UNITEMP Blog

As we look ahead to the promise of a new year, we also hope that 2011 presents a lot more opportunities for us to work together. 

From all of us at UNITEMP, we’d like to wish you a happy, healthy and successful year ahead.

Innovative Staffing Program Saves New Jersey Employers Almost $1,000,000.00 in 20 Years

Hackensack, NJ – In a time where the cost of everything from gas to health insurance is skyrocketing, UNITEMP Temporary Personnel continues to help New Jersey employers save big on their contingent labor when they need it most, at the end of the week.  The leading temporary staffing service is getting ready to celebrate 20 years of delivering No Premium on Overtime to its clients.

In 1991, Ted Kissel, President of UNITEMP, pioneered the NPOT concept because he felt uncomfortable gouging his valued clients beginning on the 41st hour with overtime premium bill rates.  “I decided to propose eliminating overtime premiums,” said Kissel.  “Our customers need our temporaries to finish their work on Friday, but often the temporaries have reached 40 hours by lunch time.  Staffing company profits generated by automatically increasing a $20.00 bill rate to $30.00 after 40 hours are great – but tough to justify to the customer’s CFO.”  Not surprisingly, his profit reducing idea was not well-received by his boss at the time, Ted Kissel, Sr.  “I realized that my future in the family business was at risk.   I repackaged and represented No Premium On Overtime as a differentiator for sales and as a customer retention program.  I made the sale.”

Kissel convinced his father that NPOT for staffing was ethical and a wise business decision.  His brainchild revolutionized the staffing industry and attracted the attention of major temporary help buyers.

Delivering a 33% savings on virtually all temporary help overtime has been a key factor in UNITEMP’s success.  Over the years, customers and their CFOs came to UNITEMP, because they realized that all customers, large and small, could achieve great results and big savings.  “We never looked back, and now 20 years later we continue to charge No Premium on Overtime (the same rate for the 55th hour as we do for the 1st hour of the week).  The cost to us is huge.  But, the overall value is even bigger in terms of customer retention and loyalty,” says the younger Kissel, who has served as UNITEMP’s President since 1995.

Kissel’s clients are extremely thankful that he stuck to his guns all those years ago.  UNITEMP estimates that, since the NPOT program began 20 years ago, they’ve saved New Jersey employers almost $1,000,000.00.  How much could UNITEMP save your organization?

The boomers are retiring.

This is not news, of course, but their mass exodus from the workforce does create a potential problem for many organizations – namely, identifying new leaders to fill the boomers’ shoes.  In addition to closing the talent gap this generation will leave, other reasons to proactively develop new leaders include:

• Keeping pace with constantly changing business strategies
• Quickly filling new roles created by organizational growth, as we emerge from the recession
• Adapting to job realignments caused by mergers and acquisitions
• Heading-off potential skill shortages
• Increasing employee engagement and productivity

Does your company’s succession plan address all these issues?  The truth is, many organizations are too busy managing the daily pressures created by a lengthy recession to look that far down the road.  But to win the talent war, you need to start assessing, planning and developing leaders now.  Here are a few strategies to make your succession planning more effective:

• Create a plan before talent needs become talent crises.  Remove some of the stress caused by finding the right person for a job by planning for future needs now.  Careful planning will minimize workforce disruption, increase knowledge transfer and increase employee engagement / loyalty by providing clear career paths.
• Let your best employees know about your plans for them.  Tell your key talent that your company has high expectations for them.  Prepare them and increase their buy-in by letting them know that you will be investing in their futures and will be facilitating moves to enhance their professional development.
• Define criteria and profiles against which to measure employees’ potential.  Logically, you want to develop employees with the greatest potential – but potential for what?  Work together with key executives to map out the future requirements for success in key positions (i.e., what will tomorrow’s leaders have to be able to do to succeed in these roles?).  Use these criteria as a measuring stick for evaluating each individual’s potential.
• Assess current employees’ skills and competencies.  Once success criteria have been defined, you must invest the time and money to objectively and validly assess what your internal talent can do.  While each company must decide which tools best fit its individual needs, popular ones include:  assessments from the candidate’s circle of influence; career achievement summaries to capture work experiences; psychometric tools; behavioral interviews to probe against established criteria for success.
• Create plans to close the gap.  Once you understand where current employees are and where they need to be, you can customize talent development plans to close the gap.  As potential leaders progress in their growth, keep them updated on hiring decisions.  Monitor their interest and involve them in the development process as much as possible, to keep them invested for the long-term.  Most importantly, make sure their career aspirations are aligned with your succession plans, to keep you both working toward the same goal.

