Wisconsin Businesses Ready to Hire: Expanding the Disability Talent Pipeline
Sep 01, 2021Season 2Episode 3
Lisa Pugh and Derek Smith
Are you IN? Disability:IN Wisconsin is empowering leading companies statewide to achieve disability inclusion and equality. As the state's largest employers are looking for new talent, they are also learning how to foster a culture that welcomes workers with disabilities.
Disability:IN Wisconsin is a member organization where employers set the table, share tools and mentor and learn from each other. These companies are some of the hottest leads for your next job! They are committed to developing a workplace that not only accommodates, but values all contributions.
In today's episode we talk with Derek Smith - senior vice president at Old National Bank and and the current Board Chair for Disability:IN Wisconsin. Derek says there is no time like today to get your application IN!
For more information: https://disabilityinwisconsin.org/
Become a member: https://disabilityinwisconsin.org/join-us/
Are you IN? Disability:IN Wisconsin is empowering leading companies statewide to achieve disability inclusion and equality. As the state's largest employers are looking for new talent, they are also learning how to foster a culture that welcomes workers with disabilities.
Disability:IN Wisconsin is a member organization where employers set the table, share tools and mentor and learn from each other. These companies are some of the hottest leads for your next job! They are committed to developing a workplace that not only accommodates, but values all contributions.
In today's episode we talk with Derek Smith - senior vice president at Old National Bank and and the current Board Chair for Disability:IN Wisconsin. Derek says there is no time like today to get your application IN!
For more information: https://disabilityinwisconsin.org/
Become a member: https://disabilityinwisconsin.org/join-us/
Welcome to the arc experience, featuring the stories of self advocates with disabilities and their families from around Wisconsin. Be inspired. Take action. And now for today's episode,
Speaker 2:
Hello and welcome to the arc experience podcast. I am your host Lisa pew with the arc Wisconsin. And we have a really special episode today. We're talking with Derek Smith. He's a commercial bank, executive senior vice president at old national bank. And he serves as the current board chair for an organization called disability in Wisconsin. Disability in Wisconsin is the state's only business to business association, promoting disability inclusion in the workplace marketplace and supply chain. We're going to learn a lot more about disability in Wisconsin today. Um, in fact, disability in Wisconsin was recently recognized nationally as the organization's affiliate of the year for demonstrating exemplary efforts in promoting the organization's mission to help member businesses benefit from the valuable resources that people with disabilities bring to the workplace. Can't wait to hear more.
Speaker 3:
Well, thank you very much, Lisa, really excited to have this opportunity.
Speaker 2:
I'm I'm just really interested in learning more about disability in Wisconsin as an organization. I don't think many of our listeners are familiar. Can you kind of give us the one-on-one on what disability in Wisconsin?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, absolutely. So disability and Wisconsin is part of disability and national there's 23 affiliates across the country. Uh, we formed a disability and Wisconsin in 2019 was our first year. We are a business led organization. That's ultimately looking to create an ecosystem around employing individuals disabilities. So what we do is we look to, uh, with our member companies to help change cultures, more conducive, to an environment of employment, individual disabilities. This is done through, uh, providing best practices, shared resources and education to help create demand. And once we create that demand, we look to align our membership with the talent and resources to execute a successful hire. And really we're trying to create accessibility for all and encourage and empower individual disabilities to pursue their dreams.
Speaker 2:
So Derek, when a corporation, a business comes to the disability in Wisconsin table, what sort of problem are they typically trying to solve and how do you get them engaged in activity that has value for them? Yeah,
Speaker 3:
It's different for every organization success. Uh, so what we try to do is understand what does success look like to them? What are they looking to accomplish? And we may align them with another member who's been done that farther along in the journey or a member that's at a similar stage. Uh, one thing we've done that we're very excited about is we've kind of created an active feedback loop amongst our membership, where we have monthly meetings based on a surface, a certain topic that shifts permeate, where we have leadership, um, from talent acquisition, HR and their employee resource group to share best practices, stories of what worked, what has it. And there's, there's a lot of inherent value there. So it's really, and we're creating structure and a database around what that looks like as we, as we streamline the onboarding of new members and try to tie back our content and our resources to there, to what success looks like for them.
