When you run a small business, you wear a lot of hats. It’s inevitable. But sometimes, rather than doing it yourself, it’s best to outsource certain hats, like your staffing one, for instance.

In fact, more and more small and mid-size businesses are streamlining their staffing & HR functions by outsourcing  hiring, firing, and/or benefits administration tasks to staffing firms, like Provisional.

Why?

Because they’re hoping to save money in the process. According to a recent poll by the Society of Human Resource Management, 26% of companies cited saving money as the main reason for outsourcing.

So besides cost savings, what are some other benefits outsourcing your staffing and HR responsibilities can offer you?

Get More Bang for Your Buck.

When you outsource staffing and HR, you get more value. Instead of paying one internal person to handle these tasks, you pay a firm that can offer you access to a whole team of staffing and HR experts.

Reduce Your Liability.

A Northwest staffing firm is going to be up to date on the latest legislation and regulations, along with what’s coming down the pike, so you don’t have to be. When it comes to hiring, they can make sure you’re in compliance with employment laws, healthcare laws, and other HR-related government regulations that can impact your business. This is a particularly valuable benefit considering the staggering number of laws businesses must comply with.

Increase Your Productivity.

It’s hard to handle your daily priorities when you have to spend a lot of time on recruiting and hiring. But when you work with a Northwest staffing firm, they can handle all the recruiting and hiring work, so you can get more done.

Ready to Say Good-Bye to Your Staffing Hat?

If you are, let Provisional know. As one of the leading Northwest staffing agencies, we can handle all your recruiting and staffing challenges, so you can focus on running your business. Contact Provisional today to learn more.

As a Northwest staffing firm, we know that workplace conflict can have serious consequences for businesses, from people leaving their jobs to the failure of entire projects. Unfortunately, conflict at work seem to be on the rise. In fact, according to a study by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), 60% of respondents said violence had occurred in their place of work during the past three years and they identified “personality conflicts” as the leading cause. Moreover, managers report that they spend anywhere from 24-60% of their time handling disputes among employees.

So how can you overcome conflicts at work and get your employees back on track? Here are some tips:

1. Know when to step in.

Give the employees involved a chance to resolve the issue on their own. Do take action immediately if it seems like things are getting out of hand. Conflicts have a way of spinning out of control, which can negatively impact the rest of your team.

2. Let the parties tell their stories.

Meet with all the parties involved. Give each person a chance to tell his or her side of the story. Don’t interrupt or make any comments, unless it’s to ask a question or get clarification. Simply listen. Your goal is to get to the heart of the matter and uncover the cause of the conflict.

3. Brainstorm solutions.

In many cases, conflicts revolve around miscommunication. Once everyone has had the chance to speak their mind, each person should hopefully understand where the other person is coming from. So at this point, ask each person how they would like to see the conflict ideally resolved. Don’t take sides. But do guide your employees toward finding a middle ground. These are adults, after all, and each should be willing to compromise.

4. Check in.

Once you’ve reached a compromise, be sure to check in at some point with those involved. Discuss if and how the agreed upon resolution has changed the situation. And ask if there are any other issues to be addressed.

5. Evaluate your workplace.

If conflict is frequent at your workplace, it could be due to an unhealthy work environment. So take a look at the overall climate of the workplace. Are expectations and deadlines unrealistic? Are employees overly competitive? Is there a lot of pressure to do more with less? If the answer is “yes” to these questions, then you may want to take some steps toward creating a healthier environment. For example, bring in some temporary workers that can help you meet a tight deadline and take the load off of your core staff.

And if you’d like to learn more about temporary staffing, please contact Provisional. As a leading Northwest staffing firm, we can give you access to skilled temporary workers when you need them.

Ever hired a candidate, only to find out later that the person was not the star performer you thought they were? As an experienced Northwest recruiting and staffing firm, we hear this from clients all too often. A candidate looked great on paper, sounded even better during an interview, and turned out to be a major under-performer.

The good news is that there are steps you can take to help you hire the winners – and turn away the losers. Here are the top four:

Step #1: Get referrals.

Your best employees probably hang around with other high achievers. Therefore, asking them for referrals is a great way to source candidates.

Step #2: Test candidates.

Pre-employment testing can help you uncover the true skills of a candidate, and better predict on-the-job performance. There are a variety of tests you can give candidates, including behavior tests, abilities tests, and character tests. Whichever test you decide on, be sure to conduct a benchmark study first. Give the test to some of your top-performing employees as a way to find out how they perform. This way, you can compare candidates’ scores to the scores of your star employees.

Step #3: Use your best employees as your guide.

Take a look at the backgrounds of your best employees. What do they have in common in terms of work experience or education? For instance, do your star performers all have excellent customer service skills? Do they all hold MBAs? Do they all have a track record of overcoming challenges? Once you’ve found the commonalities, look for those same traits and experiences in candidates.

