Recruitment, Retention and Raises Stacey Cummings May 19, 2010

Recruitment, Retention and Raises

Stacey Cummings

May 19, 2010

TACE Center: Region IV, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute.Funded by RSA Grant # H264A080021. © 2009 All Rights Reserved

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The Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

• Provides vocational rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities to assist with gaining employment and independence.

• VR Counselors are specialists with at least a Master’s degree and eligibility for State licensure (new, was national certification prior to January 1, 2010).


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Where did it start?

• The problems began with the creation of the Department of Workforce Services in 1997, the year before the passage of the WIA.

• Consolidation of six separate agencies into a single department.

• 1,200 generic employment counselors were benchmarked against 116 VR counselors.

• Generic employment counselors only needed a GED vs VR Masters degree.


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The Problem: Counselor Turnover

0

5

10

15

20

25

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Total Counsel Turnover

To

tal

Tu

rno

ver

Year


5

Voluntary Terminations

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Voluntary Counsel Resignations

Vo

lun

tary

Res

ign

atio

ns

Year


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Why?

• Pay• Competition with private sector employers• Burnout• High caseloads• Paperwork burden• Organizational culture issues?


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Turnover Cost Analysis

Rehabilitation Counselors• Separation costs= $19,232• Replacement costs= $10,955• Training costs= $152,497• TOTAL COST PER COUNSELOR = $182,684

FY 2007 USOR lost 16 counselors = $2,922,944

*Asked again for market study/comparison, was unsuccessful

*Asked ourselves what can we do?


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Incentive Program Criteria

• All closed cases must pass review.

• Payment of $75 per case for counselors beginning with 31st successful closure. For supervising counselors, for 23rd successful closure. Payment of $150 per case for which social security reimbursement is received.

• Limit of $3,999 per counselor per year.


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Incentive Program Goals• Improve Rehabilitation Counselor Retention,

Decrease Turnover

• Increase Rehabilitation Counselor Compensation

• Increase the quantity of Successful closures, Productivity

• It was originally presented as a Trial Program


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Since Implementation (3 years in)

• Voluntary resignations have increased from an average of 15 per year to 21 per year

• Voluntary resignations have not declined with the existence of the incentive program


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Compensation

• An average of 25 counselors received the incentive in a given year ($894 before taxes)

• On average 91 counselors received no incentive

• The average increase in compensation across the board is $180 before taxes per counselor for the 3 year period


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Compensation

• 2005- 13 payouts, $1140 per

• 2006- 32 payouts, $698 per

• 2007- 30 payouts, $845 per

• 2005- 103 counselors DNP




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Compensation

• 5 counselors received the incentive every year: 2005 - $4775 (32% of total) 2006 - $5400 (24% of total) 2007 - $8850 (35% of total)

In 2007, 25 counselors shared the other 65% of the incentive dollars (83% of those eligible).


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Productivity

2600

2700

2800

2900

3000

3100

3200

3300

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Total 26 Closures

Year


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Increased Productivity

23.5

24

24.5

25

25.5

26

26.5

27

27.5

28

28.5

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Average 26’s per Counselor

Year


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Productivity Data Interpretation

Incentive program could not be shown to have had a significant impact on 26 closure numbers in a statistically significant way due to other contributing variables.


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Costs

• Average payout $20,841per year

• Average estimated administration costs $39,062 per year

• Average total cost $59,904

• For 3 year period estimated $179,711 spent to pay out $62,525 in incentives


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So what now?Decisions made were based upon review of the

following:

• Our Mission, Vision and Values

• USOR funding ratio of case services to administrative costs

• USOR Leadership Development

• USOR Horizons activity and findings

• Recruitment and Retention Policy


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USOR HORIZONS

• Research, analyze and make recommendations for implementation that will result in the betterment of the division, its functioning and effectiveness, and

• Provide opportunity for staff members to participate in skill development and professional growth experiences outside their day to day job responsibilities.


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After Studying Situation:Some Program and Professional

Enhancements were felt to be needed in the areas of:

• Supervision• Career Pathways, and• Recruitment & Retention


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Findings of Horizons Task Force: Supervision• A broad and varied range of responses regarding

critical characteristics of supervision, from glowing to critical.

• Generally, staff see their supervisors in a positive light.

• That there are areas of improvement needed of a systemic nature:

The degree of time supervisors have/give The approachability of supervisors General knowledge of supervising staff


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Supervisory Enhancements:Reduce Supervising Counselor to caseloads

supervised ratio.• Current ratio- 1:4.5 S.C. to Counselor• Target ratio- 1:3 S.C. to Counselor• Targeting 6 counselor positions, upgrading to supervising

counselor toward meeting this goal.

• Reduce Supervising Counselor caseload size for at least 51% time available for supervision.

• Establishing caseload size range of 80-95 clients


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Supervisory Enhancements (cont.)

