With the commitment from the government to end welfare, hoteliers across the country rejoiced. For too many years the employment system has been plagued by the fact that people could make a better living (from welfare) by staying home and being unemployed. No housekeeping department could compete with the government’s program. Now, finally, welfare is coming to an end. Though each state is administering their programs differently, executive housekeepers should be prepared to manage this potential source of new employees. 

How to find the employees 

Every county has an office where welfare recipients can register for assistance. Since the advent of welfare reform, these recipients are now put in touch with various agencies who match clients to available jobs. 

Hotel managers can find these agencies by contacting the county welfare office, checking the Yellow Pages for agency ads, or watching the newspaper for advertisements. In large cities, especially those with low unemployment numbers, the agencies sponsor job fairs and open houses. Frequently held in shopping centers or places with convenient transportation, the fairs provide an opportunity for potential employers and agencies to meet. 

After the hotel has identified agencies that will be good resources, management should invite the agencies to tour the property, observe employees working in different positions, and get acquainted over coffee and snacks. Agencies should also be encouraged to bring clients to tour the hotel. The hotel should then send the agencies a weekly fax of available job positions. 

How agencies work with clients 

Special counselors at the agencies will work very hard with their clients, trying to find the perfect fit between skills and job openings. 

They provide full days of training and orientation for the clients. Counselors will teach clients many things, including how to fill out an application and how to maintain personal good grooming. Counselors will help clients with housing issues, personal matters, and financial management. They may even take clients shoe shopping or teach them to ride the public transportation system. 

Since many of the clients’ families have been living on welfare for many generations, they have no role models for going to work.  Counselors find that clients do not understand why they should spend money for a good alarm clock. 

Equally difficult to explain are the benefits of insurance plans and sick pay. For many potential employees, child care and dependable transportation are major hurdles to overcome. But counselors are committed to helping these clients enter the work force and they don’t give up easily. 

Even after the orientation and training are concluded and a job interview has been scheduled, a counselor still worries that the client will no-show, be tardy, or make a poor first impression.

How the hotel works with clients 

Assuming an employer meets a client that matches a job opening, the uphill battle for the employer begins. Fathers and mothers with children may ask for later start times than the hotel usually permits — or earlier finish times. Families with one car may require more flexibility. And sick babies or lack of week-end day care may cause quite a bit of absenteeism. At the hotel’s discretion, and depending on the client’s background, the hotel may relax the probationary period to accommodate these employees and others who require flexibility of schedule. 

Still, with all the hurdles crossed and all the coaching and counseling completed, the success rate for these employees who are struggling to reenter the work force could be disappointing. Unofficially, a manager of a Minneapolis suburban hotel reported hiring four clients to find one who persevered. However, this should be balanced against the success of United Parcel Service who, in 1997, had an 88 percent retention rate of welfare to work employees. 

What happens to the ones who fail?  

The clients may find other jobs on their own or they may reapply for welfare assistance. If they failed at their work for no good reasons, the clients may lose partial government benefits, such as food stamps. 

In Wisconsin, arguably the leading state in eliminating welfare, the government efforts have reduced the welfare rolls by over 80 percent. Other states are following that example. This pressure from the states provides a motivation for clients to try harder to succeed at work than they have ever tried before. But still, at this time, each case is individual. Some clients fall back into old patterns of dependency while others find great success at work. 

Hotel management must understand that hiring a welfare-to-work client will require extra commitment, training, and flexibility. But, we can’t give up. With unemployment lower than in recent history, the hotel industry needs these employees. Everyone will benefit by helping these clients return to work. 

Looking for less risk? 

One type of agency requires less risk for the hotel: “temp-to-hire” agencies. This agency may provide transportation, uniforms, and continued counseling for the client while providing a temporary employee for the hotel. If the client works well in the hotel situation, the employer may offer the job on a lermanent basis. 

One caveat: temporary agencies issue pay checks weekly and the client will be accustomed to this pay schedule. 
 

For more information: 
Contact the Welfare to Work Partnership at (888) USA-Job1 or visit 
www.welfaretowork.org. This organization will provide a guide book with information about tax credits, service providers, and case studies of successful programs. 

(Mary Friedman is the executive housekeeper at the 575-room Radisson Hotel South in Bloomington, MN.)