This fact sheet has been developed to provide you with information and direction on supporting people with job performance issues related to productivity. It is a starting point for a range of matters you may wish to consider when offering support to job seekers who are unable to work at a full wage.
Understanding low productivity
Historically job seekers who have been unable to work at full productivity levels had the option of working in a ‘sheltered’ employment setting or remaining unemployed. A small percentage of these job seekers have previously been able to access ‘open’ employment through state specific legal arrangements such as ‘slow workers permits’ and ‘certificates of exemption’.
Since July 1994, the main way job seekers with low productive work capacity have gained open employment is through the Supported Wage System. Under the Supported Wage System, a worker's productivity is assessed by an accredited assessor then compared to a co-worker doing the same work. Wages are then negotiated with the employer on the basis of the independent assessment.
Understanding specific disabilities and their impact on job performance
Most workers assessed under the Supported Wage System have an intellectual or learning disability. An evaluation of the Supported Wage System in 2000-01 found that of all Supported Wage System employees :
- 68 per cent had an intellectual or learning disability (including autism)
- 12.4 per cent had a physical disability
- 6.1 per cent had an acquired brain injury
- 5.5 per cent had a psychological or psychiatric disability
- less than 3 per cent had a sensory disability (Department of Family and Community Services 2001).
Naturally, the reasons why any particular disability may impact on job performance will vary.
For people with cognitive impairment, it is usually related to difficulties with:
- processing information
- attention span
- memory
- discrimination skills such as the ability to identify clean from dirty dishes
- decision making
- behavioural issues and poor social skills in some cases.
On the other hand, for people with physical disability or vision impairment, a slower rate of working often stems from reduced mobility or dexterity. Productivity issues for people who are deaf or hard of hearing sometimes stem from extra time needed for communication and understanding of instructions.
For people with mental health problems, slower work speeds can be a result of the side effects of medication, anxiety, inappropriate behaviours, low motivation and impaired concentration levels.
Put the person first
When developing a job search plan or offering post employment support to job seekers, be flexible and treat each person individually. Tailor your approach to individual needs and capacities and focus clearly on each person's goals and abilities. This should also entail reassessing and adapting plans and support as necessary and linking job seekers with relevant specialist services.
Tapping into existing support networks may also assist job seekers in achieving vocational goals. These complementary services and supports will naturally vary according to specific needs and disability types. However, the first issue that you need to clarify is whether the job seeker has productivity issues that necessitate the use of Supported Wage System to find work.
How to determine low productive work capacity
There is no clear cut answer here. For some job seekers, especially those with no work history, it is often impossible to know if there will be productivity based performance problems until after they have been working for some time, for example, they are fresh from school or have a recently acquired disability.
A percentage of Supported Wage System applications fall into the ‘job in jeopardy’ category due to a threat of job loss and are responded to immediately once a Supported Wage System application has been approved. Most Supported Wage System participants, however, start off with a negotiated formal trial period of 12 to 16 weeks.
If you are planning to access the Supported Wage System on behalf of a job seeker and employer, you must be satisfied that the job seeker will not reach satisfactory levels of job performance after a reasonable training period (up to three months), despite having all reasonable workplace adjustments in place to counteract the impact of their disability.
There are a few things you need to consider in assessing whether there is a productivity difficulty:
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Does the person have a history of job loss or short term employment that is or may be based on a disability-related slow work rate?
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Are there reports (teachers, work experience coordinators, rehabilitation counsellors, medical specialists) that indicate a reduced productive capacity? Are these reports reliable and still valid?
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What does the job seeker have to say about the matter? Do they agree with any previous assessments, or do they dispute them?
If you are unsure, then think of using other options first and give the job seeker the benefit of the doubt. A full wage placement using a wage subsidy with an agreed performance review after four to eight weeks, or a negotiated work experience placement, are good places to start.
Also keep in mind that someone may be fully productive in one job, but not in another. A good example of this is a person with intellectual disability able to earn full wages in a straightforward structured factory process worker position but who would need Supported Wage System to manage in a more complex kitchen hand role or a redesigned clerical assistant job in a large busy office.
