Pathways to Success Best Practices in Commercial, Non- Government and Private Industry Huntsville Coca-Cola Nancy Klatt, Manager of Human Resources

Pathways to Success Best Practices in Commercial, Non- Government and Private Industry Moving from compliance to hiring employees for long-term careers or Moving from “It’s the right thing to do” to… “I want to do it.”

Pathways to Success Best Practices in Commercial, Non-Government and Private Industry How we made the move… - Had a history of equal opportunity employment - Never knew about ADRS or HRC. - Met Nancy Greer in Learned about hiring Deaf and Hard of Hearing employees through Voc Rehab.

Pathways to Success Best Practices in Commercial, Non-Government and Private Industry Services Provided by Rehabilitation: 1.Pre-screening of candidates 2.Job coaches 3.Sign language classes 4.Post-hire follow-up 5.Financial incentives All at NO cost to the employer!

Pathways to Success Best Practices in Commercial, Non-Government and Private Industry Most beneficial to Coca-Cola: 1.Pre-screening of candidates – reduced costs in hiring and screening applicants that aren’t qualified. ADRS and HRF make sure the employees they refer are qualified in every aspect. A big money saver! 2.Job Coaching – Sometimes it’s not what the supervisor or trainer says, it’s how they say it; and working with a job coach helps.

Pathways to Success Best Practices in Commercial, Non-Government and Private Industry Most beneficial to Coca-Cola: 3. Sign Language Classes – gave our supervisors confidence to speak with the deaf employees. 4. Post Hire Follow-up – The professional placement teams check on the employees to see how they are adjusting. This has been a great service.

Pathways to Success Best Practices in Commercial, Non-Government and Private Industry Most beneficial to Coca-Cola: 5. Financial Incentives – A variety of financial incentives are currently available to employers who hire candidates with disabilities or who make their business accessible to customers with disabilities. WOTC - Work Opportunities Tax Credit Program (IRS Form 8850) – federal tax credit for employers who hire employees with disabilities through VRS. The credit applies to the first $6,000 of wages paid.

Pathways to Success Best Practices in Commercial, Non-Government and Private Industry Most beneficial to Coca-Cola: 5. Financial Incentives: Disabled Tax Credit - (IRS Form 8826 – Disabled Access Credit or Form 3800 – General Business Credit) – geared toward eligible small businesses to meet increased expenses incurred in complying with the ADA. Allowable amount of tax credit is equal to 50 percent of the expenditures in excess of $250, but not more than $10,250. Architectural and Transportation Barrier Removal Tax Deduction - (Title 26, IRS, Section 190) – business may claim up to $15,000 per tax year for making its premises or public transportation vehicles more accessible.

Pathways to Success Best Practices in Commercial, Non-Government and Private Industry Most beneficial to Coca-Cola: 5. Financial Incentives: On-the-Job Training Reimbursement – available from VRS to offset the training costs of a newly hired employee

Pathways to Success Best Practices in Commercial, Non-Government and Private Industry Additional benefits: Increase in Employee Attendance & Productivity: Employees who were hired as a referral from ADRS or HRF are truly more appreciative of their jobs and, therefore, have less issues with attendance and tardiness.

Pathways to Success Best Practices in Commercial, Non-Government and Private Industry Additional benefits: No increase in insurance premiums as a result of hiring a person with a disability.

Pathways to Success Best Practices in Commercial, Non-Government and Private Industry Additional benefits: Giving Back: working with High School Students to get their Alabama Occupational Diploma: AOD Students need on-the-job hours. We have provided this and now have hired 4 of these students as full-time employees.

Pathways to Success Best Practices in Commercial, Non-Government and Private Industry Too Good To Be True? Challenges? YES But longevity and loyalty in the employees with disabilities far outweighs the challenges! Contact with ADRS and HRF to start a working relationship and utilize one of the hidden resources our community has to offer, because not only is it the “right” thing to do, it truly is an under-utilized resource for employers.

Pathways to Success Best Practices in Commercial, Non-Government and Private Industry Questions?