South Carolina Department of Employment

and Workforce

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"What is Rapid Response, What is Business Services, and Why are you calling me?"

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Outline

• Vision• Rapid Response Overview• Definition of Rapid response• Layoff Aversion Implementation• Rapid Response as a Business Service• Rapid Response Coordination and Implementation• Engaging New or Expanding Businesses• Business/Employer Case Management• Challenges/Best Practices• Questions

The SC Department of Employment and Workforce (SCDEW) will maintain a proactive, comprehensive

approach to Rapid Response by identifying, planning for, and responding to layoffs, and

preventing or minimizing their impacts wherever possible.

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Vision

Definition of Rapid Response

“Rapid Response (RR) is designed to provide early intervention assistance to businesses faced with

closures or layoffs and to provide dislocated workers with information and resources to quickly seek and

obtain alternate employment”

 

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“PUTTING SOUTH CAROLINIANS BACK TO WORK!”

Layoff Aversion Implementation

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• Strategic planning, data gathering and analysis

• Solutions for businesses in transition (during growth and decline)

• Convene, facilitate, and broker connections, networks and partners

• Provision of information and direct reemployment services for workers to minimize unemployment

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Layoff Aversion Implementation

Rapid Response as a Business Service

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Rapid Response as a Business Service

Developing an awareness of the national, state and regional economic trends

Building relationships with employers, service providers, and other stakeholders

Understanding the needs and challenges of the employers and workers

Developing and implementing a plan tailored to those needs

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Solutions-Based Approach to Saving Businesses & Managing Transition

Rapid Response Coordination and Implementation

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Rapid Response Coordination and Implementation

• Step 1: Research & Discovery

• Step 2: Activation

• Step 3: The Management Meeting

• Step 4: Group Orientation

• Step 5: On-site Reemployment Services

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The Rapid Response Process

The Management Meeting

Group Orientation

On- Site Reemployment

Services

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Early intervention before or immediately after a layoff notice is critical to:

•Alleviating long-term unemployment

•Improving employee morale

•Maintain productivity

•Lowering business costs

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Step 1: Research & Discovery

Activation is the first step in response to verifiable notice of layoff or closure. This is where the planning is organized and put into action. The goal is to:

•Awareness of a pending event

•Layoff announcement, WARN (Exhibit A), or early warning

notifications (Exhibit B)

•Gather information/facts, prepare materials, identify potential

tactics for layoff aversion, expansion or layoff minimization.

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Step 2: Activation

Step 3: The Management Meeting

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The ultimate goal of the Management Meeting is to:

avert or lessen the impact of the announced layoff or closure while at the same time, scheduling pre- layoff meetings with the affected workers.

Employers are encouraged to allow meetings on- site and company- paid time. In an effort to accomplish this, the Rapid Response team:

markets the value of early intervention assistance, stresses the impact of full employee participation, and is flexible and accommodates the length and schedules of meetings to respect employer time restraints and production shifts.

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Step 4: Group Orientation

• Through effective early actions and attitudes, a well-formed and well-led Group Orientation can demonstrate a strong combination of resilience and hope.

• Both the community and the workers look to the area’s leadership (business, government, education, and social services) at times of economic crisis. Effective, coordinated, caring, and action-focused teamwork is essential.

Prior to the Group Orientation

The “Rapid Response Company Information Report”, to understand the reemployment needs of the:

• Audience they are presenting to. This report captures important company and employee

Demographic data such as:

• Trade petition status• Workers’ job skills, wages, and retirement status,• Employer-provided benefits available after the anticipated

layoff.

