Are Career Certifications Worth It?

Lauren Milam

Vice President of West Coast

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare

September 7, 2022

While we remain in a candidate-driven market, conscientious jobseekers are looking to put their best foot forward with top employers who are offering more in terms of flexibility and overall employee wellbeing. When considering how to best grab a top employer’s attention, or to make the most of their professional development, people often ask if obtaining a career certification is worth it. As a team of professional recruiters who match the skills of candidates with the needs of top employers every single day, we have that answer for you…and that is: MAYBE.

Before spending your time and money to get a career certification, it is best to ask yourself these questions:

1. Does my job or employer require it?

Chances are, if your current job does require it, it would have been a prerequisite of your employment. Companies who require certifications will most often not even consider a candidate without one. Positions requiring certifications to be obtained before hire often include jobs like Forklift Drivers, positions within IT, and Medical Assistants.

2. Will certification be required for a position I am looking to secure in the future?

As mentioned, many employers will require certifications as a prerequisite to interview for such positions. To know for certain if a job you are interested in requires a certification, review the job description thoroughly. A well-written job description will list the requirements for the role.

3. If a certification is not listed as a requirement, can it still be helpful to me?

Potentially. This depends upon the position and the industry with which you are looking to work. For instance, an HR Generalist position may not require a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) Certification, however, having one could place your resume above others.

Learning any new skill or honing your knowledge of a particular career-focused subject is never a bad idea. The important thing to consider is whether the certification itself is required for the job, and if the time and money required makes sense for your specific situation.

4. How long does it take to get a certification?

Certifications range in hours required and the costs associated. Some certifications require renewals (Certification Renewals (CE)), and some are good for life (GLF). It is important to research certifications thoroughly for the commitment associated, as well as the quality and reputation of the program and the institution by which it is provided.

5. Are there any cost-friendly insider tips you may have to enhance my skillset while improving my resume?

There are many ways to broaden your knowledge on a subject or industry, while also strengthening your resume. You may find benefits in attending a conference, industry workshop, or joining an association or networking group related to your specific area of interest. You might look for paid/unpaid internships or ways to volunteer your time to get closer to others working within your preferred field.

Consider self-study to broaden your knowledge. Read books and publications, watch podcasts, YouTube, and Ted Talks. It is possible you can utilize self-study resources at your local library. Stay on top of industry and local news related to your career of choice; sign up for newsletters and/or online updates. Find industry leaders and companies you admire and follow them on social media to stay alert and virtually connected.

There are also helpful and free courses available through LinkedIn. If you do not yet have an account, visit their website for more information. LinkedIn is another opportunity to connect with others in your preferred field of work. In addition to studies, networking is important to improving your professional tools and resources.

Whenever in doubt, seek assistance from the professionals! Staffing companies like ours are already networked within a variety of industries all over the country. Because of this, we likely have connections within the industry you are looking to work and can work on your behalf to do a bit of the networking for you. In addition, we can assist you with tips to polish up your resume, practice your interview skills, as well as identify ways to best connect you with positions within organizations you most want to work.

When it comes to working with a staffing agency, you might find that it can be your best bet to working smarter and not harder. Give us a call. Let us help!

— Follow the Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services Blog to stay connected with a variety of topics aimed to help support you! Whether you are an active job seeker looking for tips and tricks to land your perfect job or an employer looking to fill a challenging position, we are here to help you HIRE UP!

Lauren Milam Vice President of West Coast | September 7, 2022

Meet Lauren Milam, Regional Vice President for Hire Up Staffing Services. Lauren started in the staffing industry 7 years ago as a Recruiter. Finding success in her role quickly, she promoted through the ranks to outside sales, training and development, and then Regional Vice President. She joined Hire Up in November of 2019 as our first Regional Vice President hire for the California Market. Since starting at Hire Up, she has created and implemented new sales campaigns and initiatives to help the company grow. In her first quarter with Hire Up, she helped the recruiters increase their individual gross profit by an average of 28%. She does this by creating plans that focus on the individual needs of each office and person.

Meet Ashley – The Territory Director in Houston!

Meet Ashley, the Assistant Territory Director in the Houston office! Ashley started her career as a Human Resources Specialist for an IT organization responsible for managing all recruitment activities within the organization and providing daily support to the HR Team with daily HR duties. After spending four years with the organization, she realized her passion was people and having the opportunity to match them to an organization and specific roles relevant to their experience.

