JOB COACH ROLES AND STRATEGIES
- Is able to identify the individual's
interests in order to facilitate a job/career of choice.
All too often, the
labor market "drives" the job search rather than the job seeker's
interests. Offering a job in food
service, because these jobs are readily available, to an individual who does
not want to work in food service is an example of the labor market
"driving" job development. Of
course there are specific businesses that exist within any given community and
need to be considered. But, if a person is not interested in a particular type
of work, he or she is less likely to be successfully employed for the long
term.
Strategies: The
job coach must get to know the job seeker by spending time with him or her in
the community. Getting to know what "makes the individual tick" or
makes him or her excited is important! For example, the job coach and the job
seeker might go shopping, eat at a restaurant, attend a movie, go to a sporting
event, meet at the individual's home, or simply drive around the neighborhood
to discuss the local businesses. During
these activities, the job coach can learn a lot about the job seeker. How does
the person like to spend time? What is
important to the individual? Are there any particular non-negotiables related
to employment?
Asking significant others in the individual's life what is
important related to work also can be important and helpful. The information can be gathered using
person-centered planning meetings or activities or less formally through
conversations. The person should always
be included and confirm that these ideas are of interest for employment.
A key point to remember is that individuals with
disabilities often will be more comfortable and open if the meetings and
activities occur in locations of the individual's choice rather than at the
CRP. This is true even if the person has
a long history of being served in the organization's facility-based
program. Getting out in the community
will allow the job coach to see a totally different side to the individual and
provide valuable information.
- Is able to identify the individual's
skills and talents in order to facilitate a job/career of choice.
Getting to know the individual also gives the job coach an
opportunity to observe the jobseeker’s abilities and create a visual image of
his or her support needs. This is much more valuable than the scores that the
person makes on a standardized test! For example, the job coach could learn
about the person’s physical abilities, social skills, money use, time keeping,
functional academic skills among numerous other things.
Strategies:
Suppose the job coach and the individual go out to a restaurant and talk
about employment opportunities. While
there, the job coach not only can learn about the individual's interests but
also skills and support needs. Does the
individual arrive with or without assistance by taking public or private
transportation? Does someone have to come with the person to the
appointment? Does the individual arrive
on time and is dressed appropriately?
This is important to note even if family members or residential support
staff bring the person, which may provide insight on the supports available to
the individual.
Once there, what
support does the individual need? This
could include such things as ordering, eating, using the restroom, moving
around the restaurant, social skills, paying for the food, and so forth. This type of functional assessment in
community settings can be used when analyzing potential work settings that will
match or closely match the individual's skill level. The closer the match, the better chance the
person will be successful and the less training that will be needed for the
individual to be independent.
- Is able to negotiate customized jobs
for individuals with disabilities.
Some individuals who need supported employment services will
not be able to qualify for existing jobs or may have very unique talents. In
these instances, job coaches must be able to negotiate or work with employers
to customize positions. Customized
employment can benefit both the individual with a disability and the
business. The employment specialist must
be prepared to identify these potential benefits when working with the business
community.
Strategies:
Business can benefit from customizing positions in a number of
ways. For instance, a business may have
work that is not getting done or is not currently assigned to an employee.
These job duties could "customized" to match the skills and interests
of an individual with a disability. And,
businesses may save money by customizing jobs if they are paying overtime to
staff for task completion. Identify ways that a job might be customized when
conducting a job analysis or talking with an employer. Some of the strategies
that have been used to customize jobs include the following.
Ø
The job duties in one job description
might be divided into two or more positions resulting in a customized position
for a specific job seeker.
Ø
Tasks that are not being done or
not done often enough might be identified to negotiate a job description.
Ø
Tasks that employers are paying
over-time for may be combined into a position to save the company money while
hiring an individual who is interested in these job duties.
Ø
Job duties that take employees
away from their areas of expertise may be combined into one position. This may save the employer money and get jobs
done more often if an individual is dedicated to these tasks.
While there is no one “best” way to negotiate a customized
job, there are some basic steps that can lead to successful employment
negotiations. Step one is to begin with a clear knowledge of the jobseeker’s
vocational interests, strengths, expectations, and support needs. If a job
coach is representing the person with a disability, he or she must know the
jobseeker’s bottom line. Knowing the job seeker will ensure that negotiations
move in the right direction from the beginning and that a job of choice for the
individual is identified. Compromising on features of a job to satisfy the
employer that do not match the interests of the job seeker will not result in a
mutually beneficial employment relationship.
