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In the wake of the pandemic, employee mental health is taking its rightful place as a business imperative. Not only are many companies implementing stigma-reduction initiatives, but they are also normalizing reasonable accommodations—most that wind up benefiting all employees. Here, we explore the top five, but first let’s bust a myth:

Myth: Accommodations are Expensive

Fact: In the Job Accommodation Network’s (JAN) most recent survey, almost half of employers said accommodations cost nothing, and 37 percent reported a median one-time cost of $300. Moreover, by law, accommodation cannot pose an undue burden to the employer.

Five Mental Health Accommodations and Their Benefits

Destigmatization Measures

Stigma thrives in silence. Fortunately, a 2022 Fisher Phillips survey found 60 percent of employers starting to have conversations about mental health—whether through ERGs or other workplace initiatives. That’s a good thing. Where stigma is sent packing, employees with mental health conditions are more able to bring their whole selves to the workplace—including the full range of their skills and talents. What’s more, in the absence of stigma, they are far more likely to ask for a simple accommodation that could allow their abilities to shine even more. Ultimately, employers will reap the benefits. Companies that prioritize inclusion of people with a variety of disabilities perform better than peer organizations that lack this level of inclusion.

Flexible Schedules

A 2022 study by McKinsey & Company found that, overall, employees and employers are already embracing flexible schedules and conditions—because it works. “Employers report many benefits from shifting to flexible schedules,” reported SHRM. “Ranging from making it easier to attract talent to increasing employee productivity, loyalty, and retention.” Similarly, a survey by LinkedIn Talent Solutions found 94 percent of employers reporting the same or higher productivity than with traditional 9-to-5 teams. Because flexible schedules remove stress around doctor appointments, therapy, or support group attendance, employees are better able to manage mental health disabilities and conditions—or even eliminate some of them.

Rest Area/Quiet Space

According to Mental Health America, “Employees should have access to safe, calm, and private space(s) at their company.” Brain science bears this out. Typical office distractions—pinging email and chat messages, office machinery, coworker discussion at volume, and multi-tasking—drench the brain in cortisol and adrenaline. In the short term, these chemicals fuel us through short periods of stress. However, long term, they can deplete the body of calming hormones like serotonin and dopamine—affecting everything from cognition to heart rhythm, breathing, sleep, and pain levels. Some companies are even incorporating meditation in their workplaces—an initiative supported by several studies, including a comprehensive 2016 analysis by Case Western Reserve University. Their research found that “injecting a corporate culture of mindfulness not only improves focus, but the ability to manage stress and how employees work together.” Google, Aetna, Mayo Clinic, and the United States Marine Corps, among others, are already doing this.

Identifying and Reducing Triggers

For conditions such as anxiety, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, common triggers include excessive noise, pulsing light, crowded spaces, and spaces without easy exits. An individual recovering from PTSD, for example, may experience traumatic memories that involved being trapped. Similarly, an employee with panic disorder may be triggered in large groups. While some workspaces—a warehouse floor, for example—may not allow for trigger mitigation, many do. Simply allowing an employee to move to a different workstation could be enough to do the trick. In meetings, an individual may be allowed to sit near the exit, while another might have a schedule that places them at work when the office is less crowded. Such accommodations are easily implemented and cost nothing.

On-Site Support Person

Employees who live with mental health challenges tend to feel isolated in the workplace, so the presence of even one empathetic person can make all the difference. Many companies have begun implementing mental-health-focused ERGs, groups that encourage interpersonal connection through the safe sharing of personal stories. Similarly, some organizations have begun to implement mental health “buddy” or “peer” programs. In short, a mental health peer is an individual who has lived experience with a mental health condition. Identified workplace peers (or buddies) typically undergo training—including active listening, ethics, and boundary establishing—equipping them to be supportive in a peer capacity, rather than a clinical one. Multiple studies reveal that this strategy works. Employees engaged in a workplace peer support initiative experienced enhanced mental well-being, heightened job contentment, and even elevated productivity levels. 