Over the past ten years, she has worked for various staffing and placement firms as a Business Development Manager/Account Manager role within multiple sectors such as Healthcare, Oil and Gas, Engineering, and Industrial. Throughout her time, one work-related accomplishment stood out from the rest. Ashley exceeded predetermined goals and managed expectations on the timeline for generating new business opportunities and the division being profitable for a start-up organization.

One professional goal that she has now is to bring a larger book of business while providing any needed support and suggestions to grow both the branch and the Hire Up Team. Ashley is excited to be part of an eager team and be able to work for a reputable company that promotes growth in employees and the organization. When she is outside of the office, you can find Ashley spending time with her family, being a mother, and, when she has time, playing darts, dominos, cards, and other games.

The Importance of Effective Communication in the Workplace

Lauren Milam

VP of the West Coast

Hire Up Staffing

You may be working each day in a busy office or doing so remotely. You may be part of a large department or a member of a small team. However, no matter your professional environment, the way in which you communicate with others directly impacts, well, everything.

Effective and consistent communication is an essential part of the most productive work environments. Leaders with effective communication skills benefit in many ways. They can clearly express expectations, and their teams are more likely to feel engaged, happy, and productive. The best performing and most efficient teams have business leaders who make communication a high priority. They lead by example and expect the members of their team to prioritize communication with each other, as well.

There are many forms of communication. When sharing, receiving and collaborating, common ways of communication include:

Verbal communication, either directly or indirectly. Direct verbal communication is clear and to the point, whereas indirect verbal communication relies upon an implication of meaning, which can lead to misunderstanding.
Written communication, such as emails or memos. Written communication these days can also include an instant message or text. Memos are often used for more formal correspondence.
Active listening is when someone else is speaking. This goes beyond simply not speaking while another is talking. To be an active listener, you focus completely on the other person. You are waiting to ask questions or interject your own ideas until you have had time to truly process what the other is saying. If you are finding yourself speaking immediately after another person has stopped talking, chances are you were not truly actively listening.
Nonverbal, such as using body language, can be used in communication. An active listener might nod their head in agreement or show understanding. The listener might tilt their head if they are unsure about something that was shared with them. Nonverbal communication can also clearly communicate that you are not interested in what the other person is saying. These cues may look like multi-tasking, a preoccupation with a cell phone, not making eye contact, or crossed arms.

There are endless benefits to effectively communicating in the workplace! Here are just a few…

For leaders: Minimizing conflict, either between leaders/team or between team members
For leaders: Engaging with your team in a genuine way builds trust
For all: Increasing client/customer rapport/satisfaction
For all: Increasing productivity
For all: Creating a stronger culture
For all: Boosting employee morale
For all: Strengthening team trust and bonds

Want to improve communication in your workplace? Try these tips and tricks:

Be transparent and consistent! Share what you know and start a dialogue with your team to get their ideas for current challenges, pain points, and future company projects.
Actively listen to your leaders, peers, and employees! Listening…truly listening is one of the biggest ways to show respect. Being able to act on things shared with you and making changes to improve issues brought to you will further reinforce trust.
Give positive feedback and constructive criticism at the right time and in the right setting.
Speak or meet face-to-face as much as possible. This keeps the communication flowing and reinforces the connection.
Have an open-door policy, and really mean it. Show an active interest in the concerns and ideas of your team and take swift action in ways that support your team as often as you can. Celebrate the heck out of the changes that come from members of your team sharing concerns, ideas, and feedback.
Create a sense of safety, both physically and psychologically.
Get to know your employees individually and find out how they best receive and understand information, and work to communicate in more than just one way. Some people will want to read your message again after the meeting, while others will take notes during the meeting and refer to them as needed. Be open and flexible with how you get information to your team.
Be open to change and show that change is positive.
Check-in often with your team after formal and informal communication has been shared. Ask for feedback; what would they like to see more of, less of, instead of…and adjust your next communication in ways that meet their shared needs.

Do you consider the way in which you speak with others? Do you know what type of effect your communication style has on those around you?

