Why Let a Minnesota Staffing Agency Handle Temp Hires

/in

Hiring new employees is never fun because it’s a time-consuming process that doesn’t necessarily guarantee the results you want. We would recommend letting a staffing agency handle hiring temporary employees, and here’s why.

Save Time-

Looking for new employees is extremely time-consuming.  Creating and posting a job description is only the first two steps. Then you have to field candidates, interview them, and make final decisions. If you outsource to a staffing agency, you can use all that time to focus on your business instead of searching for employees.

Access a Wider Candidate Pool-

Staffing agencies have a wider candidate pool than you do as a potential employer. Therefore, it makes sense to work with a staffing agency so you can increase your chances of hiring the perfect fit for your company.

Allow Creative Input-

By working with a staffing agency, you are introducing a third party into your business. This can often be a very positive thing because that third party can provide creative input. For example, you may have never thought about hiring a “junior-level” employee to do a “senior-level” job, but a staffing agency might have just the right candidate who can do both for multiple reasons.

If you’ve determined that you want new employees but don’t have the time or manpower to do it in-house, contact Award Staffing. We will be able to pool together our resources to help you find the finest talent for your workplace.

 

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.

Don’t Be a Minnesota Employer That Micro-Manages

/in

When you’re an employer, it’s hard not to cross the line between being active and micro-managing. When you need something to get done, it’s often just easier to order your employees to do it; however, this is often not the most effective way to do so. Here’s how to be an active employer without micro-managing.

Suggest Rather than Order-

One of the easiest ways to be an active employer, without micromanaging, is to suggest rather than order. Whenever you tell an employee what to do, they may feel like their creativity and energy are being stifled. By suggesting they do something instead of ordering them to do it, they will likely be that much more productive, creative, and happy.

Ask for Feedback-

If you want to be an active employer, ask for feedback from your employees – on a consistent basis. This will help you know what your employees are thinking and feeling and better understand their motivations. It will also help you to communicate with them effectively.

Involve Your Employees in Decisions-

Whenever you can, involve your employees in your decisions. Nothing makes people feel like they’re being micromanaged more than when they feel as though they have no say in anything. These decisions could be anything from when the company holiday party is to how you’re going to implement the new break policy at work. Whatever you decide, your new employees will feel like you’re listening to them and that they’re a part of the team.

If you’re dedicated to being an active employer instead of one who simply micromanages, and you’re in need of new employees, contact Award Staffing. We will be able to help you find employees who are receptive to your suggestions and guidance but are also able to work effectively on their own.

 

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.

Why Minnesota Businesses Use Digital Time Keeping

/in

If you’re an employer, chances are that you’re constantly evaluating the effectiveness of your workplace policies and solutions to make sure that everything is running seamlessly. One facet of the workplace that employers often forget to improve, however, is the concept of the timecard. Have you considered the benefit of going digital?

Less Room for Error-

When you work with paper timecards, there is room for error in the sense that employees can mistakenly (or purposely) mess with the hours they worked. This can lead to inaccurate pay, which can ultimately wreak havoc on your employee’s payroll and overall business budget. When you go digital, everything is recorded and calculated automatically, so there is no room for error.

Have More Control Over Your Employees-

When you use digital time cards, you can see when your employees punch in for work as opposed to when they say they arrived at work. This allows you to have more control over your employees, as they will ultimately be more responsible for their actions and will not be able to rely on excuses or fabricating times to receive their pay.

Keep a Record-

When you use digital time cards, it’s much easier for you to keep a record. This means that you can go back and look at backdated time logs to see patterns and habits of your employees who came in for work. This is much easier and much more organized than using paper time cards because there is so much more potential for those records to be misplaced.

If you are in need of hiring new employees who are responsible and won’t be late for or miss their shifts, contact Award Staffing. We have a wide database of individuals who would make excellent employees and who would do your company proud.

 

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.

3 Reasons Why You Should Prioritize Candidate Referrals

/in

Hiring can be a tricky, expensive process that can either have great results or disastrous results for your company. Whenever possible, try to prioritize candidate referrals over any other type of applicant – here’s why.

1. Rely on Other People’s Experiences-

The great thing about relying on candidate referrals is that other people have already done the pre-vetting for you. When someone is referred to you, that person is putting their reputation on the line for doing so. This increases your chance of securing a high-quality candidate.

2. Accurate Character References –

When someone is referred, you can rest easy knowing that their character references are more accurate. It’s one thing for a candidate to refer to himself or herself as being responsible and timely; it’s another thing for a former employer to confirm that an employee actually is responsible and timely.

3. Less Costly to Do So-

It’s expensive to hire candidates, especially if they don’t work out for your company in the long run. When someone is referred to you, it’s safer to assume that they are looking for a long-term position and will be a “good hire.” By eliminating individuals who are only looking for short-term gain, you will ultimately find yourself saving money.

If you’re looking to hire reputable employees for your company, contact Award Staffing. We will refer candidates who have excellent references that we have personally hand-verified for you. We will make sure that the candidate who joins your team is nothing short of what you are seeking.

 

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.

