How to Develop a Policy on Wearable Technology in the Workplace

Welcome to a new world of person-to-person surveillance where rules, boundaries and etiquette have yet to be established. Your HR team needs to upgrade its policy manual to address the opportunities and threats of wearable technologies, especially covert recording devices.

For instance, two of the most touted wearable devices are smart glasses, with 100 million users predicted by 2020, and smart watches. Both allow your staff to record conversations, actions, meetings, misconduct and harassment, creating potential legal, ethical and procedural nightmares for your company.

Concerns Related to Wearable Technology

Wearable technology has awesome potential, which is why more and more employers are outfitting their workers with it. Fitness trackers offer incentives in weight management and overall health improvement. Google Glass apps alert tired drivers when their eyes begin to droop, and provide firefighters with instant access to building floor plans and hydrant locations.

But the flip side? Real, business-critical concerns when it comes to areas like liability, employee crime and privacy. Whoa.

• For many workers, the prospect creates anxiety. Your managers must focus on issues that drive productivity. They need to communicate that the goal of wearable technology is to drive business performance, not to spy on or punish individual workers.
• People may feel that their privacy is threatened. Wearables collect information, which may be personal as well as valuable. A major risk for you as an employer is loss of intellectual property. Employees wearing Google Glass, for example, can copy, record and take pictures of information that can then be transmitted to anyone, anywhere, without lifting a finger. It’s like a cell phone, but more discreet. It can even occur by accident.
• There is no antivirus protection. Hackers can infiltrate wearable devices and easily grab what they want. Your employees may worry that personal their personal information may be used against them. And you need to consider the risk of a worker suing you for invasion of privacy.

Policy Formulation

Here are some guidelines for setting your wearable technology policy and putting related controls in place:

• Decide whether employees should be able to wear devices and under what circumstances. This decision will be largely driven by the specific nature of your business. Protocol will be more easily determined by who owns the devices – employer or employee.

As you formulate your policy, consider these questions:

• Will you permit staff to wear devices at work?
• What is your legal stance on covert AV recording in any situation?
• What happens if an employee covertly records a disciplinary meeting, misconduct, harassment or similar scenario and seeks to submit is as evidence? Will you use it, even though it was obtained via questionable means? Will the employee be subject to disciplinary action?
• Can your employees use wearable technology as part of a whistleblowing policy to uncover corruption?
• Are workplace video and audio recordings company confidential? What happens if a worker shares this content?
• Does your policy permit you to monitor content accessed by wearable users?
• How should employees use wearable tech for informal work-related social events; for instance, your office holiday party?

When it comes to your HR policies and procedures – including those pertinent to wearable technology – there’s a lot to think about. For expert guidance and expertise, consider partnering with the pros from PrideStaff Modesto. Contact us today to learn more.

Vegas Employment Outlook | Is a New Job on the Horizon?

If you’re looking for a job in the Las Vegas area, you’ll be happy to hear that the unemployment rate have been showing a steady decline. As of June 2015, the Las Vegas unemployment rate is 7%, which is a drastic improvement from the 8% in June 2014. While this is much higher than the national average of 5.5%, it certainly shows the economy appears to be on the upswing.

2015 Las Vegas Job Market Breakdown

At first glance, the breakdown of the current job market is notably similar to the pre-recession period in December 2007. The sectors with the highest levels of employment are still (in numerical order):

1. Leisure and Hospitality
2. Trade Transportation and Utility
3. Professional and Business Services
4. Government
5. Education and Health Services

Las Vegas Job Outlook by Industry

As of December 2014, the leisure and hospitality industry has managed to retain the largest portion of the Las Vegas job market, but it needs to add 7,100 jobs to make a full recovery. It has been re-ignited relatively quickly due at least in part to growth in the Asian economy and a rekindled interest in baccarat and nightlife.

The area’s second largest industry — trade, transportation and utilities — has actually skyrocketed to 2,700 more jobs than its 2007 peak. This is at least partially due to an increased demand in retail, as Nevada continues to be a logistical hub to move products.

