Business Resource Network
The Business Resource Network (BRN) is a business strategy comprised of local companies that aim to increase job retention and job productivity among their staff.
Employee turnover is a substantial cost to employers. The Business Resource Network (BRN) is a tool designed to assist companies leverage resources, ensuring their employees’ personal needs are met and therefore, improving workplace engagement. Companies participating in a BRN have an experienced success coach that works on-site at each business as an extension of their Human Resource department. Success coaches may provide assistance to employees to help manage life’s challenges (e.g. child care, transportation, housing), so employees can be more reliable and productive. For employers, these services help to reduce turnover and create a more stable workforce.
BRNs are operated by the local Michigan Works! Agencies.
In the Media
Northwest Michigan Works! has established the Business Resource Network (BRN). The BRN helps employers retain employees by giving them access to a Success Coach who helps them deal with challenges away from work that might be affecting their ability to do their job. Watch the video to hear from employers and employees who are benefiting from the BRN.
Get connected to more resources through your local Michigan Works! Service Center, a proud partner of the American Job Center network.
Success Stories
Northwest Michigan Works!
After applying for public assistance, a participant was referred to a Success Coach by the Northwest Michigan PATH advisor. The participant was under-employed due to COVID restrictions, and her spouse was permanently laid off. Neither household member had received UIA benefits nor income while trying to raise their one-year-old child.
The participant and spouse – who were in need of rental assistance, food, car repairs, unemployment assistance and job searching assistance – met with the Success Coach. The Success Coach helped the couple identify local food pantries, secure rental assistance, and understand the UIA benefit process. The participant and spouse worked with the PATH advisor to secure car repair assistance and employment services. The spouse worked with a MI Works Business Services Representative to build networking and job seeking skills.
Thanks in large part to the assistance provided through the PATH program, the participant has returned to fulltime employment and has maintained housing and transportation. The participant's spouse secured a degree related to a position with benefits that are above his prior employment. Both individuals have successfully exited from the PATH program.
Oakland County Michigan Works!:
A new hire, Ms. X, did not have reliable transportation to get to her BRN member employer, so she contacted the BRN Success Coach to request assistance. While meeting with the Success Coach, Ms. X explained that she has recently become homeless and had been staying at a shelter in another city. This required her to make a daily 60-mile round trip to get to work – further than when she initially began her new job.
As a first step, the Success Coach arraigned for free UBER transportation as a short-term solution. In addition to the UBER rides, Ms. X was referred to an OLHSA Housing Coach who assists Oakland County residents with securing and maintaining suitable housing; OLHSA Housing Coaches can also assist with the first month rent payment.
Ms. X was very grateful for the quick access to transportation and the assistance to address her housing needs.