10 Tips On How To Run A Great Meeting At Work
Have you ever sat through a boring meeting at work?
Mundane meetings are about as effective as walking on a treadmill while eating a slice of pizza, pointless. If the information given is not direct, interesting, valuable, and delivered in an organized manner, you may as well not have the meeting. People tend to “zone out” and get distracted if you don’t find a way to draw them in. We have developed 10 tips to help you run a great meeting at work.
1. To start, the meeting should begin and end on time! Starting anything late is attributing to bad habit building. People subconsciously start thinking that it is okay to be late if you are. Set a good example and show up early! This will give you time to prepare for the meeting. Ending the meeting on time is important because you want to keep people excited about being there. If you run over, give them a heads up by saying “We have only covered 7 of the 10 topics, so we may be an extra 15 minutes”. This way people know that there is an end in sight.
2. Don’t dive right in! Spend a little time in group conversation. This is very important and productive in that it gives a chance to relate on a more personal level before the serious topics begin. People in a work setting need to build friendships and have the chance to show their personalities. This process helps to establish rapport.
3. If people in the meeting are not into it, find a way to draw them out. Ability to grab the floor doesn’t necessarily correlate with capacity to contribute.
4. Meetings often involve blame-giving and blame-taking, and although it’s not pleasant to accept blame, it’s a necessary aspect of getting responsibility (if deserved, of course). This dramatically increasing organizational credibility on all sides.
5. Along with blame, a meeting is also a great place to give people credit for their ideas and accomplishments. Be quick to point out great work or to call for a round of applause for a colleague. For some reason, people often act as though credit is a zero-sum goody, and if they share credit, they’ll get less themselves. Sharing credit not only doesn’t diminish the number of gold stars you get, but adds to them – because people so admire the ability to give credit.
6. Have an agenda and stick to it. If possible, circulate the agenda in advance, along with anything else that needs to be read to prepare for the meeting. Make sure people know if they should bring anything. Along the same lines…
7. Standing meetings should be kept as short as possible and very structured. Have rules for canceling the meeting when appropriate – if such-and-such doesn’t happen; if only a certain number of people can attend, etc.
8. Don’t say things that will undermine or antagonize other people. Turns out they do in fact notice this, and they don’t appreciate it.
9. If a meeting is long, schedule breaks when people can check their email and phones. Otherwise, they get very distracted by feeling they’ve been out of touch for too long (for some people, this takes about ten minutes), and they start sneakily emailing under the table. As if no one will notice. Which they do.
10. Meetings should stay tightly focused. If people want a chance to discuss side issues, theoretical problems, or philosophical questions that aren’t relevant to the purpose of the meeting, they should set up a separate meeting.
Hire Up Staffing is here to help you with all your staffing needs! Looking for an employee? Looking for work? Call us today at (559)579-1331.
Implementing Company Policies That Work!
Change is never easy, but for companies to evolve and grow, it is import that company policies do as well. Hire Up Staffing wants to give you some simple tips and steps to properly implement a policy that will work.
First things first, Make sure the policy is necessary for your company! The last thing you want to do is implement a policy that doesn’t make sense for your organization or is unneeded. If you do, then you’ll simply wind up with more red tape and a greater chance that your team won’t stick to the policy once it’s created.
Think about the problem that needs to be solved. Does it really warrant a company policy to help solve it? If not, then find a different way. Perhaps you simply need to communicate an issue or a concern with your staff rather than creating a policy.
Next, determine what your goals are. Once you’ve ensured the policy is, in fact, necessary, the next step should be to determine what goals you’d like to achieve through it. Are you trying to improve productivity, reduce the number of customer complaints, or enhance the working environment? Whatever your goals are, make sure you have them clearly defined before working on your policy.
After that, do your research. Just like with any big initiative, it’s important to do your homework ahead of time. In this case, you should be looking at policies at similar companies and evaluating what worked and what didn’t. You should also be searching for sample policies to use as a launching pad for your own policy. And finally, you should be outlining how the new policy will impact the company and what changes will likely result from it.
The next step is to craft your policy. Creating a new policy takes more than just sitting down, spitting out a few words on a page and calling it a day. You’ll want to write a draft and then refine it as you go along. One easy way to get started is to think about the kinds of questions your team will have about the new policy and addressing them one by one. Also, get input from another party to ensure you’re not missing any important language or details.
Finally you get to enlist compliance or legal. Once your policy is in good shape, hand it off to your legal or compliance department to review. If you don’t have such in-house departments, then have your company’s lawyer review your new policy to ensure it doesn’t violate any workplace rules and that you’ve accounted for every possible contingency.