In an article for imd.org, Understanding the Effect You Have on Others, organizational and clinical psychologist George Kohlreiser wrote, “There is something called ‘the person effect’ which is the unique impact, positive or negative, a person has in coming across and connecting with others.” He outlines four key reasons why our person effect is one of our most important leadership tools. The Person Effect is key to:

Connecting with Others Effectively: He identified that the person effect is subtle. “Signals and triggers come through words, gestures, and tone of voice.”
Using Our Language: Kohlreiser explained that when speaking, our blood pressure rises; when we listen, it automatically falls. “Talking too much, not listening, and misusing language can affect our heart rate and blood pressure negatively.” He points out that healthy dialogue offers strong benefits for our well-being and improves our ability to communicate and connect with others.
Impacting the Mind’s Eye: “This defines the way in which we see the world,” Kohlreiser explained. Through our mindset, perception, and emotion, our mind’s eye directly impacts the mind’s eye of another. “If our person effect is threatening, dismissive, or unresponsive, others around us will be more focused on the negative and can be triggered into defensive or non-trusting behavior. The reverse is also true. If the leader’s personal effect is positive, individuals will feel empowered, inspired, and innovative.”
Creating a Sense of Trust: Kohlreiser wrote,“The person effect can inspire, create an attitude of engagement, or produce a feeling of discouragement and disengagement.” He explained that our own attitude can be revealed in our personal effects.

Your ability to communicate well with those around you creates trust and a safe space for others to share and feel heard. Your own attitude and perspective on the world have a direct impact on how others perceive you and how they are likely to respond to you.

Employees who feel understood and heard by their management are more likely to feel comfortable openly communicating, thus being productive members of the team.

Does your organization have the right management in place to communicate effectively with your team and customers? Do you need some support with coaching up or hiring top talent that comes with this skill set? We can help!

Follow the Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services Blog to stay connected with a variety of topics aimed to help support you! Whether you are an active job seeker looking for tips and tricks to land your perfect job or an employer looking to fill a challenging position, we are here to help you HIRE UP!

Understanding the effect you have on others – I by IMD

Lauren Milam, VP of the West Coast

As the Vice President of the West Coast operations, Lauren focuses on the development of each Hire Up team member and office to ensure they have the tools and ability to meet the needs of all the clients and candidates. Lauren’s vast experience in the staffing industry and her passion for people, results, and success is what drives her daily. This experience includes leadership, management, employee development, sales, marketing, recruitment, client retention, and candidate retention. Her goal is to ensure every client and candidate receives excellent service through every aspect of the process. Lauren would love to speak with you so she can help your business reach new heights.

Top Talent Leaving? Recruiter-Proven Best Practices to Hire, Nurture, RETAIN, and GROW Top Talent

Lauren Milam

Regional Vice President – West Coast

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services

June 30, 2022

There is no doubt about it, organizations everywhere are feeling the pressures associated with the current candidate job market. This is a vulnerable time for businesses without a plan in place to hire and retain top talent. Are you curious if you are doing all you can to ensure you have your bases covered? Read on for more recruiter-proven best practices that will allow you to place yourself and your organization in the best position possible.

While reviewing this list below, you may want to reflect on your current practices and how they are measuring up. You may find areas where you are on the right track, and others that could use immediate attention. This list is not meant to overwhelm, simply to outline proven practices for stronger recruitment and retention strategies.