Business and professional services have also surpassed 2007 numbers, up a total of 4,200 jobs since December 2007. Many companies, such has Zappos, have chosen to make their headquarters or maintain a substantial presence in the area. Government jobs are down 3,400 from pre-recession days, while education and health service jobs are up by a hearty 20,900.

One notable area that has yet to bounce back is construction. The industry has dropped from the region’s fourth-largest private sector market, to the number six spot on the list. The number of jobs have increased by more than 18% over the past four years, but as a whole, is still less than half of what it was during its pre-recession peak. However, this number isn’t too alarming, as it is currently hovering around the national average.

Get a Fresh Start in Vegas

If you’re tired of being stuck in dead-end jobs, contact PrideStaff Las Vegas. We’re here to help you find the type of job that supports your career ambitions and paves the way for a bright future.

How to Address Employment Gaps in Your Resume

Since the recession, employers have understood that even the most qualified candidates may have gaps in their work histories. Those times can seem like gaping holes, but there are ways to explain them legitimately in an interview.

• Be ready to explain it.

It’s up to you as a candidate to be prepared for when a potential employer asks about it. They want to know why you have a period of non-work time on your resume between assignments, and you need to have a valid reason ready. You may have lost your job due to downsizing, an assignment may have ended early, you had to take care of a sick family member, you took time off to travel…no matter the explanation, don’t try to hide it, even if it’s negative. Your future employer will see that you acknowledged it honestly and didn’t try to dodge the fact that it happened and appreciate your forthrightness. P.S. Don’t just blame the economy. Be specific and… 

• Keep it positive.

You may have left because you couldn’t stand your employer/the company policies. Again, without attempting to hide or fabricate, you could say something such as, “I realized I could better use my skills elsewhere, so I left to find a position where I could do that at a company more like yours.” Keep the focus on what you did during your time away from work–perhaps you volunteered, learned a new marketable skill, or the like. And never lie. Employers want to hear that you did more during your gap than simply look for other work. 

• Attend to details.

If you lost your last job through no fault of your own, make sure you have terrific references from your previous employer. Talk about what you did at your last job that made you a great employee and how you can use those skills at this job. You may also want to consider a resume that’s not chronological but more skills-based. Some employers do see this as a red flag for recurring unemployment, so you may also want to consider listing your positions in terms of years (e.g., “Sales Manager at X Company, 2009 – 2011”) at the bottom.

A gap in a resume doesn’t have to look bad if you know how to make yourself look good. Use your time in between jobs well and show an employer that time away from work was used productively. For job opportunities in Akron, visit PrideStaff.

3 Strategies Behind Mentioning Unrelated Experience on Your Resume

Your resume is your personal sales brochure – often the first glimpse a prospective employer has of you as they consider you as a candidate. The last thing you want to do is waste resume space detailing work that has nothing to do with the job being offered. But at the same time, you don’t want to omit years of work that helped develop you as a professional.

Use these tips to convert unrelated but important work experience, to give yourself the best shot at the job.

1. Use the right words.

As you finalize your resume, three of your most valuable words will be “Additional experience includes …” It’s perfectly fine to sum up large portions of your career experience in one sentence.

• Your summary may read, “Public relations positions with ABC, PQR and XYZ Agencies (1990 – 2000).”
• If your work was unrelated to the job, simply list the companies.

2. Play the age game.

If you’re older or concerned with possible age discrimination, summarize multiple years of experience into a single sentence. It’s relevant, so you don’t want to remove it from your resume. However, do not include the years that this experience encompassed.

3. Focus on experience versus education.

Use this tactic to show you are a more experienced professional than your education suggests. Perhaps you worked for several years before going back to school to complete your degree. You’re already an experienced manager, and it’s important to highlight this strength.

Possible Scenarios

You can best describe your past job experience in a variety of ways, depending on your individual situation.

