By now, you know who we are. You know what we want to achieve. And you know how committed we are to creating an equitable Bay Area that works for everyone.

Through tools and collaborations like the Equity at Work Council and State of Bay Area Workers, we are seeing a clearer picture of the complex challenges and opportunities we face. And while we have plenty to learn about what it will take to ReWork the Bay, one thing we know for certain is that our success will be determined by the people who do the work, on the ground, every day. Like the intake specialist who welcomes the single mother from Burma who speaks little English into a career center to pursue employment.

Beyond just a greeting, that intake specialist is charged with delicately and skillfully asking the program participant about their life up to that point. What challenges have they faced in getting and keeping a job in the past? How much education have they completed? Have they been incarcerated, or struggled with drugs or alcohol? Do they have children? These questions often lead to hard conversations about trauma and other life challenges, which can in turn cause compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma in workforce providers.

This year, ReWork is excited to partner with public and non-profit organizations across California to explore how our frontline, client-facing workforce development staff at organizations are faring. Do they have the support needed to maintain their mental and physical health as they help others maintain theirs? Are they able to access the kinds of career advancement support they provide their clients? Do they get paid enough and have the benefits needed to support themself and their family? If not, what can organizational leadership, funders and policymakers do differently to make their job a quality, empowered job?

With our new statewide project, Improving Job Quality for Frontline Workforce Providers, your organization can help us advance the field’s understanding of client-facing workforce providers’ needs and identify practical strategies to better address them. Together, we can ensure that frontline workers have the resources, capacities, supports, infrastructure, and relationships they need to truly thrive in their field. Click here to learn more about how your organization can apply to join this important work.

Help us ReWork the Bay.

In Community,

Rob, Kayla, and Brianna

Click here to view the full newsletter…