UNITEMP Blog

Employers in New Jersey and across the country are faced with a difficult balancing act – attracting new talent, while also holding onto experienced workers.  Achieving this balance is driving employers to create financial benefit plans that appeal to workers of all ages.

According to Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Workforce Benefits Report (published April, 2011):

• 94 percent of 650 C-level executives surveyed recognize the importance of retaining older employees and the knowledge they possess;
• 98 percent point to the need for younger workers.

To attract and retain these key segments of the workforce:

• 50 percent of those surveyed offer customized work schedules;
• 33 percent provide retirement income and health care education programs;
• 32 percent offer continuing education and development opportunities;
• 22 percent give employees the opportunity to work remotely;
• 21 percent offer extended benefits to older employees.

According to Andy Sieg, head of Retirement Services for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, “Longer life expectancies and baby boomers’ desire or need to keep working are leading to an aging population of American employees that will require more age-friendly workplaces and benefit plans designed to meet the unique needs of multiple generations.”

Employers also feel an increased sense of responsibility for the financial well-being of their employees:

• 59 percent of employers feel greater responsibility to help employees meet financial goals;
• 53 percent feel that responsibility includes providing both financial benefit plans as well as access to financial education and advice.

“If there is one silver lining of the recession it’s this increased sense of responsibility,” says Stephen Ulian, head of institutional retirement and benefit solutions at Bank of America.  As a result, employers are offering a broader range of financial education programs and tools, although getting employees to take full advantage of them remains a challenge.

UNITEMP provides essential temporary and contract staffing services for New Jersey employers.  Visit our website to learn more.

If you’re looking for a full-time job, there are two things you shouldn’t do:

1. Don’t let disappointing employment figures and talks of a double-dip recession dishearten you.
2. Don’t rule out temporary or contract assignments.

In a tough economy, temporary and contract positions offer a viable path to direct employment.  Why?  More and more, employers are using contingent workers as a way to get more done while keeping costs under control until the economy picks back up.

Use this employment trend to your advantage.  Work as a temporary to get your foot in the door with an employer and showcase your talents on the job.  When that employer is ready to hire, you will have already completed a “working interview,” and therefore be in a prime position to land the job.

Use these tips to make the most of your temporary or contract assignments, and optimize your chances of turning one into a full-time job:

• Treat the assignment as a permanent job. Whether you are there for a day or a month, give your best effort every time.  Always be cheerful, positive, enthusiastic and conscientious.  Offer to take on more work if you are able.  Make sure that the quality of your work is equal to, or better than, the work of direct employees.
• Temp where you want to work. Accept assignments in line with your career interests.  Use every assignment as an opportunity to learn more about your position and your industry.  When the time comes to hire someone, you’ll be the obvious choice.
• Adopt the company’s culture. If you hope to become a direct employee, act like one from the outset.  Try to blend into the culture you are working in.  Learn employees’ names, figure out what makes the company tick and try to exemplify the company’s values.
• Dress the part. Contingent work is not a license to dress down.  Your appearance, like the quality of your work, should be no different from that of a direct employee.
• Advertise your desire for permanent employment. Make sure your staffing representative and your on-site supervisor know that you want a direct job.  Most temporary and contract positions are designed to end at some point.  So if you want to be considered for a permanent position, you should take it upon yourself to communicate this desire regularly.
• Continually build your skills. Being a temporary or contract employee puts you in a unique position to learn new things.  Use every opportunity to learn new skills, both on the job and through training offered by your staffing service.  While on assignment, seek out mentors and garner insight from experienced employees.  If your current assignment doesn’t ultimately lead to your dream job, you will be positioning yourself properly for one that does.

Looking for more career advice, interviewing tips, temporary employment information or jobs in New Jersey?  Visit UNITEMP’s website today.

U.S. workers are working longer – and retiring later.  Why?

According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s Retirement Confidence Survey (as reported by Workforce.com):

• about 36 percent of respondents cite the poor economy;
• 16 percent say their lack of faith in Social Security is forcing them to postpone retirement;
• 13 percent claim they simply can’t afford to stop working.

