Creative Ways to Keep Your Employees Happy

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Something that isn’t often a regular discussion among decision makers in most companies is employee happiness. Of course, most places do their best to meet the standard of a good workplace; but in today’s nation-wide situation of employee shortages, businesses must go beyond that.

 As a leader within your organization, when was the last time that you looked into new ways to boost employee happiness and gain a reputation of one of the best companies to work for?

Right now, many businesses in the Light Industrial and Warehouse sectors are concerned because they can’t offer the new trends of working remotely or start time flexibility, due to specific deadlines and operational equipment being necessary to do the job(s).

These factors give them the impression that they have no chance of making their employees as happy as organizations that can provide those options, discouraging them from even trying.

However, in a 2021 analysis of employee surveys and feedback, Costco and H.E.B., two places that require both in-person work and manual labor made the list of the year’s Top 25 Major U.S. Companies with the Happiest Employees.

It just goes to show that any company can be a good place to work if you are listening to the needs of your employees and offering them a good wage, benefits, and working environment.

Here is a list of our recommendations on how to create a happy workplace for your employees:

1. Encourage Camaraderie and Relationship Building at Work

One of the things consistently mentioned by employees of the happiest companies to work for is engagement between team members. In past times, employees were discouraged from getting to know each other too well and from having idle conversations during the work day. Present times are different. Employees who feel comfortable with one another and know each other’s work styles and habits will work better together. This will also lead to more employee retention and fewer call outs, as employees will enjoy coming to work every day.

Some ways you can encourage camaraderie are: hosting daily team-wide coffee breaks, setting aside time each week to host fun activities, and even just being ok with chit-chat throughout the day.

2. Address All Employees Individually

At times, it can feel like giving recognition to an entire department is enough; but if you want to ensure your employees are happy, you must see all employees as individuals. If someone regularly keeps to themselves, or doesn’t ever complain/offer feedback, it’s easy to assume they must be perfectly content. However, this is how many managers end up surprised when someone on their team quits unexpectedly.

Make time to check-in with each of your employees 1:1, even if it’s just for a few minutes every few weeks. Also be sure to praise each person personally when something has been accomplished. All employees deserve to be noticed and will remember that you set aside time for them.

3. Implement Resolve

From an employee perspective, it is very frustrating when an issue comes up and nothing is done to ensure it doesn’t happen again. As an employer, you’re not expected to have all of the answers or come up with a solution on-the-spot. But, it’s important that you give your employees a timeline for when you will address the problem and follow up with them when that time comes.

Many times, this means that new policies or standard operating procedures need to be implemented. Putting something in place will reassure your employees that you care about them and that all situations will be handled accordingly.

4. Offer In-House Perks

This especially applies to companies that don’t have the ability to offer remote work. If you want to keep the employees you do have, they must have reasons to want to come in.

Consider integrating things such as a healthy snack and beverage bar that is unlimited and available to employees at all times. Some companies have gone as far as building in a kombucha on tap bar.

Other options could be having an in-house gym for employees to use or putting massage chairs in the break room. Perks like this may seem like a big investment, but are likely necessary if you want to compete with other companies.

It’s important to note that if you choose to provide these things, they must be maintained. This means snacks always fully stocked, the gym regularly cleaned, and the massage chairs in good condition and fixed right away if they get broken.

All employees will be excited when you initially offer these perks, but that excitement will quickly dwindle if they are not consistently maintained.

If your company is in need of employees, we at Award are here to help. Contact us with your staffing needs here.

How Rebranding Changed Our Online Reputation

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If you were at a business event and someone were to ask you or anyone on your team what your company is known for; would you be able to give them a confident response?

Of course you are known for the products you sell or the services you provide, but what exactly makes your organization’s model and digital presence different from that of your competitors?

However, with more and more companies establishing themselves on social media to beat out their competition for the top spot in the algorithm; and a market where employees and job seekers have the upper hand, qualities that set you apart is what will make the difference between a company that is remembered and one that is not.

In previous years at Award, we have had a strong digital presence, particularly on Facebook, known as the local staffing agency that has a comical and entertaining presence. Through our creative use of skits, movie characters, and themed photographs, we build a solid audience and omnipresence to a group of people, of which many would become our associates.

