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.
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A Message from Executive Director Ryland Musick
What is a disability? Merriam-Webster dictionary offers one definition of disability as an "impairment that prevents someone from engaging in normal competitive employment". That nearly parallels the statutory definition in chapter 413.033, F.S. that created the RESPECT of Florida program.
Throughout the years, the landscape of employment for people with disabilities, choice, competitive opportunities, and integration has changed with advocacy movements and federal and/or state legislation.
Current federal legislation centers around competitive integrated employment. The Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) considers competitive integrated employment to be work performed by a person with a disability within an integrated setting, meaning working alongside individuals without disabilities. Wages are minimum wage or above and at a rate comparable to non-disabled workers performing the same task.
The RESPECT program remains viable today. Over the last 40 years, RESPECT contracts with government agencies have employed thousands of Floridians at minimum wage or above at integrated work sites, and the trend continues. A small portion of individuals are not ready for competitive integrated employment and need more supports. Some individuals may never reach the level of self-sufficiency needed to secure a competitive integrated job, but we know that most can achieve employment goals with the right supports.
Choice is a continuum, not a one-size fits all approach. RESPECT's mission is to create employment opportunities for individuals who are blind or have other disabilities. RESPECT continues to further our mission and create more opportunities for the individuals we serve.
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Facebook is one more way RESPECT wants to connect with you. Click above to like our page.
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Meetings, Training, and Events
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Commodity Line of the Month
Implementing safety procedures and taking precautions with appropriate safety gear is a good way to reduce workplace accidents.
RESPECT offers items like First Aid kits, safety glasses, ear plugs, sunscreen, and gloves to enhance safety on the job.
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New Commodities from RESPECT
RESPECT has added a number of new commodities to its Procurement List in the last month. New commodities include: AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V batteries, Stop the Bleed kits and refill items, SPF 30 sunscreen, corded ear plugs, additional LED lights, and dental dams.
RESPECT's
Procurement List can be viewed online or through its punchout catalog on MyFlorida MarketPlace.
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BAC Highlights Benefits of RESPECT Program
Brevard Public Schools Superintendent Desmond Blackburn recently toured Brevard Achievement Center (BAC), where he learned first-hand how the RESPECT program helps BAC clients achieve their personal work goals. Blackburn had not previously toured a RESPECT facility and was impressed by what he learned during his visit. Blackburn is serving as the local United Way campaign chair for 2017 and wanted to better understand how United Way gifts impacts the local community through the charities, like BAC, that receive funding support.
BAC also hosted a "Painting with a Purpose" event, which showcased their Adult Day Training program and production facilities. The event brought members of the local Emerging Leaders Society, a group of philanthropic young professionals, into BAC's Cogswell Street Studio. The group created a beautiful painting while learning about BAC's art and other programs as well as expanding their knowledge of RESPECT activities.
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Good Morning, Pine Castle!
The Pine Castle Morning News broadcasts live from the on-site studio every Monday through Friday at 9:30 a.m.The radio show includes news headlines, weather, sports, lunch menu, joke of the day and this day in history. Previously broadcasted across the campus via walkie talkies, the Terry G. Clark Jr. Radio Studio allows the morning show to continue to expand on sections and topics.
Last year, Pine Castle's studio got a significant revamp. A generous donor funded the creation of a state-of-the-art radio station in memory of former participant Terry G. Clark Jr. who had been a participant since 2012 and joined the radio show as a technical producer and anchor. The current radio personalities are committed to keeping Terry's memory alive through daily broadcasts in the studio.
"During this past year, our morning news show has become part of who we are. All of our radio personalities and technical producers have grow into their roles and they all do such an amazing job. I truly hope Pine Castle can continue to grow, employ our members, create new programming, educate and entertain not only people here on campus but across Jacksonville and beyond," said Reagan Norton, Pine Castle Morning News Manager.
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Performance Reviews - Focus on Progress, not Process
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HR & Compliance Manager, Dayna Lenk |
Performance reviews are a way to evaluate employee performance over a specified time-period and to set goals for the upcoming year. Too often, managers focus on the burdensome process of giving employee reviews, and ignore the real purpose of the review; creating real employee progress that benefits the employee and the organization.
Many reviews omit two clear necessities of a good performance review: a candid discussion of job performance with relevant examples, future advancement opportunities that may be available, and what steps the employee needs to do to make them happen. Performance reviews can be tricky to do correctly and efficiently, but here are eight tips that human resources professionals can use to help guide the review process at their organization and make this year's performance reviews the most effective ones yet.
- Eliminate "annual." While a meeting to reflect on the year at a high level can help identify overarching areas for improvement, performance reviews should not be the only time employees hear direct feedback on their work. Providing ongoing, direct and honest feedback to the employee, enables the annual review to become a summary of feedback with no surprises.
- Know your employee. One way to build a personal relationship with employees is to ensure managers have frequent one-on-one meetings. Asking questions about their family, friends, or what they did over the weekend, will help put them at ease so the rest of the review can go as smoothly as possible. Many employees dread performance reviews. Also, getting a perspective on their personal life can provide context and an understanding about any performance gaps.
- Practice delivering feedback. Managers should practice delivering feedback through role play to feel comfortable and prepared for handling employee reactions. Part of the reason performance reviews are tricky is because they can be emotional. Employees may get defensive when they feel they are being attacked or criticized. The intent of feedback should always be constructive in nature, so managers should deliver feedback in a way that is designed to bring positive change.
- Ask the right questions. Managers can motivate employees by encouraging self-assessment of their work and by asking thought provoking questions. The goal is to get employees to think critically about their goals and professional development and have actionable takeaways they can use once they leave their review.
- Put the onus on the employee. Managers should not do all the preparation and follow-up for a review. Employees should come with specific examples of successes and performance gaps. Send employees a high-level agenda of what you would like to discuss and have them prepare documents and materials. Then, have employees write a recap of the meeting to determine if there are any discrepancies between what the employee took away and what the manager wanted them to take away from the meeting.
- Keep good records. Keep an ongoing record of past employee reviews and revisit them throughout the year. Keeping detailed notes of employee performance can help managers spot any trends and make more informed decisions regarding talent management. Follow-up is vital to making improvement in areas that were talked about during the review to see what steps have been taken to reach a goal and get a pulse on how the employee is feeling about their career and position at the company.
- Do not dispense report cards. Numeric or letter rankings are subjective and all managers grade differently. Giving honest and direct written feedback about performance is always the better method. Employees and managers alike will not remember why a low score was given unless there is good written documentation about the score preferably with specific examples.
- Be honest, not charitable. If an employee is terminated and opts to sue an organization, the first documents the court ask to see are performance reviews. Unfortunately, many problems often come to light when these reports are studied closely. A manager's written comments may be too general, resulting in a review that takes individual strengths or weaknesses out of context or overemphasizes them. Charitable evaluations amount to documentation against the employer. Sooner or later, every manager will undoubtedly regret the decision to give a charitable performance appraisal over an honest, objective appraisal.
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Respectfully Yours
Editorial Team
Lindsey Boyington - Editorial Director
Ryland Musick - Columnist
Dayna Lenk - Human Resources Feature Writer
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