Say Thank You & Show Your Staff Appreciation After a Difficult Year
The challenges of balancing work during a pandemic cannot be understated, and it likely requires much more effort than normal for your employees to remain productive. Ensure they realize that you have not taken that hard work for granted. Check out these ways to say thank you and show your staff appreciation after a difficult year:
Timely Words of Praise
Get into the habit of giving your employees compliments immediately after you observe them going above and beyond. Not only will this keep you from forgetting, but it will be more meaningful to be consistently recognized rather than just during specific annual times, such as during the holiday season.
Thoughtful Thank You Notes
Simple but sincere is the key to making your employees truly feel appreciated. Write out thoughtful thank you notes that are personalized for each of your staff members, in which you specify precisely how they have helped you or exactly what it is about them for which you are grateful. It will take minimal time and money, but have maximum impact on your team.
Public Company-Wide Recognition
Saying thank you to your team on a larger scale can make them feel special because it demonstrates that you’re proud of your team and want to share it. Provide public company-wide recognition, such as at a meeting/event or in an employee newsletter or mass email, so higher-level leadership can know about your team’s hard work.
Host a Fun Activity
Throw your employees a social event, such as a catered meal at the office, going out to a restaurant, or attending an off-site event together. Hosting a fun activity gives your team much-needed time to connect with one another and take a break from the demands of their day-to-day work.
Offer Extra Time Off
Time is a commodity hard to come by, so if plausible, surprise your team and give them the gift of an extra day off or leaving early with pay. It is beneficial not just to express your gratitude to your team. It can also help them recharge and come back refreshed and ready to continue doing what they do best: working hard and providing significant value to you and your organization as a whole.
Partner with Us for Recruitment
Find top talent to join your team with PrideStaff Akron. Our experienced team of staffing experts will work with you to understand your needs and provide you with qualified candidates. Contact us for more information on how PrideStaff Akron can help you with your staffing needs.
What is the Biggest Challenge in Online Job Searching?
It’s been a while since you started searching online for Las Vegas jobs hiring immediately, but it hasn’t really materialized into anything. Despite dedicating time most days of the week to this initiative, you don’t feel like you’ve made much progress.
Try not to feel discouraged, because this is a very common problem. The biggest challenge in online job searching is the vast number of opportunities to choose from.
On the surface, this might not seem like a problem, but as you’re currently experiencing, it can be a massive headache. The thing is, most of the jobs you’re finding online aren’t the right fit for you, meaning you’re wasting a lot of time sorting through useless information.
Here’s some advice to help you overcome this issue and finally find an opportunity that checks all your boxes.
Three Tips to Narrow Your Online Job Search
Know What You Want
It’s easy to get sidetracked when you’re not exactly sure what you want in a new job, and you’re faced with hundreds of distracting postings. This can cause you to apply for positions that aren’t the best choice for you, simply because they’re right at your fingertips.
Avoid this by making a list of must-haves for your next job, along with another list of dealbreakers. This will help you stay focused, because you can easily eliminate those that don’t meet your criteria.
Target Specific Employers
There’s no shortage of Las Vegas companies hiring new employees. However, you’re more likely to thrive at some organizations than others. Conduct research to find employers with cultures that align with your values and beliefs, as well as offering benefits you want — i.e., remote work capabilities, 100% paid healthcare, pet-friendly workplace. This will allow you to make your searches more specific, decreasing the volume of your results, while increasing the quality.
Work With a Recruiter
Finding a great new job online is possible, but isn’t always easy. Partnering with a staffing professional allows you to save time, while ensuring you end up in the job that best suits your needs. Recruiters also have access to exclusive opportunities that aren’t posted online, so without their help, you might miss out on your dream job.
Get Help Finding Your Dream Job
Tired of searching online for new career opportunities? Ditch this time-consuming approach and team up with the experts at PrideStaff Las Vegas. Contact us today to get started!
How Much of a Pay Raise Should I Request When Changing Jobs
You’re ready to switch jobs. You’ve found a likely position and the process is moving towards the negotiation stage. How much of a pay raise should you ask for?
In the post-pandemic world, pay rates are rising throughout the economy. That puts you in a good position. The tight labor market gives you significant leverage when switching jobs. However, you have to understand the nuances of the process to get the most out of the situation.
In choosing a job, it may seem obvious that you always want to maximize your compensation. However, that’s not the only factor to keep in mind. Here are some aspects to remember as you ask yourself, “how much of a pay raise should I request when changing jobs?”
