Want to try out a new employee before making a commitment to hire him or her?

If so, temp-to-hire services may be right for your business.  In simple terms, temp-to-hire (also known as try-before-hire) lets you try out a candidate on-the-job before extending an offer for direct employment. 

Instead of being hired as your full-time employee right away, the employee is hired by your staffing service, then assigned to work at your company as a temporary.  During a probationary period usually lasting around 10 weeks, you get to evaluate the temporary employee’s job performance and decide whether he or she should be hired full-time or let go.

Benefits of Temp-to-Hire

• Working interview.  Temp-to-hire allows you to evaluate characteristics that can’t easily be observed through a traditional interview, such as:  ability to follow directions; culture fit; quality of work; work ethic; ability to multi-task or work under pressure.
• Reduced hiring time.  Temp-to-hire candidates have been pre-screened by your staffing partner and qualified to match the needs of your opening.  This reduces your recruiting and interviewing time, so you can focus on your other priorities.
• No obligation to hire.  When you use try-before-hire services, you are not required to hire a candidate the staffing service sends you, even after you interview that candidate.
• Evaluate long-term hiring need.  If you’re hiring to address recent growth or a newly created position, temp-to-hire gives you the time to verify that the position is absolutely necessary – before adding to your permanent headcount.
• Decreased legal exposure.  If a try-before-hire candidate isn’t working out, you can end the assignment at any time.  Because the candidate remains an employee of your staffing service, your legal exposure is minimized.
• No advertising restrictions.  Using temp-to-hire services does not preclude you from advertising the position elsewhere.

Increase Flexibility and Security with ABR Employment Services

Our try-before-hire services provide your organization the flexibility to address market fluctuation.  They also provide the security of testing a worker in the field before making a full-time commitment.  Contact us today to learn more about this staffing service for Wisconsin employers.

“Why does everyone else seem to have all the luck?”

“What else could possibly go wrong today?”

Admit it.  At one point or another, you’ve had thoughts like these.  I know I have.  But while it’s perfectly normal to occasionally fall prey to negative thoughts – especially after losing a job or some other stressful event - you must guard against falling into a pessimistic mental rut.

When you’re stuck in a mode of negative thinking, you miss out on opportunities to improve your day and your situation.  Negative thoughts drain your energy and can even threaten your health.  So if your attitude could use some improvement, try some of these tips to eliminate negative thinking:

1. Recognize when you’re thinking negatively.  Pay attention to your internal dialogue and send up a mental “red flag” when you’re thinking pessimistically.
2. Realize that negative thoughts breed more negative thoughts.  Remember, you attract what you focus on – whether it’s what you want or don’t want.
3. Remind yourself that the negative thought is only that – a thought.  In fact, what you’re thinking may have little basis in reality.  Instead, your thoughts could be the result of projected fears about situations that rarely end up manifesting.
4. Find a positive thought replacement.  Rather than fighting against negative thoughts, try to replace them with more positive ones.  Picture a different scenario; affirm something to yourself that’s positive and self-supporting; remind yourself of a recent positive experience.
5. Use humor and fun.  Negative thoughts stress you out.  Change the energy of the situation by thinking of something funny or doing something enjoyable.  The key is to not let your negative thoughts have power over you.
6. Try creative visualization.  When something goes wrong, close your eyes and visualize a positive outcome.  Let yourself see what you want to happen like a movie playing behind your eyelids.  You’ll stop negative thoughts in their tracks and focus your mind’s energy on potential solutions.
7. Take a break.  Even if you’re up against a deadline, take five minutes to stretch, take a brief walk or talk to a friend.  Any respite, albeit brief, will help you reset your attitude and tackle your problem from a more positive perspective.

One More Tip…

If you’re stuck in a negative mental rut because of your job circumstances, ABR Employment Services can help.  A small positive action like registering with our staffing service can break your cycle of negative thinking and start you on a better career path.  So take control of your situation by envisioning yourself in the job you really want – then contact us to turn that vision into reality.

This is not a newsflash, of course, but a harsh reality that has triggered sweeping changes to workforce plans – plans to increase capabilities, reduce costs, and survive the economic chaos that’s likely to linger into 2010.

If your company is struggling in the current economy, here are five key action steps you should consider adding to your workforce plan:

1.  Reduce labor costs and/or headcount. 

Identify which key positions, key individuals, and key skill sets will have the most business impact during the next two years.  Once you prioritize, you can then focus on retention, redeployment, and development efforts for the most impactful positions.

Develop ways to reduce labor costs and headcount in lower priority positions.  Ideas include:  mock or temporary layoffs; designating lower priority positions as “contingent labor” positions; labor wage arbitrage; and flexible outsourcing.

2.  Redeploy key employees.

Create a proactive redeployment process to move your top performers and highly skilled individuals into the units and jobs where they can have the greatest impact.  You should strive to have your best and brightest:

• doing what they do best;
• with the right skill set for the job and business unit;
• with the right tools, resources, and motivators;
• with the right manager; and
• with the right teammates.

3.  Retain key employees.

Tough times will not automatically cause your top employees to value security over external opportunity.  And just because you’re not hiring, it doesn’t mean your competitors aren’t targeting your very best.  So make retention a priority even during a downturn.

First, identify the things that excite and frustrate your key workers.  Then provide a plan for increasing their level of excitement, challenge, learning, and opportunity within the firm.  Finally, develop a “bad manager identification program,” because bad managers are the number one cause of employee turnover.

4.  Reinvigorate your succession plan.

If your firm has experienced hiring freezes or layoffs, it has made itself vulnerable to a future talent pool gap.  By failing to hire and develop talent, there may not be enough internal talent to fill future leadership positions once growth begins again.

The best course of action in this case is to maximize your talent pool, hiring top performers while simultaneously releasing below-average employees.  This approach will foster employee development and minimize the potential for a future talent gap.

5.  Prepare to “explode out of the box.”

Ensure you have sufficient talent to capitalize on the upturn by retaining your best recruiters and having them focus on:  developing Web 2.0 recruiting tools; maintaining employee referral programs; updating your employment branding.

Develop a “boomerang” program that maintains relationships with the very best employees you’ve had to release during the recession.  Staying in touch may allow you to rehire some of the proven talent you’ve lost once business improves.

Free Workforce Planning Consultation

During times of uncertainty, workforce planning is absolutely essential.  Be prepared – not surprised – by contacting ABR Employment Services to schedule a free workforce consultation.  Our employment experts will:

• forecast your talent needs;
• examine your talent supply;
• help HR align the two by providing the right staffing and support services;
• prepare your business to “explode out of the box” once the upturn hits.

If you’re looking for new ways to have some holiday fun, check out wistravel.com.  From concerts and craft fairs, to exhibits, light displays, and moonlight hikes, this site provides details on tons of activities to celebrate the spirit of the season.  Here are just a few of the upcoming events:

• December 18th and 19th – Green Bay – NEW Zoo Holiday Fest.  Featuring Christmas decorations, horse-drawn wagon rides, lights, and even breakfast with Santa on Saturday morning.  For more information call (920) 434-7841.
• December 19th – Menomonie – Annual Tour of Lights.  You can either bike or hike your way through this dazzling light display.  The tour starts at Bad Cat Bicycle Shop, meeting at 5:00 p.m.  Call (715) 231-2453.
• December 19th – Nekoosa – Historic Point Basse Heritage Hollyday.  Costumed participants prepare for the holiday season at this 19th century historic Wisconsin site.  Baking, old-time craft demonstrations, caroling, and more.  Event starts at 10:00 a.m. and goes through 4:00 p.m.  Call (715) 423-3120 for details.