Next month Opportunity Works, a full service staffing and recruiting firm with a focus on recruiting people with disabilities will celebrate our two year anniversary in business. It’s really exciting to see a solid foundation starting to form. At the same time, I am still on this steep learning curve and it seems like every month I’m facing a problem that is new to me. This doesn’t bother me personally. I like solving problems. But right now I’m seeing some issues that I’m not sure how to address and it is directly affecting some of the people working for Opportunity Works.
After two years, I can clearly see our two distinct areas of operation. We have our contract labor division, which is focused primarily in Pinellas County, FL and we have our direct hire services which is broader in geography. Our contract labor area is becoming a concern. I have had people in the field working for a variety of customers long enough now that some trends are starting to emerge. Most of my customers in this area are trades companies, general contractors, air conditioning service and other similar trades. This is primarily physical labor and most of my contractors are pretty much fresh out of school.
Starting out, I was really excited to be able to catch these kids right out of school. Students with disabilities, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), may stay in the K – 12 school system until they turn 22. The school system struggles with those 18 – 22 year old students although more and more K – 12 programs are forming partnerships with community colleges and universities to serve this group. The real problem occurs once the students turn 22 because that’s when many of them “fall off the cliff”.
The public school system does a great job providing education and therapy skills but then they’re gone. Many of the students graduating qualify for services through vocational rehabilitation programs or the Medicaid Waiver. But, in Florida, as in many other states there is a waiting list to receive such services as the programs are not sufficiently funded to support the needs. In Florida the waiting list is dealt with on crisis-based need, hence the “cliff”. This problem is not limited just to Florida. So, to have an opportunity to get some of these kids working absent any government supports was one of the most exciting aspects to me in starting this company.
Over the last six months some problems have emerged. The most troubling one is that I have now had multiple customers express concerns about multiple employees appearing to try to cover up mistakes. This is a problem not limited to young workers with disabilities. I know I made the same mistakes earlier in my I.T. career. And, as a manager in my previous I.T. life, I saw people on my team making this same mistake. I thought I became pretty adept at coaching my team through these and other issues, so I didn’t have concerns about how to handle such problems when I started Opportunity Works.
However, this is a very different situation. As a manager with direct reports it was easy for me to see what was happening within my team and deal with problems before they really became big problems. With my contractors this isn’t as easy. I have workers in the field with multiple customers doing jobs that I’m not onsite for and even if I was they are jobs I don’t know. This makes coaching a new challenge. And if I don’t get my arms around how to deal with it quickly, I’m afraid it will cost me customers and even worse, will cost some of the workers I see the most potential in their jobs.
It seems to me well established staffing companies like ManPower and Kelly Services have figured out how to deal with this. Perhaps I’ll look to my colleagues within in the American Staffing Association for some guidance. Once I have ideas how to get at this problem, the next challenge will be time. I’m thrilled that I am starting to feel like I’m spread too thin.
It’s a great indicator that we are a growing company. I might have to get some help of my own soon because the time it is taking me to do everything that needs to be done is starting to consume every waking minute. This is great, but we’re still bootstrapping. I have just paid myself for the first time this month. I’m not sure how I can pay someone else and my going without pay to pay someone else is no longer an option for my personal life. Well, at least I can see what the next problem will be, right after I solve the current coaching problem.
Judy Owen is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Opportunity Works, Inc. a full service staffing company focused on recruiting people with disabilities.
