FAQ: Employment Services

1. Can people with disabilities do a good job? If they could, wouldn’t they be working?

Unfortunately, the unemployment rate for Americans with disabilities is still a staggering 65 percent. However, studies show that approximately 85 percent of these individuals want to work and that a person’s disability is not his or her biggest barrier to employment. Societal attitudes and beliefs are far more devastating. Due to misinformation and stereotyping, there remains a perception that individuals with disabilities cannot meet expectations on the job. That is simply not true. With proper screening, job matching and training, persons with disabilities perform as well as or better than their non-disabled counterparts. This performance holds true for their attendance, punctuality, coworker relations, safety on the job and company loyalty. There are highly successful people with disabilities in virtually every occupation.

2. Will my insurance rates go up if I bring a person with a disability into my company?

If you hire an employee from Good Shepherd Work Services, your Workers Compensation premiums should not increase based on a pre-existing disability or some expectation that a qualified person with a disability will have a higher accident and injury rate.

3. What accommodations will I have to make for an employee with a disability?

Data gathered from employers across the country shows that, if accommodations are needed for you new employee, nearly 50 percent can be provided for a one-time cost of less than $50.  More than 95 percent of accommodations can be done for less than $500.  That is a small price to pay for helping a valued employee do his or her job efficiently. In many instances, government funds are available to help pay for work-site or equipment modifications. (See Question 5.)

4. What does the training provided by Good Shepherd Work Services cost?

In most cases, employees at Good Shepherd Work Services are eligible for special funding through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. Since Good Shepherd is a qualified provider of services, we have access to these funds to provide trained staff to augment a company’s traditional training routine. This benefit can last from an hour to 90 days, depending on the needs of the employee and employer.

5. Are there government incentives for hiring individuals with disabilities?

There are quite a few incentives for hiring individuals with disabilities, including tax credits on wages paid, training dollars, equipment grants and building modification grants. Good Shepherd Work Services can provide more information on these programs.

6. What Are Transitional Employment Services (TES)?

Good Shepherd Work Services’ Transitional Employment Service is an innovative staffing program to help businesses access an expansive pool of motivated and qualified individuals with disabilities. Good Shepherd’s highly trained staff of employment professionals will work with your company to ensure that your job is done right with a minimal amount of time and effort on your part. Since TES workers are employed by Good Shepherd Work Services, we also save you the time and money you would normally spend in advertising, recruiting, testing and payroll administration.  When you hire Good Shepherd Work Services to provide workers under our TES Program, those individuals are covered under our Worker’s Compensation Plan.

7. What Training Is Provided for Transitional Employment Services Workers?

Through its Lead Worker Program, Good Shepherd Work Services benefits companies interested in employing a work crew of up to eight people to perform a specific set of duties.  Each crew has a lead worker, who is employed by Good Shepherd Work Services to supervise our employees, complete administrative tasks and act as liaison between your business and Good Shepherd Work Services.  This model focuses on continuous quality assurance and is being used successfully by companies such as Kraft Foods and Walgreens Distribution Center.

Location:
Good Shepherd Work Services
1901 Lehigh Street
Allentown, PA 18103
Directions

Contact:
Phone: 610-776-8350