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Group Orientation: Roles & Responsibilities

The State DWU Representative’s Role:

• Explain the purpose of the meeting

• Explain the workforce system, particularly on the SC Works Centers

• Introduce reemployment programs

• Provide an overview of TAA benefits and services, if the event is trade-impacted

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The Responsibility of Area Director/ ES Supervisor:

• Provide and explain the unemployment insurance process

• Coordinate and administer the UI claims taking process

• Describe the Veteran’s Outreach Program (if high number of Veterans, bring a Veterans Representative)

• Describe the Labor Exchange Program

The local WIA Representative’s Role:

• Describe Core Services

• Describe Intensive Services

• Describe Training Services

Reemployment Services are on-site services that will assist workers to rapidly reenter the workforce. Services include, but are not limited to the following:

SCWOS registration resume preparation job search assistance assisting with interviewing skills

* All services are provided one-on-one*

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Step 5: On-site Reemployment Services

On- Site Reemployment Services (Con’t):Roles & Responsibilities

The SC Works Business Services Team Role:

• Announce On-Site Reemployment Services dates and times during Group Orientations

• Describe On-Site Reemployment Services to affected workers during Group Orientations

• Support the statewide Reemployment Specialists

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The State Business Services Coordinator’s Role:

• Describe On-Site Reemployment Services at the management meeting

• Gather information on services that will be provided to affected workers from the company

• Schedule On-site Reemployment Services

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Engaging New or Expanding Businesses

• It is imperative that new and expanding companies are engaged to ensure they are aware that the South Carolina (SC) Works System can assist them with their workforce needs.

• SC Technical College System and readySC™ work closely with a company to prepare a workforce to meet its recruitment needs.

• In order for a business to be eligible for readySC services, it is required that the jobs are:

Permanent Competitive in pay for the area Provide health insurance, and Compile to 10 or more positions

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Engaging New or Expanding Businesses

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Engaging New or Expanding Businesses (Cont.)

“Know Before You Go” Approach

• As with working with a company that is downsizing, it’s important to research and understand an expanding company’s:

Market history, Industry, and Available workforce pool.

• The State Business Services Department tracks announcements to identify future workforce needs and proactively identify service delivery needs.

• Upon confirmation that readySC is not working with a new or expanding

company, the State Business Services Coordinator will contact the LWIA Business Services Lead before initiating the first meeting with company management.

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Engaging New or Expanding Businesses (Cont.)

• The first meeting with the business is pivotal as to whether or not the company management will want to work with the SC Works system.

• Ultimately, this is done through asking the company “What are your workforce needs?”

• The ultimate goal of the initial meeting is to convince company management that the SC Works system is responsive and committed to providing them with comprehensive services that are customized to their workforce needs.

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Engaging New or Expanding Businesses (Cont.)

• Whether a company is growing and seeks qualified workers and hiring tax incentives, or downsizing and needs assistance in transitioning their workers to new employment, state and local business services teams must be aware of and broker all partnering programs and services.

• Based upon the unique needs of a business, Business Services Representatives should work together to create a comprehensive and seamless service delivery plan.

• Remember- utilize every possible opportunity to “bundle” services to promote growth opportunity for a business, which ultimately leads to increased employment opportunities for job seekers.

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Engaging New or Expanding Businesses (Cont.): Bundling Services for Businesses Managing

Transition

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Business/Employer Case Management

• The SC Works On-line Services (SCWOS) is the state database that documents all services provided to Job Seekers through the Workforce Investment Act, the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program, and the Wagner-Peyser Program.

• In order to provide local workforce areas with the ability to measure their performance in delivering services to employers all services provided to employers are to be recorded in SCWOS.

• SCWOS also has the ability to document and report Employer Services from the various reemployment programs.

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Business/Employer Case Management: Documenting Services in SCWOS

ChallengesPro-active versus reactiveBalancing demand for reemployment services

Best PracticesThe New Vision of Rapid ResponseState Instruction Letter 10-01 Use of IWT as a Layoff

Aversion StrategyBusiness Services Toolkit

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Challenges/Best Practices

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Summary

• Vision• Rapid Response Overview• Definition of Rapid response• Layoff Aversion Implementation• Rapid Response as a Business Service• Rapid Response Coordination and Implementation• Engaging New or Expanding Businesses• Business/Employer Case Management• Challenges/Best Practices• Questions

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Questions