Do it right the first time and make the right hire.
1. Ensure the employee you are hiring shares similar values as your company.
2. Consider if this is simply a pit stop for them or if their interest in this position demonstrates a goal-oriented career decision. Is your company offering them a job with which they have a passion and within an industry they are genuinely interested?
Make sure your recruiting resources are in order.
1. Ensure your titles and job descriptions are clear and accurately describe the responsibilities of the position.
2. Review your organization’s online image and consider ways to improve it from the inside out. (See further down the list for ways to improve and celebrate company culture.)
3. Do your homework and stay competitive with your compensation. With the number of job opportunities available, do what you can to ensure you have the right salaries, benefits, bonus packages, etc. to attract the right people to your business.
Check-in with your team. Create both formal and informal ways of checking in with them.
1. Develop a cadence that works for you and stick to it.
2. Create weekly or monthly one on ones. Let them know you see their contributions by providing meaningful and specific feedback. Thank them for their efforts.
3. Hold frequent team meetings as well to celebrate success and share new goals.
Get to know them.
1. Through your discussions, learn what their goals are and help them get there by creating a roadmap for development.
2. These goals can be personal, not just the goals of the business. Personal goals help to drive company goals because as the members of your team find satisfaction in achieving their own goals, they can “show up” with a better sense of purpose and often find a stronger connection to the goals of the business.
3. “Personal purpose and goals, when aligned to a company vision, appear to impact motivation and engagement in different ways. When alignment is felt through the sense of a greater purpose, there is a deep, almost spiritual, commitment to making the world a better place and helping the organization contribute to that.” (Berg, JL)
4. Encourage your teams input and suggestions for improving operational efficiencies and then put some to use, if even on a trial basis.
5. Show you LISTEN and are open to those who are closer to the job guide some of the company’s job-specific process improvements.
Truly LISTEN to your team. Beyond simply stating you have an “Open-Door Policy,” like so many leaders claim, do you create a safe space for your team to ask questions, share ideas, and voice concerns? Without a sense of psychological safety, your team will keep things from you to keep the peace.
1. Create an environment of tolerance and be open to feedback and BE PREPARED to CHANGE. If you listen without ever considering and taking real action to the concerns being shared, your open-door policy is useless and honestly, damaging.
TRUST them. When you hire a team you trust, let them do their jobs. Do not micro-manage or “remind them who is boss.” If you trust your team, trust them to do what you hired them to do.
1. Guide when necessary but do not stifle their growth by spoon-feeding them solutions that are only your ideas. They will have some too. Encourage that and show through your actions that you trust them.
Make it positive. Actively strive to create a consistent and positive work environment.
1. Create a culture where your team wants to come to work every day. A happy team that feels empowered to do their job will always be more productive than one that feels uncertainty, mistrust, or is managed with negativity and inconsistency. Remember: Unclear is unkind.
2. Get your management team on the same page and expect more of them to actively work to improve the culture, too, while you lead by example.
Provide growth and promotion opportunities.
1. Through your one on ones and creating development roadmaps, build opportunities around their individual goals whenever possible. (This could mean being flexible with scheduling to allow for personal needs. It could mean getting the company to sponsor a marathon for which some of your employees are training.)
2. Be creative with the growth opportunities; they can include things like external or internal training, attending industry-specific seminars, representing the company at an industry conference or expo, job shadowing, and participating in special projects, the options are endless.
Value and practice work/life balance. Burnout is a main cause of turnover. Show you value your personal commitments and encourage your team to do the same. Need to leave early on Thursdays for a Hot Yoga Class? Do it. Encourage your team to create opportunities to get what they need so that they can show up to work feeling healthy and at ease knowing they have some freedom to care for both their professional and personal lives.
Find reasons to CELEBRATE! And then do it. Often.
1. Recognize your team for extraordinary efforts. Offer specific praise when you see or hear of someone going above what is expected.
2. These shout-outs can be done in a formal way, such as within a company newsletter or informally in a team meeting, or in a deliberate walk to their office. Know your team and how they prefer to be recognized and cater your actions to those preferences.
3. Find ways to reward and recognize exceptional performance. Create company programs, such as Employee of the Month. Small gestures can mean a lot to the members of your team. They will remember these small gestures, and they will be watching to see if these programs are sustained, or just another flavor of the month.

This list encompasses many important aspects of recruiting and employee engagement. However, as with anything important, it takes effort to remain consistent and see positive longer-term results. If this list seems involved and time-consuming, it certainly can be. A lot goes into cultivating a top-notch team. The good news is you are NOT alone in this… WE CAN HELP!

Our team of professionals have years of experience in recruiting, hiring, training, career planning, and building a positive and healthy team culture. Allow us the opportunity to chat with you to see how we can put our collective years of experience to best support you in creating and maintaining the team of your dreams!

We have offices around the country and the absolute best team ready to help.

Berg JL. The role of personal purpose and personal goals in symbiotic visions. Front Psychol. 2015; 6:443. Published 2015 Apr 14. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00443

Lauren Milam, Regional Vice President – West Coast | June 30, 2022

As the Regional Vice President of the West Coast operations, Lauren focuses on the development of each Hire Up team member and office to ensure they have the tools and ability to meet the needs of all the clients and candidates. Lauren’s vast experience in the staffing industry and her passion for people, results, and success is what drives her daily. This experience includes leadership, management, employee development, sales, marketing, recruitment, client retention, and candidate retention. Her goal is to ensure every client and candidate receives excellent service through every aspect of the process. Lauren would love to speak with you so she can help your business reach new heights.

