ABR Blog

The use of credit checks has grown over the last several years.  According to a 2010 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 60 percent of employers use credit reports for some or all of their background checks.

Employers use credit reports as a screening tool for a number of reasons:

• They believe it allows them to predict future behavior based on a candidate’s financial history.
• They are trying to prevent employee theft and assess the applicant’s trustworthiness.
• They want to reduce legal liability and negligent hiring.

But checking a job applicant’s credit is not without its potential drawbacks:

• An applicant who has been unemployed for a long period of time may have no choice but to incur inordinate amounts of debt and fall behind in paying bills.  If candidates have been out of work for months, that doesn’t necessarily mean they should be disqualified for employment.
• Credit reports fail to provide context.  For example, if debt problems were the result of expensive medical procedures, a low credit score may not indicate anything about future job performance.
• Credit reports are not perfect.  Ambiguous, dated, inaccurate and/or redundant data create the potential for credit score errors.  While these errors are generally minor, employers should be aware that they exist.
• Credit reports may not be relevant for the job in question.  Unless the person you’re hiring will have access to sensitive financial information, make financial decisions or handle money, a candidate’s credit report may be of little significance.

Checking a job candidate’s credit can be a viable screening option. But, is it the best option for your business? It is important to weigh the points above to determine if credit checks are relevant to your specific needs. Ultimately, a comprehensive screening strategy can be the most effective way to avoid bad hires.

Ensure Successful Placements with ABR’s Six-Point Screening Process

ABR Employment Services follows an in-depth candidate screening process. Our comprehensive process provides a more thorough check, helping us provide a more well-rounded picture of candidates than you’ll find across most of the staffing industry. Our six-point process includes:

1. Pre-screen. We pre-screen potential candidates to ensure their experience and interests match those of potential employers.
2. Application. Our in-depth application captures vital employment information, including job skills, reasons for leaving prior jobs, supervisors’ contact information, etc.
3. Interview. ABR uses behavioral interview questions to ensure candidates meet our Expectations of Excellence and will fit well with your current culture.  If requested, we can also perform second interviews with questions specific to your available position.
4. Testing. Our E-AssessAbility is a powerful online assessment solution that helps us determine whether or not a candidate possesses the specific skills you require.
5. Referencing. All ABR candidates must provide one positive reference for any on-time position and two or more for all try-before-hire or direct hire positions.
6. Background Checking. ABR customizes all of our background checking to your needs and company.  We have the ability to complete state or nationwide backgrounds, drug screenings, educational verifications, driver’s checks and credit checks.

Can staffing services really drive profits?  In a word, “Yes!”

In today’s economy, businesses need to do everything possible to maximize the R-E=P equation.  And if your company is like most, your employment-related expenses are among the biggest line items on your company’s P & L.  The more actively you manage these expenses, the more profitable you can become.

Of course, driving profits is about more than just cutting costs.  It’s also about maximizing workforce productivity and effectively matching your human resources to the changing challenges and opportunities your business faces.  Used properly, staffing services can play a vital role in achieving all these ends.  Here are just a few ways on-time (temporary) employees can drive profits in your organization:

• Stay lean and flexible. Design a strategic staffing strategy that limits core employment to that necessary for minimum production volumes.  Staff up with skilled on-time employees to meet peak demand periods or sudden surges in business.
• Focus on core activities. A staffing professional can help you critically examine work flow processes in your organization to identify administrative, repetitive or other support tasks that are being performed by highly compensated employees.  Bring in on-time staff to take over these tasks and free valuable team members to focus on their most vital priorities.
• Lower employment-related costs due to turnover. Take a look at your hiring and termination costs by job functions.  Determine where high turnover positions exist and re-staff with on-time employees (temporaries) to reduce hiring, training and termination costs.
• Reduce overtime expenses.  Work with your staffing representative to analyze your overtime expenditures.  Look for opportunities to use on-time staffing instead of overtime to reduce labor costs and prevent employee burnout.
• Shorten learning curves. As your company incorporates new technologies, bring in contract technical professionals to support your project teams.  They can help get your employees up-to-speed and productive more quickly, saving time and money in the process.  Once training is done, so are your training expenses.
• Capitalize on new opportunities. Have you ever had to table a great idea, simply because you didn’t have the resources to work on it?  For those times, consider supplementing your team with on-time and/or contract employees.  From support staff to senior executives, highly qualified specialists can be brought in to either manage the execution of new ideas or support your internal team while they work on the new opportunities.