As a result, workers say they are more than twice as likely to work up to age 70 or older – a 25 percent increase from just a decade ago.

Rising numbers of older individuals remaining in the workforce creates both challenges and potential benefits for employers.  On the one hand, workers delaying retirement adds pressure to companies already struggling to reduce payroll as profit dwindles.  A glut of older workers also threatens to clog the talent pipeline for organizations who want to bring in new employees – at lower salary levels.

On the other hand, companies for which knowledge loss is a concern stand to gain a welcome benefit from a more mature workforce – less “brain drain.”  Key managers have more time to plan for the departure of older workers, and therefore can be more strategic in retraining or transferring institutional knowledge.

As older workers continue to delay retirement, HR needs to respond by reevaluating the way they manage human capital.  Instead of paying older workers to retire, HR should look for creative ways to take advantage of the shift in workforce demographics:

• Create cross-mentoring relationships. In a traditional mentor relationship, older, more experienced workers share knowledge with their less experienced counterparts.  When it comes to technology, however, younger employees are often more savvy.  Organizations can foster reverse mentorships, in which younger workers share their knowledge in areas like online social networking.
• Find new ways to attract younger workers. In a time when career advancement is likely to become more difficult, organizations should focus on new ways to bring top performers on board.  When HR can’t necessarily offer rapid upward mobility to new talent, they can offer lateral movement.  Lateral moves can help younger employees broaden their knowledge bases, become more valuable to the employer (increasing job security) and become more marketable overall.

UNITEMP can help your organization proactively manage its personnel needs as our workforce changes.  We provide temporary, temp-to-hire and contract staffing services to employers throughout New Jersey.  We are able to recruit and assess candidates for the following types of positions:

• Administrative & Office
• Accounting, Banking & Finance
• Bilingual
• Education
• Information Technology
• Human Resources
• Legal Support
• Marketing & Sales
• Medical Support
• Call Center
• Customer Service
• Technical
• Engineering
• Graphic Design
• Financial
• Manufacturing
• Project Support
• And much more!

How will your organization address the shifts in workforce demographics?  We at UNITEMP would like to know.  Please leave your comments below.

The staffing industry is not what it used to be.  In decades past, employers typically viewed staffing services as a “necessary evil” – a last resort when a low-level employee called in sick.

But not anymore.

Today’s staffing industry is comprised of diverse, robust organizations whose services can greatly enhance your company’s productivity and profitability – even in a tough economy.  Still, a significant portion of the business community doesn’t really understand what we do, or how we do it.

So if you think that staffing services are too expensive, or that you can’t find an ideal candidate through an employment agency, take a read through this quick post.  It debunks five common staffing myths:

Myth #1: Staffing firms are too expensive.

Fact: If you focus solely on bill rates and placement fees, you may conclude that staffing services are more expensive than a DIY staffing approach.  In reality, staffing firms can actually save you money.  You can leverage their recruiting expertise and economies of scale to quickly and cost-effectively access the talented candidates you need.

You can also reduce overtime, training and payroll administration expenses by using temporary employees to handle your extra workload.  Additionally, staffing experts can show you how to lower your labor costs by reducing your core staff to meet the low end of your production cycle, and then bringing in supplemental help for busier times.

Myth#2: Temps are all secretaries.

Fact: Temporary employees now work in virtually every industry and increasingly include highly skilled professionals.  In additional to administrative and industrial workers, staffing firms now regularly supply medical, technical, legal and executive-level professionals to tackle mission-critical projects.

Myth #3: You can’t hire a good employee through a staffing firm.

Fact: Staffing firms use rigorous screening, interviewing, skills testing and background / reference check processes to ensure the quality of talent they supply.  And unlike an individual you recruit on your own, a staffing service’s candidate comes with a guarantee.

Myth #4: Staffing firms only provide “temps.”

Fact:  Today’s staffing suppliers offer a wide variety of services that can be customized to suit your workforce needs, including:  temporary help, direct hire, temp-to-hire, contract staffing and payrolling services.

Myth #5: Temps are only good for “fill-ins.”

