Example Target   Populations

 Potential Implications for Structure

 Potential Implications for Policies

• Work with SE or engagement with associated nonprofit may be court mandated
• SE should consider partnerships with: probation/parole, legal services, child support  agencies, etc.

• SE may need to address employees’ need for immediate income
• SE may wish to establish a policy that permits absence from work for court dates

• Employee supports should incorporate benefits assistance counseling
• Staff should be familiar with population, benefits and their policies related to earned income

• Work hours may need to be limited to support health and wellness, and also, potentially, to minimize impact on benefit eligibility

• Work hours should be structured to facilitate return to and/or completion of high school or GED
• SE may wish to partner with a charter school or other educational institution or agency

• May wish to put a policy in place regarding payment for GED testing (and re-testing) fees

• Given likely value of EITC, employee supports staff should seek to streamline access to free tax preparation services

• SE may wish to have a policy around attendance at school functions

 Example Industries

 Potential Implications for Structure

 Potential Implications for Policies

• May affect nature or amount of training for employees

• Regulatory agency may limit who can work or receive credentials, potentially affecting hiring policies
• Regulations regarding staffing and credentials may affect whether there are internal opportunities for advancement

• Turnover associated with SE employees securing jobs elsewhere may necessitate over-staffing
• Employee supports program may want to put emphasis on retention services for those securing external employment

• To facilitate operational planning, SE may seek to communicate upon hiring both a minimum and maximum duration of expected SE employment

• Increases need to seek external funding  or partnership for employee supports

• SE may seek to minimize ES-related overhead through use of incentives for external hire and retention

• SE is more likely to offer internal advancement opportunities
• If drawing upon multiple target populations to fill roles, may need to hire ES staff with wider array of expertise
• May suggest greater partnership between ES staff and HR

• SE should set clear policies around promotion to more skilled positions
• If employment is transitional, SE should determine whether promoted employees are considered “graduates” or still transitional, and whether they can access supports and which ones

Example Job Types

Potential Implications for Structure

Potential Implications for Policies

• SE employment will need to incorporate at the front end, or be preceded by, time dedicated to skills training

• Potentially pay a higher than minimum wage in order to retain individuals for some minimum period of time
• May need to develop a policy on whether SE pays for costs of employees securing a credential

• SE may wish to incorporate customer service training and/or role playing early in employment or during pre-employment training

• SE may wish to recognize or reward employees who receive positive customer feedback
• SE may have rigorous dress or appearance policies

• Should training be necessary, it may be more effective when offered  on-the-job or in a simulated work setting than in a classroom/lecture format

• Applicants may be required to indicate or demonstrate job-specific physical capabilities prior to hire
• SE may need to set a policy around payment or reimbursement for protective gear (e.g., steel-toed work boots)

Example Work Environments

Potential Implications for Structure

Potential Implications for Policies

• If co-located with client services, may be efficient to tap into existing resources rather than staff up ES division unique to SE

• As ES staff and SE supervisors may work side by side, need very explicit guidelines regarding information sharing

• Geographic dispersion and varied hours may make it more challenging to deliver group-based services
• May need to provide more pre-employment training

• May need to do more pre-hire screening
• Employee expectations and discipline policies may need to be customized to host sites
• Dependent upon locations, SE employees may need additional transportation assistance

• ES topics can possibly be addressed during group commute or immediately before/ after shift
• ES staff need to work non-traditional hours

• Need to ensure compliance with state labor laws regarding compensation during travel time

• ES staff’s work hours may need to be adjusted to ensure accessibility

• Movement to more desirable shift may be used as an incentive
• SE may need to provide more transportation or child care assistance

Example Financial Resources

Potential Implications for Structure

Potential Implications for Policies

• Earned income available for employee supports is likely  small but very flexible and requires no reporting
• As available funds may vary greatly from month to month, most appropriate for use on supports requiring minimal overhead

• Can be a good fit for incentives (employment, educational attainment, retention)

• SE should take requirements (often stringent) related to accounting and reporting into consideration when determining staffing.  E.g., follow-up reporting on alumni outcomes may  necessitate significant staff time for both outreach and documentation

• May dictate certain policies around compensation, substance use, or employment duration
• Goals associated with funding may drive certain policies (e.g., retention goal driving duration of SE employment)

• Seeking and reporting on foundation funding requires staff time
• Will sometimes fund planning and piloting of new supports

• SE and agency leadership should meet regularly
• SE may need to work/schedule around availability of agency’s services staff

Implications of Having Less Resources

Implications of Having More Resources

• Seek out service partners
• Use group-based service delivery methods
• Seek to reduce fixed costs and overhead through use of incentives
• Be more creative in designing their engagement strategies and support offerings
• Have less robust data systems
• Have empowered front-line ES staff

• Be able to offer a wider range of employee supports
• Be able to maintain lower professional staff to SE employee ratios
• Tend toward offering most of the employee supports in-house
• Be juggling the reporting requirements and outcome expectations of multiple funders
• Have more time and resources for planning and evaluation
• Have more bureaucratic decision-making processes

