How to Make Your Company Appealing to Minnesota’s Blue-Collar Workers

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The United States is currently experiencing a blue-collar labor shortage, and Minnesota companies are feeling its effects.

Across all industries, there are currently more open positions than there are job seekers. Economists predict Minnesota will need more than 3 million workers by 2022 to keep up with the state’s economic growth but will likely fall short based on the current population. The crunch will hit industries reliant upon blue-collar workers especially hard.

There are a few reasons why we’re in the midst of a blue-collar job shortage. Baby boomers are approaching or past retirement age, meaning the largest living generation is no longer participating in the workforce in the same numbers as the previous decade. Many of today’s young workers opted for four-year colleges and are pursuing jobs in professional or public services, meaning there’s no incoming workforce to replace retirees.

How can you attract more candidates to your company’s blue-collar jobs and retain your current workers? Promoting learning opportunities and job security is key, but there are many factors that go into a blue-collar worker’s employment decision.

Attracting blue-collar workers to job openings

Blue-collar workers are looking for the same qualities in a good job that any job seeker wants. They want to apply for a position that offers:

  • • A competitive starting pay rate with opportunities for regular raises
  • • Medical, retirement and other benefits to supplement pay and protect employees in case they are unable to work
  • • Job security with reasonable protections from layoffs and a path that would easily allow their skills to translate elsewhere

One proven way to recruit new workers is through apprenticeships. In Minnesota, apprenticeships are on the rise, with 11,500 people participating in a program in 2017. The most common industry for apprenticeships is construction, but they are also a great tool for the manufacturing, technology, healthcare and agricultural fields. Apprenticeships allow you to train more people in your industry and create a direct pipeline for new employees.

Incentivizing blue-collar workers to remain in their jobs

If you’ve attracted great employees with the benefits above, you want to make sure you keep them happy with a productive, supportive workplace. Blue-collar workers tend to remain in their jobs or with their employer’s thanks to:

  • • A great work environment where employees enjoy their coworkers and the work that they do
  • • A schedule that allows workers a healthy work-life balance and flexibility when needed
  • • The opportunity to learn more skills that will allow the employee to advance at the company and/or take on new roles

To the second point, innovative shift scheduling will encourage current employees to take more second and third shifts and help attract more applicants to these positions. Attractive shift differentials, like paying an extra $1.25 an hour for less popular shifts, will help fill any staffing gaps.

Most importantly, workers want the opportunity to grow their careers. Bring knowledgeable blue-collar workers into the decision-making process. Offer opportunities for continuing education on middle-skill and highly skilled jobs. Work to promote the excellent work your employees do both within the company and to external media. Showing prospective and current employees you care about their growth will help you avoid a job shortage.

If you’re looking for hiring solutions to staff blue-collar jobs at your Minnesota company, Award Staffing is here to help. Contact us today to learn more about recruiting top talent.

Giving Your Employees the Benefit of the Doubt

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When you’re an employer, there’s a lot you have to take into account every moment of every day just to be able to run your business. Bringing employees into the equation makes things even more complicated. How do you know you can trust an employee? Unless you have good reason not to, giving them the benefit of the doubt encourages positive behavior.

Trust is Important

Trust is an important facet to have between employer and employee. If you don’t have trust, you will find yourself being suspicious in a lot of situations that could easily be avoided. You also will spend a lot of time trying to figure out whether or not an employee is telling the truth, which is not a very efficient use of your time.

Wait Until You Have an Explanation

If there is a situation in which you feel as though you’ve been wronged, you should wait until your employee can give you an explanation. The reason for this is that they might be able to provide a satisfactory explanation that sets your perception straight and avoids discord in the company. Always ask for an explanation before you jump to conclusions.

You Will Be Less Stressed

It just feels better when you can trust your employees and give them the benefit of the doubt. You’ll be less stressed and more able to spend time doing what you do best – running your business.

If you’re in need of a new employee to work for your company, contact Award Staffing. We will be able to help you find an employee who is a good fit for your business and culture.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

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How Twin Cities Companies Deal with Angry Employees

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An angry employee can quickly upset an otherwise positive work environment and, if ignored, can escalate into violence. This can be a difficult situation to handle. Here are some practical pointers to help.

