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 RESPECT of Florida
As one season ends, another begins. Summer break gives way to Labor Day and football season. Before long, the holidays will be upon us.
While that is not news to anyone, this change creates new challenges at the many rest areas maintained by RESPECT on behalf of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). We can mow the grass less frequently, but we will see a spike in people traveling to football games, Thanksgiving celebrations and the December holidays that draw our families together.
RESPECT and our partner Employment Centers are ready. The word has already gone out for Labor Day reminding staff to stock extra toilet paper and to add staff for heavy travel days. We keep Florida's four Welcome Centers looking great for the families making the trip to Florida and stopping for free orange juice provided at these sites by VISIT FLORIDA.
Right after the holidays, we have come to expect an influx of snowbirds from the north; this will have a big impact on I-75 and I-95 as folks go where there is no snow to be shoveled.
FDOT does a great job maintaining Florida's highways and rest areas and Welcome Centers. Whatever the reason for your travel, paying attention to the road ahead will get you there safely.
Traveler Pro Tips:
1) Have you tried the smartphone app, Waze, yet? It notifies you what is ahead and will reroute you when an accident blocks the road. It also warns of hazards and helps you save fuel and time by showing you the quickest route to your destination.
2) Florida has "Weigh in Motion" truck scales that have a Comfort Station at a separate building. These are further off the roadway with a large metal barn where trucks are inspected for safety. Comfort Stations are a great option as a place to stop for a restroom. They are rarely used and are kept squeaky clean by RESPECT. Cars are welcome to use these sites, just be mindful of any truck traffic as you enter and exit the area.
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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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Spotlight on Success
Beth Newman has greatly improved her skills on the flex pens commodity over the past year. She progressed from knowing only the first step in the process to being one of PARC's best employees.
Juanita Laws is eager to do the best job possible for the Arc of the Glades and loves to learn new tasks. She advanced from just edging to now operating the lawn mower, as well. Juanita takes pride in doing good work.
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Meetings, Training, and Events
- Sept. 13-15 - FL Association of Environmental Professionals, Tallahassee
- Sept. 15 - Golf Quest, Tee it Up!, Orlando
- Sept. 19 - Florida ARF/RESPECT Awards, Tampa
- Sept. 19 - RESPECT Oversight Committee, Tampa
- Sept. 24-27 - FL Association of Educational Data Systems, Daytona Beach
- Oct. - Disability Employment Awareness Month
- Oct. 4 - Exceptional Employer Awards, Tallahassee
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Commodity Line of the Month
RESPECT offers a multitude of drug testing commodities to meet your testing needs. These are ideal in correctional, social services, or rehabilitation settings.
In addition to the drug tests, RESPECT offers links to training on all available devices that provide the user with a certificate.
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RESPECT's Micro-Enterprise Grant
Moves Forward
On August 14, RESPECT of Florida hosted the pre-bid teleconference for the 2017 Micro-Enterprise Self Employment Grant. On the call, the Employment Centers representing the grant candidates were able to ask questions about the grant and gain clarification on different points of the process.
RESPECT is excited to announce that six different Employment Centers across Florida will be represented in the grant process this year. To date, this is the best response to the Self-Employment Grant, an annual initiative started about three years ago.
The $12,500 grant is available to assist a person with a disability in starting or enhancing their own business. RESPECT's mission is to increase employment for Floridians with disabilities, and this is a unique way to support entrepreneurs in our community. RESPECT staff eagerly awaits the business proposals this year. The Micro-Enterprise Grant will be awarded on September 8.
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Award Plaques
Award plaques are a great way to commemorate a special occasion such as retirement or years of service. RESPECT offers solid mahogany plaques with engraved metal plates in sizes ranging from 4 x 6 in. to 9 x 12 in. RESPECT
staff can offer assistance with wording for the plaque, decoration, and will work with you through the entire process from quote to order.
Our process for plaque quotes and orders has recently changed. To initiate a quote for a plaque please contact RESPECT customer service by email at [email protected] or by phone at (850) 942-
3570.
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RESPECT Welcomes Monique DeLaTorres
 RESPECT of Florida is pleased to announce that Monique DeLaTorres is the organization's new Customer Service Agent. She previously worked at the HabCenter in Boca Raton. She has many years of experience serving individuals with disabilities, as well as working in a true manufacturing environment. RESPECT staff are happy to have her as part of the team and believe she will be a valuable asset.
To reach Monique for customer service inquiries, please email [email protected] or call (850) 942-3555.
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The Arc Jacksonville Launches New Employment Initiative
$300,000 budget allocation from Governor Rick Scott helps create more employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
The Arc Jacksonville, a local non-profit organization that helps individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) achieve their full potential, announced today a new initiative aimed at creating more employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in northeast Florida.
Senator Aaron Bean and Representative Travis Cummings sponsored the $300,000 special appropriation bill, approved by Governor Rick Scott in the 2017-2018 budget. The Arc Jacksonville will use the funding to create a demonstration pilot project that seeks to increase employment opportunities for people with I/DD, research and implement new employment models, and engage individuals in the community who are unable to work in traditional settings. The purpose of the pilot project is to create an innovative, model program that can be replicated statewide.
"Receiving this appropriation speaks volumes to the State of Florida's confidence in The Arc Jacksonville's ability to create, manage and lead an employment initiative that ultimately creates more opportunities for the individuals we serve and benefits the employer. When everyone in our community is able to earn a living to the best of his or her abilities, everyone wins, including the overall economy itself," said Jim Whittaker, president/CEO of The Arc Jacksonville. "We are honored to be the stewards of these funds and create a program that can help all Floridians now and in the future."