Step two is to identify the employer’s needs. Successful
negotiations also require understanding the business and its operations. Time
must be spent building rapport with the employers, before negotiation is attempted
for a specific job seeker. Identify the company’s needs and suggest possible
work solutions that might resolve these needs. One thing to remember is to not
assume that what is important for one company will be the same for another. One
employer may be motivated to negotiate a job to save money, while another may
have a job task that current employees are not completing. Remember, the end
result is a mutually agreed upon job. All sides should leave the negotiation
feeling satisfied.
- Is able to address employer concerns
about hiring people with disabilities while maintaining the
confidentiality of the job seekers.
They may have
preconceived ideas about people with disabilities as well as spoken or unspoken
concerns about hiring someone with a disability. In addition, employers may unknowingly ask
questions that are unlawful about the person's disability under the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA). Or, they
may be afraid to ask questions. In many
communities, employers already know that the job coach works for a
"disability" agency simply by knowing the name of the CRP. During initial contacts, the job coach
must be able to educate the employer without disclosing information that is
confidential.
Strategy: Common employer concerns may include some
of the following.
Ø
If I hire a person with a
disability, will my liability insurance increase?
Ø
Will hiring a person with a
disability cost me money?
Ø
Am I liable if something happens
to the job coach when he or she is in my business?
Ø
Will I be sued if I have to fire
the person?
Answers to these questions should be discussed, and a policy
or standard answers developed that job coaches can use. Examples of how hiring an individual has been
beneficial to employers in the community could be gathered and shared with
potential businesses. Confirm with the
employers and their workers with disabilities that information can be shared
regarding their success stories. Focus
on how accommodations and supports resulted in worker independence and employer
benefits rather than on the specific disabilities of the workers.
Prior to job development, the job coach must talk with the
job seekers to decide what, how much, and when to disclose a disability to an
employer. Discuss with the individual
and his/her family if needed what they want disclosed to the employer. Remember that details about a specific
person's disability cannot be disclosed without the individual's consent. Generic answers to questions about
disabilities may be OK if specific individuals are not discussed. However, any discussion should be phrased in
the terms of providing qualified applicants to the business. This could include how simple accommodations
and supports will assist the person in completing the essential job functions
that are being negotiated with the employer.
Discussing disclosure with the job seeker in advance and always doing so
in a way that accentuates the positive is key.
Planning to address these issues with business in advance and actually
bringing them up during discussion will preclude employers from having to do so
or leave them wondering about such things.
- Is able to identify a wide variety of
workplace supports.
Every person with a disability is unique; every job site is
different. There is no one type of workplace support that will accommodate all
individuals or settings. Supports must be customized. Therefore, job coaches must be familiar with
a variety of workplace supports and be ready to facilitate the right type and intensity
of support to help the new hire become successful.
Strategy: Some examples of on the job supports might
include identifying the natural cues and/or adding compensatory memory
strategies to assist the person in task completion. Natural cues include recognizing the salient
features of work tasks or supplies. For instance, a person who assists with
inventory delivery may need to learn that a particular form in his / her inbox
means that someone is ordering supplies to be delivered. In this instance, the natural cue is the
presence of the form in the inbox. A
compensatory strategy for completing this task might be adding
"inboxes" for each department in the company if the worker has
difficulty figuring out where to deliver the supplies once the order is
filled. Or, if the person cannot read,
perhaps the business would be willing to implement a form with small photos of
the supplies to be ordered. Providing
training on the job skills using instructional techniques, adding assistive
technology, implementing training to help teach appropriate social skills on
the job are other important things to consider.
The goal is to assist the worker in becoming independent of
the job coach as quickly as possible.
Therefore, it is critical for job coaches to learn how to recognize and
facilitate natural / existing supports in a workplace. Often the success of the
new hire will be related to the supports provided by other workers. This might be as simple as observing when
coworkers take their breaks and pass through the individual's work area. A coworker might be asked if he/she could
provide support or feedback to the worker with a disability during that time
period. In other words, facilitating the support from coworkers might be
necessary initially but will occur naturally as the coworkers get to know the
new worker with a disability.