It always starts with communication and communication begins with listening. This doesn’t mean you forget your role as manager, but rather that enable yourself to fulfill it better by listening to the details in order to understand the big picture

· Set an appointment – in a safe a private place.
· Remain calm and just listen – you don’t know how to proceed if you don’t’ get a clear message.
· Respect them as an individual – be personable, professional, and kind.

If the cause of their anger is connected to work:

· Give them an opportunity to express how they feel they’ve been wronged and ask them to share what they think needs to be done.
· Acknowledge the angry employee’s feelings.
· Assure them that you will get more information and meet with them again – set a specific date.
· Talk to others involved and get an honest picture of the situation. You can’t deal correctly with the circumstances until you know what’s happening.

If the cause of their anger is separate from work:

· Sometimes a listening ear was all they needed.
· Give them support, make suggestions for them to follow, and tell them you will check back.
· Remind them that their anger is affecting their work and your workplace and must stop.
· Talk about the positive things they have brought to the workplace and encourage them not to lose sight of them.
· Be kind, but firm about your expectations and the consequences that will result from a continued problem.

Keep it private and give them time to sort out their emotions from your talk before sending them back to their task – especially if they interact with other employees.

Keeping a positive workplace begins with hiring right. If you’re in need of a new employee to work for your company, contact Award Staffing. We will be able to help you find an employee who is a good fit for your business and culture.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

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How Quality Screening Can Reduce Employee Turnover

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When you’re looking for new candidates for your company, you’ll always want to pick candidates that will reduce employee risk and turnover in the workplace. Conducting proper screening of your candidates is essential. Consider these suggestions

Verify Skills

One of the biggest contributors to employee risk is when the employee doesn’t possess the correct skill set for the job. Using simple challenge tests can ensure that the employee has the specific skill set the job requires, not just the general skills. This will reduce the risk of incompetent or bored employees

Perform a Background Check

Performing a background check on job candidates is a great way to reduce employee risk. Potential candidates aren’t always going to tell you everything about them, especially if they are desperate for employment. If you conduct a background check, you can verify that nothing incredibly serious or dangerous has happened regarding that particular employee. You will be able to rest assured that your other employees will feel safe when working in conjunction with this employee.

Hire Candidates with Realistic Expectations

One of the biggest factors surrounding employee turnover is when the candidate has unrealistic expectations about the job. For example, if a candidate thinks he or she will be handling the administrative desk but is really handling the storage and packaging of boxes, disillusionment will follow. Make sure your candidate knows the expectations and limitations of the job in the interview.

Hire Candidates Who Have Needs Met By The Job

If your candidate doesn’t have needs that are met through your job, he or she will be a higher risk of contributing to employee turnover. This means that your candidate’s skillset needs to match up with the skill set that the job is offering. You should not seek a candidate who is overqualified, but rather you should seek a candidate who is perfectly qualified for the job.

When you’re hiring new employees, you absolutely want to make sure you minimize employee turnover and risk. If you do a high-quality screening for your potential candidates and ask certain questions, you will be able to greatly minimize the risk of acquiring these candidates.

If you want help performing a high-quality screening for your potential candidates, contact Award Staffing. We use screening to present to you the best candidates for your needs and requirements.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

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Qualities Minnesota Companies are Wary of in a New Hire

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When you are interviewing potential candidates, there are several obvious “red flag” qualities such as tardiness or lack of respect that would make them ineligible for a job. However, there are many surprising qualities that also indicate a new hire isn’t the best fit for your company. Here are the qualities you should be wary of in a new hire:  

Eager to Speak

If a new hire is extremely eager to speak, this could be an indicator that he or she is not a very good listener. If the employee has a hard time listening, you will find yourself repeating directions and dealing with avoidable problems. New hires can be friendly and conversational, but if you can’t get a word in edgewise, you might have trouble on your hands.  

Inflated Ego

Be careful if your new hire seems to have an inflated ego. While self-confidence is beneficial, your new hire thinking he or she is the best employee in the company is not. If your new hire has an inflated ego, he or she will likely not respond to direction from supervisors and will lead other employees astray.  

