to maintain the employment even with the help of his job coach. The client also has a history of stealing money, food and trinkets. His last job coach tells you the man is lazy. His last Vocational Rehabilitation counselor tells you he simply isn’t capable of employment. But this client continually asks for a job and has met the attendance and participation requirements for the clubhouse that you set for him. You will need to market this client to employers, find him an open position, and then train him. How will you present this client to prospective employers?

What types of jobs will you look for when placing him?

H. After much hard work you are able to place a client with an intermittent explosive disorder in a restaurant as a kitchen prep with a chance of becoming a cook. You have only just begun working with this client and do not yet feel that you have a real rapport established. After the client’s first week on the job, the manager informs you that the other workers have been complaining about this client’s body odor and says she has noticed it herself. She wants you to inform this client that if he does not start bathing daily and using deodorant, he will not be allowed to come back. What action do you take, and how do you proceed?

I. You are presenting the concept of Supported Employment to the manager of Goodyear. The program has never had clients employed there before, and you have worked very hard to develop contacts there and get an appointment for this interview. The manager likes the concept of the program, and the tax incentives you offer. However, when he asks who you serve, and you tell him the Severely and Persistently Mentally Ill, he becomes immediately distant and says, “That’s like those schizophrenics and such that you read about in the headlines who walk into their place of employment and shoot up the place, isn’t it”? How do you reply?

Please take the time to visualize yourself in these situations and give a detailed account of your reactions based on previous experience or spontaneous intuition.

J. You have landed a position for your client and overheard co-workers making negative statements about your client’s ability to perform his/her job duties. How would you handle this situation?

K. You and your trainee are working in a worksite with a high degree of public access. The trainee becomes frustrated with the public walking over floors he has just cleaned. He begins to shout at several people and cocks his arm as if to throw a dust pan toward the perceived violators. What would you do?

L. You are involved in training the job according to the task analysis and your trainee’s supervisor asks both of you to perform duties that only you have the capabilities to perform. How do you let the supervisor know of this problem and do you or do you not perform these duties anyway?

M. You are training a parking lot attendant who is a known “runner”. When asked if he/she has gathered all the shopping carts, the trainee breaks into a dead run toward a very busy access road. What would you do? What might have you done to prevent this situation?

d. Additional Questions You May Wish to Include:

1. On your present (previous) job how would you describe a

typical day?

2. What did you enjoy most about your last position?

3. What did you feel you did best in your last position?

Why?

4. What was the most difficult part of your last position?

5. What kind of problems did you encounter on the job?

6. How did you deal with the problem?

7. Why are you (did you) leaving your position?

8. Describe you last supervisor?

9. What did you like best about his or her supervising

techniques?

10. What did you like least about his or her supervising

techniques?

11. What type of people do you enjoy working with?

Why?

12. What type of people do you find most difficult to work with?

Why?

13. What is something from your previous job that you hope to

avoid in this position?

14. How do you feel about changes?

15. What do you expect from this position that is or was lacking

in your past job?

16. Where do you see yourself two years from today?

17. What are your salary expectations?

18. What is your greatest strength?

19. What would you like to change about yourself?

Why?

20. What motivates you?

21. Why did you apply for this position?

22. Why do you feel you are qualified for this position?

23. The job description was reviewed earlier. What part of it do

you like most?

24. What part do you like least?

25. Is there any part that you don’t think you are able to do?

26. Are there any questions you need to ask?

e. JIM TALIAFERRO COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

DISCOVERING & OBTAINING VOCATIONAL EMPOWERMENT (DOVE) SERVICES

1. Have you ever done job coaching before? If not, why do you think you want to try it?

2. (Give a brief summary of what the position’s duties entail, what the goals of the program are, etc.) What do you expect job coaching to be like?

3. What do you feel are your greatest employment strengths? And your greatest employment liabiliities?

4. Have you ever worked with people who are mentally ill? If not, why do you think you would like to work with people who are mentally ill?

5. Of all your past jobs, which did you like the most and why?

6. Of all your past jobs, which did you like the least, and why?

7. Why did you leave your last job?

8. Have you ever been fired? If yes, please explain.

9. Have you ever had to work with violent or potentially violent people? If so, how did you handle them?

How did you feel about this kind of work?

10. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best (1 being the worst), rate yourself in the following areas with a brief (one sentence) explanation.

Interpersonal communication skills:

Counseling skills:

Marketing skills:

Documentation skills:

Public speaking skills:

Teaching/training skills:

Computer skills:

f. Interview Rating Form

DATE:

APPLICANT:

INTERVIEWERS:

SCHEDULED INTERVIEW TIME:

TIME OF ARRIVAL:

DID APPLICANT MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT?

DID APPLICANT LOOK AT WATCH DURING INTERVIEW?

DID APPLICANT SEEM INTERESTED IN INTERVIEW?

WHAT WERE APPLICANT’S NON-VERBAL CUES?

DID APPLICANT READ AND COMPREHEND JOB DESCRIPTION?