How to Find Great Employees in the Minnesota Market

/in

It can be tough to find great employees in general; this is especially amplified when in a skills-gap market. There are a few specific strategies you can use, however, to help you succeed.

Use Social Media-

Social media is a great way to find candidates in a skills-gap market. The networking effect extends your reach to candidates. Make sure you post a dedicated job posting with lots of details about the duties, salary, and location, so you sort out the serious applicants from the non-serious applicants. 

Word-of-Mouth-

Similar to social media, word-of-mouth is a great way to extend your company’s reach.   When using word-of-mouth, however, it’s very important that you talk to the correct people. When needing a new employee, get the word out with your current employees or other respected professionals in your industry.

Hire a Staffing Agency-

The best way to find new employees in a skills-gap market is to hire a staffing agency. Staffing agencies have large databases of reputable recruits who are willing to start work at a moment’s notice. They also maintain a consistent database.

If you’re looking to hire new employees but don’t know where to start, contact Award Staffing. We will be able to help you find the right employees for your unique business needs. We will also be able to help you find employees who are willing to commit to your company long-term as opposed to a short-term opportunity.

 

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.

How to Hire an Effective Manager in The Twin Cities

/in

Hiring a manager is different than hiring a regular employee in the sense that they will have more responsibility, will need to manage other employees, and will report directly to you. Here’s how to hire an effective manager: 

Look for Someone with a Proven Record-

When hiring or promoting a manager, you need to look for someone who has repeatedly proven themselves. This means seeking out someone who has had multiple opportunities to do the wrong thing but has instead chosen the right path. For example, seek out an employee who repeatedly is on-time, shows great work ethic, and makes moral decisions within the realm of your business.

Look for Someone Who Has Great Colleague Relationships-

A manager will need to be respected by their colleagues and peers, so it’s important that they have great colleague relationships. To assess this, you can ask their colleagues anonymously what they think about that particular employee, or you can simply assess for yourself through the act of observation to see whether or not they have great colleague relationships.

Look for Someone Who Knows How to Assert Themselves-

An effective manager will need to know how to assert himself/herself to fulfill responsibilities. To assess this, watch your employees to see who naturally takes charge in a situation of conflict or concern. The person who rises to the top in terms of leadership and taking charge is the person whom you should most readily consider promoting to being a manager instead of an employee.

If you’re looking to hire an effective manager but don’t know where to start, contact Award Staffing. We can help you find employees who would not only be a great fit for your company but who would also be a great fit to be a manager. We will look out for a specific set of skills to ensure that your new hire can accomplish this successfully.

 

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.

The Pros and Cons of Hiring Seasonal Staff in Minnesota

/in

When you’re about to head into a busy season, and you’re in charge of staffing for your company, it’s time for the big decision: do you overload your current employees with extra responsibilities, or do you hire seasonal staff to help out with the workload? Before you make a decision, there are pros and cons of hiring seasonal staff that you should take into account:

Pros of Hiring Seasonal Staff in Minnesota-

• Increased Productivity One of the biggest positive aspects of hiring seasonal staff is that after the onslaught of training, you will have increased productivity. Therefore, if you have a busy season coming up, you may want to get the training done several weeks ahead of time, so your new employees are ready to work when everything gets busy.

• Employee Vetting One lesser-known benefit of hiring seasonal staff is that you can use it to vet longer-term employees. Hiring short-term staff is the perfect way to test out particular employees, especially if you’re not yet ready to make a full-time commitment.

Potential Cons of Hiring Seasonal Staff in Minnesota-

• Training Costs Every time you onboard a new employee, you’re may incur training costs to make sure they’re up to speed with your company’s rules, regulations, and protocol. Adding seasonal staff to your workforce could potentially reduce productivity at first until all the new employees are trained.

Connecting with a quality staffing agency which supplies well-trained candidates who learn quickly will ensure that the ultimate productivity and performance is worth any temporary loss of action.

• Lack of Familiarity Your seasonal staff will need to take the time to familiarize the new employees with the position and overall job details. You will need to account for this in the training schedule, but once again, a little effort, in the beginning, will reap big results in the end.

Furthermore, it’s an opportunity for current staff members to expand their leadership skills.

If you are interested in hiring seasonal staff, contact Award Staffing. We can help you identify exactly how many staff members you need, for how long, and in what position/role. We will be able to pre-vet candidates for you so that you’re only meeting with the most qualified candidates by the time they reach the interview process.

 

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.

What Are Comparable Salaries in Minnesota?

/in

Deciding how much salary to pay and which employees to pay are two of the toughest questions you have to answer in both hiring and retention. Here are tips on whether or not you should offer your employees a comparable salary to your competitors.

What Is a Comparable Salary?

Most employers want to pay competitive salaries but defining that can be a chore. According to Denise Rand of HR Daily Adviser,

“being competitive means paying, on average, +/- 10 percent from the market-average pay for a job or a group of jobs.”

Using a salary comparison tool can at least get you the ballpark figure, but the real question is about the value you get by trying to keep up with the Jones’s when it comes to salary amounts.

