Employer Services

Workforce Solutions Texoma provides services to local Business Customers to help them find, train, and keep workers. These services include:

  • Recruiting, screening, referring candidates
  • Virtual and in-person hiring events and job fairs
  • Interview and Meeting Space
  • Layoff and Layoff Aversion resources
  • Tax Credits and Incentives
  • Employee Training
  • Labor Market Information
  • HR Manager Resources

Please let us know if you need our assistance by contacting us at any of our Workforce Centers locations or e-mailing us at:  employerservices@wfstexoma.org.

Recruiting, Screening, and Referring

Workforce Solutions Texoma provides an array of recruiting, screening, and referral services based on WorkInTexas.com Logoyour needs.  Listing your job through WorkInTexas.com, the Texas statewide job matching system, gives us the opportunity to match you with qualified candidates based on knowledge, skills, and abilities.  Workforce Solutions Texoma staff can refer successfully screened candidates based on your criteria to available open jobs.  Whether you are hands on-tech savvy or prefer our staff to manage your WorkInTexas.com account, we are here to help.

Screening Services

Screening services can be provided at various levels based on your need and desire for the level of applicant pool you would like to receive.  Through WorkInTexas.com you can see all applicants that match to your job based on your required qualifications for each position.  In addition, staff can provide additional screening services such as:

  • Staff-assisted screening interviews
  • Objective Assessments of Skills (fees may apply)
    • Basic Skills Testing
    • Typing Skills Testing
    • Work Readiness Testing

Virtual and In-Person Hiring Events

Strong recruitment efforts require creativity.  Workforce Solutions Texoma can assist with recruitment through virtual and in-person hiring events and job fairs.  Virtual events allow the flexibility of time and eliminates the need for space. 

  • VIRTUAL: Virtual events allow the flexibility of time and eliminates the need for space.  Using a virtual job fair platform gives you a way to interface with potential candidates just as if you were face-to-face.
  • IN-PERSON: Or, if you prefer, let’s go “old school” with an in-person event. 

Either way, we will promote your event on social media, through WorkInTexas.com, and throughout TexomaContact us to schedule your event!

Interview and Meeting Space

Workforce Solutions Texoma is a great place for you to conduct interviews or meetings with your potential or current workforce.  We have space available to allow you to conduct your interviewing process or trainings away from your location.  With our professional reception services and welcoming centers, we can help your hiring or training process run smoothly and efficiently.   Space is available at each of our Workforce Centers.

Layoff and Layoff Aversion

You can count on Workforce Solutions Texoma to always be there for you when business is booming.  If things slow down, Workforce Solutions Texoma will continue to be there for you and your employees.

Workforce Solutions Texoma is your source for a number of services you have already paid for to help ease the transition for you and your affected workers.

All services received in a lay off or lay off aversion provided by Workforce Solutions Texoma are confidential!

When you contact Workforce Solutions Texoma about a lay off or lay off aversion, our staff quickly swing into action. Staff will meet with officials from your company and explain services and benefits available to your affected workers.

Early notification is the most important factor in a such an event. The more time Workforce Solutions Texoma has to prepare, the better the services provided to your affected employees will be.

For more information about Layoffs and Layoff Aversion services, please e-mail employerservices@wfstexoma.org or call 1.888.813.1992.  

Shared Work

There are situations that require a business to consider a reduction in hours for employees rather than a lay off.  As an alternative to laying off your employees, the Texas Workforce Commission offers the Shared Work program.  Careful consideration of layoff aversion verses layoffs and the pros and cons of each should be evaluated before action is taken. 

Shared Work allows employers to maintain their workforce while supplementing employee’s lost wages with Unemployment Insurance. Workforce Solutions Texoma can help with information and connection to available resources. 

On-Site Information Services

In order to ensure your affected employees receive all necessary assistance to transition to their next job after a layoff or business closure, our staff also provides the following assistance:

  • employee information sessions on filing for Unemployment Insurance,
  • an array of job search services available through our Workforce Centers, and,
  • information on the possibility of receiving training to enhance your affected worker’s employability. 

Unemployment Insurance Claims Filing

Unemployment Insurance Claims are one of the by-products of a layoff event. Mass Claims filing can reduce the amount of stress for both you and your affected employees. The Mass Claims Filing process allows you to provide most of the necessary information for these claims by completing and e-mailing the information in an Excel spreadsheet or submitting it online through your Employer Benefits Services (EBS) link.  Note that the EBS online process is a secure system available 24/7.

The process is very simple and reduces your paperwork by allowing you to respond after the event on one spreadsheet, rather than responding to individual letters for each employee affected.

Note that use of the Mass Claims Filing process does not take away your rights to challenge claims, it simply streamlines the process. If you provide the names of all your employees in advance of the event, and then terminate employees for cause or employees quit prior to the event, you simply note that information on the spreadsheet after the event.

Mass Claims Filing also helps your affected workers because the information you provide opens a shell claim for them. In the event they qualify for Unemployment Insurance, they simply call 800.939.6631 and supply a small amount of information. This will activate their claim. If the employees do not call, their claim is not activated.