When it comes to change, employees generally need to ease into it. So don’t announce a new policy and make it effective tomorrow. Give your staff some time to get used to the change. Also, allow enough time for employees to ask questions and have their concerns addressed about the new policy before it begins. Don’t expect everything to happen overnight.
Hire Up Staffing is here to help you and your company find the right team. We are also here to help with any other questions you might have! If you are looking to hire, please call us at (559)579-1331
How To Turn A Temp Job Into A Permanent Job
5 Tips to Make Yourself Essential
So you have yourself a temporary job, congratulations! Now, it turns out you like the company you’re with and you would prefer to stay put. You have the opportunity to turn your temporary job into a long term position, and we’re going to show you how. Here are five ways to make yourself too good to let go.
1. Research Time – The more you know about the company you work for, the more you’ll be able to help them, it’s as simple as that! If you invest some of your time learning about who your company serves, it’s competitors, and any problems it may face, you’ll be able to showcase that knowledge when the time arises and prove that you’re worth keeping around.
2. Know The Brand – Beyond learning about who the company does business with and their competition, get to know who they are behind the scenes. Get to know their values, their brand, what they stand for, and how they conduct themselves as a business internally. The more you understand the company’s inner workings, the more you will seem to belong.
3. Be Flexible – You may have been brought on to perform a certain job, but you should be there to fill in any gaps where you may be needed. You could go from low man (or woman) on the totem pole, to an integral part of the team in a moment of need. Keep an eye out for ways to help and you may just find yourself signing on for good.
4. Network – Chances are if you make a friends and get to know the higher ups (no pun intended) in the company, they are going to have a hard time sending you back to the staffing agency. Make sure to spend some time with these people, going to lunch or company events with them will get you a long way when it comes to building a relationship. Plus, when you’ve built this relationship and have the opportunity to spend more time with these people, you’ll have a better opportunity to show off your best qualities.
5. Remember The Basics – You know the drill, don’t be late, dress professionally, be respectful and provide the company with quality work. Make sure you are always showing off your best side and people will take notice.
Congrats Neomi – Hire Up Employee Of The Month For March!!
Congratulations Neomi! You did an outstanding job during the month of March and we wanted to tell you that you are AMAZING! We appreciate all you do!
The Employee of the Month at Hire Up Staffing – Central Valley, is selected by management and is the recognition of an individual for their outstanding contribution as an employee. Here are Employee of the Month traits that we look for, all of which our March 2017 employee has proven to be:
Way to set an example for your coworkers.
Are you looking to start a new career? Or looking for a job? Hire Up Staffing is the answer to your job search. We have an abundance of positions in various industries. Some of our job openings are temporary, while others are temp to hire, and permanent. Not living in Fresno, that is okay! Great news, we are now staffing throughout the Central Valley. With a location in Visalia, and others in Bakersfield, Atwater, and Madera popping up, we are sure to find the right position near you and for you. CLICK HERE to apply now.
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How Important Is A College Degree? Here Are the Facts.
Have you noticed a difference in the requirements for some job openings these days?
Seems like things have changed a lot over the past few years. A High School Diploma or GED is commonly an absolute must, but now an Associate’s and even a Bachelor’s Degree is becoming desired and even sometimes mandatory for entry level positions. College or higher education & training is starting to look more like a necessity over time.
Studies have shown that 32% of Human Resource Professionals said that they hire more employees with college degrees for positions normally performed by staff members with only high school diplomas.
The following percentages are to show the different industries that are more likely to hire an employee with a degree over one without for lower level positions:
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Financial Services – 53%
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Health Care – 40%
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Manufacturing – 38%
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Transportation & Utilities – 37%
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Information Technology – 33%
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Professional & Business Services – 31%
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Retail – 28%
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Hospitality – 20%
Over all, More than 54% of employers reported that they require an associate’s degree or higher for their positions; and 44% require a four-year degree or higher.
Approximately 18% of employers said they have increased their educational requirements for jobs over the past five years.
It seems that the trend may be becoming a lot more popular due to a very competitive job market, which is causing many college graduates to accept jobs below their skill level.
The positive effects of hiring college graduates:
Most employers who have hired more workers with college degrees for jobs historically held by high school graduates reported positive effects on their business effects, like:
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64% Noticed a higher quality of work
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45% Increased productivity
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22% Increased revenue
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18% Customer loyalty
What do you think the best way to screen outside candidates for a job is?
Bachelor’s Degree?
Associates Degree?
Some higher education?
Mostly just job Experience?
High School Diploma?
Available to start ASAP?
