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"Ask
Uncle Jimmy" - At Main Building Supply, an Employee's
Injury Evolved Into a New Level of Customer Service
Darren and Kimberly Jahn are
the owners of Main Building Supply – an Ace Hardware
store with lumber and building materials in Rogue River,
Oregon. When one of their employees was injured on the
job, Darren and Kim, assisted by Oregon’s Preferred
Worker Program, were able to create a new job that would
enable them to keep the employee productively employed
by their company. We recently spoke to Darren about
their experience.
OBLN:
Darren, we understand that you are in the process of
re-employing an employee who was injured at work. Can
you give us some background on that?
Darren Jahn: Jim Kirkwood
has been an employee of the company for many years.
Early last year, while on the job, Jim seriously injured
his thigh. He went through surgery and a lengthy
recovery period. When Jim’s rehabilitation was complete,
it was evident that he would not be able to return to
the set of responsibilities that made up his job before
the accident. As mobile as Jim is, he is limited in what
tasks he can do while avoiding being in chronic pain or
re-injuring himself.
Given his new physical
limitations, there are actually no other existing
positions in the company that he would be able to do. We
have a serious focus on customer service. Every employee
greets customers one-on-one as they come through the
door. We ask what they are looking for, help them find
it, answer their questions, accompany them through the
store and the lumber yard, check them out and load up
their car. It creates a retail experience that is unlike
any other, and it is the cornerstone of our business.
That job description just doesn’t line up with all of
Jim’s new limitations.
We were committed to employing
him, but we had to come up with some way to get him
re-employed where he would be able to carry out his
duties safely for 40 hours a week. My wife brainstormed
a new and unique position for our company that he could
fulfill. It is called the “Ask Uncle Jimmy” counter.
OBLN:
The “Ask Uncle Jimmy” counter? Tell us about it!
Darren Jahn: Jimmy is an
experienced builder. He has been building for over
twenty-five years. He can do anything. He can work with
metal. He can work with construction lumber.
 He
can do plumbing. He can do electrical work. This guy is
very, very experienced and very, very talented. We think
the “Ask Uncle Jimmy" counter is an amazing way to tap
into his experience base and to be able to have it
directly benefit our customers.
Our idea is to create a counter
that is customized to Jim’s specific physical needs and
requirements – to stock it with tools, research
materials, and a computer setup that will enable him to
put together proposals, check inventory levels, and
conduct internet research. Basically Jim will be
available 40 hours a week to answer people’s questions
and give them advice and guidance on their projects.
A very high percentage of our
customers already know who Jim is and the “Ask Uncle
Jimmy” counter will create a very non-corporate feel –
which is in keeping with our desire to keep a truly
local identity.
We also envision Jimmy being
able to formalize some training for other employees,
track frequently-asked questions and develop a system of
presenting consistent answers store-wide. We are excited
and encouraged about the additional possibilities of the
position.
OBLN:
How did you go about making this happen?
Darren Jahn: Last
November, shortly after we came up with the idea, I was
introduced to Bruce McLean Vocational Resource
Consultants. As our appointed consultant, Bruce has
been invaluable in helping us to align our vision of the
new job with the programs that are available to support
and fund it. He introduced us to Heather Grogan from the
Preferred Worker Program.
It was such a great experience
when Bruce hooked us up with Heather. She was so
positive about the concept of creating the new job for
Jim. She really thought outside of the box. I was so
impressed at how willing she was to be flexible and
creative to make this thing happen – given the
guidelines of the funding programs that were available.
Essentially her response was; “This is great. You are
actually going to create a way for Jim to make a living.
It is going to be good for this store. You are willing
to put in the effort to make it happen. Let’s get some
funding together.” To have someone from the State come
in and be creative, and encouraging and excited was
really, really refreshing.
OBLN:
What kind of support were you eligible for from the
State?
Darren Jahn: There were
several pools of resources available to us. One was for
worksite modification – which was taking the things that
existed but didn’t work for Jim and adjusting
manipulating or evolving those things so that they did
work for him. Another pool of resources, limited to a
maximum of $5000, was available to help create a new
position for an injured worker. There was also a pool of
resources for tools. Combined, these funds helped
finance the creation of the counter itself, the computer
equipment and the tools that Jim will need.
OBLN:
So, you were introduced to the Preferred Worker Program
back in November. When did Jim start his new position?
Darren Jahn: We are a
reasonably efficient organization. We are small and we
don’t have any red tape. We can make things happen, but
we started all this three months ago and we are still
just now getting it into place.
This has been a time-consuming
process. It does take some effort. You have to define
“What are we trying to do? What is it going to take? Who
is going to provide these things? And you have to get
the formal bids together. It is actually quite a
process, but one that we felt was well-worth the effort.
Meanwhile, Jim was on a reduced
salary throughout his entire recovery period. Once Jim
was considered “stable”, beyond unemployment income, he
was no longer eligible for any financial support from
the State. Jim had a new job to look forward to, but it
could be months before it was actually in place. That
doesn’t leave a guy with a family and house payments in
a very solid position; so we employed Jim almost right
away.
Jim has been helping us envision
his new job and he has been acquiring the new skills and
knowledge he will need for it. We have started him on a
pretty extensive training program, including two
separate plumbing and electrical trainings – one here in
Salem and one in Los Angeles.
OBLN:
Do you have any words of advice for other business
owners who are seeking to re-employ a worker who has
acquired a disability?
Darren Jahn: Well, a few
things come to mind. If you offer existing positions
that the worker would be capable of performing with
modifications, you’re home-free. There are great
State-funded programs in place that offer considerable
dollars (upwards of $25,000) to modify worksites for
qualified injured workers. The people who help implement
these programs are very experienced and will come onsite
to help you map a plan for successfully modifying the
workplace for the disabled worker to return as a fully
contributing member of your team.
If the worker is no longer
capable of filling any existing position, even with
modification, then there’s still hope, although it’s a
harder road. Step one is to step back, set dollars,
cents, and traditional employment positions aside and
try to really think outside the box. Brainstorm without
critique until you have a number of far-fetched ideas
for employing the individual. You just may find that
the far-fetched list contains an idea that could add
real value to your organization while simultaneously
giving the disabled worker gainful employment.
Truthfully, taking the
brainstormed idea through to implementation is a lot of
work and a significant time commitment. Still, the
outcome can be worth the investment of time and energy
for both you and the employee. In my experience, if you
bring the commitment, the State will bring the dollars
and expertise to make it happen.
Return to Top |
"The
people who help implement these (Preferred
Worker) programs are very experienced and will
come onsite to help you map a plan for
successfully modifying the workplace for the
disabled worker to return as a fully
contributing member of your team."
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