Wide Breadth of Knowledge

Be careful if your employee seems to have a wide breadth of knowledge about everything. It’s fine to be knowledgeable in certain fields, but if your employee always has something to say about any topic, you may have a case of “jack of all trades, but master of none”. This could be an issue when you need your new hire to be on board with all the other employees.  

Dislike for Previous Employers

If your new hire expresses disdain for previous employers, he or she might have an aggressive or difficult personality. Discussing previous employers in a negative light is absolutely inappropriate, and you have no guarantee they won’t do the same to you in the future. Once you are aware of these qualities, you will be equipped to make a better hiring decision. If you are in need of new employees, contact Award Staffing. We will perform the initial screening processes to weed out difficult hires.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

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4 Reasons Why Minnesota Businesses Give Bonuses

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Some employers give their employees bonuses for special occasions such as completing a project, making a sale, or celebrating the holidays. Bonuses are often given in the form of payment, but can also be given in other forms such as extra time off or increased responsibility. Recognizing the accomplishments of your employees with a bonus not only rewards them but also benefits the company.

Motivate Hard Work

When your employees receive bonuses after a certain project is completed or a deadline is met, you are motivating them to work harder in the future. Your employees will start taking that extra step and assigning more responsibility to themselves in hopes that you will reward their behavior. You don’t have to give out bonuses every time your employees do something great, but you are letting them know that you are observing and appreciate their hard work. This will lead to more quality work on a more consistent basis.

Promote Certain Tasks

If you have a high priority or time-sensitive task, a great way to do that is to offer your employees a bonus. This will let the employees know that this task or project is extremely important to you, and it will stand out from the other projects or tasks you assign. Your employees will work harder on that specific task because of the stakes that are involved and the importance of the project.

Boost Employee Morale

If your employees know there is even a slight chance you will give out bonuses, you will create an environment of positivity and happiness in your workplace. This will boost your employee morale, as employees will feel like their work is being seen and rewarded. Your employees will also be more willing to put more time and effort into projects, which will lead to a greater sense of self-pride and accomplishment.

Increase Employee Retention

Acknowledging your employee’s accomplishments and skill sets through bonuses creates satisfied employees, ultimately increasing retention. Increased retention builds stronger work relationships and reduces cost per hire.

Contact Award Staffing. We will perform an extensive search for high-quality employees who match your company’s needs and stay, earning bonuses through their motivation, commitment to the task, and personal morale.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

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5 Reasons Minnesota Companies are Hiring Millennials

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If you are in need of new employees, you think of a growing generation… think millennials. Millennials can be defined as anyone born in the late 1980s to the early 2000s. Here are five reasons why you should hire millennials:

They Are Energetic and Eager

Millennials have just entered the workforce, which means they are energetic and eager to work. They aren’t yet burnt out on working long hours and doing the same job day after day. This means they have more energy to dedicate to your company and are eager to learn as much as possible while employed.

They Have Meaningful Ideas

Millennials have grown up in a world that encourages creativity and originality. This means that most millennials have really meaningful ideas that could be helpful to your business if they were to be implemented. This ideation mentality will hopefully inspire your other employees and your management team to make the necessary changes.

They Are Willing to Collaborate

Millennials have been raised in an educational and occupational culture where sharing was both accepted and encouraged. This means that they are very likely to collaborate with their other peers and work together on tasks that lend themselves to this principle. This will lead to improved communication and productivity for your business.

They Can Adapt Quickly

Millennials are natural multitaskers, so they can adapt quickly to any situation in which they are placed. This means you will be able to assign different tasks on different days to your employees depending on who wants to take on what role. This will make your company more flexible as different workplace issues arise.

They Are Up-to-Date on Technology

If you aren’t too technologically savvy, you need to hire millennials. Millennials are extremely updated on the latest technological trends, and they also will be able to teach everyone on your staff how to use certain technologies.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

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Traits You Should Seek When Hiring Leaders

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When you are in charge of hiring for your company, you should hire employees who have leadership traits. This will allow you to give these employees growth potential and see if they can grow into long-term roles. Here are the traits you should seek when hiring leaders: 

Proactivity

If a potential candidate is proactive, they will make a good leader. This person will be able to see and act upon potential problems before they even become problems. You can test this trait in a potential employee by asking him what he or she would do in a certain problematic situation. If the answer has any hints of self-reflection, you can rest assured that this candidate is proactive.