Current Market Conditions
Yes, you are a unique snowflake, singularly precious in your distinctive idiosyncrasies. But you’re also a worker trying to sell your skills in a labor market.
That means you need to understand the market conditions that influence your salary. Learning this information will let you understand your value. That way, you can intelligently weigh your career options.
- Job duties: Figure out the going rate for your profession.
- Geography: Discover the cost of living in the areas where you’d consider taking a job and understand how that influences your potential compensation.
- Labor market situation: Take a look at the broader economic situation. Will you have a lot of negotiating leverage or should you be happy just to land a job?
- Your experience/skill level: Special skills and advanced experience can demand premium pay rates.
You Vs. Everyone Else
Compensation is competitive. To earn more, you need to provide something special. This will let you command a higher salary at your next employer.
As you go into a negotiation, you want to make a value argument. You need to convince a prospective employer that you can deliver, that you’re worth the additional outlay.
The Money Situation (for Both You and the Employer)
Some employers can afford to pay more than others. Are you looking to maximize your paycheck? In that case, you should gravitate towards companies with a deep wallet, which can get generous with its compensation package.
However, other factors might appeal to you at various times during your career. Sometimes, you might want to emphasize flexibility or making connections or learning new skills.
At these times, you might focus on potential employers who don’t have big budgets but offer other, less-tangible benefits. In that case, you might not demand as big a raise as you switch jobs.
In this way, your own personal financial situation matters as well. How much do you need the extra money? A look at your cash requirements will help you strategize your next career move, shaping whether you push for big bucks or focus on other aspects of the job.
Your Longer-Term Career Goals
People take unpaid internships all the time. Why? To get experience, so they can score a better job down the line.
At this point in your career, you’ve probably moved past the unpaid internship phase. Still, you shouldn’t necessarily maximize salary at every career stop. Gaining experience and developing skills can give you the keys you need to unlock significant opportunities later on.
As such, you should keep your larger career goals in mind. As you weigh how hard to push for additional compensation, consider how this job fits into your professional development. It might be worth getting underpaid for a bit, as long as the position offers chances to grow.
Looking for the perfect next step in your career? A top recruiter, like PrideStaff, can steer you to the ideal situation.
Contact PrideStaff Bend today to get the most out of your next move.
Understaffed? Here’s How a Staffing Agency Can Help
The COVID-19 pandemic not only had a huge impact on healthcare but is currently causing chaos in the economy with limited access to workers. There’s simply not enough available right now, meaning you have to do more with less.
While the future is still uncertain as to when the economy will fully bounce back, and staffing shortages will ease, there is one way to navigate the situation: with help from a staffing agency. Here’s how you can benefit when you partner with one:
Hire skilled workers when an employee is out.
If you have a worker who’s away due to sick or family leave, the extra work can fall onto the shoulders of your existing staff. They can become overworked and stressed as a result. If, however, you work with a staffing agency instead, they can give you access to a skilled professional to fill the position for just as long as you need them.
If you’re able, such as in the case of maternity leave, you can even work with your agency to plan ahead and bring in a temporary worker to train with the employee that’s leaving temporarily. This will help ensure the transition is seamless and your core staff doesn’t have to work overtime.
Take on more work and get existing projects done.
So many companies and industries are struggling to find the people they need to perform jobs. If you’re one of them, a temporary workforce can be beneficial. You can bring on board as many people as you need, for as long as you need them. Whether it’s to get through your busy season or to complete a critical project, you’ll have the extra hands that will make it all easier.
Access specialized knowledge or skills.
If you have a certain skill set, you need, but only for a short-term period of time, it’s hard to know how to fill the gap. A staffing agency can help there as well. They have relationships with temporary workers and contractors of all kinds, with a range of specialized skills and abilities. They can source and screen potential workers with a unique skillset, so you’re able to complete the work.
Operate with more flexibility.
We’re in challenging times, and the more flexibility you have with your workforce, the better. When you partner with a staffing agency, they can learn about your company, industry, and hiring needs. They can then create a staffing plan that helps to ensure you’re staffed at an optimal level at all times of the year. This will help you to maintain more flexibility, so you can minimize risks and take advantage of new opportunities.
Maintain a lower overhead.
When you have to hire on a full-time basis, there’s a lot of paperwork and costs, from payroll taxes to benefits and more. With a staffing partner, you don’t have to worry about any of this. They handle the administrative side of the relationship, so you can simply run your business. You can access workers when you need them without boosting your fixed overhead.