Not all job seekers with productivity issues will be keen on the idea of earning less money than co-workers they consider to be doing the same job. Usually these will be those job seekers that access Supported Wage System through the job in jeopardy route. As a result, you may need to facilitate access to or provide disability adjustment counselling for those who, for various reasons, are unable to continue working at full wages.
How do workplace modifications assist productivity?
In many situations, implementing workplace modifications or adjustments can improve the productivity of job seekers significantly. As a result, if introducing workplace modifications or adjustments for a job seeker, these should be introduced before the productivity assessment.
Examples of workplace modifications that can improve productivity include:
- having a scale for a job seeker with intellectual disability or acquired brain injury, which prints the weight of objects out on a ticket rather than the person reading the scale and recording the figure
- noise excluding headphones for a job seeker with autism who is easily distracted by loud or busy environments, as this can assist them to remain task focussed
- screen readers, talking devices, automated measuring and printing devices for job seekers with vision impairment
- an MP3 player for job seekers with a mental health problem, particularly if they have sensory hallucinations such as hearing voices, to sound out the voices and allow for better concentration on the task.
Pre-employment strategies
You can assist job seekers unable to work at full productivity to find a suitable job by developing an individualised pre-employment plan that incorporates a full and frank discussion of the following:
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what Supported Wage System means and its implications
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a job development strategy covering resumes, interviews and job search techniques
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consideration of disability disclosure
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any workplace adjustments or modifications that may be required.
What is in this plan and how it unfolds will naturally vary depending on the job seeker and the nature of their disability.
Explaining the Supported Wage System and its relationship to the Disability Support Pension
Given most people accessing the Supported Wage System will have an intellectual or learning disability, it is crucial to develop ways of simply, but accurately, explaining how it works and how this can affect their Centrelink payments. It may be worthwhile to involve a family member or other advocate, particularly if they assist with the job seeker's specific financial arrangements. If comprehension is not an issue for someone, then more complex explanations or written information can be offered.
A good option is to describe the Supported Wage System as a way of working out a wage that is fair for everyone. This wage will be a proportion of the standard wage paid for the particular job classification. It’s fair for the worker because they take longer to do the work; it’s fair for the employer who can now financially justify giving a job to someone who works at a slower pace; and it’s fair for the co-workers as they see that they will not be paid at the same rate as someone doing less work.
Confirm with the job seeker that they are entitled (if eligible) to the same employment conditions as their co-workers (for example sick leave, holiday pay, superannuation) but on a pro-rata basis.
You should also explain the assessment process from beginning to end including the:
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use of an independent assessor
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comparisons with a co-worker or acceptable performance standard
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final negotiation of a wage agreement with the employer
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existence of reviews every 12 months to allow for performance improvements and any changes to duties.
A good way to allay any pre-assessment anxieties is to remind the job seeker that it is not like a test. They have in effect already succeeded by securing the job. The assessment is conducted in order to work out a fair wage.
When discussing the assessment process with a worker, it is important to also explain the following:
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not only is the speed of work assessed but also quality—the assessor will be checking that the job is being completed correctly to the required standards and that any mistakes or missed work will need to be done again which may reduce the overall work rate
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the assessment cannot go ahead unless adequate training has been given on all assessed tasks and any necessary workplace adjustments are made that might assist productivity.
Finally, point out that if they are receiving the Disability Support Pension (DSP) then they will be entitled to keep receiving a part pension and all the associated benefits and concessions as it is unlikely under the Supported Wage System that their weekly earnings will exceed Centrelink income limits. This is the case even if working more than 15 hours a week as the Disability Support Pension eligibility criteria only exclude those able to work more than 15 hours a week independently on full wage rates.
Work on job development together
Although it is always good to encourage and equip your job seekers to undertake their own job search using a range of techniques, reverse marketing is often the best method for finding employment for those unable to work at full productivity as most Supported Wage System jobs are positions that have been modified or specially created. Reverse marketing is when you approach employers for positions that suit or are redesigned for your job seeker before they are advertised.