Don’t Overlook One in Four Potential Employees

One in four adults in the United States lives with a diagnoseable mental health condition. They might be your grocer, accountant, custodian, physician, or CEO. They could be the next candidate you interview—the one who is a perfect fit but has a standing appointment on Wednesday afternoons. “The reality is that workers with mental illnesses are no different than your average employee,” reports Health Partners, citing that employers who hire people with mental illness say that they are as productive, punctual, dependable, and motivated as those who do not have a mental health condition. This finding is consistent with the data when it comes to employees with disabilities at large. In fact, a study by analyst firm Accenture found that companies that actively recruit and support people with disabilities, including mental health conditions, earn six times more revenue, 2.6 times more net income, and two times more economic profit than companies that don’t.

As labor shortages persist across industries, it’s imperative for employers to embrace the workability of one in four adults in the United States who live with a mental disability. PRIDE Industries has decades of experience helping companies leverage the talents and business advantages of employing people with mental health and other disabilities. This includes a broad range of expertise in identifying and incorporating accommodations that significantly enhance overall success.

Let Us Help You Build an Inclusive Labor Force

Inclusive workforces, including those that employ people with disabilities, boast 35 percent greater productivity. PRIDE Industries has helped hundreds of companies to make their teams more inclusive, helping recruit, hire, train, and support this reliable talent pool—free of charge to employers.
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When it comes to workforce inclusion, significant progress has been made in hiring and retaining people with physical disabilities. To some degree, inclusion has extended to those who live with neurologically based disabilities as well. Amidst these strides, however, one group is often left out of the conversation: people with mental (or psychiatric) health conditions.

While 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies report that they’ve hired applicants with physical disabilities, only 20 percent say they’ve hired people with mental health conditions. Given that one in four adults in the United States lives with a mental health condition, that translates to a huge untapped workforce.

Fortunately, some business leaders are speaking up about this aspect of inclusion. “It’s simply silly” to think that employers would intentionally or unintentionally exclude such a significant percentage people from their workplaces, said Aubrey Blanch, VP of Equitable Operations at Culture Amp.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMSHA), people with mental health conditions tend to be just as productive and dedicated as other employees. Of those already in the workforce, SAMHSA notes, “Employers often do not know if someone has a mental health condition, but if the condition is known to the employer, they often report good attendance and punctuality as well as motivation, good work, and job tenure on par with, or greater than, other employees.”

As for accommodation costs, Blanch observed that they are typically nominal—a fact supported by data. She also emphasized that everyone needs specific support to succeed. Moreover, according to a survey by the Job Accommodations Network (JAN), accommodations for employees with disabilities make the workplace better for everyone.

What is a Mental Health-Related Disability and How Prevalent Are They?

A mental health condition becomes a disability when it substantially limits one or more major life activities. As mentioned above, roughly one in four adults in the United States lives with a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Anxiety and depression are the most prevalent conditions, followed by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and bipolar disorder. And high rates of mental health conditions aren’t limited to the United States. Studies predict that one out of every two people, worldwide, will develop a mental health disorder in their lifetime. By 2030, mental health will be the leading cause of disease, globally.

Given that so many people live with a significant mental health condition—and research shows that employment improves mental health—their inclusion in the workforce should be a given. So, why do these individuals face employment barriers?

The answer lies in stigma—negative attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes that society attaches to certain groups. In the case of mental conditions, today’s stigma echoes draconian superstitions dating back centuries. Though time has marked incremental shifts in attitude, much work is still needed to dismantle long-held misconceptions.

The Workplace is No Place for Stigma

Kaiser Permanente found stigma to be prevalent in the workplace, with eight out of 10 employees afraid to mention their condition or seek accommodation. Lyra Health echoes this finding, citing that stigma silences employees, making them “less likely to take steps to support their mental health.” Stigma deters even eager, highly qualified job seekers who fear asking for even the simplest mental health accommodation.

In addition to harming employees and candidates, stigma deprives employers of able, skilled employees. A quiet space or flexible schedule, for example, may be all an employee needs to be a top producer. When fear of an employer’s judgment stops the accommodation discussion before it starts, valuable skillsets remain underutilized or untapped entirely.

Stigma is exacerbated by a limited understanding of mental health as a spectrum, according to stigma expert Professor Stephen Hinshaw. “We often go immediately to extreme cases…a tiny percent of people with very severe, untreated chronic mental illness.” Focusing on extreme cases perpetuates cultural ignorance and fear, silencing those with less severe conditions. To break this cycle, Hinshaw advocates for a shift in workplace culture to encourage open discussions about mental health without shame or fear of repercussions.