Over the past year, we have rebranded and with that have also reactivated an important piece of our business- our Award Cares program.

It has always been important to us that we give back to our community; which is why, as of last summer, we decided to do a company-wide service project every quarter going forward. To enhance each of these projects, we also create a social media campaign that showcases the progress of them from beginning to end on social media

Through this, we began to see a significant increase in our social media engagement, particularly on LinkedIn. Many of our connections have showed an interest and what we are doing and have expressed the desire to do similar things at their companies as well.

To really stand out, we experimented with the idea of all black and white photos, with a pop of color. This began during our Warming Their Soles sock drive last fall when we wanted the primary focus of the pictures to be the socks our employees were wearing and the stories behind them.

It proved to gain a lot of traction online; therefore, we decided to keep it going and to make it a main focus of our strategy. Now, when people see the black and white photos with just a hint of our green and turquoise brand colors, they instantly recognize it as a post from Award Staffing.

Implementing these things the past several months have proven to be a very effective way build a presence within our local and online communities, all while showcasing what we at Award are all about.

If you’re company is in need of employees, we at Award are here to help. Contact us here with your staffing needs. 

Creating a Positive Workplace

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Being considered a good place to work by your employees involves a lot of components. It’s a known thing in these times that a positive company culture is one of the most crucial aspects of a quality work environment, along with location and time flexibility as well as purpose.

With people having many options for where to work right now, standing out as an ideal workplace can be competitive. Just like your products and/or services; you want to keep up with market and industry trends that your clients and employees value, while at the same time differentiate yourself enough to catch the attention of the people you’re trying to call in.

Something that has not been considered by many companies as of yet is the power of positivity and availability.

It’s inevitable that no matter what industry you’re in or line of work you do, moments of challenge and frustration come up, and can sometimes last for seasons. However, it is in how these moments are handled that differentiate your company as the one that people want to work for and stay at.

Here are some things to consider when trying adding more positivity and openness to your company:

1. It Starts with Leadership

Everything has a trickle-down effect. If the company executives and managers exemplify a positive approach to everything they do, it will make employees more comfortable and they will also begin to demonstrate positivity. Make it a priority for everyone on your leadership team to learn how to have positive interactions with all employees.

2. There are Many Ways to Exhibit Positivity

From the language you use in your company-wide emails to the way you deliver news and explain concepts in one-on-one meetings, there is always a way to communicate in a more uplifting and/or encouraging manner. While it may take a bit of effort to tweak your communication style, it will pay off in the long run in the form of longer employee tenure, better performance, and better energy in the office or on-site.

3. It’s ok for Moments to get Personal Once in a While

As a manager, there will be things that your employees go through that affect their work in both a positive and negative way. This goes for attendance, time-management, communication, etc. While it used to be looked down upon for work and personal matters to be mixed, realistically sometimes that’s what needs to happen for a better understanding. If an employee chooses to share something from their personal life that is affecting their work life, coming from a place of empathy (instead of pushing the matter away) will give you more insight. Having perspective about why something is happening will give you and your employee the chance to come up with a solution together.

4. The Ability and Willingness to Listen is Crucial

Part of offering a positive working environment is letting employees be heard. Whether they’re coming to you with a question, concern, or suggestion; hearing them out and actually considering what they’re saying will lead to better output on their part and could even benefit the rest of the company.

If your company is in need of employees, let us at Award help you. Contact us here with your staffing needs.

How to Make Your Job Postings Candidate Centric

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In the current times, which are being referred to as a “candidate market”; job seekers have the option to choose from many different industries and positions. This has not been the case in previous times, especially not to this extent.

No matter what line of work, companies across-the-board are struggling to find and retain employees, doing everything in their power to bring new candidates through the door. This nation-wide occurrence does not appear to be going away any time soon. That being said, if businesses want to change their short-staffed situation, they must change their strategy. One way to do that is by being different.

Bringing in new candidates begins with your job postings. It only takes twenty seconds of reading a job posting for an applicant to decide whether or not they’re going to submit an application. If you don’t engage them right away, they will lose interest and not even finish reading it.

Here are some of our recommendations for getting people to apply to your job postings.