- Uses data collection techniques to
document effectiveness of workplace supports and to guide fading from the
job site.
Decisions about the effectiveness of on the work supports
and the employee’s progress on the job should not be based on guesswork. It should be based on sound data collection
procedures and interpretation of the data presented. Just as job coaches need to be familiar with
a variety of workplace, they should also know how to collect and analyze data.
This information can then be used to guide instruction and develop a schedule
to fade the job coach's presence from the job site.
Strategy: Again, every person is unique. Additionally,
every job and workplace is different. Thus, training strategies will vary and
hence the appropriate data collection techniques. At a bare minimum, job
coaches should be familiar with how to design a task analysis and use it to
collect data related to productivity.
Fading must begin the moment the job coach sets foot in the
business. Even if this means walking
away from the worker for as little as five minutes the first day on the
job. Data collection can show the job
coach where the worker is performing independently and does not need assistance
as mentioned, even on the first day of employment.
- Provides proactive follow along
services.
One of the unique features of supported employment is the
ongoing service. As long as the person
is employed, follow-up services are provided to monitor work performance and job
satisfaction from both the worker and employer’s perspectives. This information
is used to determine the need for additional supports. Some examples on-going job coach support
include assisting the worker to perform new job duties, relearning skills previously
learned but being performed incorrectly or poorly, as well as problem-solving
issues that occur outside of work, which, if left unattended, could lead to
difficulties and possibility job separation.
Strategy: The nature and amount of long-term support
needed varies from person to person.
Additionally, the type and intensity of support necessary will change
over time. Thus, job coaches must become skilled at making observations,
collecting data, and asking the “right questions” to predict and identify
support needed and provide or facilitate the service. Maintaining ongoing and regular contact with
the worker and employer is vital to job retention. This feature of supported
employment is one of the benefits that may encourage business to hire a worker
with disabilities and use supported employment services.
Summary Key Points
- Functional community-based assessments, instead of testing or simulations should be used to determine the job seeker’s skills, interests, learning style, social skills, and support needs. This information helps customize desirable and suitable work options.
- Employers are customers too. As such, job coaches must understand how the service benefits business and be prepared to share this when meeting with employers to discuss job opportunities.
- Some job seekers cannot qualify for existing jobs. Job coaches must encourage business to consider customizing existing job descriptions specifically for a job seeker with disabilities.
- The job coach provides or facilitates both on and off the job supports to help increase the odds that the individual with a disability becomes successful at work.
- Performance data is collected and analyzed to assist the job coach with making decisions about the effectiveness of work place supports. As needed, supports are modified or new ones are developed.
- Long term ongoing support is available throughout the worker’s employment. The job coach finds ways to anticipate potential supports and provides or facilitates additional support as indicated.
Reference
Bissonnette,
D. (1995). Beyond traditional job
development: The art of creating opportunity. Santa Cruz , CA
Learn more about this book by visiting: http://www.diversityshop.com/store/beyondtext.html
Wehman, P.,
Inge, K.J., Revell, W.G., & Brooke, V. (2007). Real work for real pay:
Inclusive employment for people with disabilities. Baltimore :
Paul Brookes Publishing Co.
Learn more about this book by visiting: http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/wehman-7535/index.htm
Additional Online
Resources:
APSE The Network on Employment: http://www.apse.org/
VCU CRP-RCEP: http://www.crp-rcep.org
VCU Rehabilitation Research and Training Center
The authors for this fact sheet are Dr. Katherine Inge (VCU
CRP-RCEP Project Director), Howard Green (MD TA Liaison), and Pam Targett (DC
TA Liaison). For more information on VCU
CRP-RCEP, please visit http://www.crp-rcep.org.
For additional information, contact your TA Liaison.
Grant Revell - wgrevell@vcu.edu
Howard Green - jhgreen@vcu.edu
Valerie Brooke - vbrooke@vcu.edu
Jennifer Todd McDonough - jltodd@vcu.edu
Pam Targett - psherron@vcu.edu
This fact sheet was funded by the Rehabilitation Services
Administration (RSA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Education
(#H264B050007). The contents do not necessarily represent the interpretations
or opinion of the U.S. Department of Education. Virginia Commonwealth
University
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