Speaker 2:
That makes a lot of sense and probably can move a member business forward that much more quickly when they, when, like you say, they're being mentored by someone who's already tackled that particular issue, I'm assuming would an example of that be somebody who's struggled with onboarding or somebody who's struggled with, um, uh, uh, like applications or things like that, like kind of the practical day to day of this issue,
Speaker 3:
I'd say the consistent theme is there's just not enough talent out there. Organizations are having a hard time finding the right people, which is why we're focused on cultivating those talent pipelines through collaborations with, uh, tech schools, um, universities, community partnerships, to, to bolster that talent base. And then the other piece is educated hiring managers and onsite mentorship, um, and in onboarding. So main theme is not enough talent and then finding the right talent and, uh, educating the hiring managers and putting that, that talent in the best position to be successful as they transition into the organization. And it really depends on the nature of the company, the talent they need. Um, but, uh, everybody is ready to make the hires. They're just getting enough, not enough candidates. So I think that's just more incentive for, for listeners to, to get out there, um, check out the disability and membership, uh, go onto their website, look at openings and, and put yourself out there.
Speaker 2:
And it's kind of exciting as, as a disability advocate, as the family member, to somebody with a disability, that there is kind of that level of engagement in private industry around employing more people with disabilities. How do you, how do you look at that?
Speaker 3:
The culture has definitely shifted, uh, you know, American families and other organization. That's hosting our ability summit in 2021. And I've been, had the pleasure of being involved and looking to enhance the lives of disability since about 2009. And you can see the cultural shift of, you know, it's just the lack of talent as employers to think differently about, uh, the pools they pursue. So, you know, now is the time, um, for people with disabilities to think about entering the workplace that they haven't already.
Speaker 2:
So, I mean, thinking about the, you know, about old national bank and some of the other members who are supporting the work of disability in Wisconsin, what are, what are what's their motivation? Like? What are some of their reasons for being interested in kind of sitting at the table and learning how to do this better?
Speaker 3:
Well, I think the main driver, it's just the lack of talent in the market. You know, as I said, it's forcing organizations to really think differently. I think organizations are also understanding that, you know, the cost of accommodations is more than outweighed by the return of getting a quality employee. Um, also federal contractors, there's a, they're regulated to have a population of at least 7% of individuals with disabilities. And also seeing a shift over the last two to three years with some of the unfortunate social unrest and challenges that organizations are embracing more diversity across all segments and are becoming more creative in realigning their practices while still maintaining the same level of productivity and profitability. And then at the end of the day, it's just the, it makes good business sense. It's the right thing to do. And people ultimately want to work for do business with, uh, people that have a workforce inclusive of those with disabilities.
Speaker 2:
Oh, absolutely. I will. You know, you mentioned some of the current events over the last couple of years and of course the pandemic over the last year has, you know, definitely impacted all parts of our society. Of course, including employers, do you, what, how do you see the pandemic itself kind of changing the landscape for those employers and, and opportunities for workers with disabilities?
Speaker 3:
Well, employers are very, uh, very adaptable and we've, we've looked to shift our content, um, to focus on accessibility, accommodations, mental wellness. So employers are focusing a lot more on, on what they can do to support their employee base because your retention is, is a big part of it. Given the lack of talent, it's, it's onboarding it's orientation, but making sure you're, you're creating a community of involvement for, for the employees. You have
Speaker 2:
Sure. This is all really exciting stuff to S to hear about these changes and the re the buy-in from Wisconsin employers. We're going to talk more about that and about disability in Wisconsin's recent award. When we come back after a word from our sponsors,
Speaker 1:
This podcast episode has been brought to you by old bank. Old national bank has been recognized by the national organization on disability as a leading disability employer, and one of the best places to work for disability, inclusion, old national fostering, a welcoming workplace where people of all abilities, backgrounds, and skills can work together to accomplish great things.
Speaker 2:
Okay, welcome back. We are talking with Derek Smith from old national bank and disability in Wisconsin, Derek, uh, you know, you were sharing about all of the great work of disability in Wisconsin and how it's been growing more and more interest from Wisconsin employers. And I I'm guessing that's one of the reasons why disability in Wisconsin was recently recognized at, uh, nationally as affiliate of the year. Can you talk about what that recognition was and is,
Speaker 3:
Yeah. It's so there's, there's 23 affiliates across the country, and we were recognized as affiliate of the, and just extremely proud of that recognition. We worked hard realized there's a lot more work to be done. Um, you know, so to, to, to achieve that, it really starts with the involvement investment of our member organizations. I think our members care they're engaged in really doing this for the right reasons and focused on outcomes. Uh, so we have teams of committee members that, uh, that ultimately execute the board's strategic vision. And I think what makes us different too, is we quantify what success look like. We measure that success and we hold each other accountable and our committees execute that strategic vision. And that includes our, our programming, our communications, our supplier diversity membership engagement, um, next gen. And then, uh, it really helps. And I think at the core of everything is we've got an exceptional executive director and Judy Quigley that really guides the implementation and growth of the organization.