1. Instead of statements like, “we have a great culture”, communicate your company’s culture through your tone and writing style

Do you have an office that is constantly laughing and joking around? If so, add a bit of witty humor to your job description. Do you have a very relaxed team that somehow magically never sweats the small or big stuff? Use vocabulary such as, “zen” or “calm”. Most companies try too hard to maintain an overly professional image on the outside. That approach is archaic; these days, people want to see an organization’s personality.

2. Mention Autonomy

Workplace autonomy is the number one value people have nowadays. While every company is going to offer this in different ways, it’s definitely something you want people to know about right away. Do you have a hybrid model? Do your employees choose their own hours or take lunch at whatever time they want? Mentioning these things is a sure-fire way to capture a job seekers attention.

3. Talk About Personality Fit

Companies are always so quick to list out their own needs and go into detail about the qualifications and/or experience that someone needs to have in order to be hired. One thing we know to be true at Award, is that having a team that works well together can make or break the success of an organizations operations. Plus, we’ve all worked somewhere in the past where some of our co-workers made showing up every day difficult. Personality is not something that should be overlooked when you are searching for the right fit.

4. Instead of, “depending on experience”, post the salary range.

While there may be some cases where the pay is non-negotiable, you must remember that a job is a person’s livelihood. They need to know whether or not it will be worth their time to apply and set up an interview by knowing if the pay will meet their lifestyle needs. Also, people don’t want to work for a company that is totally rigid. Making it clear that there is room for negotiation in this area communicates that there is flexibility.

If your company is in need employees, we at Award are here to help. Contact us here with your staffing needs.

How to Provide Unsurpassed Service

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One of the most important things to us at Award, is that we always provide our clients and associates with unsurpassed service. As the number one staffing agency in Minnesota, as well as one of the top 175 places to work in Minnesota for 6 years in a row; we are constantly striving to improve our processes to make them easier for both sides and to let our clients know that we value them.

Whether you are a client based company or a customer based company, there are a number of good ways to provide unsurpassed service. Here are our top recommendations for how you can provide your clientele excellent service.

1. Treat Your Employees Well & Create a Stellar Company Culture

You may be wondering what this has to do with your clients, and the truth is; everything. Good service starts with people who are excited to come to work every day and perform their best. If you are understanding about your employees’ needs and intentionally create a culture that they want to be a part of, it will create a trickle-down effect and in-turn, they will go above and beyond for clients. Showing concern for the well-being of your employees will also result in fewer call outs and less tardiness, meaning there will be consistency in which staff member your client is working with.

2. Be Timely and Responsive

There is nothing more frustrating from a customer’s perspective than trying to reach someone with a pressing question or concern, and not hearing back for days or weeks at a time. If a client is trying to get ahold of you, it’s for a reason. Being timely in your responses and on-time for meetings/events shows professionalism and that you respect your client’s time. Remember, your clients have more than one option for who they want to work with; if you want them to keep using your services, being timely and responsive is essential.

3. Show Up in Person

This is particularly important if you are local. In the current digital age, nothing compares with human-to-human interaction. If your client is having an issue, meeting them at their location to discuss how it’s going to be resolved will set you apart from other companies in your industry. It also shows your client that you genuinely care. Making an effort to do this regularly will also build a trust factor between you and your client, as they will get to know you on a more personal level.

4. Go Above and Beyond

Although it is a business relationship, if you want to be the company that your clients refer out, you’ll need to do something beyond just the duties that they hire you for. Every year, we at Award give our clients flowers and holiday cards, and we often provide lunch for our longest partnerships. This is what will separate you from your competitors and make your clients want to leave you good reviews. Any company can do what they were hired to do, but it’s only a select few that choose to take it a step further.

5. Communicate

Keeping in regular contact with your clients and checking in with them to see how everything is going is an important habit to get into. Even if everything seems like it’s going fine, keeping them updated and asking how everything is going is good practice. There is enough ghosting in this world as it is, don’t sign a new client, complete the job, and then disappear. Especially if you are a staffing agency that has associates working at your client’s sites.

If your company is in need of employees, we at Award are here to help. Contact us with your staffing needs here.