B. SUPERVISION

Supervision requires skill, experience and training. You will need to be proactive in assessing your strengths and areas in which you need assistance. If you are fortunate enough to have a supervisor that can or will give you feedback, that will be very helpful. Work closely with them and meet frequently. Many current supported employment directors have also offered to mentor new managers. Ask your technical assistant who might be a good match for you. The following areas will assist you manage, train, evaluate and communicate with your employees effectively and fairly.

1. Establish Authority

A. Provide orientation for new hire to explain mission and purpose of agency and supported employment program. Conduct periodic reassessment of seasoned staff to evaluate for any needed areas of retraining.

B. Be consistent with your expectations

C. Give clear instructions

D. Recognize and understand personal limitations that affect employee's work performance and their lives

E. Demonstrate concern for employees

F. Be willing to do everything you expect employees to do

G. Recognize employees strong points and delegate jobs to those who would do the job well

H. Be honest with your employees

I. Constantly learn new things to share with your employees, to encourage and motivate them

J. Ask questions and encourage employees to ask questions

K. Encourage staff to emphasize the importance of teamwork concept

1. With more experienced employees

a. Give them more responsibilities

b. Utilize their past experiences

c. Recognize strong points and delegate jobs which are appropriate

2. With people who applied for your job but didn’t get it

a. Express to them how valued they are

b. Let them know they have a lot to offer to the company

c. Give them opportunities to instruct and assist you in areas where they are more experienced than you

d. Allow them to have input in some decisions

e. Express appreciation for their contributions

2. During Employee Performance Review Period

A. Provide adequate supervision

B. Give employees clear and complete instructions

C. Repeat instructions for unfamiliar or new procedures

D. Monitor performance and provide regular verbal

feedback

3. Establish Expected Outcomes for Your Staff

A. Set goals.

B. Establish check points to establish whether tasks are on schedule

C. Provide assistance in overcoming obstacles and problems

D. Allow employees to develop a mature problem-solving process, do not solve their problems for them

E. Express appreciation for employee contributions to the organization

4. Assessment/Evaluation

A. Employee Performance Evaluation

1. New employees receive a six month performance review to assess employees and supervisors satisfaction with requirement and performance of the job. New staff or staff who are experiencing problems may need more frequent meetings for feedback to make certain they understand the need for improvement and have adequate time for change

2. In addition to the 6 month review, program supervisors will conduct one written performance review of each supervised staff member on the anniversary date, and annually thereafter

B. Job Coach Specific Performance Evaluation

1. Job coaches will be assessed on their performance at client work-sites

2. They will complete reports in a timely manner

See Appendices A & B

5. Required Job Coach Documentation

A. Documentation will be maintained by job coach on clients’ progress periodically through the DRS Milestone program

B. Job Coach will provide weekly work schedules to supervisor

C. Computer documentation is required in the DRS Milestone program for each step of Milestone completion

D. Reports will be completed in a timely manner

6. Corrective Discipline

The following procedures will apply for employees with unsatisfactory job performance. Prior to initiating the procedures for dismissal, the supervisor will confer with the employee to identify performance deficits and to seek ways to improve that performance by implementing Progressive Disciplinary Action.

A. Progressive Disciplinary Action

1. The agency policy and procedures manual sets standards for disciplinary action

a. Conduct unbecoming to the agency

b. Failure to report for service assignments without justifiable reasons

c. Continued violation of agency safety rules or engaging in practices which create a safety hazard

d. Other inappropriate actions while on the job

2. Verbal warning for first inappropriate conduct

3. Written notice for second occurrence of inappropriate conduct

4. Dismissal occurs in third occurrence of not meeting agency requirement.

B. Retraining the employee

If it is determined that an additional opportunity to demonstrate abilities should be given to the employee, the supervisor should consider assigning the employee to a different client then retrain the employee. New documentation should begin at this point.

C. Behavior which may require immediate discharge

The following are examples of behavior that may be sufficient to justify immediate discharge without going through progressive disciplinary procedures.

1. Disruptive or destructive behavior

2. Insubordination

3. Theft of agency property

4. Sexual harassment

5. Possession of drugs (controlled substances)

6. Bringing, possessing or drinking intoxicating beverages on agency property

7. Releasing confidential client information

7. EMPLOYEE TERMINATION

a. Legal restrictions on firing

If you enter into a formal employment contract with an employee (or a union contract with a group of employees), you’ll frequently specify in the contract the proposed length of the employment relationship and the reasons for which either party can end the relationship. In other words, the contract’s terms will generally govern your ability to fire the employee, as well as the employee’s ability to quit. If either party attempts to terminate the relationship in violation of those terms, a potential breach of contract claim arises.

Assuming that a formal contract does not govern your employment relationships, as is generally the case, what limitations restrict your ability to fire your employees?

In all states other than Montana, such relationships are governed by the “employment-at-will” doctrine. “Employment-at-will” means that there’s a presumption that the employee is employed at the employer’s will for an indefinite period rather than for a fixed term. (Montana law has abolished the “employment-at-will” status. In Montana, an employer can fire an employee who has completed a probationary period only for good cause. “Good cause” is defined as reasonable job-related grounds for dismissal based on a failure to satisfactorily perform job duties, disruption of operations, or other legitimate business reason.)