Meet Sloan – Recruiting Manager in Dallas!

Meet Sloan, your Recruiting Manager in the Dallas/Fort Worth Branch! Before starting at Hire Up, Sloan worked in the medical field as a chiropractic assistant, a massage therapist to motor vehicle accident patients, taught K-3rd grade special education, and worked in retail management. One of the work-related accomplishments that she is most proud of is when she landed a direct-hire contract within the first week and a half of its posting! Now, Sloan has a new goal of meeting her monthly quotas for the next six months. Sloan is excited to work at Hire Up Staffing because she knows the company has a great work culture! She enjoys the amount of trust instilled in everyone to work independently on goals while also being a part of a team. While outside of the office, you can find Sloan painting, walking in the park, traveling, listening to audiobooks, and taking photos for Instagram.

Meet Gabriela – Recruiting Manager in Visalia!

Meet Gabriela, your Recruiting Manager in the Visalia branch. Before making her way to Hire Up, Gabriela worked as a Legal Assistant for the disability office with the Social Security Administration and the IRS. She has experience with customer service working as a Front Desk Supervisor, and has banking experience. One work-related accomplishment that Gabriela is proud of was when she was invited to be part of an interview panel to determine the best Spanish-speaking candidate and interview them. The best part is that the candidate she chose was the person hired for the position.

Gabriela is excited to work at Hire Up Staffing because recruiting is a brand new field in her career. She believes Hire Up will teach her how to sell and recruit, which is very important for Gabriela’s future goals. You can find Gabriela enjoying physical activities like hiking, biking, and weight training outside of the office. She likes to cook, sing, and is currently learning to play the piano.

Meet Wende – Our Recruiting Manager in San Diego

Meet Wende, the Business Development Manager in the San Diego branch! Wende has worked hard to build her sales capability in many diverse industries such as medical devices and construction. She has also developed leadership skills and a wildly creative and entrepreneurial mindset. Wende first started her own business at the age of 27, a work-related accomplishment that makes her proud.

Now, Wende is excited to work at Hire Up Staffing because she believes she can make a difference in the quality of people’s lives. You can find Wende playing tennis and doing yoga outside of the office, keeping a running list of the best entertainment/food in her favorite cities, cooking like a gourmet chef, and enjoying time with her family.

Travel RN and Travel Allied Health 101

Leah Perez, VP of Major Accounts

Hire Up Healthcare

What do travel healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities need to know?

It is without question that there is a growing need for trained health care workers in hospitals and medical offices around the country. Nurses and other Allied Health professionals are in high demand. The American Medical Association (AMA) defines allied health professionals as those who work in concert with physicians; allied health professions include roles like optometrists, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives, to name a few. The Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAH) estimates that 60% of the US Healthcare workforce is classified as Allied Health Professionals.

What are the benefits for traveling healthcare professionals?

Financial: Travel healthcare professions in high demand often are paying top dollar. When there is a higher need, higher pay typically follows. In addition to a higher hourly rate, travel healthcare professionals can often expect other rewards like sign-on bonuses, travel reimbursement, and stipends for housing, food, and/or other job-related expenses. Added benefits not related to an hourly rate are tax-free and definite things to consider when weighing the pros and cons of your career choices.
Travel: If you are a healthcare professional who enjoys seeing new places and experiencing new things, being a travel provider is an obvious choice. There are opportunities everywhere!
Flexibility: As a travel healthcare provider, you may find yourself more flexible than your peers working for a local hospital. Travel providers can fit personal time in between contract assignments, allowing for as much time off as they choose.
Networking Opportunities: Whether on a short-term or longer-term travel assignment, allied health professionals can form important work-related, as well as personal, connections wherever they travel.
Resume Building: In addition to the networking available, another benefit includes your ability to be selective in your work. You may wish to target key locations around the country that specialize in fields of interest to you, some of which may not be found in your area. New opportunities can allow for additional training and professional development to add to your resume.

It makes sense that hospitals and medical offices need to regularly hire, but why do hospitals make the choice to hire travel nurses and allied health professionals?

Historically, organizations have used travelers to fill temporary vacancies due to a variety of leaves, shortages, or strikes. Some organizations seek traveling professions to ease the burden of filling critical roles that require specific skills and experience.