How to Build Connections in Your Community

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One of our biggest priorities at Award is building meaningful connections within our community. Not only are we in the staffing industry where relationships are everything, we also value giving back and partnering with local organizations to make a difference within our community through our Award Cares Program.

Whether you are in the staffing industry or not, we highly recommend creating a solid foundation of relationships with other businesses. Doing so well help you build rapport and lead to a good reputation within your community. This will likely get you regular referral and marketing/publicity opportunities, which will make the surrounding businesses want to partner with you, in some capacity in the future.

Here are our recommendations for how to create connections in your local community:

1. Follow and Engage with them on Social Media

It’s no secret that having a social media presence is absolutely crucial in the world we live in. By leveraging social media, you have the chance to showcase your brand’s personality and share your company’s culture. Because all social media platforms are algorithm based, following and regularly liking/commenting their posts will give them more exposure. Also, by leaving positive comments on their page, their prospective customers and clients will automatically trust them more.

2. Send them Holiday and Checking-In Gifts and Notes

Building relationships is the first step to creating meaningful connections, but it is equally important to maintain them. Every so often, send the executives of the company a gift or note, letting them know you are thinking of them. The people who run businesses can be skeptical of partnering with other companies when they feel like the other company is only out to see what’s in it for them. Doing this will create a human-to-human connection. Also, it doesn’t have to cost money. Even an email just to check in every once in a while can go a long way.

3. Provide Recommendations

When creating relationships, the best thing that you can do is come from a place of value. When communicating with other businesses, problems that they are facing will inevitably become a topic of conversation occasionally. Offer your unique perspective and solutions if you deem it fitting for the conversation. If nothing comes to mind right away, reach out later with a few ideas and resources. This shows that you were listening and that you genuinely care.

4. Refer and Connect Them

As networking is such a crucial part of any business, you will inevitably run into individuals and other companies who could use their services. If you know those people or organizations on a personal level, introduce them. If it is someone you are just meeting, give them your business associate’s contact information and ask that person or company to tell them that they were sent by you. People will be happy to return this favor.

5. Share their Needs and Wins with Your Network

Going back to social media, another great thing you can do for a business associate is spread the word about their needs and/or successes. If they post that they are hiring, share it your LinkedIn and Facebook connections. If they post about a recent win they had, help them celebrate by sharing their post. This will communicate genuine appreciation for their partnership and will incentivize them to do the same for you.

If your company is in need of employees, we at Award Staffing are here to help. Contact us with your staffing needs here.

 

 

How to Provide Meaningful Work as an Employer

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Nowadays, people don’t work solely for a paycheck. While that is most certainly the biggest driver of why people have jobs; when people go to work every day, they want to feel like there is more meaning behind what they do than just making a living.

As we are currently in a candidate market, and people currently have the option to be particular about where they work, it is important that companies provide a meaningful work experience to their employees.

When in search of a new job, people no longer simply choose the one offering the highest pay, the one closest to home, or the one that is the most relevant to what they went to college or trade school for. They search the companies that want to interview them via their website and social media pages to see if there is something they stand for.

It’s very important that companies not only advertise a meaningful workplace to get people through the door, but also demonstrate and maintain that meaning so that employees choose to stay with the company in the long run.

Here are 5 ways employers can create meaningful work for their employees:

 

1. Give Employees the Chance to Contribute

In today’s world, it is more important than ever for people to know that they are giving back; especially to the local community. By making service and/or charity a part of your business model, employees will take pride in where they work. This shows that the company values things other than revenue generation and publicity and that the organization cares.

It is important to note, that any charity or service project that the company hosts should take place during work hours. This enables all team members to participate and shows that you know that your employees have a life outside of work.

2. Take Action on Feedback

If an employee comes to you with constructive feedback that you know could benefit the company, find a way to implement their suggestion and recognize them publicly for it. This will show them that they are listened to and that their input is considered and valued. Be sure to give the employee credit when you announce the implementation to the rest of the team. This will encourage others to speak up about processes that can be improved and will show the employee that they are seen for who they are and not just a number in the company.

