RESPECT of Florida is the central non-profit agency for the State of Florida that helps employ about 1,200 Floridians with disabilities through the production of commodities and contractual services that are sold to government entities. If you would like to learn more about us or browse our catalog, visit us at:
respectofflorida.org.
|
|
A Message from RESPECT of Florida
RESPECT of Florida was created by the Legislature in 1974 to provide employment options for individuals with disabilities. Though the model has evolved over the years with the passage of various federal and state legislation, the mission of the RESPECT program remains unchanged.
RESPECT offers goods and services provided by Floridians with disabilities, giving work to people who may otherwise not be able to find employment. RESPECT is so much more than the commodities and services listed on its Procurement List. It provides opportunities to about 1,200 people each year to learn new job skills, earn a paycheck, and gain more independence.
RESPECT staff always intends to give customes an easy and delightful buying experience. Chapter 413 in Florida Statutes, allows all state agencies to make procurements without bidding.
Before making a purchase, before publishing a bid, or when trying to procure a hard-to-find item, contact RESPECT and let staff know your needs. Unlike the majority of vendors, state agencies and RESPECT can openly negotiate and work together to; 1) meet state agencies' purchasing needs and 2) employ Floridians with disabilities.
|
Facebook is one more way RESPECT wants to connect with you. Click above to like our page.
|
Spotlight on Success:
RESPECT would like to congratulate Susan Alford for being selected as 2017's Rookie of the Year!
What makes Susan stand out? Susan sets goals for herself and works hard to accomplish them! She started off working three hours a day but she wanted more. She was able to reach her goal by learning the skills essential to her job. As someone who is hearing impaired and mute it was critical for her to understand that strobe lighting was utilized for fire emergencies/training. In a short time, she mastered the ability to identify codes/buttons, strobe lighting sequences, as well as how to exit the building and making sure that everyone from her team was safely out of the building. Within her first year she went from working three hours a day to six hours a day, which doubled her pay!
Nominated by Al Sheppard from GCE, Susan is described as a very fast learner who strives to provide the utmost quality in every single task she performs. Al raves that Susan's "efficiency is beyond compare".
We at RESPECT wanted to get a bit more info on this superstar, so we asked Susan some fun questions about herself:
Favorite food?
Susan loves Mexican Food and Enchiladas are her favorite!
Hobbies?
Susan likes to spend her time shopping at the mall.
What do you like to do on the weekends?
Susan likes to go out for dinner and dancing with her friends from her Deaf Club.
What makes you happy?
The thing that makes Susan the happiest is spending time with her precious grandchildren.
Congratulations Susan Alford. You amaze us!
|
Commodity Line of the Month
RESPECT carries an assortment of
latex,
nitrile, and
vinyl gloves. Gloves can be used by janitorial crews to protect hands from refuse or professional staff to protect hands from potential pathogens.
We have multiple sizes and brands available.
|
|
| |
|
RESPECT: Year in Review
Overall, 2017 has been a great year for RESPECT of Florida. During our last fiscal year, RESPECT provided employment opportunities for 1,201 individuals! Of those, 84% earned minimum wage or higher. We are most proud of this accomplishment.
Staff attended several trade shows including NAEP, NIGP (multiple chapters), and FAPPO. Each of these shows has given us the opportunity to learn more about what you, our customer, really need from us. We appreciate these opportunities to talk with you and understand how we can better serve your needs.
RESPECT staff attended several events throughout the year including a ribbon cutting ceremony for Hawkins Park, a cabinet meeting recognizing Developmental Disability Awareness month, the Exceptional Employer awards celebrating employment, and hosting our own awards luncheon to honor our RESPECT workers.
In 2017, RESPECT was able to award two Micro-Enterprise Grants. One to a gentleman with a budding hot sauce business and one to a young lady who specializes in horticulture services. Both individuals have very promising futures as entrepreneurs.
This year, we partnered with new Employment Centers, provided various training to our partners, added new commodities to the Procurement List, and signed several new service contracts.
Lastly, all the work required day-in and day-out to fulfill the RESPECT mission could not get done without a top-notch staff. This year we had several long-time staff retire and we welcomed new staff members aboard. RESPECT feels blessed to have loyal hard-working staff who are dedicated to serving Floridians who are blind or have other disabilities.
|
The need for services in Pasco was recognized in February 1983, when the Florida Division of Blind Services conducted a town hall meeting at the West Campus of Pasco Hernando Community College. The meeting drew an overwhelming response. More than 150 people voiced strong support for the establishment of a training center for the blind.
By May 1983, the B.L.I.N.D. Club of New Port Richey provided $500, and the First United Methodist Church of New Port Richey donated a house on Virginia Avenue. The Suncoast Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired held its first classes in October 1983. Eventually, the name was changed to the Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind.
The mission of the Lighthouse is to provide people who are visually impaired or blind with the skills needed to achieve their maximum independence. Lighthouse works with people of all ages, from babies to seniors, who experience vision impairment, blindness and low vision. The Lighthouse serves Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties from two permanent locations in Port Richey and Brooksville and in a temporary office at the Wishing Well Center in Citrus County. Services are also provided in the community (in cities such as Zephyrhills, Dade City, and Lecanto) and in the clients' homes.
In addition to client services, Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind provides products through RESPECT of Florida. They are the go to partner for barrier gowns, incontinence products, trash can liners, batteries, and security items.