Traditionally, both the employer and the employee have had the ability to end an at-will relationship at any time and for any reason. However, at least from the employer’s perspective, the unlimited freedom to fire at-will employees at any time for good cause, bad cause, or no cause at all has been eroded in recent years by the federal and state governments and the courts. The exceptions that these institutions have carved into the employment-at-will doctrine form the foundation for most wrongful discharge claims, in which employees sue you for lost wages, punitive damages, and occasionally, reinstatement in their job.

· Please Note

Don’t assume that you’re free from a wrongful discharge type lawsuit merely because an employee quits. Courts will frequently treat an employee who quits in order to escape illegal or intolerable employment practices or conditions (for example, sexual harassment or other discriminatory conduct) the same as though he or she were fired.

Limitations in written laws: numerous federal and state laws potentially restrict an employer’s ability to fire-at-will employees. These laws fall into two general categories. The first category consists of those laws that make it illegal for employers to discriminate against certain individuals. The second category consists of laws that make it illegal for an employer to retaliate against employees who take steps to see that the laws are enforced.

Courts, too, have taken steps to limit an employer’s ability to fire at-will employees. In doing so, they generally rely on one of the following theories:

The implied contract limitation: that some statement or document from the employer effectively created a formal employment contract where none previously existed. For example, stating that employees will be fired only for good cause in your handbook may form the basis for such an “implied” contract.

The public policy limitation: that the firing goes against “public policy” by infringing on some right granted employees by federal or state law or because it is otherwise morally or socially wrong. For example, firing an employee merely for filing a workers’ compensation claim is illegal.

The bad faith limitation: the few courts that have relied on this theory presume that employers are generally obligated to deal fairly and in good faith with all their employees. For example, firing an employee for the sole purpose of denying the employee a bonus that the employee has earned but not yet received may be unlawful in some states.

b. Using proper termination procedures

Under employment-at-will laws that are in effect in all states except Montana, you have the “right” to discharge an employee at any time for any reason, or for no reason at all. At least, that’s the theory. In reality, your right to fire is becoming more and more restricted because of the tremendous growth in federal and state laws that favor employees. What’s more, these days workers who feel they have been unjustly discharged or forced to quit seem to be filing employment-related suits at the drop of a hat, and courts are increasingly taking the employee’s side.

The best way to “win” a lawsuit is to avoid it in the first place. By keeping in mind some basic management and interpersonal rules, you can go a long way toward diffusing the anger of a discharged employee – an employee who might otherwise vent his or her wrath in a courtroom. Many of these same rules are also useful in establishing your defense – that you had a good reason to fire your employee – if it turns out that the worker does sue you, after all.

c. Termination

1. Before firing for misconduct or poor work

There are a number of steps you need to take before you fire somebody for insubordination, breaking a work rule or any other type of misconduct, or for simply performing poorly on the job. These steps include documenting the problem, using fair rules and procedures, and investigating the “last straw” incident thoroughly.

First, though, a word about what not to do: we recommend that you make a personal commitment that you will never fire an employee on the spot.

Acting out of anger or frustration is a good way to get you in legal hot water. Employees who are fired in this way are the most likely to sue you or to cause other trouble for you and your business. If a worker does something so terrible that you must take immediate action, tell the worker that he or she is suspended. Effective immediately, while you investigate (or cool down). Having said that, we realize that even the best-laid plans sometimes go astray, so at the end of this section, we’ve provided a few ideas on repairing the damage if you do fire someone on impulse.

The safest way to fire someone, from a legal standpoint, is to be sure that you have a valid, nondiscriminatory business reason for the action, and that you have enough documentation to prove it. Your documentation must be created in the normal course of business, before you fire the person (except, of course, for a record of the actual termination discussion).

· Please note

Don’t get caught trying to reconstruct documentation (such as warnings or poor performance reviews) after the fact, when you should have been creating them all along. Also, the documentation process should not be used to “build a case” against one worker when other workers in similar situations did not have their actions documented. Selective documentation may be proof that a person was the victim of discrimination.

Playing fair. It’s important to remember that workers (and courts) are more likely to perceive a firing as “fair” if your employees have had plenty of notice about what conduct and performance you expect from them. It’s also important that workers receive regular feedback about their job performance, and that they are warned whenever you find that they are not living up to expectations.

For that reason, your ability to “fire right” depends on the groundwork you lay, starting as early as the first day you hire somebody. You need to:

Establish fair work rules and policies. Your employees need to know what you expect of them in terms of workplace rules. Many companies create a company handbook (or hire a freelance writer to do it for them) that contains their key rules, and they give a copy to every new hire. If you’re hiring just a few employees, you don’t need to create a whole handbook, but you should give some thought to the kinds of reasonable rules your business requires.