• You may have held several positions with one employer. You rose through the ranks. While this demonstrates that you were promoted repeatedly, it also can consume a lot of resume space. Summarize these jobs with a lead-in like “Early Positions.” this list only the titles and a date range that covers them all: “Early Positions: Clerk, Sales Associate and Senior Associate – May 2008 to April 2011.”
• You may have had jobs that were more distinctive than relevant. Some positions may not relate to your current career goals, but include responsibilities you don’t want to omit. For instance, you may have worked as a fast-food restaurant manager while in college. This may not mean much to your IT career, but you do want to show that you’ve had successful management experience. In this case, your summary statement may read, “Previous Career Experience: Managed a crew of 15 at a local franchise of a national fast food outlet.”

If you need more guidance to perfect your resume, as well as mastering the additional steps to find your next great job, read our related posts or contact the specialized recruiters at PrideStaff Modesto today.

Finding Employees that You Can Trust to Execute Your Business Goals

Behind every successful company is a team of loyal, hardworking people. However, these trustworthy employees aren’t always easy to find, so if you’re looking to expand your staff, you’ll need to put some serious effort into your search.

The value of a dedicated and honest employee who truly wants to help your company succeed cannot be emphasized enough. Use these tips to find the best possible candidates to fill your open positions:

• Write comprehensive job descriptions detailing all major duties associated with the position. The best employees have their choice of companies, so they won’t even look twice at a vague posting offering little-to-no insight on what the job entails. Responsibilities tend to evolve with time, so always update these descriptions before posting.
• Sell your company as a desirable place to work, to make top talent want to join your team. Create a robust online presence detailing what it’s like to be part of your staff. Share pictures of the office, fun employee parties and accomplishments your team has realized together. Detail employment perks and feature employee testimonials on your website.
• Ask for referrals from existing employees, as no one is going to recommend someone they don’t want to work with. People aren’t going to risk their good name by endorsing a candidate who may tarnish their reputation. This is a great way to add employees to your staff who are of the same caliber as your existing top talent, because they’re plucked directly from the same networks.
• Conduct reference checks to make sure all top contenders are as great as they seem. This is a savvy way to verify employment and learn key information about the person from someone who has worked with them. The information you find will either confirm that you’re making the right choice or effectively warn you to cut ties with the person, before it’s too late.
• Work with a staffing agency to get your hiring decisions right the right time. Recruiters are experts at what they do, so you can count on them to find a candidate who exceeds your expectations. Staffing professionals have extensive networks, filled with talented people who can be difficult to find elsewhere. Your recruiter will do all the legwork for you, so you just have to make the final hiring decision.

Make bad hiring decisions a thing of the past. Partner with PrideStaff Las Vegas to find employees you can count on to fill temporary, temp-to-hire and direct positions at your company.

How to Uncover the Real Candidate in a Job Interview

As top Phoenix recruiters, PrideStaff knows when it comes to interviewing candidates, it can be tricky to get behind the mask of a job candidate. A candidate could be a good choice for your job opening…or they could just be really adept at interviewing. While it’s hard to tell, it is possible. To help you in the process, here are the kinds of questions to ask:

Questions about former bosses and colleagues.

When you ask a candidate to tell you about their relationships with past bosses and former colleagues, most will try to paint situations in the best possible light. However, if you ask: “If I called your old manager right now, what would they say about you?,” you’re going to get a much more honest answer. As a result, you’ll gain a clearer sense of who a candidate is and whether they’re the right fit for the job.

Behavioral based question.

It’s ok to ask questions like “Tell me about yourself” and “what’s your biggest strength?” as icebreakers. But you need specific details to make the best hiring decision. So dig deeper by asking behavioral based interview questions. These are the kinds of questions that prompt a job candidate to give you specific examples of how they performed or handled certain work situations. Some examples include: “Tell me about a time you had a difficult customer and how you handled the situation,” and “What accomplishment are you most proud of?”

Follow up questions.

When you ask a candidate a question during the job interview, many times their initial response is going to be rehearsed or canned. To get below the surface, ask follow up questions. These include questions like: “Tell me more,” “Can you give me more detail?” or “What do you mean by A, B and C?” When you ask these kinds of follow up questions, you’re much more likely to get the information you need about the true nature of a candidate.