Employee Turnover Costs Money-

Every part of a turnover costs money. When old employees leave, you lose productivity. A job search is expensive and time-consuming. Training a new hire is also expensive and time-consuming. You lose additional productivity while the new employee is learning on the job and from other employees trying to teach them. Paying a competitive salary is your best defense against employee loss and associated costs.

Better Pay Means Better Employees-

According to Scott Shane of Case Western Reserve University,

“while it might seem counterintuitive, paying “efficiency wages” – the term economists use for higher-than-market wages – can boost productivity and enhance profits.” 

Employees who work harder, are more positive with clients and are less likely to quit over salary are a tremendous asset to any business. If you’ve decided that you do want to be more selective in your next hire, contact Award Staffing. We regularly work and interface with high-value individuals who are seeking out a new job or career path. We will be able to present you with several candidates and help you put together the right offer package for the candidate you believe is the best fit.

If you’re looking to hire new staff, consider Award Staffing. We will be able to ascertain your company culture, values, and other parameters to help you find the staff you need. We can both find the best-fit hiring manager and play a role as your HR extension. Contact us today.

 

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.

Protecting Your Company When Hiring a New Employee

/in

When you hire a new employee you don’t just take on a new person, you take on the new risks that come with them. Preparing yourself for these issues before they come up can be the difference between failure and success. Here are some things you should do to protect your company when hiring:

Smaller Businesses That Are Expanding Need To Prepare –

If you have not hired before you have some real work to do to prepare yourself. Make sure you have a Federal Employer Identification Number. Set yourself up for payroll taxes, workman’s comp insurance, Unemployment and disability insurance, and EEOE protections before you interview.

Businesses also have reporting and record keeping obligations. Make sure you have your tax withholding and records system in place, you are ready to verify work eligibility and citizenship or immigration status, and you know how to file reporting on new hires with state agencies.

Get Real About Pre-Employment Screening-

Run background checks: drug screens, criminal background checks, credit checks, employment and education verification. Drug screens don’t just keep out drug users; they keep out all the baggage they bring with them, things like higher accident rates, higher missed time rates, higher medical problem rates, and risks from their associates. You will occasionally hear the news about high-profile hires with fake resumes.Call schools and former employers to be sure of what you are getting.

Also, as Martin E. Davis points out in Entrepreneur, “some of the biggest names in the industry (and in our federal government) have been embezzlers, involved in bankruptcies, accused of sexual misconduct and harassment, felons, and convicted of lesser crimes.”

Always check; always verify.

Know The Law Before You Interview and Make an Offer-

You need to know which questions you can and cannot ask during an interview and make sure every member of your staff who participates in the interview process is aware of these restrictions. Topics like religion, sexual preference, age, disabilities, race, ancestry, pregnancy, marital status, children and prior arrests cannot be raised in interviews.

Find out whether an employee has signed a do not compete or other restrictive contract and how this can be enforced in your state before making an offer.

Jason Tremblay of Inside Counsel advises that “the company should prepare, and the new employee should sign, an agreement representing that he or she is not a party to any agreements or other obligations restricting his or her ability to work with the company.”

If you’re looking to hire new staff, consider Award Staffing. We will be able to ascertain your company culture, values, and other parameters to help you find the staff you need. We can both find the best-fit hiring manager and play a role as your HR extension. Contact us today.

 

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.

Qualities of a Great Minnesota HR Leader & Partner

/in

An HR Leader carries out some of the most critical functions in your company. They are entrusted with a lot of personal information and expected to navigate the company and its employees through difficult choices about benefits. Their ability to source new talent will define your company’s future. Knowing what to look for in an HR Leader is the first step towards hiring someone who can manage your programs and help you manage your next stage of growth.

A Great HR Leader is a Great Negotiator-

When you need new talent, HR has to deliver. Merely finding new talent isn’t enough; HR has to sign them and get them in the door. A great HR Leader can pitch your company and convince new hires to sign the dotted line. Strong negotiation skills are also a key component of successful mediation when managing sensitive conflict resolution issues.

A Great HR Leader is a Great Coach-

Your HR Leader finds the new hires and signs them up, but it doesn’t stop there. They make sure they are integrated into the company so they can hit the ground running. Joel Trammell recommends HR Leaders manage the full onboarding process.

“Quality onboarding includes making the new hire aware of company history and general industry knowledge and having him, or her attend meetings with key executives, in addition to the obvious job-specific training.”

A Great HR Leader is a Great Teacher-

Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman write that “most employees in organizations are unaware of labor laws, hiring rules, benefits and compensation issues.”

HR has to educate your staff and help them navigate the choices in front of them – from health insurance packages to retirement choices and more. Great teaching ability can illuminate the issues and smooth out a lot of potential pitfalls.

A Great HR Leader is a Great Learner-

Change is the only real constant. Labor laws and regulations are constantly updated, health insurance plans get more complex each year, and new approaches to benefits, training, and hiring are always being touted by outside consultants.

If you’re looking to hire new staff, consider Award Staffing. We will be able to ascertain your company culture, values, and other parameters to help you find the staff you need. We can both find the best-fit hiring manager and play a role as your HR extension. Contact us today.

 

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.