Enforce your rules fairly, using progressive disciplinary measures when necessary. You can have the most reasonable set of rules that’s ever been written, but if you don’t enforce your rules, they are useless. For legal purposes, you must apply your rules equally to all your employees, if you hope to rely on them. Establish a performance feedback system to let people know how they’re doing. Discipline is not very effective for an employee who doesn’t violate any rules but is incompetent or is not performing work to an acceptable level. Through regular performance reviews you can bring the worker up to par, or at least document your attempt to do so.

Investigate the “last straw” incident thoroughly. Before you fire someone for misconduct, you should take the trouble to investigate as thoroughly as you can. In many cases the investigation can be accomplished in just a few hours, so don’t ignore this important step. Sometime, after investigating, you may decide not to fire the employee after all.

2. Involuntary termination

When an employee is facing termination for unsatisfactory performance the following procedures may be applied:

Progressive Disciplinary Action

Prior to initiating the procedures for dismissal, the supervisor will confer with the employee to identify performance deficiencies and to seek ways to improve that performance by implementing Progressive Disciplinary Action. Guidelines for Progressive Disciplinary Action include:

a) Agency policy and procedures manual sets standards for disciplinary action, e.g.,

1) conduct unbecoming to agency;

2) failure to report for service assignments without justifiable reasons;

3) continued violation of agency safety rules or engaging in practices which create a safety hazard;

4) other inappropriate actions while on the job

b) Verbal warning for first inappropriate conduct.

c) Second is written notice of conduct.

d) Third is dismissal if conduct has not met agency requirements.

If it is determined that an additional opportunity to demonstrate abilities should be given to the employee, then the supervisor should consider assigning the employee to a different client, retraining the employee. Documentation should begin at this point.

The following are examples of behavior types that may be sufficient to justify immediate discharge without going through progressive disciplinary procedures:

a) disruptive or destructive behavior;

b) insubordination;

c) theft of agency property;

d) sexual harassment;

e) possession of drugs, (controlled substance);

f) bringing, possessing, or drinking intoxicating beverages on agency property;

g) releasing confidential client information

d. Voluntary resignations

You can’t, of course, stop people from quitting on you. But you can, if you want:

Request advance notice: ask employees who resign to give you some warning ahead of time.

Request an exit interview: ask the employee to fill out a form or participate in an exit interview.

Be sure the resignation was truly voluntary: if the employee felt forced to quit, the situation should be treated as a firing.

Of course, you can’t force a departing employee to follow your procedures any more than you can make him or her stay. However, you can suggest that if the employee follows your procedures that will allow you to give a good job reference and tell any prospective employers that the worker was responsible and cooperative.

e. Economic layoff

When economic reasons demand that you eliminate an employee’s job, either temporarily or permanently, you automatically have a sound business reason for the discharge. Few courts will question your judgement in this regard. But if you decide to lay off some but not all of your workers, you must be sure that your selection process does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, or race, or violate some other public policy.

In most small businesses, if it becomes necessary to lay off anyone, the decision will be based on the desire to keep the business going. Obviously, those whose jobs are most essential to the business will be kept, and those whose jobs are least essential (or whose tasks can be taken over by a remaining worker or the owner) will be let go. In some cases, workers who are family members or close friends of the owner will be kept, while “outsiders” will be let go. Neither of these two strategies is likely to cause you any legal problems provided that your business is small enough to escape coverage by the major civil rights laws.

Seniority or merit? Laying people off in order of seniority (that is, keeping the people with the greatest length of service) is most likely to be seen as fair by your employees. It’s also the easiest to defend in court. Generally, if you use this method, you won’t have to provide any other evidence as to why certain workers were chosen for layoff.

Given the choice, however, most employers would prefer to keep their best workers and lay off those who are less productive, regardless of seniority. If you have done regular performance review you can eliminate the positions of those employees whose performance has been documented as less-than-satisfactory. If there is no documentation, you cannot eliminate that person’s position for purely merit reasons without facing possible liability.

Also, if you are choosing between two or more equally qualified candidates for layoff, you should be prepared to show that the “downsized” workers reflect the demographic mix (race, gender, and age) of your workforce as much as possible.

f. Releases and severance agreements

Whenever you are involved in firing or laying off a worker, there is the possibility that the laid-off employee will take legal action against you. To avoid this threat, you can negotiate a severance agreement with the employee. As part of the agreement, the worker will sign a release stating that he or she gives up some or all rights to sue you.

Although employee releases have many uses, they are most often used when you lack proper documentation to fire, but you want to cut off an employment relationship and avoid the possibility of a lawsuit. They can also be used to offer early retirement to a worker, or when you are seeking to end an employment contract early by “buying out” the worker.

To be effective, the release must be:

In writing

Signed by the employee who is waiving the right to sue

A knowing and voluntary waiver

Supported by adequate consideration (This means that you must give the employee something of value in return, something that he or she would not receive without signing the release.)

Make sure that the release can be read easily (this means that the typeface should be large enough and the language used can be understood by the employee). The release should specifically refer to employment laws involved in the waiver of rights. Your object is to be sure that the employee can’t claim he or she didn’t know what the document said. Under no circumstances should you trick the employee or make it seem that he or she had no choice about signing it.

