4 Simple Tips for Showing Your Employees More Appreciation This Year

The past few years have posed a challenge for many businesses with more uncertainty ahead. However, one indisputable fact is that you need strong employees and a top-performing team in order to increase productivity, achieve company goals, and maintain a competitive edge.

It’s where employee appreciation comes in and why it’s more important than ever to show how much you value your people. Here are 4 simple ways to do it more often.

Get to know your people better.

Strive to get to know each member of your team on a more personal level. Take them for coffee or meet for lunch. Learn about them outside of work and what’s important to them both on the job and at home. When you have a bigger picture sense of each person on your team, you’ll understand what motivates them and how to help them reach their potential. This, in turn, can boost your bottom line.

Say thanks more often.

Commit to telling your people you appreciate them for a job well done. Whether they met a goal, delivered under budget, or won a new client, simply the act of acknowledging them can go a long way in making them feel valued. So if you’re not in the habit of thanking your employees, now’s the time to start.

Treat your team.

For instance, host a lunch on a Friday and give them the rest of the day off. Or schedule an employee appreciation day where you leave the office and do something fun together. Other options include spending time volunteering together, giving back to the community, and forging stronger connections with your staff as you do.

Provide opportunities to advance.

The best people on your team want to get ahead. If you don’t offer room for advancement, they’ll move on. So make sure they know about opportunities for training and development, as well as the potential for promotions. Promote from within whenever you can and retain your top performers.

Need help finding top performers for your team?

Turn to PrideStaff. As one of Phoenix’s leading staffing agencies, we can connect you with smart, hard-working candidates, faster. You can skip the hiring hassles and simply get the people you need. Contact us today to learn more.

The Importance of Being A Flexible Manager and Business

Flexibility in the workplace, such as by offering employees the ability to adapt their schedules or work environment to meet their personal needs and preferences, does not require much effort on the part of management and organizations. However, the payoff for this willingness to be open-minded to what employees desire can be significant from a business standpoint. Learn more about the importance of being a flexible manager and business:

Recruitment

When the competition is high in a tight labor market, being an employer that embraces flexibility can make you more attractive to top talent. Even if you are not able to offer as high of a salary, your offer could still be more compelling to candidates who find that flexibility would provide more value to their life than a bigger paycheck. 

Productivity

Giving employees the opportunity to work in a manner that aligns with their personal obligations and professional tendencies can organically boost productivity. By removing rigid barriers and encouraging flexibility, your employees will be able to eliminate distractions and work more efficiently to accomplish more with less stress. For example, allowing employees to work from home a few days a week to eliminate a long commute allows them to use that saved time to get work done. 

Morale

When you offer flexibility to your employees, it sends a clear message that management and the business as a whole cares about their experience and ensuring they are satisfied with their working conditions. This improves the overall morale of the workplace, which then increases employee engagement since a happy team is one that is willing to go above and beyond for the good of the organization. 

Retention

High turnover rates are bad for business, from wasted time and resources to lost productivity and a risk of burnout for the remaining staff. Offering flexibility to your employees can increase retention rates because they will be less likely to leave for another company who may not allow for the same work-life balance or other related benefits that make their professional situation satisfactory. 

Attract Top Talent 

Find employees to join your team by working with experienced staffing firm PrideStaff Akron. Our mission is to work closely with you to understand your hiring needs and match you with the candidates that are the best fit. Contact us to learn more about our staffing services. 

The Importance of Automation in Today’s Sansdemic

The job market is likely going to tighten over time. A long-term trend known as the sansdemic — a demographic shift that will lead to a broad lack of workers — is set to put pressure on your ability to find the talent you need to fill your open positions.

How can you overcome this challenge? Automation provides an important strategy for operating in today’s sansdemic.

You might think of automation as giant robots used for heavy manufacturing, like building cars. This certainly represents a key area where this technology can help. If you operate a factory, there are likely areas to engage this strategy.

However, the value of automation goes far beyond this narrow use case. You can leverage computing and AI to streamline operations throughout your organization. This includes fields like marketing, data collection, transaction processing, record reconciliation, and customer communications, among many others.

Even with this broad level of application, many companies still don’t employee these methods. For instance, one study found that just 51% of companies now use marketing automation. That leaves a lot of room for growth — indicating your company might have places where automation could provide a significant improvement, especially in a a sansdemic environment marked by higher labor costs.

