Category: Employers

While some friction in the workplace is to be expected, too much is harmful to everyone involved, particularly if left unresolved. Conflicts between employees disrupt their work and that of colleagues who share the work environment. Ongoing disagreements can affect job performance and even the company’s productivity and bottom line.

While most U.S. workers report involvement in workplace strife at times, more than a third say they deal with it often or always. In a typical week, employees spend, on average, about three hours handling conflict at work. That’s just 7 percent of the work week, but in terms of productivity, the costs are staggering, resulting in an estimated $360 billion in paid hours.^*

So, what’s causing all this workplace friction? Employees say mainly personality conflicts and warring egos, as well as stress and workloads. These may lead to angry outbursts and insults; nasty, behind-the-back comments; poor communications; procrastination on projects; and more.

Other than avoiding people who rub us the wrong way—which doesn’t solve and often intensifies the problem—what can we do to resolve conflict at work?

Try taking these steps to manage conflict with co-workers

1. Ask yourself why the person bothers you. Be aware of what is setting you off. If dealing with ... Read More

In the “Odyssey” by Homer, Odysseus assigned the care and education of his son, Telemachus, to his trusted advisor Mentor. Borrowing from this ancient epic, today we use Mentor’s name to refer to someone who uses their knowledge to advise a less-experienced colleague.

Over the last several decades, U.S. businesses have adopted mentoring as a training vehicle, mainly for young or new employees. Among Fortune 500 companies, 70 percent offer formal mentoring programs to employees.

While some companies have structured mentoring processes, most smaller companies don’t. But mentoring new employees can take place without a formal program and with little to no expense.

Mentorships can be an employee retention and recruiting tool

Young or new employees can learn their jobs faster and expand their skill set if coached by  experienced mentors. Together, they can tackle issues related to problem-solving, communication, collaboration, networking, and more.

Mentors get the satisfaction of using their knowledge to assist someone just starting out in their profession or a new position. They might benefit in other ways—many mentors report that they learn from their mentees. For example, mentors may learn about new technologies from younger employees.

Companies with formal mentoring programs generally find they improve employee satisfaction among participants. This, in turn, ... Read More

Are you constantly having to find candidates for open positions? You have a lot of company.

Employee turnover in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 19.3 percent in 2018, according to a report by Salary.com.

Nationwide, the number of voluntary resignations (or “quits”) continued to soar at 3.5 million in Feb. 2019, says the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (The previous high was 3.2 million in 2001.)

With increasing job creation, baby-boomer retirements, and youthful job hopping, high turnover is becoming the norm, with no end in sight. Opportunities abound for workers, and they are responding—and who can blame them?

Of course, employees’ gain can be employers’ loss. The current job market is definitely in employees’ favor as companies compete to find candidates.

So, how can businesses limit high turnover? Frankly, by motivating your employees to stay—which may sound easy in theory but isn’t always in practice.

While higher pay can entice some workers to stay, it’s not a universal solution. One in six U.S. employees say they would take a commensurate pay reduction in exchange for more time off.

Here are a few ideas to consider for reducing employee turnover

Granted, some of these are more feasible for some companies than for others. But spending ... Read More

Recruitment strategies in 2019 aren’t what they were 10 or more years ago. Today, job recruitment companies stay competitive by offering alternative forms of interviewing to reach the best candidates in the marketplace. There are numerous means of interviewing candidates that close the gap in distance and time constraints, getting you that much closer to the best candidate for your company.

A common interview approach, when an in-person interview isn’t possible, is video interviewing. Modern technology allows you to remotely interview candidates – either in real time or in pre-recorded sessions. Offering this form of interviewing could be the tipping point in snagging that industry all-star who isn’t actively searching for new work.

Before you start interviewing all potential candidates exclusively over video interviewing platforms, we suggest that you consider the following benefits and drawbacks. Figure out for yourself if video interviewing, utilized by job recruitment companies like TriStarr Staffing, is right for your department.