· Please Note

Here are a few tips to increase the chances that your release will be “iron-clad” if challenged in court:

Allow the employee time to think about signing it. The more time the employee has, the more likely that a court will not believe that the employee was forced to sign the release.

Encourage the employee to review the document with an attorney of his or her choice before signing it.

Allow the employee a period of several days to change his or her mind after the release is signed.

Allow the employee to negotiate the terms and conditions of the release (for example, let him or her substitute different benefits for the ones you offered). That way, a court will be more likely to believe that the document was signed willingly.

The issue of consideration. Like all contracts, in order to be valid, a waiver must be supported by “adequate consideration”. That means you must give the worker something of value in exchange for the waiver, beyond what you are required to do by law. If you have always given severance pay to workers you laid off, you must give the employee something more than your normal severance pay in exchange for the waiver.

Courts tend to like to see some dollars changing hands, so you might consider offering a lump-sum payment of at least two weeks’ pay. However, you can also offer terms like an agreement not to contest payment of unemployment benefits, or an agreement that you will provide a satisfactory job reference if requested by any prospective employers. These things take little or nothing from your bank account, but can be valuable to the worker.

g. Avoiding employee problems

1. Workers compensation – If you have even one employee, just have it!

2. Payroll Taxes – Pay them. They are not wiped out in bankruptcy. You can go to jail for not paying them.

3. Civil rights – This will not come into play unless you have 15 or more employees. A Title VII – Fair Labor – avoid contracts or implied contracts (example for 90 days you are on probation thereafter you are permanent.)

4. ADA – Again you must have 15 or more employees.

5. Smoking. You can not say that smokers need not apply. You can say that you have a smoke free business.

6. Fair Labor.

A. Exempt vs. Non-Exempt. If you do your own typing on labor you are not exempt. This means you must be paid for overtime.

B. Documentation – make your employees sign a time card.

7. Issues Involved in Firing Employees.

A. Employment contract-avoid unless an attorney writes it for you.

B. Policy Manual required if you have 15 employees. Have one even if you have one employee.

C. Civil Rights – Not an issue unless you have 15 employees.

D. Retaliation Firings – Firing because an employee filed a workman comp claim. The employer will not win this one.

E. Grounds – Not doing the job.

If you use a temporary personnel service you can avoid all the employee problems. The employee works for the agency not you.

8. INCREASED PROFITS FROM SYSTEMATIC SUPERVISON, Dr. Robert H. Kent, Ph.D., CMC

Controlling our business’ supervision is one of our best strategies for improving performance because all the improvements go directly to the bottom line as profit. But is the quality of supervision in your business the result of a pre-determined process or just serendipity? Businesses should have a systematic process for managing people, which can be audited and controlled.

The biggest potential source of improvement in productivity is usually found in our largest expense, and in most businesses that’s employee wages and benefits. Most of us have been squeezing as much efficiency as we can from the other expenses we face. We manage inventories as carefully as possible, juggle our accounts payable, upgrade equipment, modernize, re-tool, recycle and re-use. But, there’s only so much efficiency we’ll ever realize from controlling telephone costs or rent or supplies.

Improving the return on investment in our resources usually involves spending more money for upgrading production processes, equipment or facilities. But the startling thing about improving the performance of our employees is that we can do it for no extra cost. We’re already paying wages and benefits for our current productivity level. But if we get our employees more productive through better supervision, our investment in wages and benefits can stay the same.

Not only will any increase in employee productivity go directly to profit, but there’s also a multiplier effect. For every 1% improvement in employee productivity, profits can increase by as much as 5% to 20%, depending upon the financial characteristics of our business!

A low-cost strategy to improve employee productivity is to improve supervision – how our employees are directed, motivated, coached and developed. But employee supervision should be a pre-determined and carefully managed process, and not just good luck or left to the judgement of each individual manager. Today, the most successful strategy for business success is to identify, improve and control the “ processes” in our business, and employee supervision is one of the most important processes we have. If supervision is not systematically controlled, we’ve lost our opportunity to increase productivity.

Tragically, even in the 1990’s, too many businesses have no systematic process for ensuring productive supervision, and in these businesses the way people are treated by managers and supervisors is out of control. The cost for this serious oversight severely impacts the bottom line.

(c) Copyright The Mansis Development Corporation

Dr. Robert H. Kent is President of the Mansis Development Corporation, which specializes in performance management for new and growing businesses.

Email: mansis@aol.com

http://www.mansis.com

01/23/99 16:34

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION

9. DEGREES OF DELEGATION

The following chart is a suggested guide for deciding how much of a task to delegate to an employee. The amount of delegation can be based on:

§ the employee’s experience, capability and/or motivation

§ time deadlines

§ amount of time the supervisor has for supervision

§ the importance of quality control

It is generally a good idea to observe mastery of lower levels of responsibility before expecting an employee to be able to perform at the highest levels without a great deal of supervison.