ABR Employment Services – Driving Profits for Wisconsin Employers

Need to aggressively manage staffing expenses?  Looking for new ways to increase productivity?  Have a great business idea, but lack the human resources to turn it into a reality?  Contact ABR Employment today.  We have the knowledge, business expertise and highly skilled candidates you need to Comprehend, Fulfill and Achieve your business goals.

How’s business?  The ASA Staffing Index can help you answer this question.

The ASA Staffing Index, developed by the American Staffing Association, provides a current measure of staffing industry employment trends.  Published weekly, the index estimates the weekly changes in the number of people employed in on-time (temporary) and contract work.

Index numbers are reported just nine days after each work week ends, making it a virtual real-time measure of staffing employment trends.  ASA research shows that staffing employment is a coincident economic indicator and leading employment indicator – especially when the economy is emerging from a recession – making the index especially relevant right now for businesses across the nation.

The ASA Staffing Index also serves as a valuable resource for economists, journalists, analysts, researchers and policy makers who are interested in current trends in staffing employment.  Participants account for more than one-third of industry sales offices.

Two numbers are reported weekly.  The first is the weekly percentage change in staffing employment.  The second is the index itself, which shows staffing employment trends over time.  Both numbers are normally posted on the ASA web site on Tuesday mornings.

This Week’s Staffing Index:

Follow this link to view current ASA Staffing Index data.

Monthly Report – April 2011

Staffing employment in April is 7% higher than in the same month last year, according to the ASA Staffing Index.  The index for April is 92, up one index point from 91 in March, suggesting that U.S. staffing employment has increased 1% over the past month.  Staffing employment is typically lowest during the first few months of each year and grows during the subsequent months.

ABR Employment Services – In-Step with Wisconsin Employers’ Changing Needs

ABR Employment Services delivers customized direct hire, on-time, strategic and management staffing solutions to help companies like yours achieve sustained business success as the economy recovers.  What can we do for you?  Contact ABR Employment today.

Benefits.  Perks.  Extras.  Whatever you call them, they really make a difference in today’s changing job market.  Here are a few key ways the benefits we offer our on-time (temporary) employees directly benefit you and your organization:

• Attract the best candidates. Today’s job seekers are savvy.  Most know to choose a reputable staffing firm that provides extras like insurance, vacation pay and free online job search assistance (see below).  ABR Employment’s value-added services help us attract, recruit and retain Wisconsin’s top talent – and put them to work for you.
• Keep the best candidates. Some staffing services are plagued by extremely high turnover rates, which translate into a “revolving door” of temporaries for their clients.  The benefits, value-added services and free online career resources (via ABR JobConnect) we provide not only attract top candidates, but keep them working for us.  When on-time employees stay with us, they’re much more likely to stay working for you, delivering greater continuity throughout your assignments.
• Ensure workers stay healthy, focused and productive. The medical and dental benefits we offer allow our employees to take care of their health issues, while available disability and life insurance options give them peace of mind.  Our employees can also qualify for vacation and holiday pay, motivating them to earn the time off they deserve.  When employees are healthier and happier, they have better attendance records and stay more focused on the work they do for you.
• Access highly skilled workers. Free online computer training allows employees to develop their software skills – improving their confidence, proficiency and value to your organization.
• View a complete list of our employee benefits.

About ABR JobConnect

ABR JobConnect is our free online career resource that guides and supports job seekers throughout the entire job search process.  To the best of our knowledge, the majority of our competitors do not have this capability.  For example:

• Kelly Services only offers a monthly career tips newsletter to job seekers.
• Manpower only offers online training to registered on-time staffing employees.
• Aerotek only offers articles, videos and question-and-answer material to job seekers.

ABR strives to treat all job seekers with dignity and respect, and ABR JobConnect supports our mission to do that.  For example, if a candidate does not meet the ABR “Expectations of Excellence,” or if we are unable to place him, we can refer him to ABR JobConnect for job search support and assistance.

We invite you to refer the job seekers that do not fit your current hiring needs to ABR JobConnect.  ABR JobConnect helps your HR department and hiring managers:

• Eliminate the call backs from people you don’t hire.
• Position you as an altruistic company.
• Help all job applicants.
• Provide a resource for laid off or downsized employees.

ABR Employee Benefits – The Right Thing to Do

The economy is still tough and we realize that many people who come to us have lost their jobs and health benefits, too.  Admittedly, ABR offers benefits to gain a recruiting advantage and deliver the best results for our clients.  But honestly, the main reason we do it is because it’s just the right thing to do.