Geography and the weather are contributing factors for increased staffing needs during flu season. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, hospitals faced a nursing shortage. During the pandemic, the need for travel nurses surged and the need remains.

The costs associated with hiring travel professionals have been typically seen as a bigger expense for hospitals than hiring on their own. However, with rising employment costs and the increasing cost of living seen over the last few years, the use of travel professionals may be less expensive overall. Hiring travelers rather than permanent employees eliminates costs such as paid time off, benefits, and retirement. Other costs that hospitals need to consider as savings are the reduction in recruiting efforts, training, overtime, and payroll costs.

Why are travelers essential to healthcare?

Travel staff gained popularity in recent years in response to the long-standing, nationwide staffing shortage. A large contributing factor to the RN shortage was a mandatory nurse-to-patient ratio. A study from the National Institute of Nursing Research showed a connection between mandatory staff ratios and lower patient mortality. As more states adopt mandatory ratios, many facilities look to travel agencies to meet the increased staffing demands.
In the last few years, it has become more critical for hospitals to have a solid plan in place due to the spikes in the number of patients and increased patient needs.

How do hospitals find their travel healthcare workers?

Hospitals set up partnerships with staffing agencies that specialize in healthcare staffing, specifically travel RN and Allied Health. It is more important than ever for hospitals to have a trusted staffing partner to assist in filling vacancies.
At Hire Up Healthcare, we are one of those trusted staffing partners for a wide variety of respected healthcare clients.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a travel healthcare worker, we can help. We have hundreds of opportunities within medical facilities around the country. Take your first step to see if this type of work is right for you. Contact a member of our team today by calling us at 559-931-9011.

Interested in speaking to Hire Up Staffing and Healthcare about setting up a staffing partnership to ease the staffing holes within your facilities? Click here https://calendly.com/leah-12 to connect with our Vice President of Major Accounts to discuss further.

Currently, Hire Up Healthcare has over 900 travel, per diem, and permanent RN and Allied Health opportunities. Interested in working with us? Click here https://calendly.com/major-accounts-travel to connect to our healthcare team to discuss contracts that are currently available.

Are you a travel healthcare recruiter that is looking for an opportunity? Click here https://calendly.com/bsampson-4 to connect with our Division Director to discuss internal opportunities.

——

Allied Health Professionals | American Medical Association (ama-assn.org)

What is Allied Health? — ASAHP Impact of Mandatory Nursing Staffing Levels on Patient Outcomes | National Institute of Nursing Research (nih.gov)

Leah Perez, VP of Major Accounts

As the Vice President of Major Accounts, Leah focuses on the national level clients. Leah has over 16 years of recruiting experience in various industries from medical/clinical to administrative/accounting, all of which has launched her to being one of the most well-respected staffing leaders in California. Clients and candidates would describe her as urgent, ethical, and most importantly she takes the time to understand her clients needs so she can properly assist them. Leah would love to speak with you so she can help your business reach new heights.

Meet Lydia – Clinical Travel Recruiter in Major Accounts!

Meet Lydia, our Clinical Travel Recruiter in the Major Accounts branch! Before starting at Hire Up Staffing, Lydia worked as a Recruiter at a different agency. She knows the ins and outs of the recruiting world! A work-related accomplishment that she is proud of was moving up in two different departments in a previous company. Now, Lydia’s professional goal is to be part of a great team.

Lydia is excited to work at Hire Up Staffing because she wants to be part of a successful company and give her best back to it. The people at the company are motivated individuals who all strive as a team to accomplish goals. When Lydia is outside of the office, you can find her with family and friends, traveling, shopping, and going to the beach!

Inflation in the New Year: Higher Expenses and Payroll Costs

Rebecca Kirkman

President

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare

4/18/2022

In this new year, it is hard to overlook the changes we are experiencing when it comes to inflation and the growing costs of everyday items. In recent months, states across the country have experienced higher gas prices, increased costs of electricity, and more raw materials needed for a wide variety of industries. Have you noticed such changes?

In addition to the recent increases related to inflation, there have been a host of changes organizations have experienced within the last two years in response to health and safety concerns during the pandemic. Leaders have had to try to stay on top of all required adjustments. The needs have been varied and ever-changing.

Yet another change this year involves higher payroll costs with an increase to the minimum wage for a number of states around the country. As a business partner to countless organizations around the nation, we work diligently to ensure our clients remain up to date with the new laws and ordinances impacting their municipalities. Did your state have an increase?