Degree of Employee Responsibility

High 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Low

DEGREES OF DELEGATION:

1. Employee only gathers facts.

2. Employee uses some judgement.

3. Employee makes recommendations.

4. Employee decides, but requires manager’s approval before taking action.

5. Employee decides and informs manager of anticipated actions.

6. Employee takes action, informs manager if problem arises.

7. Employee takes action, only informs manager if problem arises.

8. Employee takes action, manager observes long range results.

C. STAFF TRAINING

Telling/Directing

Clearly STATING THE EXPECTATIONS for others’ behavior is a critical step toward their understanding of what they must do to succeed. Expectation statements should be unemotional and should relate to specific facts, policies or procedures, which govern employee actions. They should not threaten or accuse someone; however, they should spell out specific, desired behaviors.

STEPS FOR GIVING INSTRUCTIONS

Make Your Instructions Clear and Complete

Carefully choose the words or terms you use, and when ever possible, give the reason(s) behind your instruction(s) for clarity. Include all the steps and order of priority, if necessary (safety, quality control, production).

Ask Questions for Understanding

Get the employee to work with the data by reviewing the procedures or sequence of the task. Ask the employee to repeat understanding back in his or her own words. Create a climate where the employee can freely ask questions.

Take Job Experience Into Consideration

With an experienced employee, don’t go into unnecessary details; however, emphasize specific issues, particularly those involving something new. Repetition of basic instructions, policies or procedures is important for the new employee(s).

Be Sure This is the Time and the Place

Make sure you have the attention of your employee; that s/he is not presently involved in another task, is not nearing the end of shift, or you’re not singling out one employee on the group’s time.

Use Formal or Informal Follow-up

Have various check points along the way to allow you and the employee to determine whether or not the task is on schedule, progressing smoothly, or involves problem-solving before proceeding.

1.a. TEN TIPS FOR TIP-TOP LISTENING

q Take notes. They aid retention.

q Listen now, report later. Plan to tell someone what you heard, you will remember it better.

q Learn to want to listen. You must have Desire, Interest, Self-discipline and Concentration to be a good listener.

q Be present. Watch the tendency to daydream.

q Anticipate excellence. We get good information more often when we expect it.

q Become a “whole body” listener. Listen with your ears, your eyes and your heart.

q Build rapport by pacing the speaker. Approximate the speaker’s gesture, expressions and voice patterns to create comfortable communication.

q Control your emotional “hot-buttons”. Knowing what makes you react emotionally is your key to preventive maintenance.

q Control distractions. Controlling internal and external distractions helps you manage your working environment more effectively.

q Give the gift of listening. Listening is a skill, and a gift. Give generously.

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING

The typical barriers to effective listening are as follows. . .

INTELLECTUAL

PHYSICAL EMOTIONAL

EXTERNAL Noise Visual Distractions Behavior of others Co-Workers Climate of the Workplace Speaker Not Speaking Loud Enough or Clearly	Lack of Feedback From Your Supervisor Faulty Feedback from the Speaker Negative Incentives for Listening Being a Target for a Speaker’s Emotions	Unfamiliar with the Being Content of the Message Being Unfamiliar with the Speaker’s Word Usage Having Problems with the Speaker’s Language or Speech Receiving an Incorrect Message
INTERNAL Fatigue Health Problems Pain/Discomfort Hearing Loss	Being Distracted by Personal Problems Reacting Emotionally Hearing What You Want to Hear Being Biased in Your Listening Jumping to Conclusions or Making Assumptions Lacking Needed Motivation	Having Difficulty Remembering Information Having Trouble Applying What You’ve Leaned to the Situation Having Difficulty Understanding or Processing the Message Trying to Do Two Things at Once Thinking About Two Things at the Same Time

c. FEEDBACK

T

he term feedback originally came from the field of cybernetics. Just as the furnace in our home needs a thermostat to give it input or feedback as to whether it is providing too little or too much heat (“Hey man, cool it!”) each of us also needs our own interpersonal thermostat so that we can receive feedback about our own behaviors which are perceived as effective or not so effective by others. The process of sharing feedback is guided by ten rules, which must be simultaneously operative in order for feedback to be most effective.

1. FEEDBACK IS MY PERCEPTION

When I offer feedback it is my perception of your behavior and not a general statement of how the specific behavior impinges on other people, for I can only speak for myself. My feedback is truth to me, but may not be fact. The truth—not fact, aspect is very important in that I must read your behavior through my perceptual filters, which automatically color the world.

Thus, two individuals may have completely opposite feedback regarding the same behavior. Both are correct in their perception, because each has a different set of truths.

2. FEEDBACK IS SOLICITED OR AGREED TO

Feedback must either be asked for (I would like some feedback”.), or the recipient of the feedback must give this okay for feedback to be given to him. This rule escapes the possibility that an individual must receive feedback when, in effect, he/she does not want it.

