3 Ways Outsourcing Your Hiring Can Help Your Business Grow

Most managers want to help their business grow. A growing business, after all, is a thriving business.

But did you know that outsourcing your hiring can help your business grow? Many human resources tasks can be outsourced so that company employees who might otherwise have to take the time or develop the expertise to do them can focus on tasks that generate revenue or cut costs.

Here’s the top 3 ways outsourcing can help your business grow.

1) Developing job descriptions

Developing job descriptions can be a very time-consuming task, especially if the job requirements are new or need to be updated. Writing job descriptions can be especially worrisome for new managers. Staffing agencies are experienced and proficient in writing job descriptions that will appeal to candidates.

2) Screening resumes and setting up interviews

Once job descriptions are posted, resumes start to come in! Screening these can also be a time-consuming process. Busy managers may have to winnow a pile of resumes down to the candidates most likely to fit the job requirements. Or, on the other hand, they may also find that they need to reach deeper into the applicant pool to find qualified workers. In either case, outsourcing the function can help make the process more productive for everyone concerned.

A staffing agency can also set up interviews, making sure that the times are convenient for all the hiring managers involved.

3) Screening applicants

One of the ways outsourcing can most help your business grow is to screen applicants, performing background checks and calling references.

Why? Because finding out that a candidate who seems qualified to do the job actually isn’t can’t cost your both time and money. Unfortunately, some job applicants are sometimes less than truthful on their applications. Or they may be unreliable, constantly late. Or they may have a poor work ethic.

You need to find out if there are any issues with an applicant before making a hire. Otherwise, you may have to go through the entire time-consuming and expensive process of hiring soon, if the person proves unable to do the job, or not satisfactory in other ways. You may spend time and money hiring someone who will not make it past the first 3 months of employment.

Making sure your employees are professionally vetted before they start work is a good investment toward making your business grow.

Need Outsourcing Help? Contact Us

If you need outsourcing help, we’re the agency to call. We help you find the best-qualified people.

Stride Staffing’s goal is to build stronger connections between employers and individuals by doing staffing differently. Really. Contact us today for our staffing agencies in the Dallas/Fort-Worth Area.

Is There Really a Shortage of Good Workers?

When you’re looking to fill jobs, it can sometimes seem like there’s a shortage of good workers.

Well, there could be. The news recently is that the U.S. may be facing a shortfall of skilled manufacturing workers. Too few workers have the skills for the jobs available.

In fact, over the next 20 years, employers needing plant and system operators face a nearly 96% chance of having a worker shortage. Companies needing machinists face a nearly 90% of having a skilled worker shortage.

Why? Well, there’s a few reasons. Baby Boomers are retiring. They were one of the largest generations. Generation Z, the current crop of teenagers and people in their early twenties, is far smaller. In fact, Generation Z is smaller even than Millennials, the generation immediately before them, who were significantly smaller than Baby Boomers.

In addition, college has been stressed far more than training in manufacturing for the past several decades. Young people may not be thinking of manufacturing jobs as much as their grandparents did.

Companies have also been investing heavily in outsourcing and streamlining their labor needs. They may be placing less emphasis on training and hiring people for manufacturing jobs.

How Do You Find Good Workers?

On to the more pressing issue: you do you find and recruit good workers?

Here are steps to take.

1) Be competitive in what you offer workers

When there’s a shortage of workers, good ones can pick and choose. You need to keep up with what the going salaries are in your area. You need to at least meet those salaries. If you can better them, you stand a good chance of attracting the best workers.

It’s the same with benefits and other perks. Research and ask around to find out what your competitors do. If they offer 2 weeks of vacation or other things workers want, and you don’t, the best workers will be inclined to go to companies who do.

2) Train your workers

If your entry level people are good workers — reliable, on time, and ready to roll up their sleeves — it’s a good idea to train them for higher level roles. Why? Well, part of being a good worker, of course, is the qualities they’ve already demonstrated.

People who can’t move up to higher salaries and levels of responsibility will be more inclined to look elsewhere for those things. If you train them, you can more easily retain them.

3) Show appreciation of good workers

Everyone likes to feel appreciated. Develop a plan for showing appreciation of your good workers. It can be simple, just a gift card at the local pizza place.

You can also institute a policy like employee of the month. Place a sign of recognition in the newsletter or a public place. The advantage to employee of the month is that it encourages people, because everyone has a chance every month.

Stride Staffing Can Help You Find Good Workers

Stride Staffing has access workers in all our areas. We can help you find good workers. Call us today.