The Beauty of the Temporary Job
So you’ve been looking for some direction in your life and you think that picking a career will bring just that. The problem is you have no idea what that perfect career is and you’re having a hard time getting started on your path. Now where can you go to figure this all out? That’s right, to a staffing agency.
With the temporary jobs a staffing agency provides you will have the potential opportunity to try out different jobs to get an idea of what suits you best. Imagine you are looking for a job in retail service and you pour through the ads and finally land an interview. You nail the first one but the second interview isn’t for a week and after that the company asks you to come back the following Monday to meet the owner for the final approval. You have nearly three weeks invested in the hiring process, not to mention the time it took you to get the interview. You finally get started but after a few weeks you realize that this retail stuff isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and it just isn’t for you.
At this point you might just wish you had a chance to go back to the drawing board and try a new field of work, but you have so much invested in the process that you just stick with your boring new job and never end up finding what you were looking for. Now, while this may be slightly over dramatized it isn’t exactly science fiction.
Now imagine a different scenario, where you’re hired for a temporary job with a staffing agency. The first temp job you are given is a total dud and just doesn’t work for you. The great thing is that you are being pulled out in a few weeks when the job is through. After the dud you’re assigned to a different job in a different field and things just start to click. You love the environment, you believe in what you’re doing, and you’re happy to be going to work rather than dreading the alarm clock telling you it’s time to get up and clock in. Now you have the opportunity to stand out and attempt to make this position permanent. Even if it doesn’t happen, you know what you want, and you definitely know what you don’t want. You have the direction you were looking for and now you can put together a game plan to go out and get that career you so desire.
If you are currently looking for a job call us to see how we can help! (559)579-1331
Understanding Your Company’s Cultural Fit
On average, human beings will spend approximately one-third of their lives at work. Because of this, it should come as no surprise that work feeds into many other aspects of our lives, influencing self identity, self esteem, and opportunities for personal growth. In recent history, it has become increasingly more apparent that choosing where to work is about much more than simply making money; cultural fit is also a huge deciding factor for today’s workforce.
Today, people rarely spend their entire careers working for the same company. Instead, they move from job to job fairly frequently, searching for a company that will allow them to grow to their potential, achieve a better work-life balance, or even receive more useful benefits. As unique individuals, employees will differ greatly in their personalities, attitudes, and values. From an employer’s standpoint, understanding the personality, attitude, and values your company promotes is extremely important when it comes to harnessing your company culture and in turn, maximizing your employees happiness and productivity at work. If you’re looking to promote a great company culture within your business, consider the following:
- Hire candidates who fit your culture. It is vital for employers to keep in mind that employees always represent the company, even when they are not at work. The way an individual conducts himself or herself affects the opinion others have about your company, which is why it is so imperative to hire candidates who share your company’s mission and values.
- Teach your company’s mission and values. When employees are passionate about the company’s values and mission, they will be dedicated to accomplishing company goals and their drive will help energize the company as a whole. If an employee is not committed to the mission, it just becomes another job and usually the employee is unhappy; however, when an employee is on board with the mission, they will be engaged in the job and want the mission to succeed, thus, helping the company succeed.
- Work as a team. Teams function by working together, encouraging each other, and communicating regularly. This is also one of the most efficient methods to achieve goals and grow as a company. Teams in the workplace bond together to complete all related projects and accomplish achievements together.
Understanding and working with your company’s cultural fit is essential to both the company’s wellbeing as well as employees’ overall satisfaction and happiness. Hire Up Staffing takes great care and pride in matching the best job candidates with the perfect company fit! To get started on developing your own company culture and hiring candidates who fit, contact one of our team members today! (559)579-1331!!!
How To Use Linked In To Find A New Job
So you’ve decided you want to use LinkedIn to find your new job, but how do make that happen? Last week you learned about how people are using the site to expose themselves to potential employers and new opportunities, but now it’s time to figure out exactly what you need to do in order to make the site work for you.
It’s time to create your profile so let’s go over the details. You’re profile should be detailed and thorough, so there is as much relevant information as possible for potential employers to see. This means employment history, education, information regarding your industry, and websites that show off who you are. For advice on how to create a great profile, go to : http://jobsearch.about.com/od/linkedin/ss/linkedin-profile-tips.htm
Adding a professional photo to your profile is important, so find one that makes you look like the person a potential employer is looking for. A headshot is recommended, but it must be resized to no larger than 80×80 pixels.
Now that you have your profile set up, it’s time to network. In this area, quality is more important than quantity. It’s better to connect with people you know, trust, and preferably those who may have something good to say about you in the form of a referral. There’s no need to go nuts and try to connect with everyone you see online. It will just create more chaos and clutter in your networking circle. One of the best ways to show off to employers is to have recommendations from people you have worked with. Even one good recommendation will go a long way here.
