A job monitoring an indoor playground

00;00;00;00 - 00;00;18;17

Brain

Welcome to the Job Matchmakers podcast, where we share stories from employment consultants about supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to find employment in their communities one person, one job at a time.

00;00;18;20 - 00;00;51;02

Sherry

This podcast is produced by the Minnesota Transformation Initiative, a technical assistance center focused on expanding capacity for competitive, integrated employment across Minnesota. We are your hosts, Sherry Healey and Brian Begin, and we work at the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. Thanks for joining us.

00;00;55;21 - 00;01;09;04

Brain

Welcome to another episode of the Job Matchmakers podcast. In this episode, we're talking with Jessica Stejskal an employment advisor with TSC. Welcome.

00;01;09;07 - 00;01;38;03

Sherry

of some minimum wage by March: 2024

00;01;38;05 - 00;01;46;20

Sherry

Of all of the grant recipients, TSC employment team, including Jessica, were a key reason for this success.

00;01;46;22 - 00;01;53;25

Brain

So thank you for joining us in the studio today. Jessica, can you tell us how you got into this work?

00;01;53;27 - 00;02;20;25

Jessica

Well, I was in college, actually, getting an accounting degree, and I completely failed my statistics class and decided this was not for me. And I was in another class and had went there crying and my teacher just really kind of directed me to the human service field. And it completely changed my life. And I then did an internship in a company like TSC.

00;02;20;27 - 00;02;26;17

Jessica

And then after graduation, I found TSC and have been with them for almost 25 years.

00;02;26;19 - 00;02;40;13

Brain

Wow. It is a big difference from accounting to human services. I think that is such a cool story. And your internship, was that, requirement of your degree?

00;02;40;17 - 00;02;52;05

Jessica

Absolutely. Yeah, there was, you know, papers that had to be written and research and, you know, a lot of documentation about what I was doing and how that related to the human service field. So.

00;02;52;07 - 00;03;03;16

Brain

All right. Cool. And, so you are coming up on a milestone here at TSC in April.

00;03;03;18 - 00;03;06;24

Jessica

th,: 2025

00;03;06;24 - 00;03;08;03

Brain

And what's this milestone?

00;03;08;10 - 00;03;09;29

Jessica

It'll be 25 years.

00;03;10;01 - 00;03;26;20

Brain

25 years. You had to have seen some changes, not only in the service sector in general, but at the company. Can you tell us a little bit about the maybe the 1 or 2 things that have changed the most over the course of your career?

00;03;26;22 - 00;03;59;00

Jessica

The amount of people employed in the community is probably the the biggest thing that has changed within TSC, and our ability to support individuals, how they need to be supported to be successful in their jobs. Everybody is different. And then, you know, looking from our enrichment side, what used to happen in our buildings, in our community resource centers compared to what happens now, are just it's just so much better.

00;03;59;02 - 00;04;02;20

Jessica

It's really neat to see the changes that have taken place and be a part of them.

00;04;02;22 - 00;04;17;08

Sherry

Jessica, the story you're sharing with us today is about the first person you ever completed the full discovery process with. Can you tell us a bit about that individual you were working with and what you learned about them as you got to know them?

00;04;17;11 - 00;04;52;10

Jessica

Sure. So my job seeker came to me and, sort of had a history of working in grocery stores and none of these jobs worked out. And I was kind of thinking to myself, what if these jobs aren't working out? Why do we keep why are we placing her in the same jobs over and over again? And, I had gone through the customs employment approach and just all sorts of different trainings on discovery, and I spent a lot of time with this individual getting to know her, doing fun things, hanging out, and really getting to know her.

00;04;52;13 - 00;05;17;01

Jessica

And then I'd also asking questions about maybe why things didn't work out, away from people who maybe kept telling her that that's what she should continue to do. You know, why are we doing the same things over and over again when they're not working? So I clearly knew we had to do something different. And, we were at the mall one time just watching, and it was one of those play places.