RESPECT carries barrier gowns, AAMI Level 2 through AAMI Level 4, which provide excellent fluid protection. Incontinence products range from briefs, under pads, total body cleansing pads, to other accessories. Trash can liners are available in low or high density, recycled material ranging from 7-60 gallon. Choose from a wide range of batteries in common sizes, AAA, AA, C, D, 9V. Security items are great for correctional or secure settings. Existing products include 3-in-1 bath gel, flexible floss, roll-on deodorant, security razors, and single use deodorant.
|
Why Aren't You Delegating?
Signs You Are a Work Hoarder
| |
|
 |
HR & Compliance Manager, Dayna Lenk |
When you think about people who are called "hoarders", you may imagine the television show, where people live in chaos surrounded by filth and piles of stuff that they refuse to let go of because having the items make them feel safe and in control of their environment. Did you know that people can also hoard work at the office? Just as holding on to tangible junk can harm the hoarder, their family, and their home, work hoarding can harm the employee, their co-workers, and the business.
Many work hoarders do not even know they need help. They can see themselves as super stars and believe that the company would not survive if they could not do the work. Listed below are 10 common signs that you might be a work hoarder
- You feel indispensable, or that you are the only qualified person who can do a task.
- You feel like your team does not take ownership, and that you are the only one that cares.
- You feel like there is only one right way to do any job.
- You value the quantity of work over the quality of work.
- You are overly attached to habit or routine.
- You lack faith in the ability of your staff to do work properly.
- You never have enough time in the day to get the work done.
- Your staff keeps regular hours and seem bored, while you never have enough time get your work done.
- You feel like it is easier to just do it yourself than train someone else.
- You view a reduction in your work load as a threat to your value to the company.
It is important to realize that you need help. Hoarding your work assignments does not make you a better manager, employee, or keep your job safe. In fact, hoarding your work harms your overall performance through inefficiency, stress, and lack of outside perspective. It can also cause your subordinate employees to feel bored, frustrated and stops their employee development. Because you do not allow others to work on your work assignments, employees may view you as a control freak who does not trust or value the team. Employees want to work in an environment where they feel valued and utilized, so keeping all the work to yourself may increase turnover, leaving you no choice but to do all the work yourself. Before your staff leaves you short-handed, learn how to stop hoarding and to start delegating work.
If you want to build a strong team that will make you look good, then you must learn effective delegation. Delegation is one of the most effective and beneficial leadership strategies a manager can use. By delegating
tasks to your staff, they may develop key skills and abilities, and they will feel valued and invested in their work. And you as the manager will be developing critical coaching and mentoring skills.
Delegation gives the manager more time to tackle the truly important aspects of the job. Too many leaders believe that they are the only ones who can do things correctly. These managers insist on being involved in all details of a project and they believe that this work style is good for business because they are making sure everything gets done "the right way". What a manager's real role should be is oversight of the overall direction of a team; they should be the one looking ahead, charting the course, and making needed corrections to avoid getting off track. But when a manager is buried in the small details, they cannot see the big picture and fail to see that the mission is falling apart until it is too late.
When to Delegate
Delegation done correctly is a win-win, however, that does not mean that you can delegate everything that comes across your desk. To determine when delegation is most appropriate there are five key questions you need to ask yourself:
- Is there a team member who has (or can be given) the necessary information or expertise to complete the job? Is this an assignment that someone else can do, or is it vital that you do it yourself?
- Does the job provide an opportunity to grow and develop another employees' skill set?
- Is this a job that will recur in the future?
- Do you have enough time to delegate the job effectively? Time must be available for adequate training, questions and answers, opportunities to check progress, and rework if necessary.
- Is this a job that I should delegate? Tasks essential to developing strategy do need your personal attention and should not be passed off to an employee.
If you can answer "yes" to at least some of the above questions, then it could well be worth delegating this job.
How to Delegate
The key to successful delegation is being absolutely clear about the outcome you are expecting. How much direction you provide to get from point A to B will depend on the level of expertise of the person doing the task. U
se the following steps to delegate successfully:
- Clearly define the desired outcome.
- Identify constraints and boundaries.
- Match the amount of responsibility with the amount of authority. Understand that you can delegate some responsibility; however, you cannot delegate away ultimate accountability.
- Delegate to the lowest possible organizational level. People who work closest to the project are best suited for the task, because they have the best knowledge of everyday work. This also increases workplace efficiency, and helps to develop people to the next level.
- Provide support, and be available to answer questions. A project's success is correlated to good communication and monitoring.
- Focus on results. Be concerned with what is accomplished, rather than detailing how the work should be done: Your way is not necessarily the only or even the best way.
- Avoid "upward delegation." If there is a problem, do not allow the person to shift responsibility for the task back to you: Ask for recommended solutions, and do not provide the easy answer.
- Build motivation and commitment. Discuss how successful results will impact financial rewards, future opportunities, or other desirable consequences.
- Establish and maintain control.
- Discuss timelines and deadlines, and agree on a schedule to review progress.
- Take time to review all submitted work.
- Give proper recognition where it is deserved.
At first glance, delegation can feel like more hassle than it is worth; however, by delegating effectively, you can greatly expand the amount of work that you and your team can deliver.
Arrange the workload so that you are working on the tasks that have the highest priority for you, and other people are working on meaningful and challenging assignments. The true measurement of a great manager, is one that can enjoy life, their work, and plan for the organization's future. One of the first steps to success is the ability to take a day off without your work world falling apart.
The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion.
|
|
|