Links Between Mental Health Conditions and Excellence

Progress has been made, but lingering misconceptions about mental health continue to hinder workplace inclusion. The most damaging fallacies cast an entire person as wholly “mentally ill,” rather than simply as a person that lives with a mental health condition that affects a certain aspect of their life. But, just as Deafness doesn’t have to impair a person’s ability to communicate effectively, and wheelchair use has no bearing on managerial skills, limits posed by even a severe mental health condition don’t automatically translate to job performance. In fact, data underscores positive correlations between some types of mental illness and success.

In a 2015 study, researcher Dr. Michael Freeman found that 49 percent of entrepreneurs who start a company have experienced a mental illness. A 2016 study published in Molecular Neuropsychiatry revealed that people with bipolar disorder, in particular, possess several business-oriented personality traits, including drive and motivation, ideation originality, and cognitive flexibility. Still further research by Nassir Ghaemi, MD, found similar links between leadership qualities and mental conditions such as bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression.

People with a tendency toward anxiety tend to also be detail oriented, organized, creative, and punctual. Data indicates that people with certain types of PTSD demonstrate heightened empathy—increasingly found to be an imperative business skill. Moreover, several researchers have found depression underlying the empathy expressed by the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and other successful leaders. It’s hard to imagine a world where the skills and talents of these luminaries had remained unutilized.

Inclusion Works

Copious research finds several business benefits associated with including people with disabilities in the workforce. Among them are improved work culture, boosted productivity, and increased market appeal. A 2023 study by Accenture found that companies that actively employ and support people with disabilities achieve greater financial outcomes—1.6x more revenue, 2.6x more net income, and 2x more economic profit—compared to peer organizations. A National Institutes of Health review drew similar conclusions, adding increased safety, higher employee retention, better company image, and boosted customer loyalty to the list.

With mental health awarness on the rise, it makes sense for companies to extend inclusion efforts toward those who live with them. And this level of inclusivity “isn’t actually that complicated,” said Blanch. “It simply requires intentionality and effort (that’s rarely about any type of financial cost).”

A big part of that intentionality centers around creating a work culture that normalizes mental health challenges and disabilities. Some companies are already taking innovative approaches to this. In 2023, Mind Share Partners, for example, launched the Leaders Go First campaign—a national initiative that featured a collection of videos from C-level leaders sharing their personal mental health stories. Microsoft, Dove, Unilever, Bell, and Pinterest all feature robust mental health awareness initiatives as well. Still other companies have encouraged open disclosure for some time. Barclay’s “This Is Me” initiative has featured employees sharing their personal mental health jouneys since 2013.

Where stigma is reduced and a few basic accommodations implemented, organizations can reap the benefits of a truly inclusive workforce—one that includes skills and talents that would otherwise go untapped. With labor shortages impacting many industries, employers cannot afford to overlook the one in four adults in the United States living with a mental health condition, many of whom are willing and able to contribute to the workforce. PRIDE Industries has decades of experience helping hundreds of businesses tap the talents and the business benefits of employing people with disabilities, including mental health conditions.

Let Us Help You Build an Inclusive Labor Force

Inclusive workforces, including those that employ people with disabilities, boast 35 percent greater productivity. PRIDE Industries has helped hundreds of companies to make their teams more inclusive, helping recruit, hire, train, and support this reliable talent pool—free of charge to employers.
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Chelsea Davis’s New Beginning: How Employment Services for People with Disabilities Can Change Lives

In late 2019, Chelsea Davis was undergoing inpatient treatment for drug addiction. She was also suffering from severe bipolar depression and anxiety. For these reasons, Chelsea believed that employment was, for her, out of reach.

Then a relative told her about PRIDE Industries and its employment services for people with disabilities.

“I never thought I could get a job, let alone keep one, after living the life I chose for so many years,” Chelsea said. “PRIDE Industries gave me that chance.”

After learning about PRIDE Industries, Chelsea found its website and began searching for open positions.

“I was hesitant at first—applying at such a big company,” said Chelsea. “It was PRIDE Industries’ mission that got me to apply. I realized they help people who’ve experienced things like anxiety and depression.”

A few weeks later, while still in rehabilitation, Chelsea interviewed for a position as an EVS tech at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation California Health Care Facility (CDCR-CHCF). Days later, when she found out she’d gotten the job, she was thrilled.