After assessing employees, some businesses find a lack of internal talent with the potential for leadership.  That’s where UNITEMP can help.  We can provide individuals who have the skills, competencies and behavior traits to temporarily fill your talent gap while you conduct your own search.  Call us to find out more about our temporary and contract services for New Jersey employers.

Leading NJ Staffing Firm Helps Employers, Employees Weather the Recession and Slow Recovery

Hackensack, NJ – While leading economists debate over whether or not we’re “double-dipping,” UNITEMP Temporary Personnel focuses on designing smart staffing solutions to help both employers and employees weather these tough economic times.

The leading New Jersey staffing service continues to provide area employers with qualified short- and long-term temporary and contract staff across a wide range of skill sets.  These contingent workers help organizations control fixed labor expenses, meet tight budgets and free core employees to focus on revenue-generating activities.

During a recession and subsequent recovery, “Managers want and need to save money and meet their expense budgets exactly.  UNITEMP specializes in staffing customer ‘not-to-exceed’ purchase orders for temporary personnel.  Meeting budgets is exactly what our purpose is,” says Ted Kissel, President of UNITEMP Temporary Personnel.

UNITEMP’s services also greatly benefit local job seekers.  The staffing firm’s contract and temporary assignments help individuals:  earn money while searching for direct employment; avoid résumé gaps; keep job skills sharp and up-to-date; gain valuable networking contacts; and stay positive and productive during what can be a very difficult time – both emotionally and financially.

“Of course, each job helps us put one of our valuable employees to work,” says Kissel.  “And in spite of the sporadic, spontaneous and sometimes abrupt nature of temporary work, many people are glad to do it.”  To find out more about current openings, Mr. Kissel encourages New Jersey job seekers to visit the Search Jobs page on UNITEMP’s website.

UNITEMP Temporary Personnel provides short- and long-term temporary and contract staff within a wide range of skill sets, including the following:

• Administrative & Office
• Accounting
• Banking & Finance
• Bilingual
• Communications
• Education
• Information Technology
• Human Resources
• Legal Support
• Marketing & Sales
• Medical Support
• Call Center
• Customer Service
• Technical
• Engineering
• Manufacturing
• Services
• Project Support
• Real Estate
• Insurance
• Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing
• Mining
• Transportation
• Utilities
• Wholesale Trade
• Retail Trade
• Public Administration

Social Media Helps Leading NJ Staffing Firm Connect with Clients, Employees

Hackensack, NJ – You have one new friend request.  UNITEMP Temporary Personnel invites you to “Friend” their Facebook fan page. 

While millions are using Facebook to keep in touch with friends, the leading New Jersey temporary and contract staffing firm is using this social media platform as part of their progressive internet marketing strategy.

The page allows UNITEMP to interact with clients, employees and applicants on a whole new level.  “People are spending more and more time online, and Facebook provides a convenient way to reach them,” says Ted Kissel, President of UNITEMP Temporary Personnel.  “This page helps us share real-time staffing and job posting information, and encourages our clients and employees to give us their feedback.”

Containing several interactive features, the page contains valuable information for managers, temporary employees and job seekers alike.  Visitors can leave comments or ask questions on UNITEMP’s “Wall”; browse the “RSS / Blog” tab, which displays their company blog feed; or even search for up-to-the-minute administrative temporary, contract and full-time job listings.