Fact: Beyond filling in for vacations or illnesses, employers regularly use temporary and contract employees to: provide extra support during busy times; staff special short-term projects; access specialized talent; evaluate talent for permanent positions.

The Truth about UNITEMP

The truth is, UNITEMP can certainly fill your last-minute staffing needs.  But we can do so much more for your business!  With years of experience serving employers throughout New Jersey, we can help you use staffing to reduce overhead, complete critical projects and improve productivity.

What can UNITEMP do for you?  Contact us today.

UNITEMP employees choose temporary work for a variety of reasons.  Some like the extra cash and freedom temporary work provides; others want to gain experience; still others seek a full-time, direct position.

No matter what your reasons are for working as a UNITEMP temporary, you can use these six tips to succeed while on assignment:

Prepare yourself. Buy a memo pad to serve as your temporary employment reference book.  Once you accept an assignment, be sure to write down the following details and take them with you the first day:  company address and phone; client supervisor’s name; dress code; hours; name and phone number for your staffing coordinator.  Having this important information available will help ensure you are on-time the first day and get off to a great start.

Display a positive attitude. When you work as a temporary, you are put into unfamiliar situations with people you don’t know.  Make a conscious decision to approach your new work situation constructively.  Choosing to display a positive attitude – even if you’re a bit uncomfortable – can help you manage the stress of your first day.  Your optimism will be appreciated by co-workers and assignment supervisor alike and set the stage for a great working relationship.

Listen. Although you may be accustomed to completing work a certain way, most employers have specific systems and procedures already in place.  When your supervisor gives you your work instructions, pay close attention and take notes (in your memo book).  If any instructions are unclear, be sure to ask for clarification.  Your employer will understand that you are new, and he will respect your attention to detail.

Stay out of office politics. Every company you work for on assignment will have a unique corporate culture.  As a rule of thumb while on assignment, strive to remain neutral, avoid office gossip/politics/arguments, and focus on the job you have to do.  If conflict is making your work difficult, contact your staffing coordinator immediately.

Take initiative. If you finish your work ahead of schedule, ask for something else to do.  You will earn a reputation (with both the staffing service and the employer) as a hard worker.  Remember, productive, proactive temporaries land the best assignments – and are the first to be offered direct employment.

Keep in touch with your staffing coordinator. Check in with him periodically to explain how your assignment is progressing.  If your assignment is nearing completion, let him know so that he can get to work lining up your next one.  Finally, tell him what you liked or didn’t like about the assignment once it’s complete.  The better he understands your areas of strength and work preferences, the better prepared he’ll be to match you with the ideal opportunity.

Get on the Path to Career Success

Find out how UNITEMP can match you with the ideal employment opportunity.  It’s easy to come in and learn more about our services, available jobs and what we can do for you.  Contact a Recruiter to schedule your appointment today.

Men and women are different in many ways.  But when it comes to work/life balance issues, they apparently share several of the same concerns.

Results from a WorldatWork fall 2010 research study conflict with a previously wide-held assumption about the differences between men and women – namely, that male identity is rooted in work, while women place a higher priority on personal/family life.

Watch the video.

Summary of Study Findings

The Global Study on Men and Work-Life Integration, conducted in November and December 2010, surveyed more than 2,300 men and women working in organizations with 500 or more employees.   The international study focused on how organizations can eliminate stereotypes and barriers that prevent men from using work/life offerings, as well as what prevents organizational leaders (who are often men) from supporting the use of those offerings.

Here is a brief summary of the study findings:

• Work and Personal Identity – Identification with work is much stronger in emerging markets/countries than in developed ones.
• Managing Work and Family Life – Finding time for family is especially challenging for men; however, both men and women seek more personal time for exercise and hobbies.  For both sexes, flexible work arrangements dominate the list of most valuable options for finding a healthy work/life balance.
• Financial Stress – Not surprisingly, financial stress is a top (if not the top) work/life issue across country and gender.  To ease this stress, employers can: increase employee assistance programs; offer financial counseling programs; be as transparent as possible about corporate finances and job security.
• Leadership Attitudes – Business leaders around the world embrace the importance of work/life balance and have programs and policies in place to facilitate it.  These efforts, however, are often ineffective because managers still believe that the “ideal worker” is an employee with few personal commitments.  In fact, half of managers in emerging markets, and four in 10 managers in developed markets, believe that the most productive employees are those with few personal commitments.