Internal Capacity Levels

Potential Implications for Structure

Potential Implications for Policies

• No dedicated ES or HR staff
• May wish to consider using a staffing firm to manage payroll and HR
• May prefer “off the shelf” solutions
• As front-line supervisors will be first point of communication, should invest in training them about what is and is not appropriate

• Incentives (employment, educational attainment, retention, etc.) require little staffing or overhead
• May tend to have fewer institutionalized policies and handle more on a ‘case by case’ basis
• When institutionalizing policies, may prefer to replicate and tweak policies of similar SEs

• Implement MOUs and information sharing waivers to support partnerships with other agencies
• Use group methods for delivery of in-house services

• As ES staffing is insufficient for  seeking out SE employees, pay employees to attend workshops or staff meetings inclusive of employee supports

• Ensure that all support staff who interact with employee(s) are aware of full program design, each others’ roles and responsibilities and are regularly case conferencing

• If support service providers are utilizing agency-wide databases intended for client services, need to ensure that operational supervisors do not have access

Accessibility of Partners

Potential Implications for Structure

Potential Implications for Policies

• Bring partners on-site regularly or utilize video/ internet conferencing to facilitate connections
• Expand range of services offered on-site or in-house
• Do one-on-one ES sessions with employees

• Schedule on-site ES appointments before and after shifts, or allow time off for travel to other providers
• Consider matching employees’ savings as a way to help them accumulate resources to purchase or maintain a car
• Explore options for a vanpool between residential areas and jobs
• Ensure a resource room (ideally including computers) is available for employees to use while waiting for their rides

• Schedule shifts and ES appointments around public transportation schedules
• Use transit vouchers and gas cards as incentives for employees/alumni

• Prioritize for hire into ES staff roles applicants who demonstrate knowledge of and have pre-existing relationships with partners

• Use transit vouchers as incentives for employees/ alumni

Level of ES Experience

Potential Implications for Structure

Potential Implications for Policies

• SE hiring should be delayed until after initial plans have been developed and related policies and infrastructure put in place
• Consider partnerships for provision of service and research off-the-shelf products, curricula, and materials for services provided in-house
• Invest in and prioritize hiring of an experienced staff member able to do program design, engage partners, develop systems and deliver services.
• Align services around a few, easy-to-track metrics

• Communicate to employees the need to continuously improve policies and update them (verbally and in writing) with any changes
• Consider using handbook and policies of other SEs as a starting point and then customize

• Identify and plan around any differences in needs and services between SE employees and clients
• Opportunity for faster start up given existing services, though necessary to identify and plan around any differences between SE employees and clients
• Consider pros and cons of integration with client services. Regardless of decision, develop mechanisms for communication between relevant staff and for sharing of promising practices
• Staff coordination function

Example ES Orientation

Potential Implications for Structure

Potential Implications for Policies

• Likely to require more staff and  budget for delivery and monitoring of participation and progress

• Fixed program design and employment policies
• Unless paying for employee time, need to ensure strict separation of employer and program roles

• Fewer ES staff needed relative to prescriptive orientation
• Unlikely to have job developers

• Likely not paying for SE employees’ time spent on ES activities
• If agency desires SE employment to be transitional, may need to set time limits
• May be inclined toward use of incentives

• Key outcomes focused on health and well-being

• Client well-being may be prioritized over financial return

• ES likely to be well integrated with client services
• Services precede and extend beyond SE employment

• Likely to continue offering services even if SE employment is terminated
• Extended follow-up and retention period
• Likely to assist with barrier removal

• Staff likely to have depth of knowledge and relationships in industry sector
• Focused job placement

• Policies and standards may replicate those of industry

• Likely incorporate credential prep into pre-employment training or SE employment
• Likely have charter school or post-secondary partners

• Work schedules may facilitate school participation
• May pay for fees associated with credential attainment or other educational expenses

• Less inclined to direct resources toward ES services
• Risk adverse
• Likely limit retention services following external placement

• Business needs and financial returns prioritized over employee interests
• More apt to terminate employees relatively quickly

Example Structures

Potential Implications for Structure

Potential Implications for Policies

• SE may be less eligible for philanthropic resources or some public sources of support for ES. As result, may wish to use nonprofit partner for provision of ES services

• Potential eligibility for welfare-to-work and Enterprise Zone tax credits may influence policies

• Investment in staff or contractor support to seek out philanthropic and public funding for ES services
• Infrastructure and staffing needed to document and report grant outcomes

• SE and ES staff report up ladder to same individual
• May have existing client services systems (e.g., databases, etc.) and policies in place that SE can utilize

• Need clear policies regarding information sharing and data access among staff with different roles to ensure employee privacy

• Depending on size, may need to tap partners or vendors for back office needs, including potential use of staffing agency

• SE and ES staff report up ladder to same individual

• Need clear policies regarding information sharing and data access among staff with different roles