OP CHAMBER
Talent Solutions | Resources
As workforce recruitment and retention continues to evolve, the Overland Park Chamber is a resource for employers in monitoring the workforce supply and implementing tips, tools, and best practices to help you find, hire, and develop employees. To help educate employers and employees on how they can prepare, please explore the following sections of helpful information and resources.
Employee Recruitment and Retention
Guides and Resources from the U.S. Chamber
The U.S. Chamber continues to create, update, and evolve its various guides and resources to inform its members and provide relevant and practical information. We encourage you to use and share the following items as you see fit:
Main Street Lending Program Guide
Backgrounder on Health Coverage Options
Temporary Paid Leave and Family Medical Leave Guide
Employee Retention Tax Credit Guide
Workplace TipsÂ
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Talent Pipeline Management Initiative
Articles and Studies from the U.S. Chamber
Report Finds Small Businesses Offering More Flexibility, Higher Wages, New Benefits to Find and Keep Workers - The Small Business Index with MetLife shows 37% of small businesses surveyed plan to increase staff this year. To attract workers amid a shortage of talent, small businesses are offering new benefits and opportunities to recruit and retain workers.
How One Small Business Is Finding Workers in a Tight Job Market - Wyoming Machine is offering flexible work schedules, a benefit rarely seen in manufacturing, to attract and retain talent during the worker shortage.
4 Ways Employers Can Improve Recruiting and Retention - A new poll shows many unemployed workers are not actively looking for work. From offering hybrid work schedules to investing in reskilling and upskilling training, here are four ways employers can improve their recruiting and retention practices.
5 Reasons People Are Changing Careers More Than Ever Before - A new U.S. Chamber poll shows 41% of people are looking to switch industries for their next job. But the reasons why they want to change careers aren’t what you might expect.
Guides and Resources
KCSourceLink: Get Your Hiring Checklist
CIO: Employee retention - 10 strategies for retaining top talent Â
Center for Creative Leadership: How to Improve Employee Retention Post-Pandemic with Flexible Work Arrangements Webinar
Articles and Studies
KCSourceLink: Former Musician Uses Innovative Hiring Strategy to Scale KC Electronics Business - Aaron Thomas was a musician who needed a day job. He didn’t plan on becoming a business owner with an innovative approach to staffing. But that’s how it played out. Now, Aaron’s electronics resale business GearBrokers is in its seventh year, and his team has very little turnover.
Luminary Labs: Upskilling and Reskilling America - Historically low unemployment rates have challenged traditional notions of the skills gap, but employers consistently report difficulties finding skilled talent.
Childcare
Guides and Resources from the US Chamber
Employer Guide to Childcare Assistance and Tax Credits
Employer Roadmap: Childcare Solutions for Working Parents
Mobilizing Business on Early Childhood Education
Childcare for Working Parents Webinar
Articles from the US Chamber
States Already Have Money for More Childcare Support, But They Can’t Give It to Families - Talk in Washington right now on childcare is all centered on the reconciliation bill, but states were given $39 billion for childcare as part of the American Rescue Plan that they are unable to use freely, leaving working parents without relief.
Childcare for Working Parents: Current Barriers and How to Break Them - Finding affordable childcare is a challenge for many working parents. Here’s how businesses can help overcome childcare barriers for their workforce.
Guides and Resources
International Labor Office (ILO): Workplace Solutions for Childcare Â
Childcare.gov: Getting Started - Simple Steps for Finding and Choosing Childcare  Â
Child Care Aware of Kansas: Helpful Resources for Families
Articles and Studies
CNBC: Employers offer stipends for babysitting and tutoring to sweeten child-care benefits and win over workers - As working parents juggled their jobs and caregiving during the coronavirus pandemic, companies took notice. Companies have responded by offering new child-care benefits such as backup child care and stipends for college counseling services and tutoring.
BBC: Could on-site childcare lure parents back to the workplace? - On-site childcare can cut down on parental stress, up worker engagement and help keep mums in the labor market. Why doesn't everyone offer it?
Real World Learning
Real World Learning is a form of work-based learning that exists in order to better prepare students for their next steps after they graduate high school whether that's attending post secondary educational institutions, learning the trades, or entering the workforce immediately. RWL provides students the access to interacting with real professionals, solving authentic problems, and further developing essential skills. To support districts across the region, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation created common terminology to be used in metro-area school districts. Today, more than 30 school districts across the Kansas City MSA participate in some form of Real World Learning at the high school level.