So why should you become a fan?  Kissel is committed to adding real value for everyone who becomes a fan of UNITEMP.  “We want to provide timely, relevant information about temporary help and the staffing industry, particularly for our New Jersey customers, employees and job seekers.  So if you want to further your career, find a job or ask a question, the page can be a valuable and fun tool.”

To become a fan of UNITEMP, just log onto Facebook and type “UNITEMP Temporary Personnel” in the search box at the top of the main window.  Select UNITEMP Temporary Personnel from the results list, and then click on the “Like” icon.

Temporary employees can be a great asset to your organization.  They can help you meet critical deadlines, fill-in for unplanned absences and free your core staff to focus on their most important tasks.

But if your company uses large numbers of temporary employees, it’s easy for your direct staff to fall into an “Us vs. Them” mentality.  And while treating temporary workers as an entirely separate workforce may seem innocuous, the practice can have unintended consequences for your direct employees. 

For example, research from the University of Arizona has found that direct employees (particularly at lower levels) are less satisfied with co-workers and bosses when working with a higher proportion of temporary employees.  Why?  The responsibility of training and socializing temporary workers on company-specific processes is often assigned to direct employees.  As a result, having more temporaries can complicate full-time workers’ jobs.

Here are a few suggestions for improving the working relationship between temporary and direct employees to achieve even better staffing results:

• Make temporary employees feel welcome.  While temporaries are, in fact, a separate part of your workforce (and must be treated differently because of co-employment laws), you and your staff can still make them feel welcome in your organization.  By encouraging social interaction (e.g., formal or informal introductions) among all workers, you can foster social ties that are essential to a cohesive workforce.
• Educate your direct staff.  Take the time to clearly explain the role and value of temporary workers.  The better your direct employees understand the benefits temporary help provides, the more likely they’ll be to work productively with them.
• Take advantage of training.  If you use large numbers of temporaries, many staffing services will develop customized orientation and training programs for specific positions.  This shifts the time-consuming burden of getting new temporary employees up-to-speed off your direct employees’ shoulders.

Bottom line, there are a number of steps you can take keep relations between temporary and direct employees positive.  And the more positive their working relationship, the better your results will be.  Contact UNITEMP today to learn more about our smart staffing solutions for New Jersey employers.

Ever feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information coming at you each day?

With the barrage of data pouring in from newspapers, TV, the internet, social media, RSS feeds, e-mails, voicemails and good-old-fashioned face-to-face meetings, finding the critical information you need amidst all the “white noise” can be exhausting.

Take the BLS Monthly Employment Situation, for example.  It contains monthly employment estimates for over 1,000 industries from its Current Employment Statistics program.  However, the changes in these overall employment levels tend to be delayed in the monthly labor reports – making it a lagging indicator of economic trends.

Sound like a lot of white noise?

Not entirely.  Temporary help employment numbers, which are part of the monthly BLS report, are generally considered to be a coincident indicator for overall employment.  This means that changes in temporary help employment tend to forecast subsequent changes in overall employment and coincide with changes in economic activity.  Why?  Many companies use temporary staffing as a means to quickly adjust their operations to meet fluctuating demands for their products and services.

Here’s how to get current data for temporary help services in the BLS report:

1. Go to the BLS Current Employment Statistics home page.
2. Then select either the HTML or PDF version of the “Employment Situation Summary.”
3. Data for temporary help services can be found in Table B-1 (page 30 of the report’s PDF version).

Effectively manage the economy’s highs and lows with UNITEMP.

Our temporary and contract staffing services for New Jersey employers can help you run lean – while providing on-demand access to the talent you need to meet surges in demand.

Over the years, so many companies have called UNITEMP and placed and order for a temporary employee on a temp-to-perm basis.  The “try before you buy” concept does work in some cases; but frankly, I don’t think it’s the most effective way to consistently produce the best hires.

