The RESPECT of Florida e-Newsletter
August 2018


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
 
Summer is officially over and we are moving in to Fall. RESPECT has just awarded its annual Micro-Enterprise Grant, and the annual awards ceremony is just around the corner in late September.  
 
RESPECT's mission is to create job opportunities for Floridians who are blind or have other disabilities. Staff at RESPECT love the annual awards in September, because we turn our attention to the workers who make it all happen. Often working behind the scenes, we enjoy the opportunity to recognize and honor all the people we serve through the RESPECT program. This year, RESPECT is honoring 33 individuals who we consider to be Outstanding Employees.
 
In addition to our workers, we will also recognize our partners and customers who support our mission and the people in our community. Our partners and customers complete the RESPECT equation and help us change lives, one purchase at a time. 

Spotlight on Success:
 
     
RESPECT would like to recognize Kavi Ross as one of our Outstanding Employees of 2017.
 
Kavi has been a valuable employee of RESPECT partner, Palm Beach Habilitation Center, for over seven years. Kavi was nominated by Winston Reid who describes him as friendly, humble, and dependable. Over the past year, Kavi has made huge personal and professional strides. Kavi works through severe social anxiety and although he was always a good worker, in the past he had a difficult time connecting with others.
 
Seeing this need, staff encouraged Kavi to set a goal for himself to practice his social skills and say hello to at least one of his coworkers every day. After consistently practicing being more open with his coworkers, Kavi found that he enjoyed getting to know his coworkers better and now carries on full conversations. Great job Kavi!  
 
"Communication - the human connection - is the key to personal and career success". - Paul J. Meyer
 


 
For many years RESPECT partner Goodwill South Florida operated as a small organization; serving only a limited number of individuals with disabilities.  
 
However, that all changed in 1980, with the Mariel boat lift which caused a large influx of people with disabilities. Suddenly, there was an increased need for rehabilitation, training, and employment services for the community.
 
Goodwill leadership responded quickly and came up with a plan to pursue diversified, entrepreneurial activities that provided options and opportunities for this new population.
Labor intensive work would be used as a tool to help people learn transferable skills, acquire appropriate work ethic, gain confidence and develop their self-esteem in the work place environment.  
 
These individuals would earn a paycheck as they received workforce development services. Achieving competitive employment was the goal and the revenues from the activities would help support the mission.
 
That dedication to excellence has continued to be the backbone of the organization. Goodwill South Florida is proud that it constructs all United States of America, State of Florida, POW/MIA, and beach flags for RESPECT of Florida using 100% American-made materials; including the dye, the string, and the fabric.
 
State and Governmental Agencies can feel confident that all flags purchased through RESPECT of Florida are produced with the highest attention to detail by individuals with disabilities. 

Commodity of the Month    
 
Food Grade Gloves 
       
 
 
RESPECT now offers food grade gloves in both latex and vinyl options. These gloves meet the standard and specifications for safe contact with food surfaces. They are designed for comfort, performance and durability in food handling, food preparation, and light industrial applications.  




 
Students and teachers across the state are easing back in to the new school year. Retail stores are stacked with back packs, pencils, crayons, and all other necessities and social media is flooded with thousands of cute, smiling kids ready for the first day of school.
 
At RESPECT, our goal is to support Florida schools with their back to school needs, too.  We know that keeping a school running smoothly takes a lot of coordination and careful budgeting for the many needed items. Schools have a variety of needs from first aid supplies to interactive classroom displays. Below you will find a list of "back to school" essentials that RESPECT of Florida carries year round for our customers to purchase.
 
  • Gauze
  • Gloves - Medical and Food Grade
  • Soap and Hand Sanitizer
  • Interactive Display Boards
  • Bandaids
  • Safety Goggles
  • Bike Racks
  • Cotton Balls
  • Alcohol Pads
  • Trash Bags
  • Signage and Banners
  • Thermometers and Probe Covers
  • First Aid Kits and Refills
  • Flags - USA and Florida

Placing an order is quick and easy. Customers can order directly through the RESPECT website at www.respectofflorida.org or by calling customer service at 850-942-3575.
 
We wish all the teachers and students a happy and successful school year!
  Micro-Enterprise Grant Awarded
 


RESPECT recently awarded our 2018 Micro-Enterprise Grant for Self-Employment. This grant is an opportunity for an individual with a disability who has an entrepreneurial spirit to receive funds and enhance his or her business.
 
The 2018 winner is a gentleman named Steven Graham with a business called Steven by Design. He designs and creates paracord bracelets.
 
