copyright 2008 Cheryl K. Hosken, BSN, MS Psych.
During the early part of employment, it is helpful for the rehabiltiation counselor to help ease the new employee into his new job. The type of new employees that may need help are younger people who have little job experience, other workers who start work in a new job they have not done before, and those who may be subject to anxiety and fear.
Meditate Word By Word On These Verses:
Ps. 128:1-2.
Before the person actually goes to work, the counselor can help the person by teaching him ways to communicate better and use the skills he already has. The counselor can visit the place of work with the client and become familiar with the factory or work site. The client should have a copy of the personnel policies of the company, the physical layout of the work place, and company rules. Together, the counselor and the client can review these before the client begins work. It is important that the company have an orientation program for new employees.
Sometimes, if a client is close to the counselor, the client may feel abandoned during his first few days of work. Then the counselor needs to listen to his concerns, perhaps meet with him following his working day and then gradually limit contact as the client feels more comfortable at work. Frequently, supervisors in the work place do not want a counselor visiting a client on the job. It is the counselor's responsibility to find out what the company allows.
Considerations for Supervisors of New Employees
Supervisors should try to understand the adjustment the handicapped person is making to do his work. This is not always done. If a client has not fully adjusted to his own physical limitations, he may be unusually concerned about being accepted by co-workers and others, concerned about meeting standards of work and getting raises, uneasy about any modifications that have to be made so that he can do his job. He may also fear that the handicap may keep him from being promoted to other jobs. Basically, a handicapped worker has the same concerns about his job as we all do.
The client's immediate supervisor needs to know the following:
- the nature of the handicap and facts about his injury,
- the ability of the client to perform the assigned job (done by matching the physical requirements of the job to the phycial capacities of the client)
- how to talk to a new employee and put him at ease,
- how others in the work place can make the person with a handicap feel comfortable on the job.
The supervisor is the key person in welcoming and accepting a new employee.
1. How can the сounselor help the client who is going back to work for the first time after injury?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
a) by talking about how difficult it is to work for eight hours,
b) giving him a pat on the back and saying, "Go back to work!"
c) by reviewing the company rules and the personnel policies of the company.
Introducing the Employee
The supervisor provides information to the new employee (the client) about the kind of work done in the work place, especially about the work related to the job that the new person will do. The supervisor needs to explain relationships with other employees. For example, there may be a group leader to whom everyone reports to every day or the new employee needs to know who to report to if a piece of equipment breaks. Regulations concerning payday, hours of work, attendance, rest periods, lunch breaks; also rules about clothing requirements, smoking; services such as the first aid room, toilets, lockers for outdoor clothing, and a cafeteria.
The new employee needs to be introduced to other supervisors and workers. A tour of the department with an explanation of what it does and its relation to the new employee's job is a good practice. The person should be shown his work site - desk or bench, equipment or tools he will work with. A regular worker can also perform a demonstration of the job to the new employee.
Good supervisors would conduct such an orientation to help all new employees feel at ease. As with all other workers, supervisors keep all workers informed of new developments in doing their jobs, new work policies, changes in routine of the department, and give each employee a review of the quality of his work.
Orientation to the Whole Company
The new employee also needs to see the whole company so that he knows what is happening from the start of a process until the finished product is made. A practical reason is to clarify the relation of the new employee's job to the other work in the company and emphasize again the significance of everyone's job to complete a finished product. The main idea of such an orientation is to help the new employee feel as if he belongs to the whole operation and has a part of what it manufactures.
Orientation Class
This class is used for new employees to help them understand the goals and services of the company. Often, such classes are given only in large companies. Some companies have a booklet of information about the company that is given to each employee. This is important for persons who have little work experience. We heard of one worker who quit his job after a few days because he was not fed lunch. Apparently, he was not told where lunch would be served or what the company provided for lunch breaks.
Such classes need to include an explanation of the personnel and medical departments, including safety, training, and social welfare. The new employee learns about safety and what to do in an emergency. Health maintenance may also be part of the classes. It gives information about personal health practices and how to report injury or accident.
2. Orientation to the work place is the responsibility of:
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
a) the rehabilitation counselor,
b) the immediate supervisor,
c) a co-worker of the new employee.
Job Instruction
Usually job instruction is a 4-step process. The steps are:
This is similar to On-the-Job Training (OJT).
- preparing the worker,
- presenting the operation he is to do one step at a time,
- having the worker try out the operation in order to learn by doing, and
- follow up of the worker by a supervisor until he has mastered the job.
Safety Instruction
If the new employee has limitations in function, he needs careful instruction about leaving the work site in the event of an emergency. He needs to know where safety equipment and switches are located to help himself and fellow workers. He also needs to know what his responsibility is for other workers, accident procedures, housekeeping, regulations (regarding fire, smoking, and hazards), and other information (fire escapes, exits from the building, and use of elevators).