How Automation Can Help Overcome the Current Sansdemic

Automation ranks as one of the best strategies for countering the sansdemic. Turning to robotics and AI can give your organization the boost it needs. Here are some specific benefits you can receive by increasing the amount of automation in your operations:

Get More from Your Current Workforce

Technology complements the workers you currently have in your organization. The right upgrades let them do their tasks more efficiently. As a result, productivity and efficiency increases.

Less Pressure to Hire as You Expand

With added automation, you can expand with less need for a mass hiring spree. Instead of the time and expense required to bring in new employees, you have an alternative course. You can invest in the machines and processes needed to satisfy your growing list of clients.

You might still need to expand your staff. But the burden will be greatly reduced — a key element when facing a sansdemic

Increased Safety

Some jobs are dangerous. Why not leave those tasks to machines? Automated equipment can remove your employees from harm. This lets you protect your workers from harm.

And, from a business standpoint (which is admittedly a secondary consideration compared with the physical safety of your team), you can reduce certain financial burdens. You’ll see lower accident rates, limiting your liability and giving you leverage in insurance negotiations. In addition, you’ll experience fewer absences for work-related injuries.

How to Implement More Automation

Now you see how crucial automation will be during the tighter labor markets of the future. However, that still leaves a key question open: how can you best leverage this strategy? Here are a few steps you can take to get the most out of your automation investment:

• Research Your Current Options: Learn what kinds of automation choices exist. This will give you the information you need to look around your organization for potential upgrades.
• Find Automation-Ready Parts of Your Operation: Search your operations for areas that could most benefit from automation. Focus on areas where the ROI will be the highest.
• Set a Budget and Timeline: Use the data you gathered in the research phase to determine a reasonable plan for rolling out your automation plan. Create a budget and establish an initial timeline.
• Develop a Strong Communication Strategy: You’ll need buy-in from your current staff to implement your automation upgrades. This means making them part of the process. Maintain a healthy communication about the subject as you proceed.

Automation provides an important strategy for dealing with the sansdemic. Even so, you’ll still need to hire workers over time. A top recruiter, like PrideStaff, can give you the support and guidance necessary to succeed in any business environment.

Contact PrideStaff Bend today to learn more.

Reducing Employee Turnover in Las Vegas Hotels: Strategies for Hiring Managers

In a city with hundreds of hotels, you need yours stand out from the crowd. Much of this has to do with hiring the right people, which is of course, easier said than done.

Being a hotel hiring manager isn’t easy in Las Vegas. If you feel like your staff is a revolving door of talent, you’re not alone. However, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Need help hiring employees who want to build a career at your company? Here’s some advice to help you make meaningful changes that keep your staff intact.

Five Tips to Reduce Employee Turnover in Las Vegas Hotels

Make Expectations Clear

It’s possible new hires are quitting because they didn’t quite understand what was involved with the job. Therefore, it’s important to carefully review job descriptions every single time they’re posted, to make sure they still fully describe the responsibilities associated with the position. This also includes work hours. Since hotels operate on a 24/7 basis, it’s important to ensure candidates understand the type of schedule they’ll have before offering them a job.

Create a Thorough Onboarding Program

Learning the ropes at a new job can be a challenge. Even employees who have previously worked at a hotel need a comprehensive onboarding program to help them learn more about your company and teach them how to do to their new job. If training is too quick, new hires won’t feel welcomed, supported or confident in their abilities, which will likely cause them to quit.

Offer Attractive Benefits

If you want to attract and retain top talent, you need to offer a benefits package. This includes perks like health insurance, paid time off and a retirement plan. People might accept a job at your company for awhile without these key benefits, but they won’t stick around for long without them.

Provide Competitive Compensation

Money shouldn’t be the sole reason an employee wants to work for your hotel, but it does matter. The size of their paycheck dictates their quality of life, so the best and brightest workers won’t stay put if they know they could earn notably more with a competitor. Conduct research to find out what other Las Vegas hotels are paying their employees and do everything you can to make sure you’re at least paying average rates — but try to do more.

Take on a Staffing Partner

It’s possible you’re sourcing new hires from all the wrong places. Make this a thing of the past by working with a recruiter. They’ll help you find new employees who truly want to make your company part of their future. Instead of hiring people searching for a job that fits their life right now, these candidates will be serious about a career in the hotel industry.

Build a Team That Lasts

Searching for hotel employees who will stick around for the long term? PrideStaff Las Vegas has the experience needed to help you hire right. Contact us today to find out what we can do for your company!

Take Your Career to the Next Level in 2023

Feeling like your career has hit a wall? It’s a new year and a good time to take stock. Look at all you’ve accomplished and where you’d like to go in the future. Here are some tips to help you get over current obstacles and take your career to the next level.