Steven was first interested in making the paracord bracelets when he saw some in the art room at Quest, a partner center of RESPECT of Florida. He started learning how to make them and quickly realized that he was very good at the braiding technique for the bracelets. Since first learning the braiding technique, he has expanded the kinds of knots he can use.
 
Currently he is experimenting with different knot and color combinations. With the grant funds he plans to officially establish his business, perform some marketing, and buy materials. Quest has pledged to provide additional funding to support Steven in his venture.
 
Congratulations to Steven, and we wish him much success now that he is officially "open for business."    
  BAC and USSSA Partnership Brings Jobs to Brevard County
 


Brevard Achievement Center Enterprises (BACE), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brevard Achievement Center (BAC), and the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) recently partnered to provide people with disabilities work opportunities at the multi-sport company's USSSA Space Coast Complex.
 
Under the initial two-year contract, BACE will provide housekeeping, general maintenance and box office support for USSSA. Jobs also are available in each of these areas for qualified applicants. Although individuals with disabilities will be considered first for employment, candidates without disabilities also will be hired.
 
"We are sincerely grateful to USSSA for partnering with BAC in order to create diverse employment opportunities for people with disabilities in Brevard," said BAC President and CEO, Amar Patel. "Thanks to our partnership, individuals across the disability spectrum have the opportunity to work because positions like ticket takers, box office and customer service personnel do not require much physical labor. The ability to offer jobs to people of all levels of disability is definitely a home run for our community."
 
BACE was created to further the mission of BAC by providing job opportunities for people with and without disabilities in an integrated work environment. Tom Graver, former ESPN Wide World of Sports Guest Operations Manager, serves as BACE's Sports Operations Manager and leads a team of five staff and 20 BACE part-time employees.
"Currently, we have over 20 part-time positions that need to be filled," Graver said. "Wages range from $11.47 to $12 an hour depending on the job." Job seekers can complete an online application at bacbrevard.com/careers Graver added.
 
About BAC
Brevard Achievement Center (BAC), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Rockledge, Florida was founded in 1968 to provide persons with disabilities innovative services and opportunities to achieve personal success. In Fiscal Year 2017, BAC served approximately 4,500 individuals with disabilities including the direct employment of approximately 800 people throughout Florida, and in Puerto Rico, North Carolina and Virginia. BAC is a proud partner of United Way of Brevard and the AbilityOne Program. For more information about the agency, visit bacbrevard.com.
 
About USSSA
USSSA is headquartered in Viera, Florida. USSSA is the world's largest multi-sport athletic organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over four million participants, competing in 14 nationally sanctioned
sports including baseball, fast pitch, slow pitch, karate, basketball, soccer and more! USSSA is an Associate Member of the WBSC. For more information about USSSA, visit www.usssa.com and follow USSSA on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
About USSSA Space Coast Complex
USSSA Space Coast Complex is located in Viera, Florida and owned by USSSA, the world's largest multi-sport athletic organization. The complex has 15 AstroTurf fields including five NCAA softball approved fields, five NCAA baseball approved fields and three fields equipped with HD video scoreboards. USSSA Space Coast Complex is located in Brevard County on Florida's Space Coast withover 72 miles of coastline and beaches and is 45 minutes from the Orlando International Airport. 
Check In if You Want to be a Better Manager    
 
 
HR & Compliance Director, Dayna Lenk
It is time to decide what type of manager you want to be. Do you want to be a "checked-out" manager who appears to continuously have problems getting their employees to get on board and row in the same direction, or you do you want to be the "checked-in" manager who seems to have a cohesive team that always seems to have their work product flowing smoothly?
 
The "checked-out" manager typically will have work conversations that occur in a spontaneous unplanned manner. Communication happens during group meetings, in quick emails and texts, in passing, or when a crisis strikes and immediate attention is needed. This type of informal management style leaves a lot to be desired. The communication that occurs does not follow any logical timing pattern, the communication is often incomplete and usually occurs too late to solve the problem. This puts the manager in a position of doing damage control instead of problem solving. Managers who operate in this manner, are often unable to produce a highly motivated and creative workforce as they always focus on the problem at hand, and they are unable to focus on forward progress.
 
The "checked-in" manager whose team works cohesively will ensure that their employees have clear, meaningful goals and will help their employees see how their individual actions play a role in achieving the organization's goals. This manager will communicate on regular intervals and keep all employees moving in the right direction. This type of management is what provides meaning in the work and produces a workforce that is engaged and motivated. The easiest and best way to get out of the management by crisis is to have regular one-on-one conversations with your employees called check-ins. Check-ins ensure that employees have clear, meaningful goals and allow the manager to keep the lines of communication open to effectively engage and manage performance. The more employees and managers can communicate, the better they will be able to work together to accomplish goals, develop skills, and give/receive feedback.
 