“PRIDE Industries accommodated my schedule during my entire time in rehab,” Chelsea said. “This allowed me to take time off for doctor appointments and to manage medication changes.”

Chelsea has been working at the facility as a PRIDE Industries employee ever since—exhibiting leadership skills from the start, even as she navigated early recovery.

“PRIDE Industries leadership and HR took me in,” said Chelsea. “They taught me, and they cared about me while I was still learning to care for myself. I had no work ethic and no hope to gain any, but they changed all of that for me. They have basically raised me in this area of my life.”

Lauri Alsup, Environmental Services Director at CDCR-CHCF, is one of the PRIDE Industries leaders who saw Chelsea’s potential.

“Right off the bat when I met Chelsea, I was blown away by her personality and positivity,” said Lauri. “I could recognize right away that she was going places.”

And go, Chelsea did. After just nine months in her entry-level position, Chelsea was promoted to Assistant Operations Manager. From there, she skipped the next step up, and, in June 2022, moved into the role of Acting Operations Manager for the facility’s third watch (swing shift). That November, she was placed into the role permanently. As she did in each of her previous positions, she has excelled in this one.

“Chelsea has all those unteachable skills,” said Lauri. “You can learn operational flow and workflow, but she has people skills.”

Those are skills Chelsea draws on every day at CDCR CHCF, a 1,200-bed, 1.4 million-square-foot men’s correctional facility that specializes in mental health. Chelsea’s day there starts with three security checks, after which she meets with her operations manager. Then she huddles with her team for what’s referred to as the “pass-down.” During the pass-down, Chelsea gets notified of any pending issues, injuries, or emergencies that transpired during the previous shift.

“Let’s say an inmate decided to stuff his toilet with bedding and flush it a hundred times,” Lauri said. “Chelsea will figure out what needs to be done there.

Employment Services for People with Disabilities, Perseverance, and People Skills: A Perfect Combination for CDCR-CHCF

From creative problem-solving to training and coaching employees with disabilities to advocating for them in their interactions with the inmates, Chelsea’s people skills are among her greatest strengths.

“Maybe that’s where my past has helped me,” she said. “I can understand where some of the inmates come from. People assume they’re all there for big things, but it’s not always that way, and we can’t know their backgrounds.”

This attitude exemplifies another trait of Chelsea’s that enables her to interact effectively with people: Empathy—the ability to place one’s self in another’s shoes. Often honed through adversity, empathy is increasingly recognized as an imperative when it comes to leadership. And, when it comes to her team, Chelsea has it in spades.

“I won’t ever forget what it’s like to be out there cleaning up some of the things my team has to,” she said. “I love them and appreciate all they do.”

At the end of the day, a quote Chelsea recently found sums up her leadership philosophy: “Build a team so strong that you don’t know who the boss is.”

Continuing Achievements

On March 7, 2024, Chelsea reached another major milestone: Five years clean—and all of the personal and professional good that comes with it.

“I still struggle on some days,” said Chelsea. “But, with PRIDE Industries, I have support and a sense of purpose—the desire to keep moving forward.”

When asked what she most enjoys about her job, Chelsea is quick to say it’s about giving back.

“I’m in a position to give others the individual accommodations, guidance, and support they need to be successful,” she said. “Everything that was given to me, I’m able to give back to other people.”

When it comes to employment services for people with disabilities, we at PRIDE Industries understand that this is a people-first proposition. All human beings have unique abilities to bring to the workforce. Sometimes, all they need is a little help to get started . . . and then, as is the case with Chelsea, the sky is the limit.

Make a social impact

PRIDE Industries builds inclusive, diverse work environments where people with disabilities can thrive. Is your company seeking well-trained, reliable employees? Join our Employment Partner Network today.
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“I never thought I could get a job, let alone keep one, after living the life I chose for so many years. PRIDE Industries gave me that chance.”

—Chelsea Davis

Roseville, Calif. — PRIDE Industries, the nation’s leading employer of people with disabilities, has been named a DAV Patriot Employer. The DAV (Disabled American Veterans) grants this honor to partner organizations that support its crucial mission of securing meaningful employment for military veterans, particularly those with disabilities.

