Berks & Beyond Blog

Ever feel like your staffing needs are a moving target?

The truth is, effective staffing is often challenging because your needs change so frequently.  For any number of reasons (workload fluctuations, local market conditions, the economy, available labor, etc.), a staffing approach that worked for you a year ago may not be as effective today.

This doesn’t mean you’re out of luck; it just means that you may need to re-examine your staffing strategy.  So start 2012 off right.  Consider these staffing best practices which have proven effective for corporate human resources executives across the country, courtesy of workforce.com:

• Make sure the staffing partner has an adequate balance sheet. Given the relatively low barriers to entry, it is too common to see staffing companies struggle financially.
• Be sure the staffing partner has sufficient size and financial resources to manage the contract. Sourcing 100 or more contract workers on an ongoing basis requires a very different type of staffing organization than providing two or three temps at a time.
• Visit the local office of the staffing company as part of the due-diligence process, especially for large projects, to make sure the operation meets expectations.
• Give your staffing partner feedback on all candidates that you review to help refine the recruiting strategy, and make it easier to find the best candidates.
• Be open-minded about “teachable” candidates, especially for hard-to-fill skill sets. Candidates who are a strong cultural fit and possess transferable skills are likely to succeed and thrive with some training and support.
• Provide enough training, rewards and feedback to keep temps engaged and motivated. One employer notes that small rewards—a free lunch for good performance, for example—go a long way toward winning the loyalty of temps.
• Beware of unfair negative stereotypes about the quality of temp workers. Temps can be—and often are—as qualified as full-time employees, and their skills can be equally useful.

Berks & Beyond – Your Best Staffing Strategy for 2012 and Beyond

With over a decade of experience, Berks & Beyond has grown to become one of Southern Pennsylvania’s largest, and most well established, staffing companies.  You can rest assured we are a stable, successful partner you can trust with your all your workforce management needs – no matter how large or small.

Call us to schedule a 2012 workforce consultation.  Together, we can identify your upcoming needs and develop a proactive, cost-effective staffing strategy that will deliver real bottom-line results.

The countdown is just around the corner.

As we head into 2012, many of us will vow to make the new year better by changing something about ourselves.  Unfortunately, most of us will not follow through.

Before you make your 2012 New Year’s resolutions, take a look at this list of the Top 10 Most Commonly Broken New Year’s Resolutions, courtesy of Time.com:

1. Lose Weight and Get Fit.  After a season of cookies, candies and holiday parties, it’s only natural to want to shed a few extra pounds and get into better shape.  But research shows that by February, 60% of gym memberships go unused.
2. Quit Smoking.  E-cigarettes, nicotine patches and chewing gum are all designed to help newly motivated smokers kick the habit.  But after just six months, only an estimated 15% of quitters are still cigarette-free.
3. Learn Something New.  If you’re thinking of taking up a musical instrument or learning to cook French cuisine, know that you’ll face an uphill battle.  Resolving to learn something new is exciting, but it’s also hard work.
4. Eat Healthier and Diet.  Many dieters are full of resolve on January 2nd.  Unfortunately, they force themselves into restricting diets they can’t possible keep.  Try using some common-sense moderation, instead, and you’re much more likely to succeed.
5. Get Out of Debt and Save Money.  After the budget-unfriendly month of December, many consumers try to halt their spending and manage their debt more effectively.  Rather than announcing sweeping changes and setting unattainable goals, however, financial planners advise making specific budget-friendly rules (like packing lunch, shopping for cheaper insurance/lower credit card interest rates, etc.) to improve your financial situation.
6. Spend More Time with Family.  The beginning of the year is an ideal time to reconnect with family whom you’ve not seen in awhile.  But work pressures, physical distance, strained relationships and even messy divorces make this resolution particularly hard to keep.
7. Travel to New Places.  The new year awakens within many of us a desire to travel.  The financial realities of the Great Recession, the headache of planning and the difficulty of finding help to tend to your home and pets can quickly put this desire to rest.
8. Be Less Stressed.  While it’s not a bad idea – less stress can make you healthier and happier – stressing less is likely to be the very first resolution you’ll break.  Case in point?  Just thinking about tackling any resolution will raise your stress level!
9. Volunteer.  This year, you may resolve to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate than you.  While this is certainly a noble gesture, even the most compassionate among us can fall back on commitments.  Finding time to give to a worthy cause is often harder than finding money.
10. Drink Less.  After a seemingly endless barrage of parties filled with beer, wine, champagne and cocktails, it’s not surprising that many of us vow to drink less.  But after a few days or week, why do we start drinking again?  The Greco-Roman ancients may have said it best when they proclaimed “In vino veritas” (in wine, there is truth).

