Government Agencies Adjust to Labor Shortages

February 10, 2022 by Ann Wishart

With many businesses in Geauga County increasing employee wages and offering sign-on bonuses, some government organizations and agencies are finding it difficult to attract employees.

Bessie Benner Metzenbaum Center, headquartered in Chester Township, serves hundreds of individuals with developmental disabilities. Most live in group homes and require 24/7 residential support, according to the Geauga County Board of Developmental Disabilities website.

Don Rice, superintendent of the GCBDD, said the labor shortage makes it difficult to staff those homes.

“We have many places that are struggling to get staff. We are double-shifting everybody,” he said in a recent interview. “At one point, we had 100 full-time positions open.”

For Metzenbaum, the problem is money. Rice said some of the residences qualified for American Rescue Plan Act funds so were able to retain and attract workers with competitive wages around $18 an hour. Others have not been so fortunate.

Metzenbaum works with  Maple Leaf Community Residences, Inc. created out of a housing needs assessment through the State of Ohio for people with developmental disabilities, according to the website www.mlcr.org.

There have been about 25 homes around Geauga County, but that number is going down as staffing shortages require some changes, Rice said.

“We are exploring all kinds of options,” he said. “We are combining some houses to allow one staff to serve four people instead of two.”
Another way of cost cutting is to hire younger employees. Employment age limits were lowered by the state to permit part-time employees as young as 16, Rice said.

The teens assist the experienced staff members responsible for direct care of the residents, he said.

A number of developmentally disadvantaged adults are able to live in their own apartments with some strategic adjusting.

“There’s a whole lot of new technology in place,” Rice said, noting water motion sensors, remotely-programmed thermostats, video cameras and wearable high-tech communication devices make it possible for clients to live by themselves while being monitored for safety and comfort.

“That’s not a bad thing. They have help at the level they need. It reduces their reliance on having someone there,” he said, adding drop-in medical services are available for individuals living independently.

Rice has been in the field for 15 to 20 years and said he has learned change is constant, but the staffing problem is extraordinary.

“I love to solve things. When a solution is outside my ability, it all becomes a little harder,” he said and asked that anyone willing to foster or help individuals with developmental disabilities to contact him at Metzenbaum.

The Geauga County Sheriff’s Office, supported primarily with tax dollars, and has not faced the same issues Rice has encountered.

Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand said the department’s staffing has remained steady over the last two years.

“Employee retention and recruitment is not a real problem for our office due to the fact we are very competitive with salaries and benefits,” he said during the Geauga Economic Leadership breakfast at Kent State University – Geauga on Feb. 4. “The county commissioners have always been supportive as long as we explain what we need and why.”

Qualified personnel are often recruited from other law enforcement agencies, he said.

COVID-19 has presented some difficulties. Deputies, corrections officers in the jail and dispatchers cannot work from home.

“It’s a 24/7 operation. We can’t afford to shut down,” Hildenbrand said, adding his jail population numbers have been lower because of the pandemic, but, again, technology has been vital, keeping the justice system in motion.

“The judges have been excellent. They have had video arraignments and hearings from the jail so inmates don’t have to go out and come back,” he said.

Geauga County Court of Common Pleas Judge Carolyn Paschke pointed out what she sees as an upside to the labor shortage in Geauga — it presents opportunities for some people who have previously had trouble becoming employed.

Individuals with criminal cases pending can participate in the courts’ New Leaf Program, she said.

They often have histories of drug abuse, however, while going through the program, they are required to have drug tests twice a week, Paschke said.

The young program has had six graduates and a few more are on pace to graduate in the next few months.

“I’ve seen some people turn their lives around. It’s been great,” she said, adding they need jobs.

“With the workforce issues the way they are, I think there are more opportunities for these folks,” Paschke said.

Those going through the New Leaf Program can get some financial and job training assistance so employers benefit from hiring them.

“We’d love to form some partnerships with some of Geauga County’s companies that would lead to a career (for graduates), not just a job,” Paschke said, adding employers who have hired graduates know about the applicant’s issues up front and tend to be pretty flexible.

Paschke urged interested employers to contact her office if interested in partnering with the program.

Rising wages and COVID-19 are only two issues Craig Swenson faces in filling positions.

The executive director of Geauga County Job and Family Services said his social service division, which usually numbers around 35 staff, had eight positions open as of Feb. 7.

“It’s a very challenging position to fill,” he said.

A social worker must have a four-year degree in a related field and be willing and able to go to with law enforcement into domestic violence or drug crisis situations and testify in court, Swenson said.

“Not many people think of social service staff as first responders,” he said.

They are not paramedics, firefighters or police, but they are often at the scene of police action, and law enforcement refers individuals with mental health issues to JFS often, Swenson said.

He said he and county commissioners have worked to bring the average wage of social workers up from $16.50 an hour to more than $20 an hour since he took the executive director’s position several years ago, but it is still hard to compete for qualified people who prefer less demanding work.

“We’ve been pretty broad when considering people with other degrees (such as) undergraduates in law and education backgrounds,” Swenson said. “(A degree) in psychology helps.”

New employees have a chance to learn a lot and work with a good team of experienced social workers, he said, adding a flexible work schedule makes the job more attractive. He emphasized the opportunity a social worker has to make a positive change in a child or adult’s life is rewarding and social workers should get credit when they dedicate their lives to helping people in tough environments.

“I think there needs to be a shift. Social workers should be in the realm of first responders,” Swenson said.