The Watercooler

The Watercooler Blog is full of workplace tips and trends related to employee retention, engagement, interviewing and more. The Watercooler is frequently refilled, so gather ‘round often.

How to Keep Your Employees Focused and Engaged

As reported by Gallup, only 13 percent of employees worldwide are engaged at work. And according to a recent State of the American Workplace study, just 33 percent of employed U.S. citizens can say the same. Those employees who are engaged stand out as they willingly go the extra mile, work with passion, and feel [...] Read More

Learn How to Improve Your Brand to Attract Top Talent

Your employer brand is your company’s reputation as an employer and also its value proposition, or what it offers to potential employees. It should be authentic, sharing “what it’s really like to work here” and providing insight into your culture, as well as candidates’ opportunities for career advancement. Just as you would with your consumer-facing [...] Read More

Job Description Best Practices to Ensure Your Jobs Get Clicked On

Rewind from the moment when you hire that perfect employee. Move back through their impressive interview, through reading their stellar resume, all the way to the point when the process started. What kicked everything off? What's the event that led to you getting the opportunity to hire such a first-rate candidate? The answer: the applicant [...] Read More

Tips for Managing Challenging Employees

In your role as a manager, you will inevitably have to deal with difficult employees. They may be insubordinate, overly argumentative or even bullying. The root of the problem may be laziness, boredom or a lack of motivation. Whatever the reasons behind the situation, it’s up to you to nip it in the bud. Evaluate [...] Read More

Reasons You Should Reject a Job Candidate

As you narrow down the field towards making a final hiring decision, what criteria should you use for rejecting job candidates? The process can be overwhelming – and much is riding on your selection. Factors to Consider That pile of dozens – and dozens and dozens – of resumes and applications will get shorter – [...] Read More

How to Find Top Talent in Akron When Unemployment is at 4.3%

While it wasn't that long ago that hiring managers were dealing with the “problem” of having an excessive amount of qualified (or even overqualified) candidates apply for their job postings, the job market has changed. The national unemployment rate has reached a 17-year low, and Akron’s unemployment rate is holding steady at approximately 4.3%, according [...] Read More