Tax Credits and Incentives

Being successful in business today means taking advantage of every resource available to positively affect your bottom line. Tax Credits and Tax Incentives are among those resources available to help businesses. Following is a sample of the available tax credits/incentives available to you:

Work Opportunity Tax Credit

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is a federal tax credit used to reduce the federal tax liability of private-for-profit employers. Employers can hire from nine different targeted groups that can provide a credit of between $2,400 to $9,600, per employee, depending on what target group the new hire represents.

A few simple suggested steps for employers to consider to implement the screening and submission of the paperwork required for this benefit is provided for employers below.

      • Step 1: Include the IRS Form 8850 in your pre-hire application process.
      • Step 2: Include the ETA Form 9061 in your new hire paperwork process.
      • Step 3: Make sure to mail/fax/email all forms to the Texas Workforce Commission WOTC department within the first 28 days of the employee’s start date.

It’s that simple!  No need to worry about gathering documents or verifying the information for eligibility!  The Texas Workforce Commission vets all information and provides notification of the eligibility for WOTC.  If eligible, the certification document needed for your tax professional will be provided in the Texas Workforce Commission’s response. 

See links below for a short video and downloadable PowerPoint presentation for employers that highlights the benefits of applying for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) State Tax Refund

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) State Tax Refund is not a tax credit, but an actual tax refund. Employers who employ TANF or Medicaid recipients may qualify for a tax refund of up to $2,000 per employee.  To qualify, an employer must:

    • Pay certain State of Texas taxes
    • Have paid wages during the first year of employment to a Texas resident who received at least one month of TANFor Medicaid benefits within six months of the employee start date
    • Have provided and paid part of a qualifying employee’s HMOhealth plan, self-funded or self-insured ERISA plan, or a health plan approved by the Texas Commissioner of Insurance

For more information about Tax Credits and Incentives, please e-mail employerservices@wfstexoma.org or call 888.813.1992. 

Employee Training

Training workers to keep your business competitive can be one of the biggest expenses your business faces.  Workforce Solutions Texoma can provide information on the resources available to help you upskill your workforce.

For more information about Employee Training grants, e-mail Marsha Lindsey, or call 903.957.7408.

Labor Market Information

Workforce Solutions Texoma can provide a wide array of local, regional, state, and national labor market data and analysis.  Reports such as demographic information, occupational-specific information, economic overview, occupation snapshots, drive-time studies, and many other types of reports that can be customized for your specific needs.

For information and reports on Labor Market Information, email Kristi Lee or call 903.957.7408.

Additional Labor Market Information resources are provided below.

Texas Workforce Commission

Oklahoma Employment Security Commission

US Census

US Department of Labor

US Bureau of Labor Statistics

Free Posters for the Workplace

  • As many employers know, there are multiple state and federal workplace compliance posters that must be displayed at each workplace.  

    Click on these links to access your free downloadable state and federal required posters: 

HR Manager Resources

LEGAL RESOURCES

TWC‘s Office of the Commissioner Representing Employers produces a handy reference book titled Especially for Texas Employers to provide information on important workplace issues. The content includes chapters on:

  • basic legal issues relevant to hiring,
  • pay and policy,
  • work separation,
  • post-employment problems, and
  • employment law-related websites.

HIRING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Hiring the right employee means hiring the person with the right skills and the person who will work well with the team.  With a diverse talent pool to choose from, it’s important to carefully consider every prospective employee based on these two essential criteria.  In working through the hiring process, these two criteria may point directly to a person with a disability.

In addition to skills, there are a lot of good reasons to hire a person with a disability, including their ability to adapt to situations, their problem-solving skills, and their sensitivity to diversity.

AskEARN.org is a free resource to help employers tap into the benefits of a diverse workforce. With the mission of ‘Advancing Workforce Diversity,’ this website contains numerous resources and tools to assist employers in hiring and retaining workers with disabilities.

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is a free service that provides productivity tools and strategies for hiring, accommodating, and retaining employees with disabilities.  Answering employer questions about workforce accommodations is a specialty of the JAN staff.

Following is a collection of additional information designed to answer questions about employing people with disabilities, and help companies recruit and hire people with disabilities.

Financial Incentives

There are a number of financial reasons companies should consider hiring a person with a disability including tax benefits.

Advertisement, Application, and Interviewing Tips

It is important to make sure hiring processes are accessible and allow access to people with disabilities.  Following are several resources to help ensure your hiring process is accessible.

Handling Accommodation Requests

Often, companies are unsure exactly what they need to do in order to make sure their workplace, policies, and job duties are set up to give people with disabilities a chance to succeed.  The following resources are designed to help companies do just that.

Resources for Employee Retention: Child Care

Workforce Solutions Texoma assists low income families who are working or attending training by helping them pay for child care.

Child care providers who are licensed or registered through Child Care Licensing are eligible to participate by accepting children who are receiving child care assistance in their facility or home.

For more information on how to connect your employees with our Child Care Program, contact Workforce Solutions Texoma at 888.813.1992 or email: employerservices@wfstexoma.org

Additional Resources

Texoma Human Resource Management Association (THRMA) is the local chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Workforce Solutions Texoma supports the local chapter through volunteerism and encourages all employers to join THRMA’s membership as an excellent resource for HR training and development. THRMA hosts HR Training monthly events at our Workforce Solutions Texoma Denison Center.

For more information on THRMA and other resources, email employerservices@wfstexoma.org or call 888.813.1992.

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