One of my favorite speeches my grandfather gave is “ The U.S. Economic Bill of Rights,” where, in 1944, he asserted that every American deserves the right to a useful job that supports his or her family. More than 70 years later, I see it isn’t just about individuals; it’s about building sustainable communities by providing those individuals a chance to work.
Maine faces unprecedented challenges. The state’s rapidly aging workforce has businesses wondering where their future employees will come from. It will require change, but the biggest change we need to make is in our minds.
Maine needs every person who wants to work, to work.
Maine’s pool of job candidates isn’t what it was 20 years ago. Maine changed, so too must its employers. New Mainers, people with disabilities and people who need a second (or third, or seventh) chance all need to be part of the solution — and they want to be, but hiring managers need to be open to them.
This is our day-to-day work at Goodwill. We’ve met people like Ronnie who worked hard for decades, never missing a day at work, but once his employer’s greenhouse closed, it was incredibly difficult for him to find a new job. Hiring managers didn’t want to give him a chance because of his intellectual disability, which didn’t affect his job performance but made his initial job interview challenging.
We’ve met civil engineers and other highly skilled professionals who fled their home country to the safety of our cities, but couldn’t find work because employers didn’t want to hire someone without U.S. work experience. They sometimes take minimum-wage paying work — good work, yes, but surely not the most they could give to the community.
We’ve met Dick, whose cell door opened on a cold January day after seven years in Maine State Prison. The guard said, “Have a good day. Try not to come back.” He was left homeless and jobless. He applied to many jobs for which he was overqualified, but, as he told us, “no one wants to help a felon.”
At Goodwill, we do all we can to support people who want to work. Sometimes all that means is on-the-job coaching. For our Job Connection clients, staff is a phone call away when an employee needs emotional support or help working through a tough problem.
As part of its Forgotten Maine Workers series, the BDN asked five ways Maine could get more people into the workforce. I don’t need five, just one — be open to all job applicants. Inclusion will strengthen our workforce, but inclusion must be welcome.
This means businesses must be adaptable.
Often businesses assume hiring someone with a disability will require more time, money and maybe liability. What they don’t consider is these employees might come with supports, like an on-the-job coach.
Goodwill is here to help any business that needs qualified employees. We will learn your business and find good job candidates, and we will stay with them, if necessary, until everyone is comfortable and the work is getting done.
This is particularly important in Maine, and it’s particularly important right now. Age can change the way people work — and Maine is aging rapidly. With much of the workforce entering their 60s in the next few years, we must change our mindset about people with challenges quickly or we risk losing much of our workforce and industry.
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt is the chief executive officer for Goodwill of Northern New England. She also chairs The Roosevelt Institute in New York, serves on the boards of the Maine Community Foundation and the Jim Browne Foundation, and is the alternate commissioner for Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission.