ITW Engineered Fastners
Working Partnerships with Vocational Rehabilitation Providers
 ITW
Engineered Fasteners is a division of Illinois Tool Works Inc. ("ITW"),
a Fortune 200 company recognized around the world for its
state-of-the-art engineering and technologies. An industry leader for
over 25 years, ITW Engineered Fasteners manufactures plastic rivets,
highly engineered panel fasteners, trim and weatherstrip clips, and
plastic grommets for the automotive industry. These products, together
with other items, make up over thirty lines of value-added products of
consistent and exceptional quality. ITW Engineered Fasteners earned its
reputation by investing in people, technology and customers. The result,
which accounts for extremely high customer satisfaction, is controlled
quality, functional value and on-time deliver. They have also been
QS9000 approved since 1997 and ISO 14001 as of 2002.
The focus of this review is ITW
Engineered Fasteners' production facility located in Chippewa Falls,
Wisconsin. While ITW, the parent organization, is obviously supportive
of the actions of the Chippewa Falls plant, the policies and practices
discussed herein are specific to ITW Engineered Fasteners' Chippewa
Falls facility.
Best Practices
ITW Engineered Fasteners' investment in people extends across its entire
workforce including workers with disabilities and employees who have
suffered injuries. Diane Mitchell, the Company's Human Resource Manager,
stated "there is a commitment throughout the facility to not only hire
individuals with disabilities, but also to do whatever it takes to make
it work." Following is a review of a number of ITW Engineered Fasteners'
exemplary practices:
- The company maintains a solid working
relationship with a local Projects With Industry program and other
vocational rehabilitation providers to identify potential workers with
disabilities. ITW Engineered Fasteners has a long history of providing
on-the-job training, work experience, and job try-out opportunities
for individuals with disabilities from the Wisconsin Division of
Vocational Rehabilitation (WDVR).
Workers with disabilities are often brought in as "addon" workers over
and above the general workforce to provide them the opportunity to
increase their skills and physical tolerance, as well as establish a
positive work record. Workers are carefully matched with jobs and
supervisors to maximize their potential for success. Supervisors are
notified of needed accommodations before the individual starts work in
order to facilitate success on the job. ITW Engineered Fasteners
utilizes various incentives programs through the WDVR agency to offset
much of the cost of providing job opportunities for workers with
disabilities.
- Supervisors are encouraged to
participate in off-site training seminars on topics related to hiring
and managing workers with disabilities. Over the part year, 16
supervisors participated in the Accommodating Workers With Hidden
Disabilities training program, and 20 supervisors attended a program
on Disability Awareness under Wisconsin's Fair Labor standards.
Training plays an integral role in strengthening ITW Engineered
Fasteners' commitment to addressing the needs of existing and
potential employees with disabilities.
- ITW Engineered Fasteners is committed
to an aggressive employee-focused return-to-work program extended to
workers injured both on and off the job. New employees receive formal
training on return-to-work policies and procedures as part of their
initial orientation. They are also informed of ITW's philosophy that
an injured worker must be returned to work as soon as possible, and
that "lost time" must be avoided to the extent possible. New and
existing employees are also instructed to inform their physician about
ITW's light duty work program on their first doctor's visit after an
injury.
The Company's human resource staff is in contact with injured
employees and treating physicians immediately after an injury occurs
to encourage light duty placements and other accommodations as a means
of returning employees to work in the shortest possible time. There
are no time limits for light duty assignments, but employees are
returned to their previous position or an alternate permanent position
as soon as they are physically able. ITW Engineered Fasteners has
established
a culture where employees take pride in minimizing lost time injuries,
as evidenced by the fact that the Chippewa Falls facility has not
experienced a lost time injury for over 550 days.
- A clear example of ITW
Engineered Fasteners' commitment to its return-to-work program
involved a case of a production worker who sustained a serious spinal
cord injury while at home. The employee returned to light duty as soon
as he was physically able, and returned to his production duties soon
after. When it was determined that the employee was no longer able to
complete the essential functions of the production job, he was given a
permanent transfer to the Customer Service Department where he remains
employed today.
- ITW Engineered Fasteners
demonstrates its commitment to its employees by providing them with
the opportunity to participate in a variety of leadership positions
within the community. The Human Resource Manager is an employer member
of the local Business Leadership Network, which identifies, develops,
and delivers training for employers on a wide range of topics designed
to enhance employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
In addition, the facility's Safety and Loss Control Manager is
President of the local chapter of the Wisconsin Safety Council, which
sponsors training to minimize and manage workplace injuries.
Summary
ITW Engineered Fasteners has a clear and consistent commitment to all
people within their facility and within their community. This commitment
is backed by company policies and practices that promote including
individuals with disabilities in the workforce. As with all
organizations, established practices are the direct result of the
attitudes and commitment of management, who sets the tone for the
facility. ITW Engineered Fasteners' commitment to people has resulted in
including workers with disabilities throughout the workforce, which has
had a direct and positive impact on its employees, the Company, and the
community.
For information regarding this Case Study contact:
Diane Mitchell
Human Resource
Manager
(715) 723-0219
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