3. Find Evidence-Based Ways to Live Out Your Company Values

Nearly every company has a set of core values, but very rarely do they get put into practice. Many companies have a core value of fairness, but almost all the time, favoritism is seen and felt in the office. Appreciation may be listed in the employee handbook, but appreciation goes far beyond thanking someone for that little extra they did. If your company values communication, than the proper channels, such as: slack, regular meetings, and timely email responses must be provided and enforced.

If your company runs off of certain systems such as EOS, you must have weekly team L10 meetings and set rocks every quarter. As the saying goes, practice what you preach.

4. Provide a Social Space and Host Social Events

Everyone wants to feel comfortable with the people they work with, since there is so much time being spent together. Work will also feel more meaningful if there is a strong component of both teamwork and support. People will be much more excited to come in every day if they enjoy their colleagues. By designating a certain area for employees to socialize whether during lunch or just in between meetings, they will have the opportunity to interact more often. This can look like a lounge area, a game room, a break room, etc. It’s also beneficial to host company outings every so often whether they are after-work happy hours or team lunches.

 

If your company is in need of employees, we at Award Staffing are here to help. Contact us here with your staffing needs.

Using Data as an Asset

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Did you know that as of recently, “data” has become a buzzword in the business world? Usually when people think of data, they envision their company’s proprietary information, but statistics have continuously shown that organizations that leverage data use as a business value are the ones that skyrocket to success. This is because the growth of a company is largely determined by data surrounding their industry and how they use it to evolve.

By finding ways to strategically implement data collection into your business plan, and using your findings to tweak your operations and marketing tactics, you will set yourself apart from your competitors as well as build the reputation of expert within your industry.

Here is a list of ways data will benefit you if you choose to make it a part of your business model.

1. Get to Know Your Audience

Everyone wants to believe they know their audience well, but as times change, so do people. Things such as convenience due to emerging technologies and preferences due to the influence of social media constantly change consumer behavior, so keeping up with your audience will make all of the difference in your revenue generation. You can get to know your audience through market data via polls on your social media pages and/or asking informative questions when you meet with clients/customers in person.

2. Improve Quality of Products and Services

By using data to get to know your audience and finding innovative ways to collect data from your competitors, you will be able to make changes to your products or services that you know your client/customer actually wants. Making changes can be risky, which is why data is so beneficial. It allows you to base decisions based off of factual information instead of having to guess.

3. Establish Expertise

When you make claims to your audience and can back it up with actual percentages and statistics, you will begin to be seen as experts to both your audience and your competitors. People will wonder where you get your information from and will look to your company as an example to model after in hopes to achieve the same results. It’s always great to be the first in your industry to do something.

4. Make Decisions Easier

When you make decisions based off of what you’ve done in the past or what seems to be working for other companies, you are essentially gambling. If you go based off of your findings, you can be assured you are making the best decisions whether they are about internal operations or your sales strategy.

5. Improve Operations

Data collection does not have to be limited to your external processes. You can collect data from your internal employees through things such as a suggestion box, anonymous survey, or a company-wide vote. Keeping your employees happy is just as important as keeping your clients/customers happy, so find a way that the ideas and opinions of your personnel can be heard.

6. Contribute to Campaigns

No matter what industry you’re in, there is nothing more powerful than social proof. When people are going to invest money into something, they want the reassurance that it has worked before and will benefit them. If you collect data, you can use numbers in your campaign which is sure to influence your audience’s buying decisions.

If your company is in need of employees, we at Award Staffing are here to help. Contact us here with your staffing needs.

Make Social Issues A Part of Your Marketing

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“A little over half of consumers (57 percent) are more likely to buy/use a product if a brand takes a position on a social issue similar to the consumers’ views. That figure was 77 percent for Gen Z and millennial respondents.” – A List Daily

It’s nothing new that in today’s world, there are a multitude of social issues that society is passionate about changing. Everyone wants to feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves and depending on their upbringing, often choose to support causes that they have been affected by in one way or another.

With so many different walks of life out there, everyone has a different ability to contribute; some able to offer thousands of dollars on a monthly basis and others solely able to offer patronage in the form of time. However, no matter whom you are or what your fiscal capabilities are, we are all regular consumers of both goods and services. By adding the support of social issues into your business model and marketing game plan, you will give people of all different socioeconomic statuses the ability to give back through buying from or partnering with you.