Establishment of a Supervisory Academy• Partially initiated through the Leadership Development

activity of the division.• Also pilot program through USU specifically for VR

supervisors.• Designed to improve level and consistency of supervision

across the division, and to provide development and continuous improvement forum for all supervisors.


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Professional Enhancement Plan

• Rehabilitation Counselors and all those benchmarked to this position. . . To replace the Recruitment & Retention Incentive

Plan. To provide more equitable across the board impact

to the compensation for your profession. To “stop the bleeding” in our primary position. . .

• Effective July 1, 2008, a five-step ASI for staff benchmarked to the Counselor position was implemented. This was in addition to the 5% COLA provided by the legislature.

• Combined, this resulted in an 18.75% salary increase.


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Professional Enhancement Plan• For the most part, staff not benchmarked to the

Rehabilitation Counselor position . . . To provide compensation for the professionalism of

your position. In recognition of the support given to the driving

force position of USOR . . .• Effective July 1, 2008, a one-step ASI for staff not

benchmarked to the R.C. position. This was in addition to the 5% COLA provided by the legislature.

• Combined, this resulted in an 7.75% salary increase.


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How did we do it?

• Located a sympathetic legislator

• Gave information on incredible turnover, constant complaints (multiple sources), lack of customer service plus remaining staff suffering, explained unresponsiveness of Human Resources

• Got her to sponsor a bill


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Approved for Filing: D.S Larsen 6 6 01-24-07 3:19 PM 6STATE OFFICE OF EDUCATION HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

AMENDMENTS2007 GENERAL SESSION STATE OF UTAHChief Sponsor: Ronda Rudd Menlove Senate Sponsor: Peter C. KnudsonGeneral Description:This bill modifies the Utah State Personnel Management Act to require the State Board of

Education to adopt human resource policies and procedures for its employees and exempt them from overtime, career service, and classified service provisions under the Department of Human Resource Management.

Highlighted Provisions:This bill: requires the State Board of Education to adopt human resource policies and

procedures governing its employees; exempts all employees instead of only certified employees of the State Board of Education from overtime provisions under the Department of Human Resource Management; exempts all employees instead of only certified employees of the State Board of Education from classified service provisions under the Department of Human Resource Management;exempts employees of the State Board of Education from career service provisionsunder the Department of Human Resource Management; and makes technical changes. Monies Appropriated in this Bill: 184 01-24-07 3:19 PM None

Other Special Clauses: This bill takes effect on July 1, 2007.

Legislative General Counsel


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Effects to Date• Productivity – 26 closures up 5% in the first year.

• Volunteer terminations reduced to almost zero.

• We have gone from -11% in market comparability salary to +2%.

• Applicants for open positions have increased by 600%+.


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Effects to Date (cont.)

• No counselors lost for more pay• Getting applications from other states, some who

left want to come back• People more likely to want supervisor duties

instead of competing just to make more money• Downside? Wanted retention, got retention……


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What else are we doing?

• New state licensure Increase case for better pay Separate what we do from what everyone else does

• Kept one type of incentive Based on closures per quarter ( was 7 closures, 6

hours of Admin leave, increased to 8 closures for 8 hours leave)

Works better becauseo Seen as obtainable for allo More immediate rewardo Equitable distribution


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What else are we doing? (cont.)

• Still some rewards including items of recognition (shirts, etc)

• Quarterly recognitions including plaques


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QUESTIONS?

Stacey Cummings

(801) 538 7781

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


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THANK YOU!


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TACE Center: Region IV Toll-free: (866) 518-7750 [voice/tty]

Fax: (404) 541-9002

Web: TACEsoutheast.org

My TACE Portal: TACEsoutheast.org/myportal

Email: [email protected]


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Education CreditsCRCC Credit - (2.0)Approved by Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification

(CRCC) • By Tuesday, May 25, 2010, participants must score 80% or better

on a online Post Test and submit an online CRCC Request Form via the MyTACE Portal.

CEU Credit - (0.2)Approved by the University College at Syracuse University• Site Coordinators must distribute the CEU form to participants

seeking CEU credit on the day of the webinar. • Site coordinators must submit CEU form to the TACE Center:

Region IV by fax (404) 541-9002 by Tuesday, April 6, 2010.

My TACE Portal: TACEsoutheast.org/myportal

**For CRCC credit, you must reside in the 8 U.S. Southeast states served by the TACE Region IV [AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN]. If beyond TACE Region IV, you may apply for CEU credit.


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Copyright Information

This work is the property of the TACE Center: Region IV. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the authors. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the authors.


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Disclaimer

This presentation was developed by the TACE Center: Region IV ©2010 with funds from the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) under the priority of Technical Assistance and Continuing Education Projects (TACE) – Grant #H264A080021. However, the contents of this presentation do not necessarily represent the policy of the RSA and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government [34 CFR 75.620 (b)].

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Recruitment, Retention and Raises Stacey Cummings May 19, 2010