Speaker 2:
Sure. So I'm guessing that you see a really bright future for disability in Wisconsin and, you know, kind of more employers to hearing about it and wanting to get engaged. What is the, what do you see in the next five years?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, we're extremely excited about the future and really it's about getting people hired, getting people with disabilities in the workforce. So, uh, moving forward, we're going to continue and increase our presence and networks throughout the state. And the focus is going to be on expanding operations with an emphasis on building out the tail pipeline through our next gen program and helping employers build partnerships, identify workplace barriers, evaluate job descriptions, review recruiting, and hiring practices, developing successful orientation and retention programs. Um, that's, that's going to be the focus going into 2022 and beyond,
Speaker 2:
You know, we talked about how this is an environment of opportunity for people with disabilities who want to work. Um, maybe people who've been interested, but they were, you know, had a discouraging experience with an employer before, or didn't know how to get the accommodations they needed. What's your best advice to a worker with a disability or maybe a family member who would like to support their loved one with a disability to kind of enter the employment arena? Yeah,
Speaker 3:
I think at the core of everything and in what we're trying to do is to get employers to focus on skills and abilities of candidate and align those with the job description. So I would think about you, who are those employers that have been braced, um, disability inclusion, and you can look at the members of disability and Wisconsin, additionally, that disability and national there's a CEO pledge. I believe it's 60 plus companies, large organizations that embrace disability inclusion. And I would look to those companies, um, as a starting point.
Speaker 2:
So start there and say, these are companies in Wisconsin or elsewhere who are really committed to, um, hiring people like me. And, um, so I guess that that's kind of like your warm lead, right? Absolutely.
Speaker 3:
And there's, um, a lot of resources and you can connect directly with our executive director too. And, um, there's a lot of community, um, community organizations that cultivate talent that have strategic partnerships with our employers. And that's a lot of what we're trying to cultivate to drive more outcomes is understand the skills needed by our member companies and align them with the right community partnership to foster those successes
Speaker 2:
[inaudible] sounds like more and more good things to come. So we have to keep our eye on disability in Wisconsin,
Speaker 3:
Always looking for individuals to get involved on our committees, my volunteer perspective. We can help align talent with the right organization. Um, we can get them in our network from a pipeline perspective. So there's a lot of different things that, that we can do to help, um, some of your listeners out.
Speaker 2:
Okay, well, I'll make sure I have all of those links in the show notes for people to get connected and learn more figure out where they can fit in. Um, hopefully we have some businesses listening as well. Maybe we'll get some more members for disability in Wisconsin. So do you have any final thoughts on this topic, Derek? Yeah.
Speaker 3:
Yeah. And I overlooked mentioned this early. I really want to highlight our charter membership briefly. Uh, you know, these are organizations that are of the highest level of commitment. Uh, it's associated bank Wrangham consultants for medical college of Wisconsin. Uh, our newest charter member Fiserv, Inc American family insurance, who's hosting our 2021 ability summit, old national bank, Kalahari resorts and conventions CUNA mutual group, university of Wisconsin, whitewater and advocate Aurora health.
Speaker 2:
What's really good to make note. Those are, those are some of our most committed employers in Wisconsin. I'm guessing is what you're saying.
Speaker 3:
Yeah. And Wisconsin is a great state and region for disability inclusion. Um, there are a lot of quality organizations at the table that are looking to diversify their talent base.
Speaker 2:
That is so good to know. Thanks for that final word. Thanks for joining us today, Derek. It's really great to get caught up on this work and to figure out how we can help it to expand even more.
Speaker 3:
No, you're welcome. We greatly appreciate the opportunity. All
Speaker 2:
Right. Well, thanks to our listeners for checking in to the RV experience podcast today, make sure to like share and subscribe and we'll talk to you in our next episode.
Speaker 1:
Today's episode of the art experience was brought to you by the arc Wisconsin, the state's oldest advocacy organization for people with intellectual developmental disabilities and their families it's funded in part by the Wisconsin board for people with developmental disabilities or theme music called species is the property of[inaudible] and cannot be copied or distributed without permission. It was produced by Eleanor Cheetham, composer and artist with autism.
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