Over the past few years, online buying has increasingly become the preferred way to purchase since it is convenient, and ever since the pandemic began, fewer people feel comfortable in public spaces with large crowds. To capitalize on this new norm, marketers have pivoted their approach to reach more people in the online space. Currently, the businesses that are thriving the most are the ones that have implemented the support of social issues into their marketing strategy.

As quarter four approaches, both marketers and consumers will increase their spending on account of the upcoming holiday season. As we are still in Quarter 3, this makes it the perfect time to map out a plan that brings your support of social issues to the attention of your audience. Whether you are service or product based, this tactic is sure to bring in more business and publicity as well as contribute to positive change and the common good.

 

Here are some things to keep in mind as you plan:

1. Increase Your Marketing Budget

As the highest consumer quarter is right around the corner, if you want to see an increase in your sales, you must be willing to spend more to get the word out about the cause you are supporting. It may feel like a bit of a stretch in the beginning, but the return on investment will be worth it as new clients and customers discover you.

2. Use Social Media

If your company has a cause that you have been supporting for some time now, remind you audience by discussing it on social media. Reintroduce the cause/organization you support and inform them of how and why you chose this cause. Then make it a weekly practice to talk about this cause on your platforms. It will only be effective if you make it a long-term part of your strategy. If supporting a cause is not something you have done before, choose one and then inform your audience about this new endeavor.

3. Make it Clear the Impact They Will Have

In order to get consumers to partner with or buy from you, you’ll need to be clear about how spending with you will make a social difference. If a percentage of every sale or contract goes to the cause you chose, let them know that. People want to know how their contribution matters, so be sure that they know what will happen as a result of doing business with your company.

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If your company is in need of employees, we at Award are here to help. Contact us here to see how we can support you.

What Is Your Company Known For?

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Today, as some of our team was in a meeting discussing things we would like to roll out early next year, a very simple but profound statement came up; “We do two things, we sell and we hire”. It’s true, here at Award Staffing, we sell our services to local businesses and we help local residents find work (at those companies). Sure there are many moving parts to this, and they are not the only things we do per se, but those two things are our primary functions; they are what we are known for. That being said, if someone were to ask you what your company does, would you know what to tell them without giving a long, drawn-out explanation?

Many times in college marketing classes, students who are about to go out in search of their first real job, are taught how to craft an Elevator Pitch about themselves. An elevator pitch is a statement or description of a product or company that explains the concept in a clear way within a matter of seconds. Essentially, if you only had one elevator ride to tell someone what you did, what would you tell them? Although you may do a variety of things, this pitch is meant to highlight what’s most important so someone can decide if they are interested in working with you or your company. Truthfully, you never know where you’ll meet an ideal client or future employer or how much time you’ll have when you do. Therefore, being prepared for when that opportunity comes will put you at an advantage. Remember, though you and everyone at your company may be experts at what you do; the rest of the world isn’t as well versed. In order to market your company as one that others would want to work with, it’s important to be able to communicate your expertise in a prompt yet efficient manner.

There are a number of reasons it is important to explain what you do succinctly:

1. Your Website

People tend to have very short attention spans. When they are checking out your digital presence, you want to be able to capture their attention and understanding right away. If they can get an idea of what you do from reading just a few short sentences, you will give the first impression that you truly are experts, building a trust factor right away.

2. Conversation

Not only do you not know how much time you truly have to explain yourself when you are first meeting someone, but you also want the chance to make the conversation a dialogue. If you’re doing all of the talking in order to explain what you do, the other person won’t have a chance to ask questions or gage their understanding of what you do. You will look much more credible if you can explain what you do quickly and confidently.

3. Marketing

No matter what the medium, when you are marketing your company, product, or service, you need to be able to get your message across swiftly. Think of all of the most successful marketing and advertising campaigns out there…you likely remember them for their brevity and wittiness. A single quote, a new concept, a rising trend…Whether it’s the verbiage on a billboard or the 30 second pop-up advertisement, things are much more memorable when they are kept sharp and clever.

If your company is in need of employees, Award Staffing is here to help. Contact us here.

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