Our goal is to build stronger connections between employers and individuals by doing staffing differently. Really. Contact us today for hiring and recruitment help in Arlington, Texas and other locations.

Easy Ways to Stay in Compliance

When you you’re a human resources manager, one of your duties is keeping on top of compliance rules and regulations. Your company needs to abide by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules, sexual harassment policies, and antidiscrimination laws, among others.

What’s the best way to ensure that the company stays in compliance?

Here are the steps to take.

1) Keep on top of rules and regulations

One of the challenges of keeping abreast of compliance rules, regulations, and laws is that they change. You need to make sure that you know the most recent ones, so your company policies follow them.

If necessary, hire a consultant or keep an attorney on retainer, if possible, to notify you when relevant policies change and break them down for your department.

2) Develop a set of compliance guidelines

Part of the compliance job, of course, is letting the managers, supervisors, and employees know what the compliance regulations that are relevant to their job are! The best way to do this is to develop a set of compliance guidelines.

A policy manual is a good idea also; the guidelines can be contained in a larger group of company policies.

3) Hold informational sessions

While it’s great to have guidelines and manuals written, busy managers and employees may, let’s face it, not always take the time to read them thoroughly. The best strategy here is to hold informational sessions. This can be part of onboarding and can be combined with other information on the policies.

Think about video recordings of existing sessions for employees as a refresher or introduction to compliance.

4) Tap into the managers and employees

Make sure that managers and employees know they can always tell HR about any areas that are not in compliance.

People working next to conditions that may not meet OSHA standards, for example, are in a position to tell you about it. It’s better you know that having the company face an inspection and a fine — or worse, an accident.

Put up posters regarding rules and regulations to reinforce what they are. Many government organizations, such as OSHA, supply these free of charge.

5) Follow the rules

If an issue arises, discuss it with all parties with a stake. Be sure to follow the policies you have set.

It’s wise to give an opportunity for correction, but establish what the correct must be and the time frame it must be completed in.

Stride Staffing Will Help Meet Your Needs

If you have questions about compliance, we can help. We work with many companies to establish policies.

Stride Staffing’s goal is to build stronger connections between employers and individuals by doing staffing differently. Really. Contact us today for hiring and recruitment help in Arlington, Texas and other locations.

3 Impactful Ways to Create a Positive Work Culture

Creating and fostering a positive work culture is one of the most important things you can do to help your business. Why? A positive work culture will increase the productivity and loyalty of your employees. It strengthens morale and promotes teamwork.

Here are 3 of the most impactful ways you can create a positive work culture.

1) Make sure your people know your goals and values

People like to know what they’re working toward. Think of sports. The best seasons occur when everyone is unified to win. They know what their position is and what it takes to score.

Take a moment to express your goals. Do you want to have the highest production quotas ever? To beat your rivals across town? Put them on a website or newsletter. Make sure everyone knows how they contribute.

2) Appreciate your employees

You may appreciate your employees every day. The key is making sure they feel appreciated. Think about having pizza days or donuts in the morning once a month or so to indicate your appreciation. Be sure to link it to a “we’re glad you work here” message. Everyone responds well to being appreciated.

If your goals do include meeting quotas or upping production in some ways, you can also think about appreciation awards when this is done. Free tickets to local events as a reward, or even a half-day off for top performers, will go a long way to making employees know they are appreciated.

3) Hire positive people

Many people focus, of course, on skills when they’re going through the employee hiring process. That has to be done: without the skills, the hire won’t work. But remember that soft skills like a positive attitude, good work ethic, and dedication to team spirit are highly important as well.

When you go through applications, be sure to look for any displays of positive attitudes, like team sports or volunteer activities. Ask interview questions that assess positive attitude, like “what makes you happy?” When you check references, ask specifically about attitudes and positivity.

Are you looking to hiring great culture fits?

A staffing firm can help you develop questions and other recruitment techniques to find positive people. We can also help with calling references and other background checks. We can assist with recruiting good, responsible employees for your team. Stride Staffing’s goal is to build stronger connections between employers and individuals by doing staffing differently. Really. Contact us today for staffing agencies in Arlington, Dallas, Mesquite, DeSoto, and Richardson, Texas.

4 Reasons Why Respect Is Better Earned Than Demanded

All managers want — and need — their employees to respect them. But there are different ways to make sure you are getting respect.

