Provisional Blog

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.

From 2000 through 2009, the number of employees that worked remotely tripled in size – and that number is expected to continue to grow rapidly. In addition, in 2011, 10% of workers reported telecommuting at least once a week, up from 8% in 2007.

But despite this increase, the challenge remains: How can supervisors properly manage virtual workers to deliver positive results?

The answer is simpler – and more complicated – than you might think. It’s all about trust.

As one of the Northwest’s top staffing firms, we know that virtual teams aren’t unlike on-site teams in that trust is a key component of success and productivity. Many workplace experts agree that trust is perhaps the most important element of a harmonious and efficient work environment – and that attitude holds true for employees working remotely, as well.

In fact, in the book, Virtual Team Success, authors Darleen DeRosa and Richard Lepsinger shared findings from a global study, which concluded that top performing virtual teams reported higher levels of trust than teams that were less successful. According to the authors, trust is an essential ingredient for virtual team success.

While it might only take seconds to destroy, building trust can take a while, especially in a virtual environment, where there isn’t nearly as much personal interaction. But it’s definitely possible and will ultimately contribute to the team’s overall success. To help you get started, here are some tips to keep in mind.

• Establish clear and open communication from the beginning. Make sure that all team members have each others’ contact information and preferred means of contact.
• Set the ground rules. This is critically important before the start of the project so that everyone is clear on expectations. For instance, let each member know you expect a progress report via email by the end of the day Friday.
• Use online tools, like video conferencing and Facebook, or similar sites, so that team members can actually see each other, and learn about backgrounds and experiences of each member.
• Meet face to face whenever possible. This is especially important in the very beginning of the team’s formation in order to build relationships.
• Recognize positive results and accomplishments openly and regularly with all the team members, even if it’s simply an employee offering to work extra hours to complete a project.
• Empower team members to make decisions and act on them. People who are successful at working virtually are disciplined and self-motivated. They don’t want to be micro-managed or have to consult with you on every minor decision.

Also, if you don’t currently employ virtual team members, but are thinking about letting employees telecommute, read this post for a look at the pros and cons.

And finally, while building trust is a critical component of any successful virtual team, it’s also important that your team is staffed with qualified and dependable people who can get the job done. That’s where Provisional comes in. For more than 15 years, we’ve been one of the Northwest’s most trusted staffing firms thanks to our ability to source, screen, and deliver top talent. Contact us today to learn more.

As one of the top Northwest staffing firms, we know that conducting performance reviews is a difficult – yet critical – task for managers. When done well, they can serve to motivate employees, strengthen relationships, provide opportunities for training and development, and improve accountability, as well as get under-performing employees back on track.

However, when it comes to conducting these reviews, many managers make the same mistakes over and over, undermining the review’s effectiveness in the process. To help you avoid mistakes in the future, here’s a look at 6 of them:

Mistake #1: The Halo/Horn Effect

This mistake occurs when you allow a favorable (halo) or unfavorable (horn) trait of an employee to impact your entire judgment of that employee. As a result, you ignore either weaknesses or strengths and aren’t able to offer accurate and comprehensive feedback. For instance, if you have an employee who is friendly and easy going, you may have a tendency to overlook some of their less-than-favorable traits or results because you like the person.

Mistake #2: Bias

We all have personal biases for whatever reason. But when it comes to evaluating an employee’s performance, it can be easy to let those biases cloud your judgment, making the evaluation process unfair and inconsistent. So know your biases and work hard not to let them impact your overall assessment of an employee.

Mistake #3: Leniency

Rules and standards are only as effective as the people who enforce them. And if you’re being too lenient in rating employees or offering inflated appraisals, then you’re not giving the employee an opportunity to correct mediocre or poor performance. Furthermore, if you need to terminate that employee down the line, it will be more difficult to do so if their appraisals are always undeservedly good.

Mistake #4: Being Ill-Prepared

Being busy isn’t an excuse for not preparing for performance reviews. If your people are your most important asset, then managing them effectively through feedback should be a priority. What’s more is that being unprepared for a performance review sends the message to your employees that the reviews aren’t really all that important.

Mistake #5: Avoiding Tough Decisions

This non-committal attitude occurs when you rate an employee as “satisfactory” because you want to avoid having an awkward conversation or making tough decisions. But the fact of the matter is that problems rarely, if ever, correct themselves. So by not confronting the issue head on, you are simply prolonging a painful process that you will eventually have to dealt with.

Mistake #6: Not Following Up

If you set goals and expectations, but don’t follow up with your employees on progress, all that work will be for nothing. Performance management shouldn’t be viewed as an annual activity; it should be a daily activity.

The bottom line is that the mistakes above can compromise the trust and value of your appraisal process. Therefore it’s important to be aware of them and go out of your way to avoid them.

And if you need help implementing a performance review process, please contact Provisional. With more than 16 years of experience as one of the top Northwest staffing firms, we have the knowledge and expertise to help you recruit, hire, retain and manage star performers.

With record high gas prices and the evolution of technology like video conferencing, working remotely (also known as telecommuting) has become commonplace for employees at companies large and small. As one of the Northwest’s leading staffing firms, we’ve seen it firsthand. And in fact, according to a recent survey conducted by Skype, approximately 62% of the companies surveyed allow employees to work remotely. Of those companies, 34% of employees work remotely occasionally, stating they spend about 40% of their work hours at home.