Evaluate your current position.

Whether you want to put your hat in the ring for a promotion or get a new job entirely, take a step back to evaluate your current role. What aspects of it do you like, dislike, and what do you want to achieve going forward? For some, it might be a more flexible schedule, and for others, a big paycheck with more responsibility. Once you know what you want, you can focus your efforts,

Ask for stretch assignments.

Stretch assignments are those that go beyond your current skills. As a result, you’ll be putting your ability to adapt, think on your feet, and meet new challenges to the test. On the plus side, you can expand your network, broaden your horizons, and increase your visibility among leadership at your company. If you do want to get promoted or take a step up in a new job, these can be a great way to prepare.

Network in person and online more often.

When you meet new people and grow your network, it can help in many ways. Of course, if you’re looking for a new job, then networking is a vital part of the process. However, even if you want to remain with your current company, networking can help you to learn about industry issues, challenges, and trends and gain new insights and perspectives. So set goals around networking. This can include anything from attending one in-person event a week or a month, or joining an online networking group.

Get feedback.

Set up a time to talk to your boss and ask for feedback about your strengths and weaknesses. If you are interested in getting promoted, let him or her know. They can explain what steps you’ll need to take, as well as any important skills to work on first.

Renew your resume.

Take a look at your resume and give it a good overhaul. Make sure you’re going beyond listing duties to also providing results you achieved and the impact they had on your department or company. The more you’re able to give real-world examples and measurable results, the better your chance of getting a call for an interview.

Want a new job? Let PrideStaff help.

As one of Tempe’s top employment agencies, we can connect you with rewarding roles that help you take your career to the next level. Get started by contacting us today or searching our jobs now.

Hiring for Cultural Fit: Watch for the Cons, as Well as the Pros

Hiring for cultural fit has been ingrained into recruitment mindsets for some time. And it’s undeniably important. But, unless hiring managers practice due diligence, their efforts can veer into dangerous territory.

The real goal may be cultural add, versus fit. This means building onto your strong, diverse culture and avoiding the looking glass effect, where interviewers are drawn to candidates who are similar to and thus make them feel good about themselves.

• Interviewers may act on an intuitive sense of whether or not they would get along with a person, rather than whether that person is truly in sync with their company culture. This is where things get murky. It may not be glaringly obvious, but rather more of a nuance. For instance, an interviewer may develop an unconscious bias toward a candidate because, like themselves, they attended a lower prestige versus an Ivy League school – or they simply identify with them as someone it would be fun to hang out with after work.

What Cultural Fit Is …

True cultural fit, aka cultural add, is defined by a candidate’s sincere, shared enthusiasm about a company’s mission and purpose. Along with this comes a common approach to working and work styles, whether individually or collaboratively, and a mutual understanding of how to communicate, make decisions, and assess risk.

… And What It Is Not

Cultural alignment is not defined as a common educational, cultural or career background, a sense of familiarity with coworkers, or shared enjoyment of company perks like a ping pong table or dress down Fridays – although none of these are bad things. If there’s a way to find both, great. But be cautious of making decisions based any kind or level of bias, as well as those driven by gut feelings alone.

• Be data driven in your decision-making. Use AI and other technical tools to help ensure objectivity. Now may be a good time to reevaluate the way you screen and interview candidates, to ensure that you’re giving everyone an equal chance.

A Framework for the Right Fit

Unless you have a robust, thoughtful process in place, hiring for cultural it can turn into hiring for “social fit” – recruiting people who click with or are similar to your decision makers. If this happens, your organization runs the risk of discriminating against candidates from different backgrounds. To avoid heading down that path, be sure these elements are built into your process:

• Diversity, equity and inclusion.
• A clearly defined culture that ties directly to your business strategy.
• A systematic, measurable system for the right fit.
• A checklist of meaningful qualifications.

To ensure you hire not only the best talent, but the right talent to fit your unique company culture and preserve your winning employer brand, partner with the recruitment experts at PrideStaff Modesto. We offer more than three decades of experience in getting it right, as we continuously strive to innovate and improve our clients. Contact us today to learn more.

What is a Staffing Firm & Why Should I Work With One?

A staffing firm is an organization that works with employers and connects them to candidates who are the best fit for their job openings. They do this by building relationships with job seekers so they can be matched with the jobs they are tasked with filling. Instead of tackling your job search on your own, learn more about why you should work with a staffing firm:

It is Less Time-Consuming 

Using online search engines to look for jobs is a tedious process with inconsistent results. When you opt to work with a staffing firm instead, you save a significant amount of time. Rather than having to manually search, review, and research job openings on an ongoing basis, a recruiter will reach out and notify you when there are positions for which you are qualified. 