“We are honored by this important acknowledgement,” said Tim Young, Vice President, Talent Management at PRIDE Industries. “Our organizations share a common dedication to supporting veteran hiring, and we hope to explore future opportunities for additional collaboration between the DAV and PRIDE Industries.”

PRIDE Industries currently employs hundreds of veterans in all areas of the company and has provided services to thousands more in the form of job coaching, vocational instruction, and employment placement assistance. The company’s resources for veterans include the one-of-a-kind I AM ABLE Employment Helpline [(844) 426-2253], a veterans employee resource group (ERG), and the online Military Skills Translator, which helps veterans match their skills and talent to a civilian career. In addition, PRIDE Industries helps veterans access mentoring and training programs, as well as paid internships.  And to help promote the hiring of diverse candidates, including military veterans, the company provides community placement services to businesses in multiple industries.

The DAV provides free, professional assistance to military veterans and their families, including help in obtaining benefits and services earned through military service and provided by the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and other government agencies.   

“It is with great pleasure that we recognize PRIDE Industries as a DAV Patriot Employer,” said Ryan Burgos, National Employment Director at DAV. “PRIDE Industries has demonstrated by their employment policies, hiring practices, and commitment to their veteran community a strong unwavering passion that ensures all veterans obtain suitable employment to care for themselves and their families. It is because of Patriot Employers like you that we are able to raise awareness and keep our promise to America’s veterans.”  

About PRIDE Industries

PRIDE Industries delivers business excellence with a positive social impact. A social enterprise, we provide facilities operations and maintenance services, custodial services, contract manufacturing, supply chain management, packaging and fulfillment services, and placement services to private and public organizations nationwide. Founded in 1966, PRIDE Industries’ mission is to create employment for people with disabilities. Through personalized employment services, we help individuals realize their true potential and lead more independent lives. PRIDE Industries proves the value of its inclusive workforce model through operational success across multiple industries every day.

About DAV

There are more than 20 million veterans in the U.S. Each one has been affected by their service. DAV helps veterans of every generation address their challenges and achieve personal victories, great and small, to better thrive in civilian life. We are proud to say that more than 95 cents out of every dollar donated directly supports programs that help veterans and their families.

Media Contact
Kat Maudru
(916) 753-4339

media@prideindustries.com

PRIDE Industries is a social enterprise delivering business excellence to public and private organizations nationwide.

In today’s business climate, a solid employee retention strategy is more important than ever. Even as the Great Resignation has waned in some sectors, high employee turnover continues to plague organizations. It’s an issue that’s not going away anytime soon. In fact, advisory firm Forester predicts that employers will face more, not less, worker turnover long into the future. This is especially true of frontline workers—who already quit at a rate of 50 percent within the first three months. While some turnover is natural, excessive turnover can crush a business. Beyond the loss of valuable team members, the cost of replacing an employee can be staggering—from one-half to twice the employee’s salary. And the detrimental effects of high turnover extend beyond mere financial strain. Here are six ways that high turnover negatively impacts an organization.

Decreased Productivity

According to Gallup, employees who are considering leaving tend to become disengaged, and disengagement incurs a cost of between $450 billion and $550 billion each year in lost productivity. If workers do leave, the time it takes to train new employees—a minimum of three months by some estimates—further impairs productivity as managers are spending more time onboarding and training newcomers. Expedited training isn’t a viable solution. It can result in embarrassing, costly, or even dangerous mistakes that wind up taking even more time away from production.

Impaired Customer Relations

When employees are constantly new, lacking knowledge about products, services, and procedures, customers grow increasingly frustrated. Consulting firm Watermark found direct, negative correlations between companies’ employee retention rates and their Net Promoter Scores (a widely used measure of customer experience quality). High turnover led to low customer satisfaction. Especially in frontline industries, where courteous, skilled public-facing employees are vital to the customer experience, high employee turnover means bad online reviews and, eventually, lost customers.