3. FEEDBACK SHOULD BE CLOSE IN TIME

Effective feedback is shared as soon after the behavior to which it is directed, occurs. In the interaction: (Giver) “You remember six months ago when we were”... (Recipient) “No, I really don’t remember...,” it is likely that the recipient actually does not remember, or at best he remembers but has to recreate all the feelings, statements, and thoughts which were applicable at that time. Thus, it is likely that the effectiveness of the feedback decreases as the length of time between the behavior and the feedback increase.

3. FEEDBACK SHOULD BE

CLOSE IN TE.

4. FEEDBACK IS ABOUT SPECIFIC BEHAVIOR

Feedback should be directed toward as specific a behavior as possible. General or global feedback may be nice, but not very helpful. For example, the general feedback, “When you do that, I feel comfortable”, is not helpful because the individual is not sure which of his many behaviors you are referring to. Whereas, the feedback, '‘when you smiled at me just then, I felt very good”, is helpful because the recipient knows exactly what behavior he emitted.

5. FEEDBACK CONCERNS BEHAVIOR UNDER RECIPIENT’S CONTROL

Ideally, feedback concerns behavior over which the recipient has some control, e.g., if your client stutters and this behavior disturbs you, you might say, “John, when you stuttered just then, I felt very uncomfortable,”, at best all he can say is “t, t, th, th-th, thank-you, ‘ou”. However, there is an exception to this role in that it might be helpful for a person who cannot control a behavior to be aware of its impact on you.

6. FEEDBACK BECOMES PROPERTY OF RECIPIENT

Once you give feedback to someone, there is no implication that the individual must change his/her behavior in order to align future behavior with the feedback. Thus, there is no implied consent. The recipient retains the choice to change or not.

7. FEEDBACK IS EITHER POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE

Often it appears that feedback is relative to behavior, which we respond to in an uncomfortable manner. However, feedback can also concern itself with positive aspects of others’ behaviors.

8. FEEDBACK IS NON-JUDGEMENTAL

Effective feedback does not imply that “...you were wrong for doing (or saying) what you did”. The best we can share with a person is how we respond to a particular behavior is good or bad.

Clearly, feedback, which is given in light of the ten rules of feedback, is not perceived as constructive criticism. Constructive criticism is not usually responded to very favorably, for the individual perceives it as an attack on his/her character and thus the person must defend themselves from the attack.

Effective feedback is a tool or skill, which can only be acquired through considerable practice. We would like to offer you some sentence stems, which have proven to be helpful in giving effective feedback. These “stems” or “castings” are:

I get the feeling that...

I perceive that...

What I see...

What I heard you say...

You came across to me as...

9. FEEDBACK IS NOT ADVICE

Advice is based on the assumption that the giver has had all of the experiences, thoughts, feelings, etc. that the recipient has had and is thus in a position to tell the other person what to do. Moreover, advice has the subtle implication that “big ole sweet, wonderful, bright, intelligent me is going to reach down and help little, pitiful, dumb, awkward you”. Is it not conceivable that our advice may not be received openly?

10. FEEDBACK IS GROUP SHARED

Ideally, feedback should be shared in a group in order to provide the individual with maximum input regarding a specific behavior. Because Role 1 states that feedback is solely my perception, it might be that other people view the individual’s behavior in a different way, it does not imply that my perception is wrong, but just that it is different. If we each offer as much feedback as possible then we will provide the individual with a greater range of data from which to decide if he should change that specific behavior. It might appear that we are suggesting that if you want to give feedback to your spouse or client you must invite your neighbors over or ask some of your office partners to go along with you, not true. In these cases the diad is the group.

2. STAFF MEETINGS

Clear and frequent communication is an essential tool for an effective manager. Meetings for the entire staff need to be held to discuss new information and instructions affecting the program as a whole. Periodic meetings need to be held with individual staff members to provide opportunity for questions and feedback, which would not necessarily be appropriate for group discussion. It may be difficult to find time for meetings but it is critical to schedule them as routinely as possible.

We've Got to Stop Meeting Like This

by Jack Pachuta

______________________________________________________

How often have you heard the emphatic statement, "We've got to stop meeting like this?" No, this is not a shout from some secret rendezvous, but rather the emotions expressed by many individuals who attend regularly scheduled company meetings. Frustrations frequently result when these gatherings are poorly conducted and produce few, if any, perceived results.

A consultant friend of mine, T. Frank Hardesty, used to say (albeit a bit tongue in cheek): "Be sick when meetings are called. Never attend them. Later, ask anyone who was at the meeting what happened and, within five minutes, you will know anything of any significance that took place". While this strategy is extreme, it points out a common feeling - most company meetings just aren't worth attending.

If your staff cringes when the work meeting is uttered, consider these five guidelines for successful meetings. They will direct your thinking as to what must be considered for meetings that produce results.

Guideline #1: Follow an agenda. Too often, attendees enter the meeting room unaware of what the meeting is all about. When they don't know what to expect, they won't be totally prepared to participate. Key facts and data may be left in their work areas and frustration strikes if they are not able to fully discuss the issues.

The agenda must be published far enough in advance for everyone to schedule the gathering and prepare to be a valuable participant. Each attendee should receive a personal copy of the agenda and have the opportunity to review it. Company mail will suffice for most notification, but E-mail can be even more effective in many office environments. Whichever medium you select, develop a system that ensures everyone will get the work.