00;05;17;03 - 00;05;35;07

Jessica

It's just like with the little kid toys, and she just absolutely loved it and was like, oh, gee, is that little kids not very safe? Or they're going to hurt themselves, you know? And so recognizing that she had an interest in working with children, and she was really good with customer service at her previous jobs, it wasn't the customer service that was the issues.

00;05;35;10 - 00;05;59;05

Jessica

And so she has these two really great skills and passions and, abilities to do things in. And immediately she's wanted to work in like daycare. That is probably the hardest field to get into with our folks because of the requirements that people have to have. You have to pay her first aid and CPR, is usually the biggest thing independently.

00;05;59;07 - 00;06;24;07

Jessica

So I tried to not look at daycare settings for her because it just isn't something that I've had success with. One thing that she actually came up with was, working on a school bus and being a school bus monitor kind of serves all those needs that she could do. We didn't really have any great success with the local school bus companies with that.

00;06;24;10 - 00;07;04;17

Jessica

And then just and actually how her job came about was through our enrichment coordinator at the time at TSC. So, so TSC is really great because we can collaborate with ideas and thoughts and struggles and work with each other to help make everybody successful. So our enrichment coordinator was out looking for either, I think, volunteer places or places for our community resource center folks to go during the day and and actually came across a job working at a local community center at an indoor play place, and then once and then she passed that information along to me.

00;07;04;17 - 00;07;29;03

Jessica

And I was like, that's it. This is going to be perfect. This is exactly what she could do. And then once I, researched the business and then went into the business and spoke with the manager, I found out it was Saturdays only. And anybody that works in our field knows that weekends are very hard to staff. I did it for the first month.

00;07;29;03 - 00;07;56;24

Jessica

She took the job, and I job coached it for the first month and everything was going great. And we kind of put it out to one of our other job coaches, and we did have somebody who took that on a few Saturdays a month. So now, now this individual is employed, right? And all job searching processes for each individual, nothing goes the same.

00;07;56;27 - 00;08;16;05

Jessica

No. Two things happen the same way twice. With this individual, it was actually a little bit easier for other people. We can look for months and months and months, but with this individual it went really quickly. And actually I didn't even actually find the job. Someone else through their work at TSC found it and it came to me.

00;08;16;08 - 00;08;44;29

Jessica

That's not the case for everybody, but it was a case for this individual. So once, once in her job, I suppose she really enjoyed it. She loved loved the children. She didn't even mind. Some of the not so fun things that come along with working at an indoor play place and children can get sick and have to clean things up.

00;08;45;02 - 00;09;03;21

Jessica

So there's that. And she just didn't care. She just. Or children get stuck in those tubes, and she will climb up into those tubes and retrieve them and bring them back down. If the parents don't want to go do it. That's not a job that I would love to do, but she just absolutely loves it and does a great job.

00;09;03;24 - 00;09;39;09

Jessica

So once she was there for, I don't know, probably about three months or so. Her managers just saw how well she was doing, and they then offered her kind of an offbeat job still within the community center, working at their farmer's market. And, educating the visitors about composting. It has nothing to do with children, but it has to do with, with, you know, she can use her customer service skills with this.

00;09;39;12 - 00;10;08;12

Jessica

And she because she's a team player, she took this position and went out and and did it. And she didn't exactly love it, but she stuck it out and she did a great job. And still while still working her Saturdays. So after about three months in her position, her managers noticed how well she was doing and how dedicated she was to her job, and they really wanted to invest in her.

00;10;08;14 - 00;10;36;04

Jessica

And part of that investment was intervention skills training, diversity training, and first aid and CPR, which she passed independently, all on her own. We helped her train for some of these and, you know, learn the skills, but she had to test out on all of them. So the one thing initially going back that I thought she wasn't going to be able to do that would prevent her from working in a field with children.