Still on the fence about using social media?  Consider these statistics from the recent Cone Business in Social Media Study:

• 93 percent of Americans believe that a company should have a presence on social media sites.
• 85 percent believe that these companies should use social media to interact with consumers.
• 60 percent of Americans regularly interact with companies on social media sites.

The truth is, social media can help expand your business network, enhance your career, recruit employees and more.

According to HR expert Susan M. Heathfield, About.com Guide, HR professionals need to participate in social media for career success – and she should know.  She is a management and organization development consultant who specializes in human resources issues and in management development to create forward-thinking workplaces.  Susan is also a professional facilitator, speaker, trainer and writer.

Heathfield’s About.com article “10 Reasons Social Media Should Rock Your World” details the rationale behind making social media time investment mandatory for every HR professional:

1. Stay in touch with colleagues and friends. Social media makes it easier than ever to re-connect with former colleagues, classmates, teachers and other professional contacts.
2. Make it easy for others to find you. Maintain both individual and company profiles to make it simple and convenient for customers, employees and candidates to reach you.
   
3. Find potential job candidates. For example, you can e-mail social media contacts with job requirements and ask them for referrals.
4. Investigate potential career opportunities. If you’re interested in finding a new job, social media sites like LinkedIn can be invaluable in your search.  You can use the site to network, garner recommendations and learn about new job openings.
5. Establish your online brand. You can use social media to promote your career progress by establishing an online presence that defines who you are professionally and what you want to be known for accomplishing.
6. Join groups that share your professional interests. As a group member you can give and get information about recommended reading, industry trade shows or other professional meetings/events.
7. Develop social connections. Sites like Facebook are rapidly gaining mature professional members.  Unlike LinkedIn, Facebook is ideally suited to having fun and developing social contacts over time.  A word of caution:  carefully manage your Privacy Settings and critically examine content – before you post or upload – to make sure it’s compatible with your professional image.
8. Provide a space in which users of your products/services can interact with you. Use social media to expand your customers’ opportunities to discuss their wants and needs – with you or with other customers.
9. Build community around your products or services. The people who are the “face” of your company should leverage social media opportunities to build relationships with consumers.  Forums and blogs on your company website (and within your HR Intranet), as well as fan pages, can help you build this sense of community.
10. Finally your company, in addition to individual employees, should establish a company presence on major social media sites to stay in step with the changing interests and needs of consumers.  The Internet has opened up worldwide communication.  Why not use its social media components to make you and your company more successful?

ABR Employment – Leveraging Social Media for Recruiting Success

ABR Employment Services posts available on-time (temporary), contract and direct hire jobs on Facebook and Twitter.  We leverage social media including LinkedIn to locate talented, experienced and hard-working individuals for Wisconsin employers like you.  How are you using social media in your job?  We’d love to know.  Leave your comments below.

Do you offer flexible work options to your employees?  Does it really matter?  Take a look at what two recent studies showed about the prevalence and importance of workplace flexibility.

The first, a recent Survey on Workplace Flexibility from WorldatWork, found that:

• The vast majority (98 percent) of U.S. employers offer at least one workplace flexibility program.
• The most prevalent programs include flex-time (flexible start/stop times), part-time schedules and teleworking on an ad hoc basis (to meet a repair person, care for a sick child, etc.).
• The way these programs are administered varies.  Nearly 60 percent of these companies take an informal approach to the concept  – leaving program development and administration up to managers’ discretion, or offering flexible work options without written policies or forms.
• Furthermore, most U.S. organizations (79 percent) that offer flexibility programs do not provide training to the managers of employees using these programs.

This study also found that:

• A stronger culture of flexibility correlates with a lower voluntary turnover rate.
• A majority of employers report that workplace flexibility positively impacts employee satisfaction, motivation and engagement.

The second report, Workplace Flexibility and Low-Wage Employees, was released in February 2011.  This report analyzed data from the nonprofit Families and Work Institute’s National Study of the Changing Workforce.  For the purposes of this study, low-wage employees were defined as those earning less than $12.82 per hour (which accounts for a little more than one-third of the U.S. workforce).  Here are some of the key findings:

• Workplace flexibility correlates positively with:  overall job satisfaction, degree of engagement, degree to which home life interferes with job performance, physical health, mental health and likelihood of remaining with current employer.  The prevalence of each of these outcomes is higher (regardless of income) when employers offer more workplace flexibility.
• Regardless of wages earned, workers are equally pressed for time in their personal lives – and place equal value on having a flexible workplace.
• Low-wage employees are just as likely to have responsibilities for children and elders.  But because they have fewer financial resources to meet these responsibilities, having job flexibility may be even more important.