Plummeting Morale

As employees watch their coworkers come and go, they become less likely to engage with new hires. Moreover, as coworkers leave, employees are more likely to consider the reasons why—ultimately leading to their own departures. Managers lose motivation, too, when it comes to implementing new initiatives or investing in employees’ growth. When morale is low among frontline employees, their customer service skills decline. In fact, a survey by Eagle Hill Consulting found that dissatisfied employees were more than 2.5 times more likely to say they do not provide excellent customer service. As mentioned above, indifferent customer service is contagious, leading to indifferent customers who will take their business elsewhere

Tarnished Reputation

High turnover makes businesses look bad. Those poor online reviews from disgruntled customers send a negative signal to both would-be buyers and potential employees. According to Forbes, negative online reviews deter 80% of viewers from contacting a business. And a Harvard Business Review study found that businesses with a poor reputation as employers had to offer at least 10 percent higher salaries to entice employees to join. A bad reputation can also discourage partners, investors, and lenders who view low employee retention as a sign of overall organizational instability.

Product Quality Issues

Whether the product is a clean, safe facility or a medical device, high turnover can negatively impact product quality. In the custodial industry, where turnover hovers around 200%–an entire workforce replaced twice in a year—turnover can turn into dirty, cluttered buildings. A poorly maintained building can deter potential tenants and visitors, as it’s often their first impression of a business. When it comes to manufacturing, poor employee retention can mean faulty products, leading to costly returns. A a research study by Informs found a direct link between turnover and product quality: “Despite the manufacturer’s extensive quality control efforts, including stringent testing, each percentage point increase in the weekly rate of workers quitting from an assembly line (its weekly worker turnover) is found to increase product failures by 0.74%–0.79%.”

Safety Concerns

High turnover decreases safety. According to OSHA, 40 percent of employees who are injured have been on the job less than one year. Not only is this statistic troubling when considering the human toll, but it’s also bad for a company’s bottom line. Businesses incur over $170 billion annually due to employee injuries or illnesses. Indirect expenses such as productivity loss, equipment damage, and legal fees can multiply total costs by a factor of ten.

Start with Recruiting the Right People for the Job

According to the Harvard Business Review, 80 percent of turnover is due to bad hires. Employee retention starts with recruiting and onboarding the right people. To do that, recruiters need to be crystal clear about their expectations and communicate them in an effective, accessible way. They also need to understand how much emphasis to put on hard versus soft skills—especially when it comes to frontline roles. In some cases, “trainable” is better than pre-trained. Finding the right people for the job also means widening the talent search to include innovative employment models and underutilized workforces. A 2020 study by Accenture and Harvard Business School coined the term “hidden workers”—an estimated 27 million people, including individuals with disabilities, who are eager to work, demonstrate numerous business benefits, and are statistically more likely to stay at a job.

Let Us Help You Reduce Employee Turnover

Turnover in frontline roles like retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and facilities maintenance is an ongoing challenge. Let us introduce you to a workforce that wants the jobs you sometimes find difficult to fill and retain. PRIDE Industries has decades of experience working with hundreds of businesses to provide turnkey, scalable staffing solutions. We make it easy to offer life-changing employment to individuals looking for long-term opportunities. Join us.
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High employee turnover continues to plague companies—especially those that include frontline workers, and learning how to retain employees has become a business imperative.  While compensation certainly factors into low employee retention, departing employees cite other causes. Below, we summarize them, but, first, let us tell you about an innovative solution: supported work groups of employees with disabilities.

What is a Supported Work Group?

For hundreds of companies, the supported work group model answers the question of how to retain employees—but what, exactly is it? A typical work group is comprised of three employees with disabilities who have the desire and ability to work. Each group is supported onsite by a trained, dedicated employment coach supplied by the work group provider. The group is placed with employers whose jobs match the employees’ interests and skills.

The work group provider serves as the employer of record, taking on the recruiting, hiring, training, payroll, supervision, and quality control work—eliminating management overhead for the partner business. Supported work groups can be tailored for specific roles, offering flexible, scalable solutions while the pre-employment preparation process and on-the-job support ensure a workforce that’s both skilled and safe. What’s more, supported work groups directly solve many of the issues that lead to high turnover.

Causes of Employee Turnover and Work Group Solutions

Lack of a Sense of Belonging

When considering how to retain employees, first consider this: Belonging is the most basic of all human needs and is as important at work as anywhere else. A study by BetterUp and Harvard Business Review found that employees who feel they don’t belong have a 50 percent higher turnover risk than those who feel they do.

  • Solution: Lack of belonging is a fixable problem—one that’s built into the supported work group model. Because each work group is comprised of three eager employees with disabilities and one coach, a sense of community is established from the start. In some cases, transportation to and from work is included in the program, and the shared commute further increases comradery. Work group employees report looking forward to working each day.