According to Kathie Lingle, WLCP, executive director of WorldatWork’s Alliance for Work-Life Progress, “Working men and women around the world seek the same holy grail: success in both their work and family lives.  The assumption that male identity is rooted in work and not family is a major impediment to the effective integration of employees’ work and family lives.”

UNITEMP provides essential temporary and contract staffing support services to help your employees achieve the work/life balance they deserve.  Visit our website to learn more about our staffing services for New Jersey employers.

Has business picked up for you?  Is your company experiencing growing pains?  Are your employees putting in overtime?

All of these may be signs that you need to start hiring again.  But with fluctuating workloads and an uncertain economy, determining whether or not you need to add permanent headcount can be a real challenge.  On the one hand, you need to control overhead – hiring employees and then not having enough work for everyone can be financially devastating. On the other hand, you need to have sufficient staff to meet deadlines, keep employees working at peak efficiency and capitalize on new business opportunities.

So how do you know if you really need to hire someone?  These questions will help you determine if you’re adequately staffed:

1. In the past two months, have you needed to extend deadlines to meet commitments to your customers or employees?
   Although managers often rationalize missed deadlines by pointing to factors unrelated to headcount, lack of people is usually the primary reason.
2. Are employees complaining about working conditions?
   An increase in the number of complaints – either casually or formally – may be a result of overwork or inadequate staff.
3. Is your increase in business likely permanent?
   If your organizational capacity is strained, but you’re not sure if the surge in demand will be permanent, you may want to consider using contract or temporary staff.  Staffing services can quickly deliver the experienced talent you need to get work done – without adding to your direct headcount.  If the increase in business proves permanent, you can then approach your staffing provider about converting contingent staff to direct employees.
4. Are employees calling in sick more and more, or have health insurance claims risen?
   Some employees choose not to express their dissatisfaction verbally.  If they’re under too much stress, they may turn to doctors (medical or mental health professionals) for help, or simply choose not to come into work at all.  If there’s been a recent rise in sick time or health insurance claims at your company, it may be caused by an overworked staff. Your employees may be doing too much with too little.
5. Are employees taking advantage of vacation time?
   If employees are not taking the time off they’re due, this could also be a symptom of overwork. They may feel like there’s simply too much to do, so they can’t take time off.
6. Are overtime costs consistently on the rise?
   If your overtime costs are going up on a regular basis, then you may be understaffed. You simply do not have a large enough workforce to meet the needs of your workflow.
7. Have you turned down new opportunities because you don’t have enough people?
   You’ll lose your competitive edge without the right people with the right skills in place.
8. Are you following your business plan?
   You created a business plan for a reason. But if you’re not following through with it, it may be due to a lack of time and resources.

Is it time to hire?

UNITEMP can help you answer this important question.  As a leading New Jersey temporary and contract staffing company, we can help you determine if you need temporary, contract or direct staff to cost-effectively get your work done.

We invite you to contact us today to schedule a free workforce consultation.  Together, we can critically examine your workforce challenges and design a staffing plan that makes the most sense for your business.

Want to create top caliber performance in your organization?

Who doesn’t?!

Use these 10 tips to get people to stop making excuses and start delivering exceptional results:

1. Stop accepting excuses. Are you too tolerant of excuses?  Don’t be.  An excuse means the job didn’t get done and accepting excuses allows failure to persist.  When you stop tolerating excuses, you force people to develop solutions.
2. Think in terms of priorities. The next time you hear, “I didn’t have enough time,” require the person to instead say, “I’m sorry, it was not a high enough priority.”  By simply changing perspective, you will force employees to better manage their time and responsibilities and eliminate the number one excuse in business.
3. Make mistakes acceptable. As a rule, employees don’t like to report bad news because they fear the repercussions.  To get excuse-free behavior, make mistakes acceptable and treat them as opportunities for learning.  Instead of placing blame, focus problem discussions on “what” and “why” issues, as opposed to “who.”  Praise and recognize risk-takers, even when the outcome fails to achieve desired results.
4. Establish mutually defined expectations for job performance. Explore what success and failure look like for each position in your company.  Ensure that every job and project has specific, measurable goals.
5. Share the big picture with employees. People are more motivated to succeed when they understand why they need to do something.  As a leader, show them how their actions have a direct impact on the company’s success.
6. Acknowledge responsibility. Require employees to commit to their responsibilities in writing.  More importantly, follow-up to ensure commitments are met and to establish accountability.
7. Plan contingencies. Things can and will go wrong.  Take time to anticipate potential problems and set contingency plans.  A proactive approach to problem solving greatly reduces opportunities for future excuses while maximizing the probability of success.
8. Pay for performance. While it’s fine to recognize people for hard work, it’s important to reward them for results.  Structure reward systems to only provide tangible compensation based on achieving measurable results.  Ideally, offer rewards on an “all or nothing” basis.  Simply put, if the goal is not fully met, no reward is earned.
9. Create support systems. Let employees know where to get help when problems arise.  Failure most often occurs when employees don’t know how or where to get assistance, so make sure your staff has access to training, mentoring, internal “help desks” and/or any other resources they may need to do their jobs correctly.
10. Conduct post-mortems. At the end of every project, debrief employees.  If they succeeded, praise them and discuss why the project was a success.  If the employees didn’t succeed, turn the failure into a positive learning experience.

Quick Tips for Maximizing Temporary Employee Performance

Temporary employees can help you reduce stress on core employees, enhance productivity, control costs and manage risks.  And like your own employees, temporaries need to be held accountable for results:

• Provide clear expectations to your staffing vendor.
• Include measurable goals in each temporary’s job description.
• Provide an initial orientation, reviewing: company products/services, the department’s function, job responsibilities, performance expectations, available resources.
• Have supervisors closely monitor first day performance.  If a temporary fails to meet your expectations, replace him immediately.

Performance management is a vital component in your organization’s continued success.  Ensure that success with UNITEMP.  Whether you need to improve productivity, increase operating efficiencies or streamline your staffing function, we can custom design a solution to fuel exceptional performance throughout your company.  Contact UNITEMP today to learn more.

Work/life balance.  It’s one of those nebulous issues with which employers continually wrestle.  On the one hand, work needs to be done.  On the other hand, the pressure to get that work done can lead to a host of problems which zap employees’ productivity.

Financial constraints and demanding work schedules have made work a higher priority than ever for Americans.  A recent study by CareerBuilder shows that, as a result, many U.S. workers are foregoing vacation plans this year:

• 24 percent of full-time workers say they can’t afford to take a vacation in 2011, up from 21 percent in 2010.
• An additional 12 percent can afford a vacation but don’t have plans to take one in 2011.

While these statistics may mean more total hours worked in your organization, your company might actually see greater benefits from encouraging employees to take time-off.

Why?

Overwork can increase absenteeism, burnout and turnover, and make employees more prone to errors on the job.  Conversely, workers with a healthy work/life balance tend to have less burnout, greater creativity and higher quality output.  And when things get stressful on the job, “balanced” employees are better equipped to handle the burden.  Bottom line, taking time-off is vital not only to an employee’s well-being and performance, but to your company’s, too.

As our economy heals, here are a few recommendations for encouraging your workers to take the time-off they need, while keeping your business running smoothly:

• Require sufficient notice.  If you don’t have one, develop formal policy outlining guidelines for taking vacation (i.e., giving adequate notice, coordinating with other employees’ requests for time-off, scheduling time-off before or after big projects/events, etc.).  The more lead-time you have, the better equipped your company will be to handle the extra workload.
• Encourage shorter, more frequent breaks. If employees can’t take a number of days off at once, suggest they take long weekends or midweek breaks.  Shorter vacations still afford employees the ability to recharge, with less disruption to your workflow.
• Ensure adequate coverage. Require employees to cross-train and prepare co-workers, to ensure adequate coverage while they’re gone.  At a minimum, ask employees to review: critical responsibilities, upcoming deadlines, where information is stored, key contacts and parameters for reaching them while they’re on vacation.
• Lead by example. Are you a workaholic?  If so, here’s a perfect reason to reform your ways.  Management support for work/life balance is critical and must come from the top.  Set an example of maintaining a healthy balance and make it known that the same is expected from rank-and-file employees, too.
• Call UNITEMP for the support you need. If your business is like most, your staff is already stretched thin.  When one person goes on vacation, it can be difficult for others to manage the additional workload.  Call UNITEMP to provide the talented, reliable individuals you need during vacation periods.  Our employees hit the ground running and keep your business running smoothly, so your employees can take the time-off they deserve.

Recently graduated from college?  Here are a few facts about your Class of 2011:

• The U.S. Department of Education estimates that approximately 1.7 million students graduated with bachelor’s degrees in the 2011 winter/spring graduation season.
• Females outnumbered males, with the U.S. Department of Education reporting 140 females for every 100 males in the Class of 2011.
• This class is the most indebted in history, with an average personal debt of $23,000 after graduation.
• The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that the average starting job salary for graduates with bachelor’s degrees will be nearly $37,000, down from nearly $47,000 in 2009.

Undoubtedly it will be a tough go for this year’s graduates.  But if you’re looking for a job the news isn’t all bad:

• In a survey of approximately 4,600 employers nationwide, the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University found that hiring for graduates will increase about 10 percent this year.  This is significantly higher than the increase in overall hiring for all degrees, estimated at 3 percent.
• Another survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers reports similar findings.  According to this survey, employers across the country reported that they will hire 19 percent more new college graduates this year than they did in 2010.
• Hiring prospects remain better for college graduates than for non-graduates, with the unemployment rate for workers with bachelor’s degrees (or higher) at 4.5 percent.
• Although employers are still cautious about hiring, demand remains strong for college graduates in the healthcare, technical, engineering, construction and business sectors.  For a detailed long-term outlook on hundreds of jobs, follow this link to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook.

If you’ve recently entered the job market, here are a few tips to make your job search after college more productive:

• Make sure your résumé is up to date. Review your résumé to be sure it has all the latest information, including your college activities and your major.  You may even want to prepare multiple versions of your résumé that cater to different positions or industries in which you’re interested.
• Build your network. Many companies don’t advertise open positions, so networking plays an important role in finding job opportunities.  Keep in touch with family, friends, professors or past co-workers to learn about potential job opportunities.  Build your online network using sites like LinkedIn and Facebook to meet new people, garner recommendations and investigate potential job leads.  Be careful, however, to mind your online image, as a majority of employers are now researching job candidates’ backgrounds online.
• Use on-campus resources. College career centers usually welcome recent grads and can help in your job search. You also might be able to connect with other alumni who can provide advice.
• Consider an internship. Internships offer valuable experience and can provide an excellent introduction to the working world.  Beyond building skills, having an internship on your résumé shows a potential employer that you have the abilities to succeed in a job after college.  In some cases, internships can even lead to full-time job offers.
• Request informational interviews. Research companies you would like to work for and ask for informational interviews to learn more about these organizations.
• Meet with a UNITEMP Recruiter. Our staffing specialists can provide useful feedback on your résumé and interview skills, and match you with a promising temporary, temp-to-hire or contract assignment.  By working for us, you can get your foot in the door with a great New Jersey employer.
• Treat your job search as if it’s a full-time job. Bring the same discipline and work ethic to your job search as you would to your first real job.  Proactively build relationships, work closely with university career centers and capitalize on real-world job experiences through internships and temporary assignments.
• Be aggressive and persistent. Like it or not, competition for the best jobs is – and will continue to be – fierce.  Prepare yourself mentally for what may be a longer-than-normal job search.  While it may be tiring, and you may be tempted to give up, keep at it.  Staying positive, aggressive and persistent will help ensure that your job search after college is successful.