From all of us at Berks & Beyond, have a safe, happy, healthy and successful New Year!

While retention is a hot buzzword these days, you can’t talk about retention without talking about turnover. Do you realize how much it’s costing you? Turnover costs most companies thousands if not millions of dollars a year – but most employers don’t realize it!

Companies routinely record and report costs such as wages and benefits, workman’s compensation insurance, utilities, materials and space, yet most companies have no system in place to track and report the cost of employee turnover.

How to Estimate Turnover Costs

• SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, once estimated that it costs $3,500.00 to replace one $8.00 per hour employee when all costs — recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training, reduced productivity, etc., were considered. But SHRM’s estimate was the lowest of 17 nationally respected companies who calculate this cost!

• Other sources estimate that turnover costs you 30-50% of the annual salary of entry-level employees, 150% of middle level employees, and up to 400% for specialized, high level employees.

• Do a quick calculation: Think of a job in your organization that has experienced high turnover, maybe supervisors. Estimate their annual average pay and the number of supervisors you lose annually. If their average annual pay is $40,000, multiply this by .125% (125% of their annual pay). The result? It costs $50,000 to replace just one supervisor. If you lose ten supervisors a year, you’re spending $500,000 in replacement costs just for supervisors. And that’s the bottom line cost. The top line cost? If the company’s profit margin is 10%, then it costs $5,000,000 in revenues to replace these ten supervisors.

Do These Numbers Seem Unbelievable?

Actual turnover costs are usually much higher than we think they are.

If you want to find out exactly how much turnover is costing your organization, find an online employee turnover calculator. Just remember that only tangible costs can be calculated on these sites. Intangible costs are just as real and sometimes much greater than quantifiable costs, but they are difficult if not impossible to measure.

Why Don’t More Companies See This as a Costly Problem?

Many companies don’t realize the true cost of turnover, which costs companies in both expertise and dollars, because they have never examined it. Here are five possible reasons:

1. No process is in place to tabulate the costs of turnover.

2. If they are measured, those costs are not reported to top management.

3. Employers think it’s an inescapable cost of doing business — but it’s not!

4. Everyone thinks it’s an HR problem, but it’s really a strategic issue requiring top management and HR’s combined attention and actions.

5. Costs are underestimated, so they don’t cause concern.

How Can You Measure Turnover Costs in Your Organization?

A comprehensive program measures the following costs:

• · Separation costs
• · Replacement costs
• · Training costs
• · Vacancy costs

Separation costs include:

• costs incurred for exit interviews
• administrative functions related to termination
• separation/severance pay
• any increase in unemployment compensation.

Replacement costs include the cost of:

• attracting applicants
• entrance interviews
• testing
• preemployment administrative expenses
• acquisition and dissemination of information.

Training costs include both formal and informal training costs. Vacancy costs include the net cost incurred due to increased overtime or temporary employees needed to complete the tasks of the vacant position.

How can you reduce turnover?

When turnover costs are unacceptably high, do an assessment. Find out who is leaving and why. Exit interviews can help you gain information. Then develop a retention program based on your findings.

You can always contact Berks & Beyond to find out how we can help lessen your turnover costs!

