Business and Government Working Together for a Stronger New York State 4th Quarter December 2012 Committee Board members Angella Luyk Midnight Janitorial Inc. Chairperson Sharon Heininger Heininger Inc. Vice Chair Kevin Kreitzberg Midnight Janitorial Inc. Treasurer Brendalyn Bynoe NYS Department of Labor Secretary Members At Large: Timothy Cosgriff Empire State College AnnMarie Depoian Primerica Annette DiPalma ER Associates Lee Drake OS-Cubed Inc. Paulina Gallelli ER Associates Kristy Ioele Rochester Works Mary Koroniwsky First Niagara Risk Management Laura Maas New York State Office of ACCES Ann Maynard Maynard HR Consulting Message from the President October was National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy had announced this year's NDEAM theme - "A Strong Workforce is an Inclusive Workforce: What Can YOU Do?" The theme highlights the benefits of a diverse workforce that includes workers with disabilities. Based on the 2010 census, 54 million Americans report having a disability, this is equal to almost 20% of our population. Of this population 1 in 10 are of the working age of 21-64. These individuals with disabilities represent the largest and fastest growing minority. I myself belong to this minority. To look at me and to know me, you would never think this. A few years ago I was diagnosed with an illness that changed my life. The short answer is that I can no longer work the way I used too. I feel there are a few myths about people with disabilities. The first one is that you can look at a person and tell they are disabled. False, to look at me and see me in action, you would assume everything is great. Disabilities are more than just a physically outward symptom. Most people don’t discuss their symptoms. The second myth is that people with disabilities don’t want to or can’t work. Wrong, 25% of working age people with disabilities are employed, with the other 75% wanting to work. I know that I have no intention of giving up my two businesses. I just have to live within certain boundaries, and life is good. Currently about 20% of my staff has some type of disability. They are hardworking individuals who just want a chance to be productive members of society. Another myth is that people with disabilities want to be treated differently. No we don’t, I don’t want any special treatment. When I hire a person with a disability they may have to do the job slightly different than others, but it still gets done. I may have to take a few more breaks than others, but I will work as hard as I can to get the task finished. I tend to think I work smarter not harder. Every October, Rochester Area Employment Network, Inc. provides an annual recognition event, designated Disabilities Awareness Month, recognizing the area employers, rehabilitation workers and individuals working to advance the promotion of employment of individuals with disabilities. Monroe County was a proud sponsor of this event. It is all of our hopes that employers will continue to recognize that people with disabilities are hardworking individuals who just want a chance to prove that they can do the job. I know I do. Angella Luyk Monroe JSEC Chair -1The Monroe County JSEC Newsletter is a quarterly online publication Upcoming 2013 Seminars Business Continuity and the Employer – Employee Relationship When: Wednesday January 23, 2013 Wednesday, January 23, 2013 Business Continuity and the Employer-Employee Relationship Susan Kastan, President, Kastan Consulting Tuesday, March 12, 2013 Succession Planning Liz Pieters, VP of Career Development and Transition, ER Associates, Inc. Tuesday, May 7, 2013 Workers’ Compensation Ed Nicosia, Partner, Buckner & Kourofsky, LLP Registration and refreshments from 7:30-8:00 am Presentation from 8:00-10:00 am Where: Empire State College 1475 North Winton Rd. Rochester, Entrance in back. Parking in back and along the street. Cost: Registration Fee: $25. Deadline: 01/18/2013 How to Register: by email to Kevin Kreitzberg at kevin@midnightjanitorial.com or by phone at (585) 314-1590. HRCI Recertification Credit Hours: 2.0. About the Program: Business continuity is traditionally represented as something a company does to enable business to continue when a disruption occurs. Employees, arguably one of the most valuable assets in a company, are sometimes overlooked even though they play a critical role in business continuity plan development, plan execution, and, ultimately, business recovery. Attend this presentation and learn: Steps your company can take today to protect your business tomorrow. Proactive measures your company can take to improve disruption-related employee matters. Things your employees can do to improve their preparedness and resilience. About the Speaker: Susan Kastan is the President of Kastan Consulting, a firm providing Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, and Information Security consulting to small and medium-sized organizations. Her experience in the area of business continuity and disaster recovery allows organizations to understand their areas of risk, determine the impact of a disruption on their critical processes, and develop plans that allow faster and more thorough recovery. She provides training to all levels of employees allowing them to understand their roles and responsibilities during a disruption and leads tests that allow participants to practice their skills in a non-threatening situation. Ms. Kastan is currently the Director of Information for the Eastern Great Lakes chapter of the Association of Contingency Planners. She holds her business continuity certification from DRI International's Commission. Susan has presented awareness sessions at the Rochester Security Summit and the Rochester Professional Consultants Network. Her published articles on planning and preparation have appeared in the Democrat and Chronicle Women at Work column. Spotlight on JSEC Board Member: Kevin Kreitzberg JSEC would like to introduce our new Treasurer Kevin Kreitzberg. Officially Kevin is Vice President of Operations for Midnight Janitorial Inc. Unofficially he is vice president of making Angella’s (CEO of Midnight Janitorial) life easier. With Kevin’s background JSEC gets the best of two worlds. In his past life Kevin worked for Crossman’s as a facility manager and head of health and safety. After that he owned Sassy Sauce and Spice Company, where he was a true entrepreneur, selling