Ready for help overcoming your staffing shortage?
Turn to PrideStaff. As one of Tempe’s leading staffing agencies, we can connect you to a pipeline of skilled and hard-working individuals ready to hit the ground running. You’ll be able to maintain the right staffing levels and run a more profitable business as a result. Get started today by contacting our team.
Ready for a Career Change? These Are the Most Lucrative Industries to Get Into Right Now
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted business operations suddenly and drastically, with many industries suffering layoffs and furloughs. However, certain industries are now thriving as the pandemic improves, making it an opportune time to switch professions. If you’re ready for a career change, here are the most lucrative industries to get into right now:
Healthcare
It likely comes as no surprise that healthcare workers are hugely in demand across various positions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections released in September 2021, healthcare is the industry that will likely add the highest number of jobs through 2030. There are a variety of positions in the healthcare sector that don’t require significant medical education, such as working in administrative or assistant roles.
Utilities
Regardless of the state of the economy or public health, utilities like waste collection, gas, water, electricity will always be a necessity. If you are looking to change careers, the utility sector will have stable, plentiful, well-paid opportunities, such as electrical line installers, meter readers, street sanitation workers, and many more.
Manufacturing
With supply chain issues as a result of the pandemic, many companies are opting to localize their manufacturing operations. For a lucrative career change, transitioning to the manufacturing industry can open up many opportunities to pursue. In addition to working directly on the product line, there are also job opportunities in management, sales, or administration within the industry.
Technology
From pandemic lockdowns facilitating a swift transition for online activities, such as education, remote work, and online shopping, to technology advances as a whole, this industry is lucrative and projected to have continued growth for years to come. There are many areas to pursue, such as cybersecurity, software development, artificial intelligence, data science, and IT management.
Freight and Delivery
E-commerce has spiked as a result of the pandemic, and consumers are projected to continue the spending habits they developed during this time. Although retail jobs at physical stores are projected to decline significantly, there will be an increased demand for professionals in the freight and delivery industry in order to keep pace with the online shopping orders of consumers.
Explore Your Job Options
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 match from employers across industries. Search our database of currently available jobs to get started.
This is What Your Employees Need to Succeed
Building and maintaining a successful workforce takes more than just hiring the right talent. Some factors need to be present for your employees to stay happy and motivated on the job. Without them, businesses tend to experience high turnover and dissatisfaction, overall negativity, and potentially irreparable damage to their reputation and brand.
What do your employees need to succeed, day in and day out? Now might be a good time for a pulse check on how strong these elements are at your company:
Mutual Respect
In the workplace, as in all aspects of life, respect is a two-way street. If people feel they’re being treated with respect, they tend to respond with respect for others.
A Sense of Ownership for All
Employees want to feel that they fit in and have access to important information just as quickly as everyone else. This ties in with that decision-making power and gives people a sense that they’re part of something bigger than themselves.
Unwavering Leadership
Give people a sense of being on the right track – or if they’re not, how they can get back there – via a strong, consistent leadership presence. Make them feel assured that their leadership team is capable, present, and trustworthy.
For a winning strategy as you develop your workforce and help every one of its members succeed, turn to PrideStaff Modesto. We’ll partner with you to create a plan that ensures all your needs are met and all your desired business results are delivered. Contact us today to start brainstorming about your success-filled future!
Is Your Screen Time Impacting Your Productivity? Three Ways to Put Down Your Phone…and Get More Done
Your smartphone is your lifeline. From using it to call and text, shop online, connect with others on social media and find hiring support in Las Vegas — just to name a few of its vast uses — you’re never without it.
The only problem is, having the world at your fingertips can be seriously distracting at work. You definitely feel like your productivity is on the decline, because you’re constantly checking your phone. Here’s some advice to help loosen your grip on your device, so you can finally enjoy a good day’s work again.
3 Tips to Reduce Your Screen Time and Increase Your Productivity
Temporarily Disable Notifications
If your phone dings when you receive a new message, it’s inevitable you’re going to check it. Even if you read the message and quickly respond, this is a problem, because it breaks your concentration. It’s also possible you don’t have the sound on, but you can see updates — i.e., new emails, text messages, push notifications from your favorite apps — flash on the screen.
Solve this by putting your phone on ‘do not disturb’ mode. This will temporarily halt the notifications hindering your productivity, so your phone stops calling out to you every two minutes.