Managers who have frequent conversations, interactions and check-ins with employees will continuously improve team performance, allow employees to successfully hit goals and reach career benchmarks. Check-ins are designed to build a strong team work environment. The goal of the manager is to act as the team coach. The check-in is about team collaboration, it is not about suffocation. This means the manager should be asking questions and working in conjunction with the employee versus providing answers and directing every move of the employee. While the time investment may seem great, there is no leadership activity that has more of an impact on employee performance than check-in meetings.
 
Checking in with employees does not have to be a long, protracted or demanding process. It is much easier to keep track of a team's performance if the manager is aware of their ongoing progress than if they only have occasional off the cuff conversations with them. Listed below is a check list for doing employee check-ins:
 
Block regular time in your schedules - How often you meet with your employees to review their work and prepare them for success is really defined by the work being done and the type of employees that are being supervised. Some work and some employees require more hand holding from time to time. New employees, high stakes projects, employees experiencing performance issues or areas of uncertainty will require frequent check-ins. Experiment with frequency until the right pace is reached. Try to avoid canceling or rescheduling check-in meetings as this sends the signal that this meeting is not that important.
 
Prepare in advance - Nothing is worse than going into a meeting with a manager that looks lost or like they are not invested. Take the time to compile a list of bullet points to discuss.  The focus should be on what is most important. Review the employee's list of goals and projects to see if there are any due or running off course. Make a note of important department or company changes that need to be discussed with the employee. Review any feedback to identify any discussion points. Discuss performance issues, both the good and the bad. However, do not be so ridged in the list that that there is no allowance for a creative flow of conversation, but if the conversation diverges too much it is the manager's responsibility to get it back on track. Review any notes taken during the last meeting to get up to speed on any planned deliverables.
 
Focus and be attentive - Devote your full attention to your employee. Turn off your phone, and mute your computer so as not to risk being distracted by beeps or rings. The purpose of the meeting is to develop the employee and increase your working relationship, it deserves your full attention and concentration. Employees who feel this process is important to their manager will develop a trusting relationship and take it seriously.
 
Get the employee talking - The manager's job in the check-in is to engage the employee in conversation in a deliberate way and with the purpose of improving the employee. The use of open-ended questions are a great way to get them talking. For example, how you think the new project is going? Or, how are you going to approach the customer? Some employees are more reluctant to speak-up but this doesn't mean that a manager should do the bulk of the talking. It should be the managers goal to get the employee to talk and keep talking during the check-in meeting. Remember, this meeting is about them. The more they talk, the better.
 
Problem solve - Check-in meetings are perfect opportunities to consider big strategic questions and problem solve. In this meeting, it is just as important to listen to what your employee has to say as to move through your agenda. In developing an employee, it is important to assist them in coming up with their own solutions to the problems they are facing.
 
Ask questions about career plans - Although you should prioritize work issues and items of strategic importance, do not neglect the personal. One-on-ones can be a good opportunity to help your team members be more thoughtful about their careers and lives.
 
Express appreciation - Words of affirmation mean a lot to employees. Never say something if it is not genuine or does not feel real to you, but if you can talk about something they are doing well you will make the employee feel validated and appreciated.
 
Do not be afraid to get a negative reaction - Normal people do not like conflict. The reality of life is sometimes managers must address the reality of a less than ideal situation even if that causes the employee to become negative. If you think a negative reaction may occur, do not shy away from addressing that the employee may react negatively. For example, you may say, "I know this may be difficult to hear, but I am doing this for your benefit. I have observed, in the past, that you react in a manner that is unprofessional when given undesirable information. I would like for you not to shut down and stop communicating with me because you are upset with the information I provide." The cost of not managing employee performance and allowing poor performers' behavior to remain unchecked is too high. This burdens the rest of the team with having to carry the load and keeps the team distracted.
 
Decide on an action plan - Before the meeting concludes set specific actions to be taken, the time frame for those actions, and how you will follow up. Summarize those actions with the employee and reach an agreement on the next steps.
 
Documenting is a must - A small but significant step is to take a few minutes after each meeting to record key discussion points, action-items or feedback. Follow that up by sending the actions out in an email to the employee. This will help keep the next meeting on track and will serve as a useful log when managers are looking at trends in performance.
 
Overall, regularized purposeful check-ins with employees is a must to make certain the team is heading in the right direction. The check-in is the ideal vehicle to provide coaching, and offer the support needed for employees to succeed. Although finding time in the day is difficult for many managers, check-ins are time well spent and will reap rewards in the long run for both the manager, the employee, the team, and the company.  
 
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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