If you earn respect, you are much more likely to get it than if you demand it. Employees look at their bosses to see what they do. If it doesn’t accord with what they see, or with what they are asked to do, they won’t give managers respect.

So how do managers earn respect? Here are 4 ways.

1) Doing Yourself What Is Required of Them

If you want hard-working and reliable employees, you need to be a hard-working and reliable boss. Believe me, if they see you working as hard to lead the team and benefit the company as they are asked to work, you will earn respect.

Always do yourself what you ask them to do. Is punctuality a problem? Never be late yourself. Be visible getting to work and working.

2) Create a Positive Workplace

Developing a positive workplace takes time and effort. You need to promote and reward positive behaviors. You need to instill a sense of teamwork. Be sure to let your employees know they are appreciated.

Make rewards for positive behaviors visible. If people do above and beyond, post a congratulatory letter in the lunchroom.

3) Recognize Their Achievements

Employees respect managers who recognize their achievements. Praise them for great work performance. Take the team leaders, official or unofficial, aside to thank them for helping lead the team.

If you see potential, develop your employees further. Promoting someone will gain their appreciation, but having the skills and insight to notice their potential wins both respect and gratitude.

4) Provide Opportunities to Take Ownership

Employees differ, of course, in the amount of supervision they need. But good workplaces will provide opportunities to take “ownership” of some tasks. Let the more responsible people decide how or when they will do specific tasks, if possible. Set the overall direction and what needs to be achieved yourself, but give them some ability to decide and choose.

Do you need help with staffing your company?

Need more people for the job? We can help with job postings, applications, and more. Stride Staffing’s goal is to build stronger connections between employers and individuals by doing staffing differently. Really. Contact us today for staffing agencies in Arlington, Dallas, Mesquite, DeSoto, and Richardson, Texas.

Your Six-Step Guide to Motivating the Millennial Workforce

Millennials, the generation born between the 1980s and the mid-1990s, are currently the largest group of working adults in the nation. As a result, every manager needs to know how to work with millennials, and how best to motivate them.

[ Request a Consultation ]
 

1) Realize They See the Advantage of Working Hard

Millennials see the advantage of working hard. After all, the first of them hit the job market just in time for the Great Recession of 2008-2009. They may have seen parents or older siblings struggling with unemployment or having to move back to their parents’ house. They know the importance of getting and holdings jobs as a result.

A key way to motivate them is to stress job security, if it is available. Make it clear your company values hard work and effort, and will appreciate workers who show it.

2) Create Paths to Success

Millennials are at an age where they are likely thinking about saving up for down payment on a home or starting a family. Many, in fact, have stepped up their saving for retirement at a faster rate than any other generation. They know that Social Security might not be around when they’re older.

If millennials know there are paths to earning more, they’ll be motivated to work for you. Make clear any benefits or promotional paths in your company for promising employees. After all, homes, families and retirement all cost money. Millennials know they do.

3) Use Technology

While millennials may not spend all their time on digital devices of one sort or another, they do spend a lot of time on them! Join them. They see texting, email and social media as very natural and obvious ways to communicate. A printed newsletter or notices tacked on a bulletin board may not motivate them or get their attention as much.

4) Communicate Often

It could be feedback about performance or new developments in the company. Millennials are used to the pace of texts, email and social media. Messages there happen many times a day. Many observers think the idea of a yearly performance appraisal seems quaint to millennials. They expect feedback more often and may not be comfortable with lack of communication.

5) Get Buy-In As Soon as Possible

The sooner you can get your new hires to buy in to the company vision, the sooner you will see them integrated successfully into your culture and production mechanisms. Even when a team has differing strategies and diverse backgrounds present, as long as the company vision is a shared vision, the team will ultimately be more likely to succeed.

6) Choose Strategic Flexibility

Companies are now choosing to adapt to new markets and technologies by expanding the flexibility of their work environments when possible. After orientation is complete, and both the supervisor and employee feels comfortable, offering a flexible work schedule puts the pressure of productivity squarely on the employee’s shoulders. Millennials, like other generations, want to know that what they are doing day in and day out is making a difference somehow.  Linking ownership of their own productivity to the outcome is a hugely motivating factor.  Doing this reinforces the generation’s focus on social responsibility and begin able to make their “mark.”

Motivation Is Key

Motivating employees will lead to maximum performance. We can help you find motivated and conscientious employees. Stride Staffing’s goal is to build stronger connections between employers and individuals by doing staffing differently. Really. 

Contact us today for our employment agencies in DeSoto, Texas, and other locations.