Download a Digital Wellbeing App
Chances are, you’re spending more time each day staring at your smartphone than you realize. Monitoring your screen time can serve as a wake-up call that can help you develop better habits. If you don’t already have a digital wellbeing app installed on your phone, download one to keep track of the amount of time you’re spending browsing the web and using your favorite apps.
Turn Your Phone Off
If you don’t need it for work, consider powering your phone down to boost productivity. This can be a great idea if simply disabling notifications and putting it out of sight — i.e., in a drawer or on the other side of the room — isn’t enough. While you might initially be a bit lost without your phone, you’ll likely grow to enjoy not feeling so tethered to it.
Hire Right, Every Time
Need a little help finding the best person for the job? Pride Staff Las Vegas is here to take the stress out of the hiring process. Contact us today to discuss a partnership!
What is the World of Remote Work Going to Do to My Salary?
The rise of the work-at-home trend has sparked a lot of changes. Work schedules, home lives, and wardrobes have all come under scrutiny. But what about pay rates? How will remote work impact your salary?
We have entered a new era. The pandemic has taken the long-simmering trend of remote work and turned a flamethrower onto it.
During the depths of the pandemic, 71% of workers reported working from home. That compared to a 20% rate before COVID.
Now that the pandemic is finally passing, work-at-home has become a full-time option for many professions. But what will that mean for compensation? Here are some factors to keep in mind as you consider what your salary will look like in a remote world:
Look at Your Company’s Policies
Not every company treats remote work in the same way. Fundamentally, the question comes down to how your employer will treat the cost of living faced by various employees. If you live in a more expensive area, should you receive additional pay?
Companies are taking different approaches to this quandary. There are three basic strategies an employer can adopt:
- Pay based on employee location
- Pay based on company headquarters
- Pay based on a national average
Each of these comes with its own pros and cons. You need to judge the structure that best fits your goals and market position.
Employee Location
With this strategy, a company pays based on where the individual employee lives. This allows the firm to remain competitive in every market, choosing from the best talent everywhere.
However, under the system, two people doing similar jobs can have a wide variation in compensation. You might end up getting less than a colleague located in a higher-cost market.
Company Headquarters
Here, companies set salaries based on the cost of living in their home market. This puts everyone on an equal playing field, eliminating the potential jealousies encountered in the employee-location model. It also matches pay scales with what the company is historically used to paying, back when everyone physically came to the office. (You know, way back in 2019.)
As a job seeker, the key figure here is the difference between the cost of living where you live and the cost of living in the company’s home area. If you work in a low-cost market, you could get an extremely strong compensation package.
However, if you work in the higher-cost area, you may be priced out of these employers. Their best price might not offer enough for you to consider.
National Average
In this structure, geography doesn’t matter. Rather, the company chooses a national baseline to guide its compensation policy, ignoring any local variations in cost of living.
Like the headquarters-focused approach, this has the benefit of giving employees an equal pay footing. However, the downside remains the same. The competitiveness of a particular offer will depend on where your cost of living stands when compared to the national average.
Don’t Forget About Those Hidden Work Hours
The switch to work-from-home might not have an immediate impact on your nominal pay. This is especially true if you continue to work at the same employer. Your paycheck will look the same.
However, that doesn’t mean that your overall situation remains static. Work-from-home will alter your schedule in ways that might put your pay rate in a new light.
Goodbye, Commute
When you used to travel to the office, you essentially lost time each day to your travel routine. Your commute and all the chores that surrounded heading into work represented hours you devoted to your career. However, you didn’t necessarily receive compensation for this.
In a remote environment, you get this time back. You no longer have to commute. For some people, this could mean hours a day freed up for other activities.
Trouble Logging Off
However, there’s a potential catch. Remote schedules can have the opposite impact on your daily work input. The lines between work and home can get blurry, sometimes making it difficult for you to log off at the appropriate time.
You could get tricked into working more hours than you otherwise would. As a result, you need to consider your pay in light of the actual hours you invest in your job.
Ready to get the most out of the growing work-from-home trend? A top recruiter, like Pridestaff, can help. You’ll find the perfect employer to match your preferred working style.
Contact PrideStaff Bend today to get started.
Why You’re Not Hearing Back After Applying
Your job search is stressful enough. When you don’t hear back after applying, it can be downright confounding. Is there a reason employers aren’t responding to your resume or application? Could you be doing something wrong?