A published agenda should include a start time and an ending time. Attendees are more likely to achieve results when they are working toward a specific deadline rather than attending an open-ended meeting which ends only when everyone has had his or her say. The discipline of an end-time also enables the person who called the meeting to speed things along to adjourn the meeting as scheduled. (We've got to move on if we're going to end on time".) Or, it can become the reason for excluding unnecessary additional topics. ("That's a good point, but we don't have the time to discuss it right now".)

Also, the end-time allows attendees to plan the remainder of the day without having to worry about the possibility of a meeting extending longer than expected. Any person who publishes an agenda will become a hero or heroine for the time management considerations it indicates.

Guideline #2: List outcomes, not subjects. Don't call a meeting to discuss the new training program. Instead, call a meeting to implement the new training program in the accounting department by January 31, 1995.

The first statement is a subject and doesn't direct the thinking of the attendees. Instead, it opens up the meeting for the inclusion of many extraneous issues. The second statement is an objective and focuses everyone's attention to find ways of achieving a specific result. Each meeting should be called for only one reason. When objectives are mixed, attendees become confused and the outcome cannot be honed to effectively meet organizational needs.

Guideline #3: Invite only those who should be there. A consistent comment shared with fellow employees after many meetings is, "I don't know why I was invited. The meeting was total waste of time for me". Often, departments schedule meetings because "We always have our staff meeting at eight o'clock on Monday morning". No consideration is made as to whether or not the meeting is required - it is a routine that, over time, may have become only moderately effective.

When Guidelines 1 and 2 are practiced, Guideline 3 is easy to implement. It follows that meetings should only involve those who can supply real input to the desired outcome. Everyone on the staff should not be invited to every meeting. It may seem like the politically correct thing to do (making the assumption, of course, that politics exist in most companies), but it does not make the meeting efficient. To maximize results, it is necessary to pick and choose the correct mix that will achieve the meeting's objective.

Guideline #4: End the meeting on-time. The best way to gain points in your prowess rating for conducting meetings is to end on-time. By publishing the ending time in the agenda, you make a commitment to the attendees. By living up to that pledge, everyone at the meeting feels more secure in your ability to coordinate meetings that are goal-oriented.

Of course, on rare occasions more time may be required to resolve a particular issue. If so, you must reach a consensus for extending the meeting by asking permission. You might say something like, "It looks like we are close to resolving this point. Do I have everyone's agreement that we should extend this meeting by 30 minutes". A new end-time is established which must be adhered to.

Guideline #5: Follow-up the meeting with an action plan. A meeting is reinforced, not by distributing minutes of the meeting, but by restating the plan that was finalized for accomplishing the objective. The format for this action plan is very simple. Make three columns on a sheet of paper. Over the first column write the work, "Who?" The second column is labeled "What?" with the third column tagged "By when?" When everyone knows who will do what by when in a chronological sequence, you have a cohesive action plan for reaching the outcome that was set for the meeting.

In addition, this type of action plan serves another vital function. Not only does it indicate actions, responsibilities and a timeframe, but it serves as an internal cross-cheek for the attendees. It enables each person to understand how he or she fits into the overall plan and provides a name to contact if something has not been completed on-time.

Try using these guidelines when putting together your next meeting. They will set you apart as someone who understands the dynamics of working with others. As your reputation for running good meetings improves, so will you influence in the organization. You will save time and effort as your meetings become events that are approached with positive, constructive feelings by all attendees. Soon, they may even begin saying, "We've got to keep meeting like this".

3. EMPOWERING JOB COACHES

1. Give them job requirements.

Review required paperwork with deadlines, and consequences if not met.

2. Allow job coaches to do own scheduling. Give them a set caseload they are responsible for.

Team different people up at different times to learn alternate job sites to support each other.

Require if they are unable to cover a planned job site they find their own replacement (unless they are too ill or there is another acceptable reason) with supervisor notification.

Require if they are unable to make a deadline they let you know in advance with the reason.

3. Have weekly meetings and goo around the room giving each person time to give individual updates.

Team up job coaches to make a group presentation at a weekly meeting on a subject of their choice.

Make meetings fun and show acceptance of every one. Give door prizes.

Acknowledge individual contributions to the group.

Allow each person to help others in some way.

4. Establish a monthly newsletter. Use the newsletter to focus on success stories.

Use to give positive reinforcement to job coaches who have done a good job.

Have job coaches submit articles on their clients.

5. If you have repetitive failures or problems with one of your staff, allow them the opportunity to let you know what they perceive their problem is and how they think they can solve it. Give them whatever guidance you see fit, then hold them to the plan they developed.

Have them suggest ways you may be able to assist them.

If training appears to be an issue, provide the training within a specific time period, then reassess.

6. Allow job coaches to provide you with feedback on your management style. Analyze patterns for areas of strength and those needing improvement.

7. Be willing to make accommodations. Keep flexible.