Do you need more help finding great candidates for your job openings?

Call PrideStaff. As top Phoenix recruiters, our specialists can help uncover the real candidate – so you can hire the right people for your team.

Contact PrideStaff today to learn more about how we can help you.

How to Respond When an Employee is Looking for Another Job

Losing a key employee is a major headache – and a problem that you’d certainly prefer to nip in the bud if possible. Unfortunately, when a person comes to you with their resignation, there’s usually not a lot you can do about it. But, if you inadvertently find out that an employee is looking elsewhere – but hasn’t committed yet – what are your options?

Is it someone you want to keep?

If the employee is a top performer who you seriously want to hold on to:

• Do some thinking about why they may be considering leaving. As their boss, you should have some idea what prompted their actions. For instance, have they become stagnant in their position? Are they looking for more money or a shorter commute? It could be any number of things.
• Invite them in for an honest discussion. It needs to be face-to-face. The conversation will be a bit awkward, but vital. Schedule it for a time when you can give the employee your full attention.
• Be open about how you feel. Let the individual know how valued they are, and that you don’t want to lose them. Be candid. You may say something like, “I have a strong sense that you may be leaving us. You don’t have to confirm it. But I want you to be aware that I truly value your contributions. Is there anything we can do to keep you happy – and keep you here?”
• Learn from the experience. Even if your conversation fails to change the employee’s mind, you may be able to find out where you missed the mark and avoid losing other good talent in the future.

Is it someone you’re not especially concerned about losing?

Make a mental note that they may be seeking to leave. Keep this in the back of your mind as you make future recruitment, staffing and succession-planning decisions.

Be professional, regardless of the circumstances.

If you lost your temper, act betrayed, or make an employee feel guilty, your plans will backfire. In addition, there could be collateral damage as other team members are watching. If the rest of your staff sees you acting badly, they’ll lose respect for you and assume it’s not safe to give you any more than minimum notice if they ever decide to leave themselves. The trust of your team is too valuable to risk, so keep your emotions in check.

Are you facing potential staff turnover? The recruitment experts at PrideStaff Modesto will work one-on-one with you to address your needs in the administrative, customer service, IT, finance, legal support, healthcare, production and distribution arenas, and beyond. Contact us today to address your temp, temp-to-hire and direct hiring needs.

Don’t Get Nervous | A Gap on Your Resume Isn’t a Deal Breaker!

Returning to the workforce after a hiatus can be very intimidating. In the business world, things change at rapid pace, so it’s easy to assume you’re resume won’t be well-received, but in reality, that’s hardly the case.

People have resume gaps for countless voluntary and involuntary reasons. Whether you took some time off to go back to school, care for family members or you were laid off, there’s no time like the present to make your triumphant return. Hiring managers are well aware that everyone doesn’t have a continuous employment history and any worth your time won’t hold it against you.

When applying for jobs, you’ll need to take a slightly different approach than you did in the past, but if you’re confident in your ability to excel at the position, others will believe in you too.

Address the Issue Head-On

Trying to conceal your employment gap will only make you appear dishonest. Instead, include a brief statement in your cover letter explaining why you’ve been out of work. You don’t want this to be the focus of the entire message, so keep it to one or two sentences. If you’re invited into the office for an interview, you’ll probably be asked to elaborate.

Use a Functional Format

Steer clear of the traditional chronological resume format, as it only highlights the fact that you’re currently out of work. Opt for a functional layout instead, placing your relevant skills and experience at the top and your work history beneath, so your lack of a job isn’t front and center. This is a great way to sell yourself before the hiring manager has a chance to spot your resume gap.

Include Volunteer Experience

Emphasize any relevant volunteer work you’ve done during your time away from the workforce, to show that you’ve kept your skills up. Plus, voluntarily choosing to spend time working without pay makes your passion for the job clear. Being proactive enough to stay involved by volunteering during your unemployment is sure to impress any hiring manager.