Optimism

It’s important to remain optimistic when you’re a leader. If you hire someone who is a pessimist, it will be hard for him or her to take risks when risks are needed. This person will need to be able to inspire the team that works underneath them and keep everyone positive when times are tough. However, it’s important to make sure this person is not just an optimist, but also a realist.

Good at Listening

If a potential recruit is good at listening, he or she will make a good leader. The reason for this is that the leader will be able to take suggestions from other leaders or team members and effectively implement them. This means this person will also be able to keep him or herself from getting out of control if a situation needs to be reigned in.

Open-Minded

One very important quality of being a good leader is that the individual is open-minded. Often, situations arise in the business setting that are unexpected or less-than-ideal. You will need to hire someone who is open-minded and will be able to take a certain route even if it’s not conventional or entirely practical.

If you are looking for people who could potentially be leaders in your business, contact Award Staffing. We will find people who exemplify these positive traits and would be interested in taking on a leadership position in the future.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

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Minnesota Companies Save Money With Staffing Agency

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When you need to find a replacement employee, whether short-term or long-term, consider hiring a staffing agency – it will save you money in multiple ways.

Save Money on Training Costs

Key expenses when hiring new employees are the associated training costs. When you work with a staffing company, they take time to know your business. They understand your needs and provide candidates that may have the experience and training you require behind their belts.

Naturally, there will be some specific training that can only happen on-the-job, but using a staffing agency will greatly reduce both the amount of time and the cost of training. Furthermore, as an employer, you can also specify that you only want to hire people who currently possess certain skillsets or work experiences, again minimizing these training costs.

Reduce Costly Employee Turnover

If you hire a new employee and they leave three months later, you have lost money on both training and employment costs. By hiring a staffing agency, you can eliminate a large amount of that risk. The staffing agency will be able to sort through and determine which employees are reliable as well as decide a set contract length.

These employees will have more incentive to stay if they are clear about their terms and are pre-screened by a third party. In addition, the candidate can initially remain an employee of the staffing agency – giving you the option to hire them when you know the employee will fit your needs.

Decide How Long You Want to Hire an Employee

If you have a short-term need within your company, it’s perfectly acceptable to hire a temp employee for that specific purpose. It’s much easier to hire a short-term employee through a staffing agency, because they are used to working with employees who prefer short contracts or length of employment. You will be able to focus on the skills you want and need.

The staffing agency will be able to match you up with an employee who is both skilled and available for that time frame. By hiring someone else to do this process for you, you will be saving both time and money. Once you’ve determined that you want to save money by hiring a staffing agency, you will need to find a staffing agency that can meet your company’s needs.

Contact Award Staffing. We will work with you to come up with a custom plan for your company and staff it accordingly according to your needs and vision.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

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Why Job Descriptions Need to Be Absolutely Accurate

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As an employer, you want to be completely in control and productive with your hiring process. Part of this process is writing accurate job descriptions that potential employees can look at before being hired. Consider these pertinent reasons why accurate job descriptions are important.

You Are Creating a Guideline For the Position

Creating an accurate job description is more than a formality; it’s a blueprint for the skills and duties, which you want the position to embody. Creating an accurate job description will require you and your management team to consciously think about and define the exact job description for that position. This will help you clearly state what you need and expect from the person you eventually hire.

You Are Attracting Appropriate Candidates

When you release an accurate job description, you will attract the appropriate candidates for that position. When job descriptions are too vague or inaccurate, the wrong selection of potential employees often apply because they feel like they fit inside the needs of the position no matter what skills they possess. In terms of time or money, this isn’t effective. Eliminate the fluff and stick with the relevant, applicable information to attract excellent candidate options.

You Are Eliminating The “Surprise” Factor

Many potential candidates will not be happy if they walk into an interview or job, and they are expected to do tasks that weren’t listed in the job description. This could lead to reduced productivity, low morale, and eventually, high employee turnover. If you create an accurate job description that details all of the potentials within the position, you will successfully eliminate the surprise factor and reduce the risks that are hazardous to your business. Ready to find qualified candidates for your business needs?

Bring your job descriptions to Award Staffing. We will use these job descriptions with our other resources to attract the ideal employees for your open positions.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.