Besides benefiting the employee – in the form of a more flexible schedule, as well as significant savings in commuting time and gas costs – allowing employees to work remotely can also benefit your company in many ways:

• Attract better talent and retain existing talent. Not every business out there lets employees telecommute. So if yours does, you could get a leg up on your competition in terms of hiring and retaining top talent. In fact, according to research conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), one of the best ways to attract and retain talent is to provide flexible work arrangements.
• Lower overhead costs. Increased loyalty translates into lower turnover and lower recruitment costs. In addition, you can save on the cost of office space, light and heat, supplies, equipment and furniture.
• Access specialized talent anywhere in the world. If you have a talent gap that the Northwest labor market isn’t able to fill, you can reach out to candidates around the U.S., and around the globe, to find the people you need, and put them to work.
• Increase productivity. Employee productivity can increase thanks to fewer distractions and interruptions, as well as the ability to work during most productive hours, whether it’s first thing in the morning or late at night. In fact, nearly 90% of telecommuting employees reported that their productivity improved, according to a 2007 work/life balance article published by SHRM.

Along with all the advantages that working remotely offers, there are some disadvantages, as well:

• Lost opportunities for team building. Working remotely can eliminate some or most of the bonding time that is essential for team building. In addition, some of the day-to-day office interactions, such as chatting in the lunchroom, will be lost. To combat this, you may need to schedule mandatory face-to-face time with your team members.
• Tension between on-site and telecommuting employees. Obviously, there are certain positions that require an employee to be on-site at all times. Employees who hold those positions may develop a sense of animosity towards employees who are able to work from home.
• Potential for increased frustration. It’s important to create a policy for remote employees that covers issues like mandatory work hours. Otherwise, both you and the telecommuting employee will be facing misunderstandings and frustration.

The decision to let employees work remotely, or require they work on-site, is up to you. Regardless of what you choose, you still need qualified and dependable people to get the job done. That’s where Provisional comes in. For more than 15 years, we’ve been one of the Northwest’s most trusted staffing firms thanks to our ability to source, screen, and deliver top talent. Contact us today to learn more.

If you want your company to thrive, then you need to get the most from your employees. Their productivity leads directly to your business’s growth. And motivation is key to higher productivity. Your employees need to feel inspired in order to work their hardest and perform at peak efficiency. So how can you best motivate them? Here are some ideas:

Make sure your employees feel like they have a stake in your company.
They should know about the company’s history and where it’s going in the future. They should also feel like the company takes a real interest in their career and has programs and processes in place (such as promoting from within, a training program, or continuing education opportunities) to help them achieve their goals. To get off on a good start with each new employee, you may want to consider implementing a company orientation program.

Create a positive work culture in which your company’s management is supportive and encouraging.
Implement an open-door policy so employees feel like they can offer input and suggestions, as well as come to you with any concerns.

Work with your employees to develop a career plan to help them achieve their goals.
Employees are more engaged when they have specific goals and a plan in place to achieve them.

Hire a career coach.
If you don’t have the time to develop career plans with your employees, consider bringing in a career coach to improve and maintain motivation. A career coach can work one-on-one with each employee, coaching them on how to overcome any obstacles to higher productivity and counseling them on getting their career to the next level.

Tie rewards to specific accomplishments.
For instance, if you have a tight deadline in which to complete a project, let your team know that if the job is completed on time, you’ll take them all out to dinner, or they will receive a small performance bonus.

Show your appreciation for a job well done.
You can do this in a variety of ways, from buying lunch for your staff to giving them an extra day off. Also, don’t just offer your input or feedback when something goes wrong. Let them know when they’ve done something right too, whether it’s through a quick email or a verbal acknowledgment.

And if you need help finding employees who can deliver more, please contact Provisional. For more than 15 years, our Northwest staffing firm has been a trusted source for quality personnel and staffing solutions.

Tired of weeding through resumes from dozens of unqualified, inexperienced applicants? Dealing with a bad hiring decision? Need a top performer, but don’t have the time to source, screen, and recruit?

If you’re dealing with problems like these, then it’s probably time to hire a staffing firm. But, since not all firms are created equal, how can you find one that’s right for you? Here are five steps:

Step #1: Research

Tap into your network of business contacts and ask them for recommendations for a reputable Northwest staffing firm. After you’ve compiled a list of possible staffing firms in the Northwest, then do some research online. Check out their company websites. See if there are any online reviews written about them – either by other companies, or by candidates who have worked with the staffing firm. (You can learn a lot about a staffing firm by how they treat their candidates.)

In addition, make sure that the staffing firm is a good fit for you. Even if a particular firm came highly recommended from a friend, if that firm specializes in temporary staffing, and you’re only looking to fill full-time, permanent positions, then they may not be right for you.

Step #2: Start asking questions.

After Step #1, you should have a decent list of Northwest staffing firms. Now it’s time to call them, one by one, and start asking some questions. For example, find out what their process is for qualifying a candidate, learn about their fee structure, and ask if they have experience in your particular industry and if they offer any satisfaction guarantees.

Step #3: Make sure you’re clear about your needs.

Be sure to tell the staffing firm exactly what kind of help you need. For instance, do you need temporary employees to meet a seasonal peak in demand? Do you only need full-time employees? Or a mix of both? Do you have other needs, such as payrolling? Also, be sure to inform the staffing firm about any unique needs you may have for hiring, such as requiring a federal background check.

Step #4: Invite potential staffing firms on site.

Ask someone from each staffing firm to visit your company. They will be able to experience your corporate culture first hand and, as a result, gain a better understanding of your needs and determine whether they can meet them.

Step #5: Ask for references.

You wouldn’t hire an employee without checking references, right? (At least we hope not!) Similarly, don’t commit to a certain staffing firm without getting references first. Speaking with other companies that have worked with the staffing firm in the past is invaluable.

Hiring top performing employees is a challenge. Hiring a staffing firm that can meet your needs can seem impossible. But by following these five steps, you’re sure to find a firm that’s right for you. And, if you’d like to add Provisional to your list of potential Northwest staffing firms, please let us know. We’re happy to meet with you to discuss your needs and determine a staffing solution that’s a fit for you.