IT’S MORE THAN JUST WORDS, IT’S A PATH FORWARD – United Way’s Invitation to ACTION

IT’S MORE THAN JUST WORDS…IT’S A PATH FORWARD – United Way’s Invitation to Action

THE SHARED CHALLENGE

In recent comments to state business leaders, Governor Lamont asked, “How do we get people back to work?“

PART OF THE SOLUTION

We humbly offer this suggestion, and possible solution to both state and business leaders: let’s meet workers’ needs at work. It might sound simple and straightforward, and that’s because it is. But the work isn’t easy. Connecticut United Ways believe that we have a win-win opportunity to get CT back to work and increase racial equity by taking the doable steps to make work work for ALICE. 

IT’S MORE THAN JUST WORDS, IT’S A PATH FORWARD

We stand ready to partner with employers across the state who want to attract and retain top talent and treat them with dignity. United Way firmly believes that there are policies that employers can adopt today that will remove barriers to worker productivity, encourage employee retention, better meet the needs of ALICE households and reduce the racial and ethnic disparities that exist in our workforce.

ALICE WORKFORCE STRATEGIES For Large and Small Businesses

Click the link above. Visit the site. Let us know what you think!

WE ARE ALL IN

As employers, we have the power to elevate the lives of these crucial employees. United Way of CT has committed to be part of a national “ALICE at work” effort to make us an employer that delivers for our team the same way we deliver for our consumers. We too are learning from these Workforce Strategies put together by our colleagues.  

We have an opportunity to get CT back to work and increase racial equity by taking the doable steps to make work work for ALICE. It’s a win-win. The 2020 ALICE Report revealed that 38% of Connecticut residents lived below the ALICE Threshold before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even more staggering, 57% of Black households and 63% of Hispanic Households in CT lived below that same threshold prior to the pandemic.  

We – and our economy – lean on ALICE for support in a number of ways. Yet, right now, ALICE households are struggling to feed their families, access affordable child care, maintain their housing and ensure their medical care.    

What are Connecticut employers doing to address this issue? 

  • Yale University’s New Haven Hiring Initiative (NHHI) supports New Haven economic growth by connecting qualified, New Haven residents to open positions at the University.

“As employers, and Yale University is the largest employer in New Haven, we play a central role in people’s lives. It is different for every employer and every workforce, but when we can support people to be successful in finding and keeping a job, we all win. It may be help with transportation. It may be flexible scheduling. It may be helping people save. All those things matter.” Chris Brown, Director of New Haven Hiring Initiative

Jessica Rivera joined Wepco to help make face shields during the pandemic and found herself on a new career path once the orders were fulfilled. She was trained as a manufacturing support manager — and learned all the skills that come with that — so she could fill in for someone on maternity leave. When that person returned, the company offered her a position in sales and marketing, for which she is now in training.

Read on about their enterprising work: https://nationalfund.org/frontline-forward/wepco-plastics/ 

“I was very pleasantly surprised that my managers at Wepco really made an effort to acknowledge when I was doing good work and provided opportunities to grow even more, and quickly, too,” Jessica Rivera, Wepco Employee

Want to learn more about ALICE? 

Download the 2020 ALICE Report for Connecticut Executive Summary. 

ALICE Data by United Way Service Area