KCSpeaks

Here we are at Thanksgiving week. If you live in the Northeast, the weather is getting colder and colder, leaves have fallen from the trees, and people are getting into the holiday spirit. This includes large festive meals, events with families and friends, and exchanging gifts. If you are anything like me, all this added stuff in my routine is overwhelming and stressful, even if it is festive and fun! I work full time and have a family, so adding anything seems like too much. Then, add a party or two and it is a formula for a breakdown. Although I work, I feel the added stress of  the holidays and the approaching winter on my finances. Now imagine adding the pressure of a holiday if you suddenly did not have a job. I find that the holiday season is one of the most stressful times in the One Stop Career Center.  The people that are using the centers want to provide festive meals, warm beds, and gifts to their loved ones like everyone else, but in many cases their sit...

This week another workforce development professional was case conferencing with me about a customer she had in her job readiness class for TANF customers. She was frustrated because the customer was disrupting the flow of the class with her flow of comments about her personal issues, therefore sucking up the time of and energy out of the class.  As a result of our conversation, the customer was referred for additional support services for barrier resolution. I could sense the frustration on her face. As a facilitator, you expect everyone to be open, willing, and ready to accept the information we are presenting, but the truth is that very little of the people that we work with are at that point.   So why are we frustrated?  We are expecting miracles from people. We are expecting people to Climb Mount Everest in bare feet. We are expecting people to have one conversation with us and the light bulb goes off in our head and they can do it. Sounds like a workforce de...