You Can Get Access to More Opportunities

When you handle your job search on your own, you are limited to the same pool of general online job postings as all the other job seekers you are competing against. When employers hire staffing firms to fill their openings, these positions are not advertised elsewhere; therefore, by working with a staffing firm, you can get access to more high-quality opportunities than you could on your own. 

It Helps You Get Noticed by Employers

Applying to online job postings means you are very likely to have your resume compiled into a pool of dozens or even hundreds of others, making it extremely challenging to stand out. Using a staffing firm can help you get noticed by employers since recruiters will only be focusing on quality over quantity when submitting potential candidates’ resumes. 

You Can Utilize Their Expertise

It is understandably frustrating when your job search is not achieving the desired outcomes, and you are left not knowing where you are going wrong or how to improve. A staffing firm knows what employers are looking for in candidates and can provide you with expert advice on how to improve your resume, interview techniques, and more. 

Find New Opportunities 

Land a job you will love by teaming up with PrideStaff Akron to explore the possibilities. We work with employers in the Akron area for their hiring needs and can match you with the job opportunities that best fit you. Search our database of current available jobs. 

Workplace New Year’s Resolutions That’ll Motivate Your Team

People have been making New Year’s resolutions for thousands of years. While the tradition has evolved, in modern times most of them tend to focus on personal goals and self-improvement. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but much can be gained from applying this annual practice to your work life as well.

Think SMART

You may already be familiar with SMART goals. Make sure whatever resolutions you make fit all the SMART requirements: to be effective, they must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. (Hint: This applies to those personal resolutions, too!)

• Your resolutions should focus on your highest priorities and what’s most important to you. If you find your list impossible to rein in, take a pause and give this some serious thought. Then try again.
• If they’re intimidating by their size and scope, break bigger resolutions down into smaller, more manageable pieces. For instance, take “reorganize my files” and break it down to items such as “clean out the three file drawers in my office, “put my 2022 unfiled Word documents into clear, accessible folders,” and so on.

Here are some other ideas for SMART 2023 resolutions to make your professional life easier, your teams more productive, and your stress level lower as you balance it with life outside work:

Be reliable and foster trust.

Trust is key to any successful relationship. If you’re team members can’t trust you, you’re in for a long, tough road ahead. People also need to be able to rely on you to keep your word, to support them and have their backs, and to get things done.

Maintain a positive attitude …

If you work on being more positive and uplifting, it will rub off on others and boost team morale and productivity. If you’re struggling yourself, focus on your own physical and mental wellness. Remember, when you make a positive change for yourself, others will notice and follow suit. It’s part of leading by example.

While knowing when to say no.

Being positive doesn’t mean saying yes to everything you’re asked to do. While taking on extra work does show your commitment to your team and company – and you don’t want to automatically say no either – avoid taking on more than you can realistically handle. To say no professionally and graciously:

• Assess the situation.
• Keep your priorities in mind.
• Be straightforward and authentic as you respond.
• Bring up an alternate solution.
• Practice your response beforehand if possible.

Is growing your career or finding your next great job on your list of 2023 resolutions? Those are big goals for sure, but the PrideStaff Modesto team can help you break them down into a SMART plan for success, so it doesn’t feel like an endless effort. Contact us today to learn more about full-time, temporary and temp-to-hire opportunities in a variety of fields including accounting and finance, administration, customer service, healthcare, IT and more. Get ready to mark this resolution “complete!”

5 Reasons to Make a Career Change Right Now

How you spend your workday plays a significant part in your identity and overall life satisfaction. Are you starting to reflect on your professional situation and wondering if it’s time to move on? Check out these five reasons to make a career change right now:

1. More Compensation

As your lifestyle and personal needs change, you may find that your current line of work has limited opportunities for promotions and bringing in the salary and benefits that you require. Switching careers can put you in a better position to earn more compensation if you select a field with higher earning potential.

2. Better Work-Life Balance

Certain industries inherently don’t allow for flexibility with scheduling, remote work, or time off. If you are finding that your work-life balance is suffering in your current field, opting to pursue a completely new career makes it easier to have both a fulfilling professional and personal life.  

3. Boredom or Complacency

When you first embarked on your career, you likely felt a spark of passion and excitement about your work. After you have been at it for a while, you may find that it is no longer challenging you, and you feel bored or complacent. Changing careers could help you reignite your passion and find a role that motivates and engages you. 

