Holiday Inn Central Omaha Partners with Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation
Jamie Dienstbier, Director of Human Resources for the Holiday Inn in Central Omaha and Cindy Wagner, Employment Specialist for Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) describe their partnership as one built on trust, honesty, accessibility and the commitment to a team approach in problem solving. Jamie states that “Cindy listens to your needs and works to make a good match with the needs of the employer.” Cindy is impressed with Jamie’s proactive approach to hiring based on the person’s abilities and not the disability. Jamie provides and supports staff training on the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the provision of accommodations for both employees and guests of the Omaha Holiday Inn. Together, Jamie and Cindy work to hire qualified staff and keep valuable employees in the workplace.
The Holiday Inn Central Omaha is a convention hotel with 383 rooms and 65,000 square feet of convention place. There are 180 employees in jobs that include: dishwasher, cooks, room attendants, front desk staff, drivers, bell staff, food and beverage staff, cashiers, middle management and supervision.
In the initial stages of the relationship, VR had six employment specialists tour the Holiday Inn property, watch people doing their jobs, and become familiar with what employees need to be successful at the hotel. Jamie provided VR staff with job descriptions and took the time to clearly describe the responsibilities of each job area. Jamie sends VR the job openings on a weekly basis. VR looks for good matches to the employer’s needs and as needed, assists people with the application and interview process. The Holiday Inn is accessible by bus. VR assists with transportation training and arranging for alternatives for Sunday transportation when the bus service is not available. VR provides regular follow-up with the employees and their supervisors.
Though many staff are familiar with the Holiday Inn employment opportunities, Nebraska has assigned two VR partners as the primary points of contact to ensure that Jamie’s needs are being met without the confusion of having to contact multiple people. The two designated points of contact were selected based on Jamie’s preference and comfort level with the individual VR staff. Jamie helps train new VR employment staff regarding the needs of business and communication strategies for developing effective partnerships.
Jamie recommends that other companies connect with trusted VR partners and work to increase their comfort level with people who have disabilities. She suggests that business train staff and managers to help them become more comfortable with applicants and employees who have disabilities. She recommends that employers challenge their own attitudes and look for the abilities that are needed in your place of business to be successful. Jamie has seen a variety of people with disabilities be very successful in their employment with the Holiday Inn and become more independent in their lives. Due to the working partnership with VR, these individuals are now valuable Holiday Inn employees.