It depends on the situation. Keep in mind, though; it’s a common occurrence for many job candidates. And when you don’t hear back, you tend to assume the worst: that you’re not qualified. However, there could be other issues in play, including:
- A busy hiring manager filling many different roles.
- The employer already has an internal candidate in mind for the job.
- The hiring process involves many decision-makers, not just one, making it longer.
In fact, in general, the hiring process has become longer in recent years. Employers fear a costly hiring mistake and take more time screening resumes through applicant tracking systems and internal hiring boards.
However, if you’ve applied to jobs you’re qualified for and don’t hear back from a single one, there could be an issue with your approach. Common mistakes job seekers make include:
Sending a generic resume.
You should personalize your resume for each opportunity you’re applying to. You don’t need to re-write it completely, but you do need to edit and tweak it, so it’s as relevant as possible to the company and its hiring needs.
Mistakes on your resume.
If you have typos and grammatical issues on your resume, hiring managers will take notice. This sends the message you’re not a detail-oriented professional, which can hurt your chances of getting an interview.
You have a negative online presence.
Most hiring managers today will Google you and look to sites like LinkedIn or Facebook to check your background. In fact, around 70% of managers screen candidates on social media. If you’re not representing yourself in a positive light, they will take this into account in their hiring decision.
You’re not following directions when you apply.
If you aren’t applying the correct way, hiring managers may completely ignore your application. For instance, if they asked for work samples to be submitted or a list of references – and you don’t follow these directions – then don’t be surprised if you’re crossed off the list.
Likewise, if you email your resume instead of using the company’s online application system as instructed in the job posting, this can count against you. It’s why reading through the job description before applying is important to ensure you don’t miss anything.
Interested in professional help finding a job?
Turn to PrideStaff. We know job searches can be frustrating. However, with our team of Tempe recruiters, we can make the process easier, so you find a job you love faster. Get started today by contacting our team.
These Problem-Solving Skills Will Help Make You a Better Employee
If you want to succeed in a job – as in any aspect of life – the ability to problem solve is a must. And, showcasing your strong problem-solving skills during your job search is a real plus in the eye of potential employers.
Problem-Solving Skills Defined
Problem-solving skills are those traits that enable you to pinpoint and then address situations that need changing. It sounds simple, but it takes work. Experts have identified six steps to effective problem-solving and the skills you need for each of them.
- Identify and assess the situation. You can’t solve a problem if you don’t know exactly what it is. So, be sure you clearly understand the situation at hand, including its size and scope, cost, and impact on your company and on the role you play in the overall picture. The skills you need to hone at this point in the process include analysis, attention to detail, data collection, and forecasting.
- Get to the root cause. Find the true source of the problem, so you can develop the right plan of corrective action … not just any plan, but the right one! You might try the 5 Why’s or a fishbone diagram, aka a cause-and-effect analysis. Add these skills to your toolbox: brainstorming, creativity, critical thinking, deduction, and research.
- Brainstorm solutions. The amount of brainstorming you need to do will depend on the specific problem, as will the number of people you need to involve. More skills to master: communication, judgment, listening, meeting facilitation, patience, and teamwork.
- Evaluate those solutions and narrow them down to a shortlist. Dig into each option and evaluate its viability. List the pros and cons, talk it through with your team, and eliminate those that don’t seem realistic or likely to succeed. Additional skills: fact-checking and prioritization.
- Pick a winner. Once you’ve narrowed down your options, it’s decision-making time. You’ve done the work, and you should feel confident with your choice. Before it’s finalized, know who needs to make the final call: Is it just you, or do you have to run it by your boss or anyone else? Add persuasion, prediction, and public speaking to your growing skills list.
- It’s Go Time. Making a final decision about a solution and not acting on it is like lining up at the start of a race and then not moving when the starting gun sounds. But before you run with your plan, do one more quick reevaluation to ensure that your solution has truly addressed the problem, without causing any other negative consequences. Last but not least among your needed skills: adaptability, feedback, organization, project planning, and time management.
It’s Not as Daunting as It Sounds
Like all challenges, solving a problem can seem horrific at first. But if you break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces, the process becomes more natural and far less stress-inducing.
To learn more about problem-solving, and to sharpen all the skills you need to succeed in your job search and career, contact PrideStaff Modesto today. All those solutions are well within your reach; we’ll help you tap into them with strategies designed just for you.
