Frequently Asked Questions
Testimonials

 

Frequently Asked Questions

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What are the benefits of working with Northwest Center Works versus a traditional staffing agency?
NWC Works offers a workforce that is reliable, flexible and highly motivated to work. NWC Works assigns an employment specialist to work with both the client and the host business in order to match the right person with the right job.   In addition, NWC Works is committed to following up with the host business to make sure that our client continues to meet all of the requirements of the job.  This service is provided at no cost to the host business and our employment specialists are quick to respond to requests for help.  NWC Works is committed to creating lasting business partnerships that meet the staffing needs of local businesses and increase in employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

How do you match employee skills with my business needs?
When you partner with NWC Works, you’re working with a specialist who can provide qualified people for the job you need to fill. The NWC employment specialist will meet with you and develop a detailed understanding of the job, tasks, and expectations of your business. The employment specialist will assess and pre-screen all individuals prior to referring them and also accompany the applicant to the job site and assist with the training, orientation, and initial supervision.  

Are there extra financial incentives for my company when I hire people with disabilities?
Incentives for small and medium sized businesses make tapping into the disability communities an attractive recruiting strategy. As a non-profit agency, NWC Works is able to offer many unique advantages that benefit your business’s bottom line, including tax incentives and credits.

Tax incentives include the small business tax credit and Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). The WOTC provides a tax credit for employers hiring individuals from certain targeted groups, including people with disabilities, low-income individuals from certain targeted rehabilitation referrals, former AFDC recipients, veterans, food stamp recipients, summer youth employees and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients.

How do labor unions feel about NWC Works?
Individuals from NWC Works are eligible to join unions just like any other individual employee.  NWC Works strives to place our clients into positions that provide the best possible benefits available to workers, including those associated with union membership.

How do you define “disabled?”
There is a wide range of disabilities and conditions found in society that can impact people’s lives in different ways.  In fact, one in eleven Americans between ages 16-64 is disabled in some way.  NWC Works assures that we place people in jobs where their disability does not interfere with the work performed. NWC Works prescreens and assesses all of the individuals we work with prior to placing them into a job. A disability can be defined as:

• Those born with physical or mental disabilities, or both
• Those injured in accidents or on the job
• Highly visible handicaps, such as blindness, lack of a limb or the need to use a wheelchair
• Hidden disabilities, such as epilepsy, heart disease, arthritis, emotional or psychiatric difficulties

What’s the track record of disabled people in the workforce?
Today, adults with disabilities are entering the workforce in growing numbers. They are holding just about every kind of job available in the U.S. today, side-by-side with non-disabled workers. In professional and technical work, there are some 663,000 deaf or hearing-impaired individuals, a similar number with missing or nonfunctional limbs, and 60,000 workers who are in wheelchairs. Even more disabled workers are employed as craftspeople, laborers and in-service occupations. NWC Works assists over 100 disabled individuals annually to find jobs and maintain employment in the community and we work with over 50 local businesses.

The evidence is clear that disabled people are qualified and are meeting the criteria by doing their jobs with typical or better-than-typical attendance records, safety performance and attitudes.

Is there an impact on my worker’s compensation insurance rate when I hire disabled persons?
No! Most worker's compensation insurers wholeheartedly encourage employers to hire disabled workers and do not penalize employers for doing so. Workers compensation insurance rates are based solely on the relative hazards of a company’s operations and its accident experience.

The cost of worker's compensation insurance for a group that includes disabled employees, as for any other employee group, depends primarily on how the individuals contribute to the overall workplace safety record.

What is the accident experience of disabled workers versus other employees?
The U.S. Department of Labor surveys show that disabled persons have fewer disabling injuries than the average worker exposed to the same job hazards and about the same number of minor injuries; they do not add to worker's compensation costs. The best insurance against accidents among disabled or non-disabled employees is a safe workplace. The first step toward this goal is matching the worker to a job that can be performed safely.

Are health, accident, hospitalization and other employee benefit costs affected when my company permanently hires disabled employees?
No! Generally speaking, group health plans, pension programs and related employees benefit programs are not adversely affected by hiring disabled personnel. While some employers think hiring a person with disabilities will result in re-occurring injuries, this is not true.

Many people with disabilities are provided with medical benefits by the government. When you hire a person with a disability, the worker often comes to your organization with health insurance coverage. If your firm is offering employment without health benefits, know that these employees already have paid health insurance.

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Testimonials

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NWC Works partners with over 50 local businesses annually in the employment of people with disabilities. These businesses represent a wide range of enterprises from small local employers to large retail chains. Companies may employ just one NWC client or they may employ multiple individuals within several stores or locations.

Wal Mart/Sam's Club
"Wal Mart/Sam’s Club is all about providing excellent customer service to the community and it starts within. Our employees are critical to our success. We need people who are friendly, dependable, like to have fun and really want to be a part of our team. Working with NWC in assisting us with our hiring needs is an ongoing positive experience. Our mutual belief that jobs really do change people’s lives is a shared reality that has made our relationship more than just business."

Roy Ty, Manager
Wal Mart/Sam’s Club

Seattle Athletic Club
"I do not know if in words I can do justice to how much Sandy brings to our club. She is my employee moral captain, housekeeping quality control inspector, member retention specialist and daily breath of fresh air. If only I could transfer some of her qualities and standards to the rest of my staff! I know that people sometimes can glorify people beyond what is actually fact within testimonials, but this is not one of those cases. She is one staff member I would not want to do without, she is critical to the continued success and positive environment within our company. We love Sandy!"

Robert Lauren
General Manager
Seattle Athletic Club-Downtown

Value Village
"It’s a great way for our company to support the community and it’s a part of our core vision of working with a diverse community. Northwest Center helps with selecting great candidates to be a part of the Value Village family. Northwest Center’s job coaches are very helpful with the immersion of the new team member and are a huge part of their success."

Mark Adams
Regional Manager
Value Village

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