State team aids laid-off workers

A dismayed Peggy Bolesta tells how the employees of a Reno call center showed up for work not long ago only to find the doors locked.

A handwritten note taped to the door told the now-jobless workers where to call to get their final paychecks.

There's a better way to handle things, says Bolesta, an employer service consultant and a member of the Rapid Response Team mobilized by Nevada JobConnect to help employees who face a layoff or plant closure.

The Rapid Response Team seeks to ease workers' transition to a new job and it appears to be working.

Meeting with groups of workers, usually within a day or two of a layoff announcement, members of the Rapid Response Team cover subjects ranging from unemployment insurance to the job-hunting and training services provided by Nevada JobConnect.

The team also covers consumer finance questions how to work with creditors, whether it's wise to dip into a 401(k) plan to cover the expenses of a jobless family.

Part of her job, Bolesta said, is bucking up the confidence of worried workers.

"I tell them, 'You guys have so much to offer,'" she said.

Jim Dunnavant, an employer service consultant for Nevada JobConnect, noted that federal law requires major employers those with 100 workers or more to provide 60- day notice of layoffs except in case of bankruptcy or natural disaster.

But smaller firms also call the team, which typically rolls out once or twice a month in northern Nevada.

"The employers who aren't required to call us are doing it anyway," said Dunnavant.

Team members have met with single individuals who've lost their jobs or made presentations to full auditoriums of laid-off workers.

While the team is ready to be at a workplace within 24 hours "We consider this our No.

1 priority," said Dunnavant the process works best if employees have had a day or two to gather themselves after a layoff announcement.

Otherwise, Bolesta said, the Rapid Response Team's message may get lost in tears, anger and fear.

If on-site presentations don't work, the team can mail packets of information to laid-off employees.

Among the employers who have used the team in recent months are Southern Spars in Douglas County, Consolidated Freightways in Washoe County and National Airlines, which laid off employees statewide when it folded.

The teams' work appears to pay off.

The state said a sampling of laid-off employees found those who attended Rapid Response sessions drew unemployment benefits for an average of 9.4 weeks.

Those who didn't attend the sessions drew jobless benefits for an average of 12.4 weeks.

So what keeps employers from calling in the Rapid Response Team? Some, Dunnavant said, may not be aware that the team is available.

Others may worry about negative publicity, but the team keeps confidential the names of companies that use its services.

The team also makes sure companies know the services are free.

Although much of her work is directed toward employees looking for work, Bolesta said she has great respect for companies that call the team.

"Any time an employer contacts a Rapid Response Team, they're showing a great deal of responsibility and caring for their employees," she said.

(To contact the Rapid Response Team, call 834-1970 in Reno.)