4. Fewer Opportunities

Even if you love your current career, there is always the chance of the marketplace needs changing. Suppose your industry is experiencing a decline and there are a limited amount of opportunities to pursue. In that case, that is a sign that you may need to look into transitioning into a new career that is more in demand. 

5. Negative Impact on Wellbeing

Chronic workplace stress can lead to physical and mental health issues. A career that is leading to a negative impact on your well-being cannot and should not be sustained and is a clear indicator that you need to make a career change right now. 

Explore New Opportunities

Are you ready to get started with your career change? Find opportunities that are right for you by working with an experienced staffing agency like PrideStaff Akron. Our team of recruiters can match you with the jobs that are the best fit from employers across industries. Search our database of current available jobs to get started.

How The Growing Number of Retiring Baby Boomers Is Affecting Today’s Workforce

The shape of the workforce is changing quickly. Once the largest part of the labor market, the Baby Boom generation is steadily moving into retirement. How will this impact your team-building process and how can you deal with the evolving situation?

It’s an important question. The process feeds into a larger challenge that will impact all businesses in the years to come. Long-term demographic trends, the aftermath of the pandemic, and skills gaps in several key areas have led to a deepening shortage of workers. This long-term dynamic will likely change the way you think about staffing your firm.

The issue is known as the “sansdemic,” a term that derives from the idea that there won’t be enough workers for open positions. In part as a result of the Baby Boomer retirements, a generational shortfall of millions of workers will increasingly impact your business.

A key driver of the overall sansdemic, the retirement of the Baby Boomer generation creates other problems, specific to that dynamic.

Here are some facts you need to know about the growing number of retiring Baby Boomers:

Why Baby Boomers are Leaving the Workforce

The Baby Boom generation — generally considered those born between 1946 and 1964 — make up a huge chunk of the labor force, about 25% of total workers. At this point, this figure is less than either Generation X or Millenials, which each contribute about a third of all employees. Still, Baby Boomers represent a core chunk of most professions.

Meanwhile, this population is aging. Even those at the tail end of the generation (those born in the early 1960s) are now in their late 50s and early 60s — quickly approaching retirement age.

The pandemic accelerated this process. Yes, Baby Boomers would have left the workforce eventually. But many moved up their retirement plans amid the COVID shutdowns. This put strain on the labor market, making it difficult for businesses to find and keep their best talent. At the same time, this contributed to follow-on workforce disruptions, like the Great Resignation.

How the wave of Baby Boomer retirements affects the overall workforce?

With Baby Boomers moving out of the workforce, companies will feel a host of pressures. Here are some of the issues you’ll need to deal with as the sansdemic becomes more acute:

Labor Shortages

As we’ll see, the challenges related to the sansdemic take many forms. However, these start with a simple, fundamental issue: a lack of warm bodies. You might have problems finding the number of workers you need.

To combat these labor shortages, look for ways to make your operations more efficient. Productivity upgrades can limit the number of employees you need. At the same time, lean on technology. Automation and other tech upgrades can make up for a more limited staff.

Higher Costs

With Baby Boomer retirements draining some of the depth out of the labor market, you’ll need to do more to compete with other companies searching for talent. This will add complications to your recruiting and training processes. Meanwhile, it will also make your operations more expensive.

Competing for a smaller supply of workers will push wages higher. You’ll also need to spend more on benefits. As a result, you’ll need to become more deliberate with your team-building decisions, getting the most out of the talent available.

Knowledge Gap

It takes time to develop certain skills. Years. Decades. As older workers leave the workforce, younger candidates might not have the seasoning required to master certain key aspects of the job.

This creates a steeper learning curve for the next generation of skilled staff and leadership candidates. You’ll need to identify emerging knowledge gaps before they impact your business. From there, create methods for educating your remaining staff.

Loss of Direct Experience

In 2022, inflation reached its highest level in four decades. That means that any workers under 40 have literally no memory of a similar time. Meanwhile, team members under 60 have limited-to-no professional experience dealing with such a sudden rise in prices.

This is just one example of the value experience brings. Baby Boomers can look back over a long career, drawing on an extended history with market conditions that their younger colleagues have no direct understanding of. As they move out of the workforce, you lose this well of knowledge.

Contact PrideStaff Bend Today

As you look to overcome Baby Boomer retirements and other issues related to the sansdemic, turn to a strong recruiting partner, like PrideStaff. You’ll get the insight and support you need to thrive in an economic situation.

Contact PrideStaff Bend today to upgrade your team-building process.