Health Maintenance
Sometimes the work place is large enough to have a doctor on staff. Most often, there is a health office that is staffed by a nurse while the workers are present. The health workers are responsible for the work environment and the well being of the workers. Some work places have exercise rooms and equipment to help employees maintain their physical stamina.
When a person with a disability is hired, the health workers need to be aware of the person's limitations and how he is to work. If there are changes in the type or work or the machinery, the health worker must evaluate how that affects the person with disabilities. Periodically, the health worker may ask for a medical examination for the disabled worker to evaluate his health status in relationship to the job that he does.
In some cases, an employee with disabilities is given special considerations such as being able to sit while he does his work or he may come into work earlier and leave earlier to avoid the rush of people coming and going from the job.
Attitudes of Co-Workers
The question is: an employer often questions acceptance of a disabled worker. What usually happens is that regular employees begin to know the disabled employee as an individual with personal strengths and weaknesses like everyone else. If he is different physically, it is often not important.
It is natural that there may be suspicion and hostility at first and the counselor needs to warn the client about this before he begins the job. Usually, over a period time, misinformation and fear are overcome with knowledge and camaraderie on the job. At first, co-workers may expect the client to have lower work output and communicate that to the client. However, the client needs to understand that this is a normal reaction and overcome it by his consistent work on the job.
3. How can a counselor prepare a client for negative attitudes he may face on the job?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
a) by letting him know some may have negative feelings, and to work despite them,
b) by telling him to work hard,
c) by telling his supervisor that someone is annoying him.
Contact After Job Placement
Sometimes there are unexpected job difficulties, which the counselor and the client have not anticipated. If the client loses his job because of a problem, his confidence is lowered and he must begin to find work again. In order to avoid such problems, the counselor can contact the client after he has begun work.
It is most helpful to the client to contact him within the first ten days of his new employment. After ten days or two weeks at the job, he has had the time to adjust to his work routine and co-workers. There is another reason for contacting the client within this period of time. The client may inadvertently be moved to a different job by a supervisor. This different position might be unsuitable for him.
The counselor must make the determination as to how much support the client needs. Oftentimes, the counselor calls the client after the first working day to encourage him and find out his reaction to the job. If the counselor goes into the work place, the supervisor must approve of the visit. It is also important that the counselor talk to the client's supervisor about the client's progress at work. Sometimes a client is negative, when in reality, he is seen as a normal production worker. Usually, I was able to talk with the worker and the supervisor in the work place on the same day.
If there is a probationary period for the employee, this form of on-the-job performance is helpful. The new employee is given evaluation in a factory at 30-, 60- and 90-day intervals. If he meets all the regular qualifications of the job, he then becomes a permanent employee. For governmental jobs, the usual probationary period is 6 months to one year. A person in a professional position is usually classified as a trainee for one year. The counselor can easily follow-up with these clients at the times they are evaluated by their employers. Often a phone call to the employer will be enough to know if the worker is performing his job well. A personal, short visit at home or in the place of work with the client will also be sufficient.
The counselor should try to help the client understand that he is responsible for his own success on the job. The counselor should not be nearby, trying to meet the client's every question. This is the role of the employer and the client's supervisor. The client needs his own autonomy and personal growth on the job.
4. How do you know if a client is having success on a new job?
(Choose the best of the following answers.)
a) by the way he speaks and looks,
b) by a positive report from the supervisor,
c) both of the above answers.
There are some guidelines that a counselor can use when meeting with a client after his return to work to evaluate the client's behavior, reliability, and work production. They are as follows:
- Tardiness: lateness is permitted occasionally, but habitual lateness is reason for releasing a person from work.
- Absenteeism: absence of 12-15 days per year is usually permitted without threatening release from the job.
- Relationships with co-workers: overt rejection or hostility of co-workers may cause a new worker to leave employment.
- Relationships with supervisors: inability to accept criticism or take orders from a supervisor threatens job retention.
- Work production: failure to persist at work, uneven daily output, and average daily output below normal may be cause for dismissal.
- Quality of work: lack of concern for quality work or standards may also cause dismissal.
Employer Contact
The counselor when talking to the employer may also be able to suggest adaptations to assist the client to work better. Maybe placement of work materials or adjustment of the height of a work bench or chair can be of help.
The following questions may be used as guidelines for interviewing the employer about your client's work:
- Is the client acceptable as a worker? Is the quantity and quality of his work within acceptable limits?
- If he is not, are there ways in which to help him improve?
- Are there other jobs in the company where his abilities might be used better?
By using the above principles, your clients should be able to get and retain the job they applied for in the company they wanted.