00;10;36;07 - 00;11;17;29

Jessica

She proved me wrong and she passed. So that's a big learning learning thing for myself that, you know, I definitely have to set aside what I think someone can or can't do because she totally proved me wrong. So I'm really impressed with her about that, as are her managers. Super impressed. Then she started having problems with parents. I mean, you would think that this is a place for children to go and have fun and the parents are actually harder to, get them to follow the rules, such as not wearing their shoes, and they're not having coffee drinks and they're, not letting their children run around.

00;11;18;05 - 00;11;35;09

Jessica

And if she has to redirect the kids to be a little bit safer, the parents will say things to her. So then, the community center allowed her to have de-escalation training, which has really, really helped her to better deal with the parents of the kids are the easy part. It's the parents that are the hard part for her.

00;11;35;12 - 00;12;02;00

Jessica

Then, after about six months, I think she earned employee of the month. She participates in all of their, you know, required trainings and monthly staffing trainings. They have now offered her Tuesday and Thursday nights in addition to her Saturdays, because the farmers market it all over, not just for the summer. And so they offered her that. And so now she's working two days a week in the evening and then the Saturday during the day.

00;12;02;02 - 00;12;39;22

Jessica

And just most recently, she has now started training new staff that come in and their positions. So it's it's this big, full circle, progression of employment. And when you give somebody that chance in an environment that they really like, they're going to exceed everybody's expectations. And she is a perfect example of how, no matter how this job was found, putting a person in the right environment with the right support, they will be successful.

00;12;39;25 - 00;13;07;15

Brain

So wow. That's awesome. And so a couple of things that I picked up there was, the importance of networking. To get connected to those jobs. And then I really appreciate what you said as well, Jessica, that, we as professionals. And I've certainly been guilty of this myself. We need to be aware to not, short change the folks that we're working with.

00;13;07;15 - 00;13;26;02

Brain

You know, we we read the file, we see the diagnoses, and then maybe we're like, you know, I don't know that this, that or the other thing will necessarily be a good fit for them. But to your point, if a person really likes what they're doing, they're going to find a way to meet the requirements and make it work.

00;13;26;02 - 00;13;59;12

Brain

So, so you you talked about, this individual working their employment history was they were working in similar roles and it didn't quite seem to be the right fit any longer. But that's where they were at. How did you work with the the job seeker and their team to begin to think outside the box and explore, employment opportunities that might be totally different than what they had previously been doing.

00;13;59;14 - 00;14;24;21

Jessica

I think through the discovery process and all the legwork that I did with this individual, and then being able to report that back to the team and then having all the documentation and talking about her excitement about the potential, all of working in some sort of environment with children and with the public, but not what she was doing before.

00;14;24;23 - 00;14;55;03

Jessica

And I think through my positivity and encouragement of the job seeker, then the family kind of hops on board with that too. Teams will get in a rut, and but if you have that one person that comes in there that's just super positive and can get everybody going and get everybody excited about opportunities, I think that's how to change and shift and hopefully get somebody into something better.

00;14;55;06 - 00;15;22;01

Brain

Yeah, I think that excitement is contagious. And and it like builds momentum and I appreciate what you said, Jessica, about, the importance that the discovery process plays. I think sometimes, at least in my experience, for folks who have work experience, their teams might be like, well, do we have to do the full discovery process?

00;15;22;01 - 00;15;48;09

Brain

I mean, this person has work experience. Maybe we just start with looking for a job. But the discovery process is a is a tried and true method for really digging deep or peeling back the layers of the onion to explore some themes that folks might not have originally thought were even something that could be tied to a job, you know?

00;15;48;12 - 00;15;56;13

Brain

So that's, that's really cool that, that that you use that process and that does that as well. Yup.

00;15;56;15 - 00;16;22;08

Sherry

Agreed. Well done. So, Jessica, I love how the employer just really kept trying different things with her and recognizing the difference skills that she brought to the table, and they were willing to try a lot of different things, with her to see what might work. I mean, I love that they were like, hey, let's try the farmers market.