The holidays are a time to celebrate, give thanks and enjoy both family and friends.

Unfortunately, the holidays can also make you want to tear your hair out by the roots.

The reality is, most of us are over-scheduled, over-worked and overwhelmed.  And while this season is meant to instill feelings of love and cheer, the increased expectations and financial strain of the holidays can overshadow the joy we should be experiencing.

This year, make a commitment to handling stress – before it handles you.  Use these tips to proactively identify and manage your stress levels during the holidays, and hopefully enjoy yourself a little bit more.

Identify the Causes

Stress increases during the holidays for any number of reasons.  Here are some of its prime culprits:

• Excess. During the holidays, we tend to eat, drink and spend too much.  Parties, gift-giving, stores filled with sales, decadent desserts and cocktails – they all tempt us to overindulge and then leave us with lasting consequences (e.g., debt, weight gain, headaches and worse).
• Extended visits. While spending time with family during the holidays can be a wonderful thing, it can also cause an overdose of togetherness.  Everyone needs his space during stressful times, and extended visits can leave you with little or no time to decompress and recharge.
• Social isolation. On the other side of the spectrum, loneliness can be just as much of a problem.  For those who don’t have family to visit, the holidays can exacerbate feelings of isolation.

Keep it Manageable

One of the only good things about holiday stress is that you can plan ahead to manage it – before it becomes overwhelming.  Use these common-sense tips to keep your stress at a healthy level this season:

• Realize that you can’t do it all. You are not a super hero and nobody should expect you to be.  Take the pressure off of yourself and avoid the trap of setting unrealistic expectations this season.
• Evaluate your priorities. What are the most important things to you and your family during the holidays – spending time with family?  Sharing a special meal?  Shopping together?  Giving gifts?  Sending cards?  Decide which activities and traditions offer the most positive impact, and then eliminate the extraneous ones.  If you focus on a few favorite pursuits and really enjoy them, you won’t miss the rest.
• Exercise regularly. Nothing provides immediate, reliable relief from anxiety like a good workout.  You don’t have to run a marathon to feel the benefits of exercise, but you do have to engage in it regularly.  Whether you lift weights, walk, bike, use the Wii or take classes like yoga or kickboxing, make exercise a priority this season.  In addition to relieving stress and boosting your mood, it will also help you keep those extra pounds at bay during a time when you’ll be taking in more calories.
• Set a schedule. Put your plans on paper (or into your scheduling app) to see how realistic they truly are.  Be sure to allow time and flexibility for additional shopping trips, driving, exercise, unexpected visits and good old-fashioned “down time.”  If your planner looks too full, you probably need to re-examine your priorities.
• Plan for togetherness and alone time. When dealing with difficult relatives, it’s okay to set limits on what you are willing to do.  On the other hand, if you anticipate loneliness, it’s smart to invite a group of friends to your home.  The key in both cases is to plan ahead, so you have both the togetherness and space you need.
• Eat smart. During the holidays, we’re bombarded with a parade of delicious food, tempting treats and a seemingly endless supply of cocktails.  If you want to look and feel your best this holiday season, plan ahead.  Be aware of your triggers for overindulging, keep healthy foods in your refrigerator as much as possible and practice moderation.
• Make balance a priority. For most of us, work doesn’t stop during the holidays.  Use these suggestions to maintain a healthy work/life balance through this season – and all year long.

From all of us at Berks & Beyond, we wish you a happy, healthy and stress-free holiday season!

If you use temporary or short-term employees this time of year, then you know how vital they are to your workforce.  From line workers and administrative assistants, to managers and IT professionals, contingent staff can help keep your business humming during its busiest times.

Given the vital role they play, how can you keep them motivated and working for you? True, you don’t have to go out of your way to make short-term or temporary staff feel valued; however, doing so may help you improve the results you get from them.  Just like your direct staff, motivated temporary employees can:

• improve customer service levels;
• reduce turnover;
• improve quality and attention to detail;
• control labor costs.