In addition, job seekers may require your assistance with:
Interview support
Once a willing employer is located, then the support required at an interview will again vary depending on the nature of the job seeker's disability and communication skills:
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people with intellectual disability, learning disability or autism may need your support as an advocate at the actual interview to help them ‘sell’ themselves and to explain the Supported Wage System—at the interview advise the employer to keep language simple, to rephrase questions if not understood and to give the person sufficient time to respond
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people with physical disability should be able to handle interviews independently and may just need to ensure the interview is held in an accessible venue—you may, however, need to be available to explain the full Supported Wage System process
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people who are deaf or hard of hearing will need to clarify with the employer their communication needs and their preferred method of communication—this could involve assistance with organising and paying for an Auslan (Australian Sign Language) interpreter or giving the interviewing employer communication tips such as:
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getting attention before speaking
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speaking clearly and directly
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double-checking on comprehension
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avoiding spaces with background noise
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people with vision impairment will not usually require interview support though you may need to inform the employer on such interview formalities as preparing reception, ‘guided sight’ techniques (i.e. offering the back of your upper arm to walk through the workplace and placing the person’s hand on top of the chair when offering them a seat) and self-identification before talking—you may also need to assist job seeker with locating unfamiliar addresses.
Most job candidates will benefit from preparing responses to typical interview questions and practicing these at mock interviews, especially useful for those who experience anxiety in such circumstances.
The following information provides further tips and strategies on supporting job seekers with interviews:
To disclose or not to disclose disability
Disclosure is a choice a person makes about whether or not to tell another person or organisation information about their disability. It is good case management practice to discuss the benefits of disclosure, in particular the ability of employers to make reasonable adjustments in the workplace once they know they may be required (including premises, equipment, job structures, additional time off).
It would be unlikely that an employer will make a job available to a job seeker with productivity issues under the Supported Wage System without some form of explanation or information about the person’s disability and its impact on work performance. Despite this, it is advisable to discuss with your job seeker how they would like disclosure to occur and who exactly at their new workplace needs to know.
Post-placement strategies
Once a job has been located, it is important to put in place strategies that will maximise employment success and development for your job seeker. These strategies will once again vary considerably depending on the nature and degree of disability and the type of work environment, for example:
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learning, intellectual and autism—post-placement support may require some actual job task training using a range of training techniques and aids as well as some assistance with integration and appropriate workplace social skills (perhaps by using a ‘job-coach’ approach or offering to coach an employer on how to offer this training and support themselves)
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deafness and hearing loss—post-placement support is more likely to involve advice on workplace communication strategies and assistance with procuring special equipment (for example pagers, Telephone Typewriters, flashing safety lights on machinery)
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blindness, visual impairment and physical disability—post-placement support could require advice and assistance with information in alternative formats, adaptive technology, mobility orientation and/or workplace adjustments
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psychiatric disability and mental illness—people with mental illness are more likely to need support rather than extra work skills training or workplace modifications so focus on ensuring:
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internal and external support networks are in place
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providing confidence boosting, anxiety reducing, moral reassurance (on site or behind the scenes)
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negotiating contingency plans for mental illness relapses.
Of course, some support strategies will be common across all groups of people with disability, such as:
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disability awareness training for co-workers or supervisors
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reassurance during the Supported Wage System assessment
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support with negotiating and signing the final Supported Wage System wage agreement
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setting up an informal ‘buddy’ programme (i.e. a supportive co-worker)
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ongoing performance monitoring and appraisal, including expansion of duties and retraining
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assistance with problem resolution on site or through referral or linkages to external services.
More information
The following fact sheets also provide useful information on the SWS:
Further details on supporting job seekers with specific disability are available in the following fact sheets:
References
Department of Family and Community Services 2001, Supported Wage System Evaluation, Commonwealth of Australia, p.27.