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.

How Do You Make Sure Your Hiring Is More Successful?

The success rate in hiring is important to any business. Briefly, the success rate is the number of people hired who are good employees: reliable and able to do their tasks well. How can you make your hiring more successful?

Reducing Hiring and Firing Costs 

When you add up the time and effort expended on hiring, it’s can be quite a lot. A job description has to be developed and posted. A decision has to be made about where it is posted. Resumes and applications have to be screened. People have to be interviewed.

Then, of course, there’s a training period when the new hire comes in. Even the best employees have a learning curve, when they won’t be at peak productivity.

If a new hire is a good employee, the company is ultimately rewarded with a good worker. But if the person is not a good hire, they may end up having to be let go.

This can be costly as well. There are procedures to letting someone go. A performance plan usually must be instituted. Even if you are working with a staffing agency and hiring temporary workers, a new temp must be brought in and learn the ropes when one is fired.

You want a high success rate to cut down on hiring and firing costs.

Better Overall Productivity

A good success rate – a high number of employees hired who turn out to be good, reliable workers – is great for productivity. They go through a training period, enter maximize productivity to you and produce well. Your team becomes productive.

Stride Staffing Can Help

A staffing agency can help increase your success rate. They can recruit so you find candidates with the experience and skills you need. They can supply you with temporary workers so that you can see the quality of work with no lengthy interview process, and choose only the best qualified without having to go through a firing process.

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.

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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.

How to Spot Hard Workers in an Interview

Being a hard worker is one of the most important things an employee can be. “Hard worker,” of course, can cover many qualities. It can mean the person is very responsible and committed to getting the job done. They don’t gaze at the clock as the minute hand nears quitting time. They don’t come back late from lunch. It can also mean that they go full out on any task they do. Finally, it can mean they never complain about new tasks or the difficulty of the work.

But how do you spot hard workers in an interview? Here are three methods.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

If you ask an employee “Are you a hard worker?” many would say yes. The question’s form is closed; respondents can only answer yes or no. And most applicants would know better than to say no! Closed questions aren’t ideal for getting at how people see situations.

A better way is to ask how they act in certain situations. You could say something like “give me an example of when you went above and beyond for a job.” If they say they opened the office at 5 a.m. when 10 inches of snow had just fallen so a shipment could go out, that’s a testimony to their ability to work hard. If they answer, “I stayed 15 minutes over my shift,” that’s ok, but not as impressive as the first instance.

Look at the Job Application/Interview

How someone works at looking for a job is a good indicator of how they will approach a job. A well-done cover letter and high-quality resume generally mean the applicant has worked hard at it. Have they responded properly to the posting itself? That means they are conscientious and pay attention.

Were they on time to the interview? Did they work hard at establishing rapport, answering questions and selling their qualification? If they did, it’s a sign they will work hard at the job.

Touch Base With Former Employers

Finally, don’t neglect to talk to former employers. If the person indicated in the interview they are a hard worker, ask if their own assessment of their work ethic aligns with that of past supervisors. Ask if they worked hard, showed up on time and gave 110 percent. Were they flexible and cheerful about assignments? That’s all part of being a hard worker. You also may want to obtain a former supervisor’s contact instead of the company’s number so that you can get a better reference instead of a general HR response.

Finding the Right Employees

In today’s employment scene, finding hard working and conscientious employees is crucial. Assessing hard work, conscientiousness and diligence is more important than ever. We can help you find great candidates. 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 Mesquite, Texas, and other locations.

Spreading the Love: 3 Reasons to Recognize Top Workers

All of your top employees appreciate being acknowledged for the efforts they have given and the results that have benefitted your company. And it is vital that you do recognize these high performers, even if it’s something as simple as a pat on the back or a kind word in front of everyone else in the office.

It’s important to show appreciation regularly to motivate and encourage employees. It can improve their confidence and self-worth, and it can increase productivity throughout the workplace.

Recognizing employees who are deserving can set a positive tone for the department or office. Workers who know that they will get a word of encouragement or a grateful gesture for doing a good job are more at ease and productive than those who only know that a kick in the pants awaits their next mistake.

Praise and recognition don’t take much time or effort from a business, but they yield tremendous benefits to both the worker and the company. Here are just three.

1. You create engagement and a sense of ownership

When an employee is recognized for doing good work, it is an encouragement to continue to give the same or higher level of performance. Workers begin to feel engaged, which leads to a sense of belonging and ownership in the company. Engaged employees are happier and more productive. And when employees feel that they belong, the mood of the shop or office improves.

2. It leads to a better bottom line

It’s simple. When you praise or acknowledge your employees’ performance, it directly affects your business’s overall results. It works like this: Your employee does something that deserves recognition, and you want to see it repeated. You reward or thank the employee for doing something special, and the worker keeps doing it to receive more recognition. It might sound disingenuous, but it’s not. It’s praising what should be praised, and it’s good for the worker and the bottom line.

3. Loyalty increases and you will keep the best talent

When your employees receive acknowledgment for their efforts, they tend to be more loyal towards you and their work. The more your staff feels valued and encouraged, the more likely they are to remain with you. And retaining skilled workers is a challenge that you could overcome with a few kind words or a celebration of an employee’s achievements whenever they are deserved.

Find the best talent

Convincing today’s top candidates that your company is their best choice is more critical than ever. A culture of encouragement, a positive work environment, and appreciation of a job well done will go a long way to setting you apart. If you are looking to add great folks to your team contact Stride Staffing to learn more or request a consultation today!