ABR Blog

What do you think will be the biggest challenges facing HR during the next decade?

This is one of the questions posed in a poll by the Society for Human Resource Management titled “Challenges Facing Organizations and HR in the Next 10 Years.” The survey responses, gathered from 449 HR professionals, show that:

Getting and Making the Most of Human Capital is a Key Priority

• Nearly half of the respondents (47 percent) cite obtaining human capital and optimizing human capital investments as the top investment challenge for businesses over the next 10 years.
• 29 percent of the respondents list obtaining financial capital and optimizing financial capital investments as the top challenge.
• Obtaining intellectual capital and optimizing intellectual capital investments comes in third at 12 percent.

To attract, retain and reward the best talent, organizations should:

• allow flexible work arrangements. According to 58 percent of HR managers surveyed, providing flexibility for employees to balance their life and work responsibilities is the most effective way to attract, reward and retain top performers.
• cultivate a culture of trust and fairness. 47 percent of respondents say that creating an organizational culture where trust, open communications and fairness are emphasized and demonstrated by leaders is a key priority.
• provide meaningful work opportunities. 40 percent of HR managers say that designing jobs to provide employees with meaningful work that has a clear purpose in meeting the organization’s objectives optimizes the organization’s ability to engage and keep top talent.
• demonstrate a commitment to employee development (29 percent).
• offer a higher total compensation and benefits package than organizations that compete for the same talent (23 percent).

While these survey results aren’t earth-shaking, they do serve to underscore an important point.  As businesses like yours emerge from the recession, they should get ready to compete for talent.

ABR Employment Services can help you prepare.  Whether you are looking for that “needle in a haystack” employee or a complete human capital management solution, ABR has the resources to assist you and your organization.  Contact us today to learn more about our full complement of staffing, placement and HR solutions for Wisconsin employers.

What do you think of when you hear the term “on-time (temporary) employment”?

Most people regard on-time work as a means to earn extra cash, maintain a flexible work schedule, gain work experience or fill employment gaps.  Did you know, however, that on-time employment can also be a great option if you’re looking to change careers?

With a broad range of assignments and projects available, on-time (temporary) employment can be a highly effective way for you to break into a new field – but it probably won’t happen by accident.  To use on-time employment as a true career change catalyst, you must intentionally structure your work experiences.  Here are a few tips:

Choose the right type of staffing service for your career interests. Before registering with a staffing service, visit their website or contact the office directly to find out what types of placements they specialize in.  Some staffing firms place people in a wide range of industries and positions, while others specialize in a specific field.

Be upfront with your staffing specialist. When you interview with a recruiter, let him know that you are looking to change careers.  Tell him about your skills and experience and ask how they might transfer into a new field.  Discuss your need for challenging assignments that will help you try out different jobs, develop new skills and evaluate new career options.  When a staffing specialist understands your needs, he can do a better job placing you in opportunities that will drive your career change.

Treat every assignment as a learning experience. In addition to performing your required job duties, use each assignment as an opportunity to learn about the employer, the industry and potential career opportunities.  Ask questions, observe co-workers, talk to your supervisor and let him know that you’re looking to make a change.  Take as much knowledge and experience away from each assignment as you can.

Build new skills while on assignment. Many staffing services offer free skills training (such as ABR’s E-AssessAbility Training Center) to individuals who register with them.  While on assignment, use non-work hours to take advantage of training resources, building skills that will help you in your next career.

____________________________________________________________

Tips for Managing Career Changes

If the thought of changing jobs and/or careers causes you anxiety, you’re not alone.  The truth is, there is a certain amount of instability inherent in changing jobs.  Here are a few suggestions to help you manage the stress:

Focus on developing your skills. Choose projects/assignments/jobs that help you build new skills and develop expertise in a certain area.  When your learning curve flattens out, ask to be reassigned or look for another opportunity.  Continually building your skills will ensure you’re in demand.

Adopt a job changing mindset. Instead of focusing on the instability of a job change, view it as an opportunity.  Get used to the notion that you will change jobs frequently throughout your career.  When it’s time to make a move, your job changing mindset will make the transition much easier.

Keep your job changing skills sharp. You’re not going to stay at any job forever, and you don’t know how long it will last.  But if you keep your job hunting skills sharp – networking, interviewing, keeping on top of on-time opportunities that serve your career interests – you will always be able to get work when your needs, or your company’s needs, change.

ABR Employment Services – Your Career Change Partner

At ABR Employment Services, we do more than just place you in a position.  We listen to your needs, learn about your skills and experience, and then present you with work opportunities that are a perfect match for you.

When you register with us, you can also take advantage ABR JobConnect™, our FREE career resource, to help guide and support you in your job search.  Simply put, if you’re looking to make a job change, ABR is the ideal partner.  Contact us today to learn more about job opportunities in Wisconsin.

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.

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.

Like most things in life, you’ll get out of your job search what you put into it.  Those who work harder, have a positive attitude, persevere and go the extra mile are more likely to get what they want – period.

If you have the commitment to work hard, but need direction for your efforts, here are five things you can do to take charge of your job search today:

1.  Clarify your self-knowledge and your goals. Do you know exactly what you have to offer an employer?  Do you know exactly what you are looking for in a career?  Take the time to write down your specific skills, strengths, accomplishments and career goals.  If you know what you want, and what you bring to the table, it’s infinitely easier to focus your efforts, identify potential employers and find the job you want.

2.  Establish your network. Identify individuals in companies, industry organizations and professional associations who can provide insight into their employment needs.  When possible, schedule informational interviews to learn more about potential careers, as well as skills you may need to acquire to make yourself more employable.  Identify faculty, friends, business associates and relatives who can assist you with your job search.  Tell everyone you know that you’re looking for a job and ask them to refer you to potential employers.

3.  Get more organized. Place all of your job search materials, including: research on potential employers; listings of job postings to which you’ve responded; resume versions and cover letters; staffing services with whom you’ve registered; network lists, etc.  Use this binder to track your progress, plan follow-up, develop daily to-do lists or record other important information.

4.  Find a mentor. If you don’t have a trusted advisor who can help guide your job search efforts, you should get one.  To select a mentor, choose someone you know who:  has earned your respect; is successful in his or her career; will provide honest and effective feedback; will take an interest in your professional development; will support you in your career progression.  Meet with this person regularly to solicit advice, share your ups and downs, and get the feedback and support you need to keep going.

5.  Register with ABR Employment Services. As a leading Wisconsin staffing and placement service, we connect thousands of individuals with rewarding employment each year.  Launched in March 2011, our new ABR JobConnect™ is a career resource to help guide and support you in your job search.  It empowers you to:

• Access over 1,000 Job Boards on one site
• Prepare a resume or receive a resume critique
• Utilize the career advisor
• Participate in weekly webinars covering job seeker “hot topics” and receive job search advice
• Take advantage of job assessment tools
• Receive information on continuing education opportunities

Best of all, it’s FREE!  Register today for access to additional career information on this topic.

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.

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.