Don’t Let Your Resume Gap Define You

Ready to get back in the workforce? Contact PrideStaff Las Vegas. We offer temporary, temp-to-hire and direct hire opportunities with some of the leading companies in fabulous Las Vegas.

What to Consider Before Signing on the Dotted Line for a New Job

You just got a job offer. Congratulations! But as one of the top Tempe employment agencies PrideStaff knows before you sign an employment contract, you need to ensure all the details are explained clearly and meet your expectations. Otherwise, you could be in for some unpleasant surprises when you start your new job. Before signing on the dotted line, be sure to review the following:

1. Job Description
   

   When you’re signing a contract for a new job, you need to ensure it’s for the role you expect. The last thing you want is to be stuck in a job doing tasks that are menial or boring, or far beyond your abilities. In the employment contract, make sure that the job description is explained, including important duties and expectations.

2. Compensation
   

   Make sure your employment contract covers compensation details, such as salary, bonuses and any additional areas of payment. If you do get a bonus, ensure you understand whether or not this is contingent upon meeting certain performance expectations. Also, review whether benefits are guaranteed or whether they can change.

3. Termination
   

   The employment contract should also include language about whether you are an at-will or a just cause employee. When you’re an at will worker, your company can terminate your employment at any time, for any legal reason – which includes no reason at all. Instead, you want to ensure you’re a just cause employee, where an employer has much more limited ability to terminate your job.

4. Moonlighting
   

   For various reasons, some employers don’t let their employees perform extra work on the side. If you do have additional contract or freelance clients set up, you need to ensure your employment contract allows for those relationships to continue. If it doesn’t, you could lose your job by continuing to work for them.

5. Copyrights
   

   If you create or invent a product or service during your employment, then that product or service will likely belong to your employer…not to you. If this is a problem for you, then you need to ensure your employment contract states otherwise.

Do you need more help finding a new job and negotiating a great offer?

Contact PrideStaff. As one of the top Tempe employment agencies we can help you with the entire job search process, from writing a resume that gets results to connecting you with rewarding opportunities that aren’t always advertised.

Contact PrideStaff today to learn more about how we can help you and be sure to search our current job openings in Phoenix and beyond.

How You Could Benefit From Temporary Help During Year End

It may be August, but if you’ve kept track of your work load from years past (and we know you have), you know that the end of the calendar year often becomes your busiest time as you and your clients wrap up accounts and “old business” for 2015. As such, you may want to consider hiring some temporary help as the year winds down, and this is the right time to start those considerations. The sooner you begin hiring for the fourth quarter, the better you’ll protect yourself against the usual November/December crush, and you’ll have enough quality employees to finish 2015 smoothly.

• Reduce stress for your full-time employees.

As the work tends to pile on, rather than have employees who already feel stretched thin by their own work (and the impending holidays), bring on temporary employees to pick up the extra load. Your employees will feel grateful that you recognize the need for more help, plus they’ll be able to work at full capacity and have others there to make sure the work gets done and nothing slips through the cracks. 

• Reduce your own stress.

When you choose to use temporary help at your busiest time, and you use a reputable agency such as PrideStaff, they do the heavy lifting: the payroll, tax deduction, workers’ comp…and all the hiring, including quality control. Plus you don’t have to worry about overtime for your full-time employees and the strain it puts on a budget (and the  accounting staff!). Temporary staffing is billed hourly so all you have to do is pay a fee to the staffing agency and tell them what you need. They’ll send you temporary employees so you can keep your focus on simply closing out the year, not agonizing as to how you’ll manage to get it done. 

• Build your pool of quality help.

As the year comes to a close, you have to think about your budget for the coming year. You may have a solid core group of full-time staff, but things happen: People relocate, have to take extended sick leaves, choose to move on to other positions. One of the best ways to be prepared is to have a quality pool of temporary staff to take their place–and if you’ve seen them in action at your busiest time of year, you’ve got a pretty solid measure of their work ethic and how they handle stressful situations. So not only are you setting yourself up for the end of the year, you’re getting ready for the next one as well.

For help with any temporary hiring needs at any time of year, visit PrideStaff.