To help your business engage in this important talent initiative, the Overland Park Chamber has developed resources such as this Real World Learning information dashboard.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Guides and Resources
A Business Guide to Diversity, Equity, and InclusionÂ
How to Write a Diversity and Inclusion Statement Â
Equality of Opportunity In Action: Measuring Impact Webinar
Articles and Studies
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Creating Solutions for the Opportunity Gap - With so much emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion, here's how businesses can create real solutions and opportunities for diverse candidates.
How the Public and Private Sectors Can Implement Second-Chance Hiring - Policy and business leaders shared how the public and private sectors can work together to create and implement second-chance hiring initiatives.
The Language of DEI and the Terms Every Business Owner Should Know - These key DEI terms are a good starting point for building a diversity and inclusion policy for your workforce.
Resources and Guides
University of California Berkley Health Services: A Toolkit for Recruiting and Hiring a More Diverse Workforce
University of Harvard Center for Workforce Development: Inclusive Hiring Resources GuideÂ
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Power of Diversity Event Recording
Articles and StudiesÂ
Wharton School of Business University of Pennsylvania The, Moody’s and DiversityInc Release New DEI Study - research reveals evidence-based management practices to improve workplace culture
Veterans
- United States Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes (HoH) Foundation: The Departments of Labor and Defense have a partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s HoH Foundation, allowing the foundation to host Career Summits | Hiring Fairs throughout the US and overseas at numerous military installations (all services). This avenue will enable employers to have direct access to transitioning service members and military spouses during the events – at no cost to the employer.
- HoH Resources
- Pending Hiring Events
- Program Representative | Telephone 202.463.5807
- Marine For Life (M4L): The Marine for Life Network provides connections to opportunities for transitioning Marines, veterans, and spouses. One of M4L’s primary efforts is to give visibility on social media platforms with a strong focus on LinkedIn. By joining the Marine for Life group, your company will gain the ability to post job openings in the group which stays active for two weeks after being posted.
- DOL VETS Employer Guide to Hiring Veterans: A helpful guide to familiarize employers with many of our programs and resources.
- American Job Centers (AJC): In partnership with State Workforce Agencies and AJCs across the nation, programs and resources are available for your company to find qualified Veterans, Transitioning Service Members, Military Spouses, and National Guard Personnel. Around 120K Veterans (5.5 million Americans total) received employment and training services at AJCs last year. With over 2400 centers nationwide, the AJCs offer free employer services that include providing workforce information, writing job descriptions, reviewing applicants’ resumes, organizing job fairs, providing places to conduct interviews, pre-screening applicants, assessing applicants’ skills, and referral of job-ready candidates. Staff can also help you post your job openings on the National Labor Exchange (NLx). All transitioning service members are encouraged to use this site to search for jobs. Please note that all DOL services at AJCs are paid by taxpayers and are provided free of charge to both job seekers and employers.
- US DOL Hire Vets Medallion Program: This is the only federal-level veteran’s employment award that recognizes employers for their investments in recruiting, employing, and retaining our nation’s veterans—and now is the time to apply. The enclosed HIRE Vets Fact Sheet and Award Criteria Table provide additional information on the program. Applications will be accepted through April 30th, 2021. For more information on HIRE Vets Medallion Award Program (HVMP) and federal recognition for hiring and retaining Veterans, please visit www.HireVets.gov
- Registered Apprenticeship: You may also want to consider either building an Apprenticeship Program or incorporating your existing program into a Registered Apprenticeship Program. Apprenticeship is an industry-driven, high-quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce. With a high retention rate and proven return on investment, companies of all types and sizes are creating apprenticeship programs to train new hires and current employees for long-term careers. For more information, visit www.apprenticeship.gov.
- Department of Defense SkillBridge Program: Affords your business another avenue to complement your veteran recruitment plan. For Service members, SkillBridge provides an invaluable chance to work and learn in civilian career areas as they can be granted up to 180 days of permissive duty to focus solely on training full-time with approved industry partners. For industry partners, SkillBridge is an opportunity to access and leverage the world’s most highly trained and motivated workforce at no cost. Service members participating in SkillBridge receive their military compensation and benefits, and industry partners provide the training and work experience.
- Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP): MSEP, a career partnership, gives partners first access to a unique and talented group of professionals – military spouses. They are skilled, diverse, and motivated, with a strong work ethic. When MSEP companies and organizations hire military spouses, they gain outstanding employees with 21st-century skills.
Digital Content and Social Media
Be sure to follow the Overland Park Chamber on Twitter and Facebook to get updated information about businesses in our community and additional resources.
If you work for a Chamber member company and would like to receive e-mail communications from the Chamber, please login into your Member Info Hub or contact the Chamber at (913) 491-3600 for assistance.