10/16/2019 Topic: Intern Consequences Jessica McCord	If something like that were to happen, I would tell the intern that I will be staying with them more that day. The interns like to be independent, so having to have a skills trainer there more with them is not what they always want. The other idea is asking what the department would do with an employee if that happened, try to make it more realistic. I think holding them back can be a good idea once in a while, but then you have to find something for them to do all day. Some interns will take advantage of that as well because then they can "get out of working" for the day. Just something to keep in mind! :-)
10/16/2019 Topic: First Day Independent Activity? Jessica McCord	We have the interns either go on typing games, or data entry practice. We also encourage the interns to journal their experience of Project SEARCH.
10/16/2019 Topic: Attendance Jessica McCord	We use time station as well, it is really helpful to track attendance, but also helps with their bank ledgers. For us, we focus on the root of the issue with attendance. Are they sick? Do they need a mental health day? Do they have trouble with transportation? Do they simply not want to come? Depending on the situation, we talk with them and discuss strategies as to why they are missing. If sick, have you gone to the Dr? Are you making healthy choices at home? What can you do to take better care of yourself? This helps us understand what we can do to help the intern be able to be here as much as possible.
10/24/2019 Topic: Calling/asking for more when task list is complete Jessica McCord	One idea could be to have a timeline of when to start and stop tasks. If it should take 20 minutes to do something, and he is done in 10, then figure out why. Is it because he has a quicker way of doing it, or is the quality lacking? This has worked with our interns. If judgement is an issue, then just have him do it every day, no matter if he thinks it looks good or not. Remind him that you can never be too clean, so it will never be a waste to do some extra cleaning!
10/29/2019 Topic: Calling/asking for more when task list is complete Jessica McCord	I can see how that can be tough, when there is not always enough work to fill the day. Do you have another department that you could break up the day with? That is one thing we do because there are great jobs in some of the departments we are in, but they do not have enough work to fill an entire day. Another thing we have done is putting the word out to departments that if they have simple tasks they need done, but dont have the time or the staffing for it, our interns can! This way, if the tasks run out on a certain day, we can send our intern to a department that needs a task done. One department ALWAYS has folders and binders that need to be put together, so we will send our intern down if they complete their tasks for the day.
11/12/2019 Topic: Token Economy System Jessica McCord	Great idea! At our site we use "Time Station" you can either use in on smartphones, or on the website. As admins, you can set their hourly wage. The interns clock in and out everyday, just like they would do in a work setting. We have them fill out bank ledgers every week to track how much money they have. We have a store they can shop at with the "money" they have made, which was funded by one of our collaborating partners. Each month, the interns also pay "rent & utilities". We also have "unexpected expenses" that come up, each week, they can choose to spend, or save. This has been a great way to teach them what life will be like in the real world as well as good incentive for them to not be absent! edited by jmccord@odcinc.com on 11/12/2019
2/18/2020 Topic: Token Economy System Jessica McCord	We dont have actually bills and coins they use, they just keep track of their balance on the bank ledger. We have them write checks for rent and utilities as well as the unexpected expenses. We also have "fines" and "bonuses" they can recieve for various things. We increase their wage monthly and do a drawing to see who gets an extra raise based on a compliment jar that we keep. edited by jmccord@odcinc.com on 2/18/2020

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