Be proactive and start your search in the job listings section of LinkedIn. Now that you have a professional profile and an easy way to share your resume, you can connect with employers you have been looking for with a few clicks. You can also head to the answers section and post your questions, should you have any. One way to gain exposure and increase your visibility is to answer other people’s questions, especially when theses answers can showcase your expertise on a certain subject.
Last but certainly not least, stay connected. Keeping in touch goes a long way and you never know who might have an opportunity for you. Connect with new people and network genuinely and ethically and you will have organic opportunities appearing more often than you would expect.
Congrats Katarina – Hire Up Employee Of The Month For January!!
Congratulations Katarina! You did an outstanding job during the month of January and we wanted to tell you that you are AMAZING! We appreciate all you do!
The Employee of the Month at Hire Up Staffing – Central Valley, is selected by management and is the recognition of an individual for their outstanding contribution as an employee. Here are Employee of the Month traits that we look for, all of which our January 2017 employee has proven to be:
Ambitious, reliable, hard working, humble, positive, self-motivated, team-spirited, proactive, self-managed, detail oriented, honest, never misses work, and is ALWAYS ON TIME! Way to set an example for your coworkers.
Are you looking to start a new career? Or looking for a job? Hire Up Staffing is the answer to your job search. We have an abundance of positions in various industries. Some of our job openings are temporary, while others are temp to hire, and permanent. Not living in Fresno, that is okay! Great news, we are now staffing throughout the Central Valley. With a location in Visalia, and others in Bakersfield, Atwater, and Madera popping up, we are sure to find the right position near you and for you. CLICK HERE to apply now.
Temp Employment Is Taking Over
Since the recession in 2008, the industry that has added the most jobs in the U.S. is temporary help services. Out of the 5.7 million new jobs added, 15% of all job growth nationally is due to the hiring of temp workers. In larger cities, a much higher percentage of job growth can be credited to the temp sector.
These are some of the large cities where temp work takes up a significant portion of new jobs added:
65% in Cincinnati
51% in Milwaukee
46% in Kansas City
More than 40% in Chicago & Philadelphia
Is it a good thing that growth in dozens of large cities has been dominated by temp help?
We think that in most cases, temporary employees are a smart option for your company and the economy. Below is a graph that shows the increased share of job growth with temporary help services. It is astonishing how many temp jobs are being offered in comparison to the over all total.
Temporary help services are becoming a convenient alternative to direct hire employees and is definitely worth considering.
The benefits: There are an abundance of benefits that come along with going through an agency like Hire Up Staffing:
1. Expertise Staffing agencies often have a level of expertise that far exceeds the human resources departments in most small businesses. The agencies are more in tune with employment trends, law changes, and recruitment practices because this is their core business.
2. Better Talent Pool Many smaller employers cannot compete with the larger businesses when it comes to pay, benefits, and recruitment tactics. As a result, they are left out of consideration by top performing talent. Staffing companies bridge the gap by leveraging their larger buying power and transferring those benefits to their clients.
3. Cost Savings Using a staffing agency is a cost effective option for certain processes and positions within your company. Your cost savings will be realized by:
* Efficiency: Recruiting, screening and hiring a candidate takes a lot of time. Delegating these tasks to an expert will reduce the amount of time and expenses you spend on the hiring process. Hiring a staffing agency will also allow you to on board your new team member quickly and reduce down time.
* Advertising dollars: Recruiting for top talent takes an investment in advertising dollars to reach your talent pool. Staffing companies have already set aside advertising dollars for recruiting and are already reaching the talent you need. You can leverage their dollars and save yours.
* Convert Fixed Costs to Variable Costs: For some positions in your company you could save money by converting your “Fixed Employee Cost” to Variable Employee Cost” for example, if your business has very little room for overhead costs but you still need employees to respond to customer orders. You could use a staffing agency only when you had orders to fill. Even though you pay a markup on the hourly rate you wouldn’t have to carry the fixed employee costs when you didn’t have the work.
4. Reduce Risk When you engage the services of a staffing agency, you get the talent but not the HR overhead. The employee reports to you but you have no liability for workman’s comp, payroll taxes and unemployment claims. Hiring a staffing agency employee is also a better protection than hiring an independent contractor especially if that independent contractor is a one-man show.
5. Flexibility Larger companies are already taking advantage of using contingent workforce to ramp up or down. As a small business owner you can use the agency’s employees as much or little as you need and have the flexibility to discontinue them once your work is complete. During slower times of the year you can downsize without going through painful layoffs. During busy times you will have access to great workers who can fill a vacancy in a matter of days.