spicy nuts to specialty stores and at different venues around Rochester. He knows what it is like to be an employee and an employer. -2The Monroe County JSEC Newsletter is a quarterly online publication Check out JSEC’s website for the Calendar of Upcoming Seminars for 2013 at www.monroejsec.org. At Midnight Janitorial Inc., Kevin wears many hats to help keep the company not only running smoothly but growing. He can be seen doing many different jobs in any given day, from hiring and training to delivering supplies and hunting down the best price on supplies for our clients. “A forty hour work week is not in Kevin’s nature. He will work until the task is done. He is a huge part of the reason Midnight Janitorial Inc. is the success that we are” says CEO Angella Luyk. In Kevin’s spare time he enjoys giving back to his community. For the past 7 years he has volunteered for the Joshua Revolution where he works with young adults. Most recently Kevin has discovered his love of teaching and has begun to teach the next generation of entrepreneurs through a program called Junior Achievement. Kevin has added a new job title to his ever growing resume, that of published author. He can be found in the business book, “Wisdom in a Traffic Jam” where he shares all his wisdom on sales. Succession Planning Presenter, Liz Pieters JSEC is pleased to present ‘Succession Planning’ with Liz Pieters of ER Associates, Inc. on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at Empire State College, 7:30 am – 10:00 am. Maintaining a smooth transition from one administration to another within business is key to successful continuity. Putting a Succession plan in place proactively is so important to make all this happen in the proper sequence with the best resources. Liz will guide us with needed skills to identify company need with the goal of developing this much needed plan. HRCI Recertification Credit Hours: 2.0. . EARN a Competitive Advantage HELP WANTED: Seeking qualified, dedicated problem solvers with a demonstrated ability to adapt to different situations and circumstances. Regardless of job description or line of work, this ad likely describes what you look for in new hires. And perhaps more than any other population, people with disabilities meet the criteria. By nature, they’re accustomed to thinking divergently about how to tackle challenges and get the job done. Yet, while research shows that people with disabilities make excellent employees, many employers, especially small businesses, do not know how to effectively recruit, retain and advance them. That’s where the Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN) comes in. EARN helps businesses of all sizes employ qualified individuals with disabilities through tollfree technical assistance and individualized consultation, including linkages to state and local community-based organizations that serve job seekers with disabilities. It also provides customized trainings, webinars and events, and regular updates on disability-related laws and regulations. For those seeking information online, the recently revamped EARN website offers a range of information and resources, such as a guided search tool that offers the option to obtain a customized set of resources based on topic of interest and type of organization as well as real-life examples of inclusive companies that are benefitting from the sought-after skills and talents many people with disabilities have to offer. EARN is a free service of the National Employer Technical Assistance Center funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. It can be contacted at 1-855-AskEARN (1-855-275-3276) (Voice/TTY) or www.AskEARN.org. All inquires to EARN are confidential; no contact information is shared with any outside entity. -3The Monroe County JSEC Newsletter is a quarterly online publication Fighting Age Discrimination It was 45 years ago this month (Dec. 16, 1967, to be exact) that President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Legislative efforts to include age as a factor by which employers could not discriminate began with the Employment Opportunity Act of 1962 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The lack of data on age discrimination in the workplace prompted Secretary of Labor Willard Wirtz to commission the report "The Older American Worker: Age Discrimination in Employment." Soon after its publication, Johnson signed the bill. The Monroe County JSEC (Job Service Employer Committee) Improved WEB SITE www.monroejsec.org Briefing Benefits Buffs The health care and retirement landscape may be changing, but one thing is clear: employer-sponsored benefits will always be of critical importance to millions of workers and families. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employee Benefits Security Phyllis C. Borzi made that point during an update for employee benefits professionals on developments related to the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act and retirement law. They include work being done on health care exchanges that will allow more workers and families to purchase affordable insurance in the coming years, and regulations that are helping workers and businesses understand what it costs to invest in a 401(k). Borzi spoke at the Employee Benefits Research Institute's Policy Forum at the Kaiser Family Foundation last week. NYS Department of Labor 276 Waring Rd Rochester, NY 14609 585-258-8858 www.nyjsec.org Helpful Websites for Employers New York State Government Sites NYS Department of Labor - www.labor.state.ny.us Employee Training Grants & Programs plus Federal Stimulus formation – www.labor.state.ny.us/workforcenypartners Worker Protection - www.labor.state.ny.us/workerprotection/wp_index.shtm Poster Requirements – www.labor.state.ny.us/workerprotection/laborstandards/employer/posters.shtm NYS Workers’ Compensation Board – www.wcb.state.ny.us NYS Department of Insurance – www.ins.state.ny.us Federal Government Sites US Department of Labor – www.dol.gov Family & Medical Leave Act – www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla US Department of Health & Human Services – www.hhs.gov HIPAA – www.hhs.gov/policies/index.html US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics – www.bls.gov Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) OSHA – www.osha.gov -4The Monroe County JSEC Newsletter is a quarterly online publication