Simply put, rewarding your contingent staff makes good business sense.  So how do you show each temporary that he’s a valued part of your organization?  Use this quick list of tips:

Create a formal job description. Doing so sends the message that the employee and the work he does are important.

Orient and introduce. When a new short-term worker shows up, introduce him to the people with whom he’ll be working.  Give him a formal tour of your location, pointing out the lunchroom, restroom, etc.  Do what you can to make him feel like a part of your team.

Treat him with respect. Introduce the worker to his colleagues by giving his full name.  Explain to everyone involved the role he will play.  This presents your temporary in a much more respectable light to his new co-workers – and presents you as a professional in the temporary employee’s eyes.

Provide a challenging environment. Encourage contingent workers to beat the performance or quality standards set for your direct staff.  Take the time to learn about each temporary worker’s skill set – you may uncover additional capabilities that could benefit your company.  Finally, challenge each short-term worker to use his talents to their fullest potential.  This increases the likelihood that he’ll stay working for you.

Keep him in the loop. Without sharing proprietary information, include your temporary as a recipient of memos, company announcements, etc.  When appropriate, invite him to company meetings and share information regarding your organization’s goals and challenges.  The more involved he feels, the more invested in your success he’ll be.

Consider a cash completion incentive. If you have no plans to hire a contingent worker onto your own payroll, consider offering a completion bonus.  A cash incentive can be very helpful in keeping a highly skilled individual working on a long-term project to its completion.

Need short-term, project-based or temporary staff?

If your company is located in Central or Southern Pennsylvania, give Berks & Beyond a call.  We can provide immediate access to thoroughly screened and highly trained administrative, light industrial, engineering, HR and management personnel who are ready to perform for you.

Gather up your friends and a few choice pumpkins – it’s time to create a masterpiece!

If you need some carving tips or inspiration, check out this video and the links below. And from all of us at Berks & Beyond, have a safe, fun and frightful Halloween!

Follow these links for free carving patterns:

Pumpkin Masters

History.com Pumpkin Carving Patterns

Hershey’s Halloween Pumpkin Stencils

Effective interviews are essential to making good hires.

As an interviewer, it’s your job to create the framework for the discussions you have with job candidates.  Although the process may become tedious at times, you can ensure hiring success by employing methods that are consistent and provide a thorough understanding of every candidate you interview.

During each interview, ask the following questions to be sure you’ve covered all your bases – and increase the likelihood that the candidate you select will accept your offer:

1. Explain employment gaps. In some cases, a gap in employment can be easily explained.  The candidate may have moved, returned to school or experienced a major illness, for example.  In other cases, however, a break in work history may be a major red flag.  If an applicant has a gap on his résumé, it’s your responsibility to determine whether or not it’s a cause for concern.  Address the issue early in the interview process, to avoid wasting time on a candidate you wouldn’t ultimately hire.
2. Whether or not the candidate is interviewing somewhere else. How would you feel if you spent months finding the right candidate, only to have that individual choose another job offer?  Know where you stand from the outset by asking an applicant upfront if he is applying to other jobs – and if so, where he is in the process.  You’ll save yourself countless headaches down the line.
3. Why the candidate applied for the job. Asking a candidate why they applied provides valuable insight into his motivation.  His reasons may be personal, or they may connect him to your company (e.g., his experience with your brand or your organization’s role in the community).  While any variation of these answers is acceptable, be wary of the applicant who says he’s in it for the money.  If a competitor offers more, your new employee may be the first one to head out the door.
4. Commute time. Asking questions like, “How long does your daily commute take?” and, “How long are you willing to commute?” may seem innocuous, but they are essential.  If he currently commutes 15 minutes and your organization is 45 minutes away, he may be using your position as a back-up.  Avoid a surprise at the end of your hiring process by having a clear idea how far each candidate is willing to travel to get to work.
5. Compensation history. Make sure you clearly understand each candidate’s total compensation, including bonuses, benefits and additional reimbursements such as mileage, cell phone, etc.  Some candidates may inflate their previous compensation to receive a better offer, so be proactive and ask for a complete, detailed history during the interview.  When it comes time to make a final hiring decision, you’ll be better equipped to assess candidates side-by-side and know how to structure a fair offer.