Why?

Consider how likely it is that the superstar employee you’re searching for will be interested in starting as a temporary employee.  And if this individual is willing to work as a temporary for you, consider how committed he will be to your company.  In reality, he will have one foot out the door and will be looking for a full time job, too.

In my experience, companies that place temp-to-perm orders want to “hold all of the cards.”  But in reality, they often lose out by choosing this option.  So what’s the best way to consistently make the best direct hires for your company? 

My advice is to get a temporary immediately and simultaneously begin your search for your full-time employee.  If the temporary works out to be THE person, that’s great – you can address the option of converting that individual when the need arises.  But in the long run, temp-to-perm is not the best way to find the superstars your company needs.

Need a great temporary employee for an immediate vacancy while you search for a full-time replacement? 

Contact UNITEMP, New Jersey’s Temporary Help and Contract Employment Specialists, today.  We’ll quickly locate a qualified, hard-working individual to fill the opening while you conduct your search.

If you’ve recently fallen victim to downsizing or or a layoff, you may be tempted to file for unemployment benefits.  But in my opinion, temporary work is a much better option.  Here’s why:

• Keep your skills sharp.  If you don’t use it, you lose it.  No matter what field you work in – administrative, technical, professional or industrial - temporary work helps keep you in-touch and on-top of your game.
• Keep your morale high.  In today’s job market, it’s taking nearly twice as long as normal to find work.  When you sign up with UNITEMP, we can get you back to work quickly.  And when you’re working, you’re more likely to have a positive outlook on your situation.
• Get your foot in the door.  In many cases, our temporary employees are eventually hired by our client companies.  If you want to work for a particular company, a temporary assignment is a great way to make internal contacts and get your foot in the door.
• Try out a new career.  Ever wanted to try a different type of work?  Now is the perfect time.  Temporary assignments give you the freedom to work in a variety of positions and industries – to find the perfect new career fit for you.

Bottom line, choosing temporary work over unemployment is a smart move.  Over the years, I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met who have changed careers, improved their lives, become independent, and made more money in the long run than they expected to by working as temporary employees.  I even know some who transitioned into full time jobs, found business partners, made great contacts, and actually met the person they married by accepting temporary work over unemployment.

As far as I know temporary work does not interfere with unemployment.  Yes, you have to work for your money.  But in most cases I’ve seen, the unemployment benefits are extended if the work stops.  And, worst-case scenario, one of the good things I mentioned earlier happens while you’re on assignment.  So what do you have to lose?  Contact UNITEMP today or search our office/clerical, technical and professional opportunities.

You’ve just won a three-month contract with a major new client – congratulations!  Now, you need to figure out how to get the extra work done. 

Should you pay your current employees overtime, or bring in temporary help?  Consider the following sample cost analysis.  It is based on an annual salary of $40,000 ($20.51/hr.), vs. time-and-one-half overtime, for one employee:

Cost Analysis

Although this is just a sample exercise for illustration purposes, it clearly demonstrates the economic rationale for using temporary employees.  When you need additional productive hours on a temporary basis, staffing services can lower costs, reduce burnout and improve the productivity of your direct staff.

UNITEMP – New Jersey’s Staffing Economics Experts

Need help assessing the cost of a staffing strategy?  Contact UNITEMP.  Our experts will work with you to determine the most productive and cost-effective way to get your work done.

Cost Analysis Assumptions

* Temporary staffing rates vary by market, but the relationship (ratio) between pay rates remains the same.

** Fringe benefits include:  holiday pay, sick leave, vacation pay, personal days, insurance, F.I.C.A., S.U.I., F.U.T.A., worker’s compensation, etc., based on a national average of 31%.

*** Based on U.S. Chamber of Commerce national average statistic of 12%, which includes firms that pay no benefits.  For small firms with moderate benefits programs, this cost is typically 40-45% of payroll, and for larger firms with extensive benefits programs, the cost can be up to 100% or more of payroll.