January 1, 2022, jumpstarted an increase in minimum wage for select states. To review a list of wages by state, visit State Minimum Wage Laws | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov). For examples of the minimum wage rate changes impacting clients with which we partner, see below:

Arizona: Minimum wage increased to $12.80
California: Organizations with twenty-six or more employees, the minimum wage rate increased to $15 per hour; organizations with up to twenty-five employees, the minimum wage increased to $14 per hour
Colorado: Minimum wage increased to $12.56
Illinois: Minimum wage increased to $12
Washington: Minimum wage increased to $14.49

The Federal minimum wage has been unchanged since 2009, and within the impacted states seeing an increase for our country’s lowest-paid front-line workers, jobseekers have an additional edge in a job market where candidates already hold the power. What does this mean for employers?

In a Candidate Market, jobseekers have different expectations than before. How can you compete to show your organization has a leg up on the others? Here are some ideas to consider:

Identify How Your Organization is Different and Celebrate It! With wages being higher, yet equal for entry-level positions, employers may find substantial benefits in identifying and celebrating what makes their organization stand out as one that cares about their team. Highlight what makes your organization different than simply one more company offering a higher mandated wage. Do you offer flexible hours? Mentoring programs? Fast Track Management Training? Paid Lunches? Brag about them! They matter. A strong company culture is something to tout in recruiting efforts whenever possible.
Share Recent Recruitment Stories: Have your latest recruits share their stories within internal and external platforms. By having them share their stories, they are helping to promote your employee experience and brand. In a world where people are checking reviews before buying anything online, it makes sense to use this same mentality in such a competitive market.
Consider Adding New Benefits and Perks to Match the Needs of Today: Additional benefits to think about include things like: Employee Wellness and More Mental Health Options, Employee and Family Discounts, Choices in Work Location, More Time Off, Pet Insurance, Dog Days, Financial Planning Assistance, Legal Assistance, Employee Focus Groups, Free Work and Home-Related Books and Resources.
Do Not Forget About Your Current Workforce. Create excitement in the workplace every day! Create a robust yet COVID-responsible Employee Engagement calendar. Get creative with planning ways for your teams to play together, not just work. Take candid shots, and share the fun on your social platforms and within your internal communications, too.

Conduct a wage review for all positions. Raising the wage for entry-level positions can create a bit of an imbalance, known as compression, within other areas of your organizational pay structure. Consider a review of hourly workers already above the new minimum, as well as reviewing beyond hourly and into the salaries held within your organization and the work associated.

In a recent online SHRM article written about Wage Compression, Stephen Miller, Online Manager/Editor, Compensation & Benefits suggests addressing a pay adjustment in a multi-step process: Conduct a review of the employees potentially impacted, create a plan with options for how to best correct the wage compression (pay adjustments all at once or staggered), discuss with leadership, agree to a plan, and communicate the plan with your team.

In addition to an increase in labor costs, a new Federal Minimum Wage for front-line workers means an additional opportunity for you as an employer to identify and celebrate the ways in which YOUR company stands out above the rest. Getting the word out about these differences is key for maintaining an edge with your ability to recruit within a competitive job market.

Does your 2022 Recruiting Plan include any of the ideas shared above? Not sure where to start? Call us! We can help and will assist you with uncovering what makes your organization different and how that difference can mean recruiting stronger candidates in the new year.

——

There is no doubt that 2021 brought forth opportunities with which to leverage new and emerging employment trends. Follow the Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services Blog to stay connected with a variety of topics aimed to help support you! Whether you are an active job seeker looking for tips and tricks to land your perfect job or an employer looking to fill a challenging position, we are here to help you HIRE UP!

State Minimum Wage Laws | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov)

As Minimum Wages Rise, Prepare for Pay Compression Issues (shrm.org)Job Candidates’ Expectations Have Changed. How Are Employers Responding? (shrm.org)

Rebecca Kirkman, President | April 18, 2022

Rebecca Kirkman is the President and Founder of Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services. Rebecca’s mission is as simple today as it was when she started Hire Up over 10 years ago: Connecting great Employers with great Employees. Hire Up leads job seekers to their dream careers and employers to their dream team. The true belief in the human connection and that people hire people is a passion for every Hire Up employee. Rebecca was proudly named the #1 Woman-Owned Business by The Business Journal.