Looking for more interviewing and hiring help?  Check out these earlier Berks & Beyond posts:

Five Tips to Improve Your Hiring Process

Common Hiring Mistakes – and How to Avoid Them

List of Interview Questions to Avoid When Hiring

Make Hiring Simpler – and More Effective – with Berks & Beyond

If recruiting and hiring take a toll on your organization, or if you simply need more time to focus on your business, call Berks & Beyond.  Our team of recruiting professionals will:

• listen to your needs;
• shorten your time to hire;
• present only qualified candidates who have been well-screened;
• reduce the burden (and expense) of recruiting and screening candidates on your own.

Contact us today to learn more about Berks & Beyond’s direct placement services.

U.S. workers are working longer – and retiring later.  Why?

According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s Retirement Confidence Survey (as reported by Workforce.com):

• about 36 percent of respondents cite the poor economy;
• 16 percent say their lack of faith in Social Security is forcing them to postpone retirement;
• 13 percent claim they simply can’t afford to stop working.

As a result, workers say they are more than twice as likely to work up to age 70 or older – a 25 percent increase from just a decade ago.

Rising numbers of older individuals remaining in the workforce creates both challenges and potential benefits for employers.  On the one hand, workers delaying retirement adds pressure to companies already struggling to reduce payroll as profit dwindles.  A glut of older workers also threatens to clog the talent pipeline for organizations who want to bring in new employees – at lower salary levels.

On the other hand, companies for which knowledge loss is a concern stand to gain a welcome benefit from a more mature workforce – less “brain drain.”  Key managers have more time to plan for the departure of older workers, and therefore can be more strategic in retraining or transferring institutional knowledge.

As older workers continue to delay retirement, HR needs to respond by reevaluating the way they manage human capital.  Instead of paying older workers to retire, HR should look for creative ways to take advantage of the shift in workforce demographics:

• Create cross-mentoring relationships. In a traditional mentor relationship, older, more experienced workers share knowledge with their less experienced counterparts.  When it comes to technology, however, younger employees are often more savvy.  Organizations can foster reverse mentorships, in which younger workers share their knowledge in areas like online social networking.
• Find new ways to attract younger workers. In a time when career advancement is likely to become more difficult, organizations should focus on new ways to bring top performers on board.  When HR can’t necessarily offer rapid upward mobility to new talent, they can offer lateral movement.  Lateral moves can help younger employees broaden their knowledge bases, become more valuable to the employer (increasing job security) and become more marketable overall.

Berks & Beyond can help your organization proactively manage its personnel needs as our workforce changes.  We provide temporary, temp-to-hire and direct placement services to employers throughout central and southern Pennsylvania.  We are able to recruit and assess candidates for the following types of positions:

• Office/Clerical
• Light Industrial
• Accounting/Finance
• Engineering
• Human Resources
• Management
• Agricultural
• Skilled Trades

How will your organization address the shifts in workforce demographics?  We at Berks & Beyond would like to know.  Please leave your comments below.

The staffing industry is not what it used to be.  In decades past, employers typically viewed staffing services as a “necessary evil” – a last resort when a low-level employee called in sick.

But not anymore.

Today’s staffing industry is comprised of diverse, robust organizations whose services can greatly enhance your company’s productivity and profitability – even in a tough economy.  Still, a significant portion of the business community doesn’t really understand what we do, or how we do it.

So if you think that staffing services are too expensive, or that you can’t find an ideal candidate through an employment agency, take a read through this quick post.  It debunks five common staffing myths:

Myth #1: Staffing firms are too expensive.