As part of the project, The Arc Jacksonville will hire four new staff positions focusing on employment, community inclusion and best practices. These individuals will work to increase economic activity by increasing opportunities for community employment, developing internship programs, and developing training and certification programs that replicate a work environment to better prepare individuals with I/DD for work. Overall, the initiative seeks to improve employability skills, increase social activities, increase education, and provide more resources for companies that employ people with I/DD.
"The Arc Jacksonville already has a statewide reputation for innovation and quality with The Village, so the special appropriations for The Arc was icing on the cake. What a great win for Jacksonville, jobs and our community," said Senator Bean, who along with Representative Cummings were instrumental in advocating for this funding and championing the funding proposal through the process.
Part of the initiative also involves exploring new employment concepts and determining their viability in our local market through research and visits to best practice locations nationwide, including the possibility of small group work enclaves and embarking on new business ventures. Small group work enclaves provide people with I/DD the opportunity to work in a small group
of peers under the direct supervision of an Arc employee, who works with employers to find types of work that are appropriate for the group's skill level. In other parts of the country, organizations that serve people with I/DD-such as The Arc Jacksonville-have launched their own small businesses, such as coffee shops, and exclusively employ people with I/DD with the proper supports and supervision in place.
For more information about The Arc Jacksonville's new employment initiative and its overall employment program, visit
www.arcjacksonville.org.
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How to Coach the Losing Team
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HR & Compliance Manager, Dayna Lenk |
It is easy to be the coach of the winning team. What takes skill is coaching the team that is facing a difficult situation.
Good coaches know that how and what they communicate impacts employee performance. Knowing this, they encourage others in their work. To encourage means to express confidence in another's ability to accomplish something or prevail under difficult circumstances. Coaching should not be confused with training, which is a structured process designed to provide knowledge and teach specific skills, or counseling, which is designed to solve a specific
problem affecting performance. Coaching is a bigger, ongoing process that enables learning and development. Coaching has many advantages over counseling or training. Coaching is future focused; it provides effective change management with clear direction of future wants and needs.
Here are eleven techniques recommended for managers use to help encourage their team:
A good coach ensures their team knows what is expected of them.
Good employees need to know how their job contributes to the success of the organization; the understanding of how their work impacts the bottom line. A good coach assists employees in meeting the expectations of their jobs.
Keep open communication.
A breakdown in communication keeps staff members from doing a good job. If an employee does not feel like they can ask questions or that their boss is too busy to invest in hearing them out, then that employee will not discuss small situations that could lead to larger problems down the road.
Lead by example.
Supervisors most effectively coach and motivate their staff by being the example of excellence themselves. Supervisors must be the employee that they want to manage. For example, if a supervisor requests timely performance from employees, he or she should not miss important deadlines.
Ask them what help they need.
Often times the simple question of "How can I help?" will start the process of encouraging an employee. Timing of this simple, but powerful, question is important and requires you have good observation skills. Watch and listen for changes in behavior, choice of words and body language. These can be hints that an employee is becoming discouraged and frustrated. And often all the help they need is talking through the situation and having an empathetic ear to listen to their challenges.
Coach employees to discover choices.
When an employee gets stuck and isn't making expected progress, frustration sets in. When frustration sets in, first reinforce the confidence you have in them based on previous accomplishments, skills and behaviors. Second, ask questions that will help them see how to become "unstuck." Finally, ask enough questions for them to develop their own options on how to become successful.
Recognize their small incremental wins.
W
ins will include behavior change and skill mastery. Wins are not tasks that don't demonstrate change. Managers often forget that the small wins deserve recognition so that employees know that they are making progress toward their bigger win. Recognizing positive change reinforces the employee's understanding of what they need to continue doing. Don't wait for the big wins, look for the small and recognize them, and more will come.
Remember to say thank you.
A leadership best practice often overlooked is
thanking
and praising employees. There are times when work effort may not equate to expected results. Just like a long-distance runner being handed water during the race, this is your opportunity to thank them for their efforts, yet remind them that they haven't yet reached the finish line.
Build confidence in your team.
Building confidence requires real conversation, not surface accolades. It starts by understanding what's really going on. It requires getting into the muck and working a few levels below the obvious insecurity to understand what scares them.
Build stretch goals.
Stretch goals are
designed to build on your employee's strengths, develop new skills, and assist in the advancement towards their desired role in the organization. When you match a stretch goal to the right employee, not only are you encouraging your employee, you are developing them for the future.
Help them get recognized by others.
Become your teams' advocate. Share their work and accomplishments by communicating how their work has helped the organization get closer to the company vision or reinforced the values of the company. When possible, help them get external recognition. If they have done outstanding work, look for opportunities to nominate them for local professional awards. Local business newspapers and magazines often look for stories of professionals' accomplishments.
Provide feedback that is valuable
. There are only two reasons to give feedback-to praise or to correct. If you say to your employee, "You're doing a good job," what does that mean? If you say, "When you pass a resident, always take a moment to smile, ask how they're doing today, wait for an appropriate answer, and act on it in a certain way," that's when communication feedback works for you. It's important to understand that what managers think may be valuable feedback with the team may not be if it doesn't reinforce something that they would like them to do consistently or correct some behavior on their part,"
Yes, being a good coach and building a team takes time and energy. It is worth it. It creates long-term impact for the employee, for the team and for your organization. Turning around a team will rank high on your personal lifetime leadership achievement awards. Being a good coach will have a lasting impact, the coach may not get all of the accolades, but you will know, and so will they.
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.
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