What's Happening?
Employer Resource Network Growing, Hires Additional Success Coaches
The number of business in the Employer Resource Network (ERN) has grown from five to 11 in the past six months, benefitting potentially more than 1,000 workers, and more businesses are showing interest.
Launched in early 2014, ERN is a core initiative of the Schenectady Bridges Partnership, offering businesses a low-cost, innovative solution to retaining low-wage, entry-level employees, especially those who have had difficulty maintaining employment in the past. The key to ERN is the Success Coach whose assistance and advocacy can reduce the burden on workers who have limited resources.
The Success Coach will visit a job site for four to eight hours a week to meet with employees. The Success Coach becomes a trusted ally and advocate who can be a direct connection to community resources and social services offices. That means, for example, a worker won’t have to lose wages spending at least a half day in the social services office having their food stamp benefits reinstated, and the employer won’t lose a valued employee for a day.
ERN began with one Success Coach, but soon added a second because of increased demand. With new businesses expected to come on board, and existing members increasing the hours they want the Success Coach onsite, ERN will soon hire a third Coach.
“The return on investment is huge,” Nathan Mandsager who oversees ERN at City Mission. “We’re averaging, depending on the business, 200 to 400 percent return on investment because of the increased productivity of the employees, managers and human resources staff. The lift in morale has been impressive. All the businesses are coming back and saying their culture is improving.”