Step #4: Offer candidates a realistic job preview.

Turnover of new hires can occur quickly when they are unpleasantly surprised by an aspect of their job. Therefore, it’s important to offer a realistic job preview. These are meant to provide candidates with information on both positive – and negative – aspects of the job.

If you need help hiring winners for your company, contact Provisional. As a leading Northwest recruiting and staffing firm, we can help you source, screen, test, and hire star talent for your company.

As a leading Northwest staffing firm, we know that great hires help you develop a strong and productive company. Bad hires, on the other hand, sap time, energy, and resources. So how can you prevent a poor hiring choice? By avoiding these five mistakes:

Mistake #1: Hiring someone for the wrong reasons.

This is a common mistake. But don’t hire someone because they are a friend of a friend or because you went to the same college together. Make sure you stay focused on hiring the very best candidate for the position.

Mistake #2: Overlooking candidates without advanced degrees.

It’s easy to be impressed by candidates who hold advanced degrees, however there’s no substitute for real world experience. So unless an advanced degree is crucial for the position, don’t overlook those candidates who don’t have a bunch of fancy letters after their name, but who do have a proven track record of success.

Mistake #3: Not checking references.

This is one easy step that too many companies fail to take. But by carefully checking references, you can help avoid hiring mistakes. One critical question to ask each reference: “If you could hire or work with the candidate again, would you?” Any hesitation is a telltale sign.

Mistake #4: Having a long, drawn out decision making process.

Hiring is a big deal and the last thing you want to do is make a bad hiring decision. However, if you told a candidate you’d be making a hiring decision by the end of the week, stick to your schedule. If you don’t, you’ll lose the respect of the candidate and gain a bad reputation in the process. So whether you’re ready to hire, or want to cut a candidate loose, it’s important to make a timely decision.

Mistake #5: Rushing the hiring process.

On the flip side, you don’t want to rush your hiring decision either. Before you start interviewing candidates, set a reasonable time schedule in which you’d like to complete first round interviews, invite a small group back for second interviews, and ultimately make your final hiring decision. It can be tempting to just “go with your gut” about a certain candidate, but a hiring mistake can be a nightmare if you don’t follow proper protocol and meet with at least 4 or 5 candidates first.

If you’re not feeling overly confident about your hiring abilities – or if you simply don’t have the time to put into sourcing, screening, interviewing, and recruiting – then it may be time to hire a staffing firm. Since 1994, Provisional has been the Northwest’s leader in specialized recruiting and staffing services, placing over 6,000 direct-hire professionals with companies in Seattle, Spokane, and Coeur d’Alene.

Contact us today. We’re ready to help you find the people you need.

Small Business Research Services EquityNet can perform a range of research service reports on your emerging venture including a market analysis, competitive analysis, intellectual property analysis, technology analysis, opportunity assessment or a tailored combination of topics.

	Small Business Research Services EquityNet can perform a range of research service reports on your emerging venture including a market analysis, competitive analysis, intellectual property analysis, technology analysis, opportunity assessment or a tailored combination of topics.

The team that you build will play a huge role in the success or failure of your organization. So how can you go about developing a team that will yield positive results? As one of the Northwest’s leading employment firms, Provisional can offer you the following tips and insight to get you started.

Evaluate your current team.

To improve success, first you have to measure the current effectiveness of your team. This will serve as a benchmark for the development of the team. There are two ways to do this:

• Ask members of your team what they think the team’s strengths and weaknesses are.

OR

• If you want to maintain confidentiality, then have team members anonymously complete a worksheet evaluating the team.

Imagine your vision for a successful team.

Use your imagination to envision the most successful and cohesive team. Think about factors such as the team’s priorities and desired results, as well as your own priorities and desired results. Then schedule a time to meet with your team members to allow them to brainstorm their vision of the most successful team.

Create a plan of action.

Your action plan breaks down your vision into a list of your goals and how you will go about achieving those goals. Keep in mind that the goals and actions on this list need to be specific, measurable, and attainable.

Make sure you’re communicating your plan clearly.

Not everyone receives information the same way. Just because one way works for you, doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for your entire team. Some people hear information better, while others are more visual and have to see it. So be sure to use a variety of methods when communicating with your team. Also, ask for feedback from your team members on how you communicate.

Follow up on your plan.

Remind your team members of the vision you see for your team and check in with them frequently about their progress achieving that vision. Also, if a certain part of your action plan isn’t working out, then be open to evaluating it and working with your team to understand why it’s not working and how you can make modifications.

Team building takes some time and energy. But by investing those resources, you can help take your team to the next level.

If you’re looking to add members to your team, Provisional can help. As a staffing firm serving the Northwest, we can help you find and retain high quality employees that will become productive members of your team. Contact us today to learn more.