3 benefits to video interviewing potential candidates

1. Save time and money: Scheduling a video interview with a candidate can ultimately help your bottom line. It allows you to cut out extraneous small talk and additional administrative time. It can also save travel time and money for a candidate, which ... Read More

Can recruitment strategies change with the job market? Is it always necessary to find just the right person for a job—or can a square peg be reshaped to fit into a round hole?

Currently, with record low unemployment, hiring managers might need to consider candidates who are short on desired skills but are a good company fit. On-the-job training can often fill the gap. But what else can help to ensure success?

Kate and Rob: A study in recruitment strategies and outcomes

Kate and Rob started the same day in customer service positions. Neither had the related experience the hiring manager had in mind. But they appeared eager to learn new skills. At the end of a six-month probation, Kate had enjoyed her customer interactions and was respected by team members. She was a shoo-in for a permanent job. But Rob struggled to address customers’ concerns adequately, and he didn’t manage staff well. He and his employer both realized he was in an ill-fitting role and agreed to part ways.

Neither Kate nor Rob were ideally experienced for their jobs. So, why did Kate succeed in her new position, while Rob didn’t last?

Kate thrived because her personality was well suited for it. Rob’s, however, ... Read More

How you interview job candidates can make a big difference in the success of your most important hires. Knowing what and what not to do, as well as what and what not to ask, can also keep you out of hot water.

Interviewing is time-consuming and requires organization; it can be frustrating and even stressful. It’s not surprising, then, that so many companies depend on job recruiters for their most significant hires. Whether you decide to go it alone or hire a professional recruiter, you will eventually be interviewing candidates. So, equip yourself now with good interviewing skills to assess your finalists.

You are likelier to make the right hires if you interview smartly and effectively. And as you no doubt have learned, the wrong hires cost time and money, and the hiring process restarts at square one.

Make our 5 do’s and 5 don’ts for interviewing part of your recruitment strategy

Do’s:

1. Look over candidates’ resumes before interviews. Well, of course, you say? You might be surprised at how many people don’t. Be organized and know what you plan to ask before interviews start.
2. Be positive and make candidates feel at ease. This builds a better rapport with them and encourages them to respond openly and honestly.
3. Ask candidates the same set of questions. This allows you to compare ... Read More

Did you hear the one about the job candidate who texted with his mother for responses as he filled out a job application? Or the one about the guy who didn’t remove his motorcycle helmet for his job interview?

These aren’t jokes missing their punchlines, but rather real stories about candidates who raised red flags before they could be hired. (We’ll give the biker credit for flipping up his visor.)

When you’re recruiting employees, pay attention to red flags that can signal trouble ahead should certain candidates be hired. If you encounter red flags during the recruitment process, it’s best to heed them and not wish them away.

So, what are the most conspicuous warning signs? Do frequent job changes still matter? Maybe. Do typos on resumes still matter? Yep.

These issues should raise concerns when recruiting employees

1. Resume issues – To be sure, spelling and grammar still matter because good written and verbal communication skills remain important. But resume issues can go deeper and include poor organization, vague experience, incomplete information, and lack of measurable results.

2. Questionable work history – While frequent job changes can have valid reasons, particularly with younger employees, inquire to find out why. Be alert to large gaps in employment ... Read More

You’re recruiting candidates for an upper-level management position and are preparing to interview the top prospects. All have the experience and education that should qualify them for the position. But beyond their names and current work titles, who are they really? And how can you determine who is most likely to succeed in the position?

Nearly all employers have confidently hired people who were great fits professionally and academically and seemed nice enough during the interview. But for one reason or another, they didn’t work out and, before completing a year on the job, were gone. The results? A sidetracked career for them and a loss of money for your company.

Can this be prevented? While impossible to avoid completely, these unfortunate hires can be reduced by assessing candidates for personality as part of the job recruitment process.

Assessment for personality during job recruitment can help screen out unsuitable candidates and result in more successful hires. Personality has been shown to be a strong predictor of satisfactory job performance.

In job recruitment, test and look for personality traits that will lead to success

Once you have your initial pool of candidates, you can whittle it down to a manageable number of those who are most ... Read More