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Sponsored by: CT Bureau of Rehabilitation Services
September 7, 2023

Employers rave about state placement program for workers with disabilities

In the COVID-19 pandemic’s first year, when most families were sheltering at home, a surge in online shopping forced Putnam-based packaging and fulfillment company Nutmeg Container Corp. to scramble for more staff.

Nutmeg, a subsidiary of North Haven’s Unicorr Packaging Group, made the wise decision to partner with a state program that helps Connecticut residents with significant physical and/or mental disabilities prepare for, find, keep or advance in a job.

The program is administered by the state of Connecticut Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, or BRS, a division of the Department of Aging and Disability Services. Nutmeg’s partnership with BRS, which began in early 2021, has worked out splendidly for the company and its roughly 130 employees, said Nutmeg Human Resources Generalist Heather Charron.

Charron said the best aspects of Nutmeg’s experience have been the responsiveness of their partners at BRS and the quality of the workers themselves, who have become valued members of the company.

“If you were to walk through the building and try to figure out which of our employees came to us through the program, you would never know,” she said. “They’ve all helped us a tremendous amount.”

Pharmacy chain operator Walgreen Co. has been working with BRS since 2008 to help staff its Connecticut operations and has hired hundreds of workers through its program, said Marc Senia, Walgreens’ manager of field disability inclusion and DEI in Windsor.

Senia recalled a major winter storm in 2013 with such heavy snowfall that his normally 20-minute commute to the local Walgreens distribution center took 2.5 hours. He arrived to find about two-dozen workers from the BRS program waiting for everyone else to show up.

“They had gotten hotel rooms down the street, with five people to a room, so they could be at work on time,” Senia recalled. “My mouth just hit the floor.”

Walgreens has found that its hires through BRS are just as productive as other workers, but with better attendance and 40% less turnover, he said. 

“The partnership with BRS has been tremendous,” Senia said.

BRS programs and services are designed to support the specific needs of each of their business partners, according to the bureau. For instance, there are wage reimbursement and on-the-job training programs, not to mention that businesses can qualify for federal and state tax credits for hiring a person with disabilities.

The suite of services BRS offers even includes a trial work program, in which an employer can “try out” the job-seeker at no cost before making an employment offer.

Other businesses that have benefited from BRS partnerships include Hartford-based global insurance provider Travelers; North Carolina-based Advance Auto Parts, which has a large distribution center in Connecticut; and Norwalk-based Whipped Up LLC, the family-owned producer of Unbakeables handmade frozen desserts.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, businesses that have diversified their workforce to include people with disabilities reported a 90% increase in the retention of valued employees and a 72% increase in employee productivity. One reason is that people with disabilities tend to seek stable and reliable work when searching for jobs.

Another key benefit is that participation in the program demonstrates a company's commitment to workforce diversity and inclusion. A study by Deloitte found that employees who felt included and thought their company valued diversity were 80 percent more likely to say they worked for a high-performing organization.

Most workers with disabilities require little to no special accommodations. For those that do, the cost is generally less than $500 and is usually offset by increases in productivity and lower turnover, according to the bureau.

Hiring workers with disabilities is far more likely to save the employer money, according to BRS. For example, many participating employers qualify for various incentives and tax credits.

For more information about the program, visit the BRS website at DisabilityWorksCT.org.