MANSFIELD — There are multiple obstacles that can keep the unemployed or underemployed from finding long-term, satisfying employment. Factors like limited access to transportation or difficulty arranging childcare can seem like insurmountable challenges.
That’s why Temp2Higher, a staffing service run by the North End Community Improvement Collaborative, created its alternative schedule pilot program.
Program participants start by working part-time two to three days per week, with the goal of transitioning to full time employment after a 90-day period. Meanwhile, Temp2Higher will help workers develop a plan to eliminate or decrease any barriers to maintaining that employment.
“The biggest barriers to work are childcare, transportation and sometimes housing,” said Robyn McNulty, a community organizer at NECIC. “A lot of people who have been out of work for a period of time are staying on someone’s couch or staying with relatives.”
McNulty added that for those who have been out of the workforce for a while, jumping straight into a 40-hour work week can feel like going “from zero to sixty.” A slight change in plans, such as a sick child staying home from school or an unexpected flat tire, can cost full-time employees a day of work — or sometimes their job.
The hope is that having a part-time job will allow workers the funds and the time to set up support systems and make changes that enable them to work full time in the future.
“(Days off) allow people to move if they want to… Grandma’s not babysitting five days a week,” McNulty explained. “It buys mom time to find her kids a childcare center so by that time she’s working full-time, she’s confident with a daycare that’s close to home and works for her family.”
The program can also be a good first step for individuals in the early stages of addiction recovery and need the flexibility to make group sessions.
“People in recovery have group multiple times a week, but are willing and ready to go back into the workforce,” said McNulty. “They’re having to pick between the things they have to do to keep and maintain recovery and getting a full-time job.”
Staff at Temp2Higher hope the program will not only help workers, but also area businesses that struggle to find and retain quality hires. The first round of participants employed through the pilot are working second shift manufacturing jobs at Mansfield Engineered Components.
Steve Cummins, vice president of MEC, described the program as a “win-win.”
“We try to be creative in our efforts to attract new talent, but in manufacturing it can be tough to integrate part-time employment,” said Cummins. “It should help us draw employees from a relatively untapped population … while also supporting people who might currently be struggling to maintain employment.”
Traditionally, most part-time job seekers have turned to the retail and customer service sectors, options that might not be a good fit for everyone.
“You can’t lump the workforce and the people in it into one category. The alternative scheduling is geared, at this point in time, towards entry-level manufacturing,” said Amanda Cooper, business development coordinator at NECIC. “The hours you are required to work in a retail job can change from week to week. That can challenge the daycare that you have available to you.”
Employers or individuals interested in participating in the alternative schedule pilot are encouraged to contact NECIC/Temp2Higher or visit temp2higher.org.
“There’s a lot of hope in this program, but essentially it’s just to assist a diverse group of people with varying issues and working with them to overcome and help them be successful,” said Cooper.
“One of the biggest problems we hear from employers is recruiting and retaining and it’s definitely a challenge…It’s nice to be able to be able to put one potential solution out there. It’s going to take a lot of things to turn it around and we hope this can be one of them.”