00;16;22;11 - 00;17;01;29

Sherry

You know, let's try adding Tuesday and Thursday evenings. They were really, flexible and, and, you know, really wanting to explore where her skills and abilities were. And that's not very common, actually with employers. We are often you know, encouraging employers to consider stepping outside of the box of what the individual has been hired for. But this is such a great example of customized employment, where the employer really was customizing the job on her behalf.

00;17;02;01 - 00;17;13;04

Sherry

So my question for you is how did your support change as her responsibilities changed?

00;17;13;07 - 00;17;35;27

Jessica

Because she was taking on more independent roles. We encourage the employer to kind of take us out of the training aspect and have them train her instead in that, just like anybody else, because of course, I know the mom comes out in me and I just want to be there and help all my folks and be right next to them.

00;17;35;27 - 00;17;59;02

Jessica

But at some points in time, I have to step back and let them just have that employment experience and be there to help pick them up if something happens, but not take it over. And definitely with her now being able to train new employees coming in, that is nothing that I can train her on. That is all has to be done by the business.

00;17;59;05 - 00;18;21;02

Jessica

And yes, this business has gone above and beyond with my gal and I. I, I talk to them all the time and I'm very grateful and thankful to them. And they talk to me if they have other job openings for our folks. I'm really encouraged with this business and hoping to place other individuals there as well, because they are just so great.

00;18;21;04 - 00;18;59;11

Sherry

So along those same lines, when you talk about new, potentially some, new individuals that you support, maybe being, considered for employment opportunities there, it might increase the, you know, the need for support outside of your typical day program hours. So as, as an organization, how has TLC really, adjusted to the the change in when they need staff to be available or being available evenings and weekends?

00;18;59;13 - 00;19;06;18

Sherry

That's not always easy to staff. So can you give us some insight into how TLC is managing that?

00;19;06;20 - 00;19;32;03

Jessica

So again, I am not air and I don't do the hiring, but I know that, we have some of the best job coaches out there and people will flex their hours, extend their hours, shift their hours, and they will do whatever we need to do to support the people when they need to be supported. I recognize that weekend positions are sometimes the hardest ones to staff.

00;19;32;05 - 00;19;51;15

Jessica

But I tend to do what my folks need. And so, like with this individual, I was with her for the first month until I knew that she was comfortable in her position. And then, another job coach stepped in and was able to do that for her and said, which was really it's not expected that people do that.

00;19;51;15 - 00;20;16;00

Jessica

But like I said, our job coaches are some of the best job coaches out there. And it shows and how successful our employment is. I do know that, moving forward, you know, especially with, getting rid of our 14 C, the sub minimum wage that we definitely have to rethink how we support people in the community.

00;20;16;00 - 00;20;36;06

Jessica

And a lot of these folks who have been in our resource centers for a long time, you know, what does that look like? How are we going to staff them so they can be, you know, successful in the, in the community? But yeah, the weekend, the weekend hours are still hard. I think those are just staff who are just really dedicated and understand the importance of success.

00;20;36;08 - 00;21;00;23

Brain

Yeah. And I think to, providers are looking more to get those part time positions that are specifically nights and weekends. Because, I mean, we live in a, largely service, industry driven economy. And so a lot of, you know, and everything is 24 seven, you know, and so we're going to have more folks working hours that are outside of the norm.

00;21;00;26 - 00;21;23;25

Brain

I worked at a provider and, understand the challenges of like, well, the orientation is always Wednesday nights from 6 to 9 p.m. that's the only day they do it. And it's like, okay, well, and my experience has been staffed by and large are are very willing to like, you know, flex their hours and whatnot. And sometimes, yeah, folks are working primarily on the weekends.

00;21;23;25 - 00;21;48;06

Sherry

You've over, over your 25 years of employment with TSC, which is actually really impressive to be with an organization that long. You've held a lot of different positions within TSC. Tell us a little bit about, what you like about your role now in comparison to other jobs you've held within the agency?