Fact: If you focus solely on bill rates and placement fees, you may conclude that staffing services are more expensive than a DIY staffing approach.  In reality, staffing firms can actually save you money.  You can leverage their recruiting expertise and economies of scale to quickly and cost-effectively access the talented candidates you need.

You can also reduce overtime, training and payroll administration expenses by using temporary employees to handle your extra workload.  Additionally, staffing experts can show you how to lower your labor costs by reducing your core staff to meet the low end of your production cycle, and then bringing in supplemental help for busier times.

Myth#2: Temps are all secretaries.

Fact: Temporary employees now work in virtually every industry and increasingly include highly skilled professionals.  In additional to administrative and industrial workers, staffing firms now regularly supply medical, technical, legal and executive-level professionals to tackle mission-critical projects.

Myth #3: You can’t hire a good employee through a staffing firm.

Fact: Staffing firms use rigorous screening, interviewing, skills testing and background / reference check processes to ensure the quality of talent they supply.  And unlike an individual you recruit on your own, a staffing service’s candidate comes with a guarantee.

Myth #4: Staffing firms only provide “temps.”

Fact:  Today’s staffing suppliers offer a wide variety of services that can be customized to suit your workforce needs, including:  temporary help, direct hire, temp-to-hire, contract staffing and payrolling services.

Myth #5: Temps are only good for “fill-ins.”

Fact: Beyond filling in for vacations or illnesses, employers regularly use temporary and contract employees to: provide extra support during busy times; staff special short-term projects; access specialized talent; evaluate talent for permanent positions.

The Truth about Berks & Beyond Employment Services

The truth is, Berks & Beyond can certainly fill your last-minute staffing needs.  But we can do so much more for your business!  With years of experience serving employers throughout central and southern Pennsylvania, we can help you use staffing to reduce overhead, complete critical projects and improve productivity.

What can  Berks & Beyond do for you?  Contact us today.

Men and women are different in many ways.  But when it comes to work/life balance issues, they apparently share several of the same concerns.

Results from a WorldatWork fall 2010 research study conflict with a previously wide-held assumption about the differences between men and women – namely, that male identity is rooted in work, while women place a higher priority on personal/family life.

Watch the video.

Summary of Study Findings

The Global Study on Men and Work-Life Integration, conducted in November and December 2010, surveyed more than 2,300 men and women working in organizations with 500 or more employees.   The international study focused on how organizations can eliminate stereotypes and barriers that prevent men from using work/life offerings, as well as what prevents organizational leaders (who are often men) from supporting the use of those offerings.

Here is a brief summary of the study findings:

• Work and Personal Identity – Identification with work is much stronger in emerging markets/countries than in developed ones.
• Managing Work and Family Life – Finding time for family is especially challenging for men; however, both men and women seek more personal time for exercise and hobbies.  For both sexes, flexible work arrangements dominate the list of most valuable options for finding a healthy work/life balance.
• Financial Stress – Not surprisingly, financial stress is a top (if not the top) work/life issue across country and gender.  To ease this stress, employers can: increase employee assistance programs; offer financial counseling programs; be as transparent as possible about corporate finances and job security.
• Leadership Attitudes – Business leaders around the world embrace the importance of work/life balance and have programs and policies in place to facilitate it.  These efforts, however, are often ineffective because managers still believe that the “ideal worker” is an employee with few personal commitments.  In fact, half of managers in emerging markets, and four in 10 managers in developed markets, believe that the most productive employees are those with few personal commitments.

According to Kathie Lingle, WLCP, executive director of WorldatWork’s Alliance for Work-Life Progress, “Working men and women around the world seek the same holy grail: success in both their work and family lives.  The assumption that male identity is rooted in work and not family is a major impediment to the effective integration of employees’ work and family lives.”

Berks & Beyond provides essential staffing support services to help your employees achieve the work/life balance they deserve.  Visit our website to learn more about our staffing services for Central and Southern Pennsylvania employers.