Lack of Engagement

When belonging goes missing, so does engagement. A study by Qualtrics found that employees who don’t experience a sense of belonging are three and a half times less likely to engage—leading to a vicious cycle. Unengaged employees put in less effort, refuse extra responsibilities, cease to grow, withdraw from coworkers, and, ultimately, leave.

  • Solution: The work group is a team, and each day team members engage directly with each other and with their coach. The sense of belonging is inherent to the supported work group and fosters engagement. As a result, the disengage-withdraw-depart cycle is nipped in the bud.

Poor Communication

According to marketing research firm GITNUX’s 2024 Marketdata Report, inconsistent communication in the workplace increases employee turnover by 50 percent. It makes sense. Without consistent, effective communication, confusion reigns.

  • Solution: Key to the work group model are the skilled employment coaches who are trained to facilitate ongoing communication—not only among work group employees, but also with management. Employment coaches also help to prioritize and reprioritize employee’s tasks, tailoring them to an organization’s shifting needs.
paper with three boxes indicating level of satisfaction.

Lack of Goals and Purpose

Without goals, employees feel adrift. Without purpose, they feel like what they do doesn’t matter. Employees who are distanced from the big picture—including a company’s purpose, mission, and goals— lose enthusiasm and commitment. In fact, research by Great Place to Work found a lack of purpose to be one of three predictors for employee turnover, “regardless of generation or job type.” Similarly, employees without goals don’t know where to direct their efforts and are more likely to leave.

  • Solution: Purpose and goals are also critical components of supported work groups. From the employees to the coaches to the companies where work groups shine, everyone involved understands their goals and responsibilities. Goal setting starts pre-hiring, when employees with disabilities are matched with job opportunities aligned with their employment goals. Employment coaches work to help each work group member achieve their objectives on the job. Coaches also work with managers and co-workers to keep everyone aligned. Frequent check-ins mean that the employee receives regular feedback each step of the way.

Lack of Recognition

A survey by Indeed found that, for 30 percent of people who left a job within the first six months, recognition for their contributions could have made the difference—encouraging them to stay. Similarly, Gallup found that employee recognition results in employees who are 56 percent less likely to begin looking for a new job.

  • Solution: Employee recognition is integral to the work group model. Whether it’s quarterly attendance awards, luncheons for a job well done, or a shout-out in the company newsletter, work group leaders regularly celebrate the successes of the employees they train and work with.

Poor Training for Employees

Research shows that 40 percent of employees who don’t receive proper job training will leave their positions within the first year. According to LinkedIn’s 2018 Workforce Learning Report, 94 percent of employees said they’d stay at a company longer if it invested in helping them learn—another important metric to consider when discerning how to retain employees.

  • Solution: As employment coaches are constantly present, training is never a one-and-done proposition with supported work groups. Coaches are prepared to help employees learn new skills as needed, and coaches have the know-how and flexibility to tailor training to each individual’s learning style.

Unclear Performance Expectations/Lack of Manager Feedback

Jim Harter, Chief Scientist of Workplace Management and Well Being at Gallup, said, “the most fundamental engagement element is knowing what’s expected of you.” Gallup’s meta-analysis discovered robust correlations between clarity of expectations and organizational results, including employee retention.

  • Solution: Work group leaders provide documented performance expectations for the employees they work with, from pre-employment to on-the-job in real time, as well as feedback about performance. Moreover, the presence of employment coaches allows for expectations to be easily tailored and scalable in accord with a business’s needs.

How to Retain Employees: A Business Imperative

In today’s high-turnover climate, a good employee retention strategy will include innovation. This means that employers will need to consider previously underutilized talent pools and workforce structures. To be competitive, savvy organizations must invest in creating and fostering an inclusive work environment where employees feel seen, valued, and empowered.

Let Us Help You Reduce Employee Turnover

Turnover in frontline roles like retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and facilities maintenance is an ongoing challenge. Let us introduce you to a workforce that wants the jobs you sometimes find difficult to fill and retain. PRIDE Industries has decades of experience working with hundreds of businesses to provide turnkey, scalable staffing solutions. We make it easy to offer life-changing employment to individuals looking for long-term opportunities. Join us.
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