What can we learn from these studies?

• Workplace flexibility produces a host of benefits, including increased employee engagement, satisfaction, motivation, retention and productivity.
• A comprehensive workplace flexibility program can be an effective recruiting and retention tool, providing a real source of competitive advantage for your company.  Offering flexibility options that matter to employees, and featuring those options when recruiting talent, can help you distinguish your company as an employer-of-choice.
• When it comes to workplace flexibility, it’s not about the quantity or formality of the programs you offer.  It’s about how well supported and implemented those programs are across your organization.  To be successful, managers must understand the real value these programs bring and be properly trained to administer them.
• Workplace flexibility is here to stay.  As organizations continue to evolve, workplace flexibility will eventually become the new normal – an accepted and expected part of how all organizations operate.

In March, 2011, ABR Employment Services conducted a survey of our supplemental staffing workforce.  When we asked respondents to rank the importance of the benefits they receive, nearly half (48.7 percent) of supplemental staff stated that a flexible work schedule was important to them.  We understand the important role workplace flexibility plays in your organization, and can provide on-time (temporary) and supplemental staff to increase flexibility for your employees.

What can ABR Employment do for you?  Contact us today.

One of the biggest challenges facing HR and other hiring managers is finding candidates who are the “right fit” for their respective organizations.

But just what, exactly, is the “right fit”?

For many employers, it means finding a candidate who shares the same belief systems and values as the company, and who meshes with the corporate culture.  To identify this type of individual, these employers often turn to values-based recruiting.

Values-based recruiting goes beyond examining competencies and experience.  It’s about creating a values match by building a model that outlines behaviors associated with corporate values, and then assessing candidates for those behaviors.  The process typically yields hires whose thinking, values and ways of doing business closely match those of the employer.

But what if your company needs a proverbial “shot in the arm” to fuel its success – a new direction, fresh business perspective or innovative ideas to re-energize your organization?

In a case like this, the right fit for your organization will be an individual who, by definition, is not a perfect values-based match.  Rather, this candidate should be selected based on a model that outlines behaviors associated with leading your company in a new direction.  To begin this process, your company must first determine new goals, create a list of competencies and values for the available position that will support those goals, and then recruit and select accordingly.

Which type of recruiting is right for your business needs?

ABR Employment Services’ recruiting experts will work with you to determine how to find the right fit for your company’s needs.  Whether you require an individual whose values closely match your company’s, or someone who will bring fresh ideas and perspective to your business, ABR will deliver candidates who exceed your expectations.

We hold all our employees to the highest standards of quality and ethics – our Expectations of Excellence – and only present those who are:

• Trustworthy – honest, reliable, loyal, ethical and obey all rules and regulations.
• Respectful – demonstrate consideration for others, respect for authority, tolerance of differences and an appreciation of diversity.
• Responsible – demonstrate self control and self discipline, deal peacefully with anger and disagreement, and positively with criticism, and be accountable for their actions.
• Reliable – have a proven work history, demonstrate sound attendance and punctuality, and exhibit strong work ethic.
• Professional – present themselves in an appropriate manner.

Contact us today to find out how our Expectations of Excellence can create successful hires in your organization.

A recent Reuters article by Kristina Cooke shares some good news:

“The pace of temporary job creation after the most recent recession – an average of about 25,000 per month – has been faster than the past two, potentially a good sign for a labor market struggling with a jobless rate of 9 percent.”

This Reuters graphic of BLS data illustrates why experts look to the staffing industry for signs of recovery:

If you compare temporary employment to overall employment, you can see how the number of temporary workers declines faster heading into a recession and rises more quickly in a recovery.

In fact, research from the American Staffing Association indicates that temporary help employment is a strong coincident economic indicator when the economy is emerging from a recession.  Overall, temporary hiring rose steadily through 2010, with U.S. employers adding more than 300,000 temporary jobs (about a quarter of the 1.17 million in overall job growth last year).  Translation?  The sustained upturn in temporary staffing is good news for the economy.

But Cooke goes on to temper this enthusiasm, noting that a faster pace of temporary hiring hasn’t yet translated into significant full-time job creation – a critical piece of the recovery puzzle.  Experts such as Peter Capelli, professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, say that because employers are now using temporary assignments to try out potential employees on the job, the increase in temporary hiring could be masking direct hiring.

ABR Employment Services – Driving Wisconsin’s Recovery

As businesses throughout southeast Wisconsin begin to staff-up again, ABR is driving the recovery.  We deliver complete human resources services to help companies like yours Comprehend, Fulfill and Achieve their business goals.  What can we do for you?  Contact ABR Employment Services today.