00;21;48;08 - 00;22;12;29

Jessica

I've done everything. I worked in our community resource centers, I've done the group on clave, I've done enrichment, I've done follow along. I've done I worked with the 14 C for a long time. And you add in paperwork. And then I was what we call a follow along staff, which, those are our job coaches that are out in the community with our more independent folks did that for a long time.

00;22;12;29 - 00;22;42;19

Jessica

And then I was a supervisor for a while, too. And then I landed in employment. And I love employment because this is where I feel that I can have the biggest impact on people's lives, to do all the things they want to do, to live a comfortable life, to go out to eat, to do all those things. It's just the impact that I can make on people's lives is what I love about my current position.

00;22;42;21 - 00;22;53;19

Brain

What are 1 or 2 things in your previous roles that have helped you be more effective in your current role? Helping folks find employment?

00;22;53;21 - 00;23;22;08

Jessica

Probably. I was a follow along job coach for a long time where I just supported people and sometimes I could see that the jobs that people were in maybe, maybe once upon a time they were what they were interested in, but then they would just be in these jobs forever and just not do very well because they didn't like, I mean, how many part time jobs did we have growing up that we stayed in for more than a year?

00;23;22;11 - 00;24;09;13

Jessica

Hardly any. So when our folks are entering these jobs, you know, they could cycle through them. So recognizing, that finding someone's passion to stay in a job longer and make it more of a career than just a job is super important. So that time as a follow along, just having that experience with people and trying to keep them in positions that maybe they didn't really like, and then also, following up with the folks that I have placed in positions because, again, maybe that's what they wanted to do a year ago, but now they're just not enjoying it quite as much, and then trying to find something for them now and changing directions that

00;24;09;13 - 00;24;13;18

Jessica

they want to go. Because again, a lot of these are entry level positions.

00;24;13;20 - 00;24;38;08

Brain

I think it's really cool hearing about this particular person's, career journey. And how in their role with the community center, they've gotten an opportunity to do different, positions and to take on more responsibility? Yeah, in my experience, I recognize, too, that there were some folks that were, after several years, kind of like, you know, I'm in a rut.

00;24;38;12 - 00;24;59;11

Brain

This job, it was a great it was great for the time. And now I'm ready to move on. And, I we appreciate you bringing up that point, Jessica, because I think in this profession, we always need to be thinking about, you know, how are we supporting people to continue to grow, in their, in their, career journey?

00;24;59;11 - 00;25;22;26

Brain

A colleague of of Sherry and I's, Mr. Don Lavin talks about how there needs to be another, piece to the employment services puzzle here in Minnesota, which is grow, because like so many of us, you know, to your point, we start out in a position and then we, you know, do well at that, learn more skills, and we're ready to move on to something else.

00;25;22;26 - 00;25;24;05

Jessica

So yep.

00;25;24;07 - 00;25;37;26

Brain

So Jessica, the we ask all of our guests, same final question. And that is, what do you want people in your community to know about employment for people with disabilities?

00;25;37;29 - 00;26;06;28

Jessica

My first comment is to hire them. Hire them. There is no reason to be afraid to. I mean, they come with job coaching. So we learn. We help them learn their jobs. So just to hire them and usually they bring so much to the business, it's not just about them doing a job, it's what they add to all of the other employees.

00;26;06;28 - 00;26;20;05

Jessica

They're there. Most of our folks have such great sense of humor. And they're fun and enjoyable to be around, and they really do just enhance any environment that they're in.

00;26;20;08 - 00;26;25;13

Brain

All right. Thank you.

00;26;25;15 - 00;26;43;07

Sherry

Thank you for joining us for the Job Matchmakers podcast funded by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. This podcast is a partnership between the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration and UMass Boston's Institute for Community Inclusion.

00;26;43;09 - 00;27;00;11

Brain

For more information on the Minnesota Transformation Initiative, visit our website. Linked in the show notes. We're glad you joined us, and we'll see you next time.