You Too, Will Tranistion
By definition, people with background challenges who reenter the workforce are in transition. Of course, they go from being unemployed to working, but most will also move from one system to another—from the social service economy to the free-enterprise capitalistic economy.
Returning to the workforce requires many steps and a great deal of effort. Think about the last time you needed to search for a new position, presumably without the limitations of background baggage. Most people hate looking for a new job; imagine starting over after addiction, homelessness, or incarceration. It’s a big undertaking with many moving parts.
One critical area often overlooked is the mental adjustments needed to transition to the new system successfully. The physical part of this is easy to understand (new clothes, new ID, new people to meet, new processes to manage). Dealing with all that is a lot, but it can pale compared to the unwritten and assumed rules of the road that require understanding to achieve a positive outcome.
Changing from a system where dependency (in part or whole) is the MO to one where accomplishment rests solely on one's shoulders can make or break someone's reentry, mainly if they’ve been off the market for a long time. I call this adjusting to the Marketplace. It usually entails heavy lifting and a tough road to succeed in our capitalistic system.
So why are the intangibles of this transition skipped or overlooked? Okay, I’m sure I’ll ruffle a few feathers here, but so be it. The program administrators are part of the system that supports and then launches the reentering client into the other system. They “live” in a system 180 degrees from the one their reentering clients must navigate to find success. Look, nobody’s acting bad or doing the wrong thing here. But when programs and staff don’t venture into the other world, they do not fully prepare their clients for what’s ahead. Indeed, some do, and that’s great, but many are OTL regarding real-world prep.
Okay, here’s my real message: The transition that most of your clients must make is coming to you and your program. It may take a while, but your current funding sources will eventually need to be re-upped, and that’s when the change in wind direction will be felt full-on.
So here’s my suggestion to help your program with this transition. Think of your reentry program as if it were a client. Imagine moving your social service program (as all reentry programs are) to the “other” system, the one that’s for-profit, free-enterprise, and capitalistic. Shrink your entire program down to one persona. Slip into the client’s shoes and walk from one environment to the other, adjusting just like them, physically and mentally. Picture competing with everything you can imagine in an environment that’s a foreign land of ideas, beliefs, and processes. Imagine playing by their rules and competing on their turf.
So, what exactly is coming down the pike? No one knows, but a worse outcome scenario is that your program will be eliminated. That’s an unacceptable disaster. The need continues, and given the potential outcome of connecting the dots, it will most likely grow. So, your mission is still your mission; nothing’s changed. The question is, can you adapt to a new environment if needed?
Can you transition just as your clients must from a social service system to something different?
To be clear and transparent, I believe the social service world needs many updates. I don’t have any philosophical or political axe to grind, but I worry about how things might turn out. I am active in both worlds: as a reentry advocate and educator and a recruiter specializing in acquiring talent for startups and early-stage companies. I can see and appreciate both perspectives. In a sense, I sit on both sides of the interview desk. It’s clear that change is coming, and I implore program operators to be proactive so you are ahead of the curve and making the necessary decisions before they are made for you.
Onward!