On-Site Staffing, also known as Vendor-on-Premise (VOP), is exactly what it sounds like – a vendor (in this case, a staffing service like ABR Employment Services) provides an on-site representative to manage and coordinate on-time (temporary) employees at your company.

On-Site Staffing is an outsourcing management program, which encompasses every facet of coordinating, ordering, planning and tracking of contingent employees.  This program is managed by an ABR On-Site Manager, who acts as the central contact for hiring managers, coordinates recruiting activities, and handles a multitude of personnel related issues.

If you’re a high-volume staffing user, an On-Site Manager can greatly simplify staffing for you.  In essence, he acts as an extension of your HR department to streamline your staffing function.  Here’s how:

Increasing Efficiency

An On-Site Manager can:

• Handle the daily deployment of on-time (temporary) workers to get them on-task quickly.
• Make daily rounds to ensure on-time (temporary) workers stay productive.
• Provide detailed, customized reports like: staffing usage, cost analyses, attendance and tardiness.
• Evaluate personnel needs to plan for peak and non-peak periods, and handle worker reassignment.

Reducing Headaches

An On-Site Manager can:

• Manage daily work issues, like problem resolution and worker injury reporting.
• Handle scheduling to ensure departments are adequately staffed.
• Resolve payroll and administrative issues.
• Recruit new on-time (temporary) employees directly at your site.
• In some cases, even manage more than one facility so you can stay focused on core duties and responsibilities.

Managing Other Staffing Functions

An On-Site Manager can:

• Screen, interview and skill-test candidates before they’re approved to work for you.
• Check references, and if required, drug test applicants.
• Distribute paychecks.

Ensuring Safety

An On-Site Manager can:

• Provide facilities tours and customized safety orientations for your new on-time (temporary) employees.

Could your on-time (temporary) workforce benefit from an On-Site Manager?  Contact ABR Employment Services to find out more about our On-Site Staffing Solutions and determine if they’re right for you.

There go the Boomers.  Here comes Gen Y.

Just when your need for talent is on the rise, here comes a new slew of tech-savvy workers to save the day.  But while it’s tempting to think you can simply substitute one generation with another, things are not that simple.  Diverse, demanding and socially aware, millenials are creating a major paradigm shift in the workplace.

So how do you attract and keep the best and brightest, without turning your organization upside down?  Here are some great strategies for recruiting and retaining the best talent the next generation has to offer:

Recruiting

• Take a viral approach.  Develop online Flash videos and other materials (think interactive, entertaining and hip) that young people will want to share with their friends.  A viral approach can enhance awareness, properly position your organization in millenials’ minds and increase job referrals.
• Leverage industry blogs, forums and social networks. The best Gen Y workers stay on top of their game by constantly seeking out new information.  Become a trusted source they turn to, by writing and posting articles that are ahead of the curve in your industry.
• Use your current Gen Y employees. Millenials are particularly peer-influenced.  Turn your current young employees, who are already devoted members of your staff, into company ambassadors – at job fairs, online or when interviewing candidates.  Your Gen Y staff can tell potential employees what life will be like “in the trenches” and address their individual questions and concerns.
• Work with a staffing and direct placement firm. Services like ABR Employment have the resources, networks and expertise to recruit and screen Gen Y talent for your organization.  With an extensive database, progressive social media recruiting strategy, robust website and comprehensive screening process, we can quickly provide talented workers with cutting-edge skills for your on-time (temporary), try-before-hire and direct hire staffing needs.

Retention

• Give them what they want. Millenials have a strong desire to learn new skills and use bleeding-edge technology.  If you can, meet them halfway.  Keep tabs on your millenials’ technology needs and, whenever fiscally appropriate, allow your Gen Y employees to spread their wings by testing and integrating new technology tools as they become available.  If you have trouble justifying the cost of the technology your Gen Y talent wants, keep track of whether a lack of such technology is prompting talented people to leave, or hindering your ability to attract the candidates you need.
• Offer flexible work schedules. Gen Y workers want to control their own schedules and work from home.  If you don’t provide this generation with these core benefits, one of your competitors surely will.
• Understand their needs. Instead of trying to change Gen Y, bend to their needs.  If necessary, educate your company leaders about what makes Gen Y tick.  Explain their need for job control, desire for more flexibility, craving for reassurance and hunger for new technology.  The more willing your staff is to accommodate millenials’ needs, the higher your rate of retention will be.