This is just one of the predictions made by Dr. John Sullivan, a highly respected thought leader in HR.  By the end of this year, Sullivan predicts that mobile technology will have become the dominant communications and interaction platform in use by leading-edge companies.  As such, talent management leaders should invest in recruiting initiatives that leverage smartphone and tablet technology.

What else is in store for 2012?  Here is an overview of the top staffing, recruiting and talent management trends – and how your staffing partner can help you capitalize on them:

Unemployment will remain high. Dr. Ira Wolfe, author of The Perfect Labor Storm 2.0, predicts that we will continue to experience relatively high unemployment for as much as 10 years.  While this may lead you to assume that you won’t need a staffing service to recruit top talent, that’s not necessarily the case.  Wolf says that despite high unemployment rates, employers are finding it increasingly difficult to find people with the mix of hard and soft skills they need.

• How your staffing service can help:  Beyond matching traditional skills, work with your provider to identify the soft skills (the ability to fit in, work collaboratively, etc.) needed for success in your available position.  Your staffing firm can leverage its network of specialized experts to pinpoint candidates with the skills, traits and experience to thrive in your environment – all while saving you time and money.

Workers will continue to move away from long-term employment with one company. Experts predict that contract, part-time and other non-traditional employment arrangements will increase, due to the recession and increased life span.  Gen X workers do not subscribe to the notion that you have to sit at a desk to work, so they’re much more receptive to contract and remote work.

• How your staffing service can help:  Work with your staffing partner to shift your thinking about how work gets done in your company.  With non-traditional employment arrangements becoming the norm, top talent is now more receptive than ever to shorter-term, project-based work.   Your staffing partner can show you the most cost-effective ways to use temporary and contract staffing to accomplish your goals.

Retention issues will increase dramatically.  Because most corporate retention programs have been so severely degraded, Sullivan predicts that turnover rates in high-demand occupations will increase by 25% this year.  In fact, retention could turn out to be the highest economic impact area in all of talent management.

• How your staffing service can help:  Work with a staffing provider that treats its employees well.  The better a staffing firm treats its employees, the better those employees will perform for you – and the more likely they’ll be to stay on through the assignment’s duration.  To reward and retain our employees, A.R. Mazzotta provides its temporary and contract employees with a benefit program that includes paid holidays and a Paid Time Off (PTO) plan.

Contact A.R. Mazzotta to discuss how these staffing trends will impact your business.  With over 40 years of experience serving Connecticut businesses, we can help you develop a strategic, proactive workforce strategy that helps you capitalize on these changes.

Connecticut’s new Sick Leave Law, Public Act No. 11-52, went into effect January 1, 2012.  According to the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, the new law requires affected businesses to provide a minimum of one hour paid leave for every 40 hours an employee works, accruing a maximum of 40 hours per year– regardless of the employers’ financial resources or business demands.

Will Your Company Be Impacted by this New Legislation?

Possibly.  This new mandate applies to businesses with 50 or more employees, excluding manufacturers and certain nonprofits.  The law covers “service workers” as defined by the legislation in a list of more than 60 job titles and functions.

Don’t be fooled by the term “service workers” – office positions such as administrative assistant, data entry, general office clerk, computer operator and receptionist are all included in this category.  For more information on how this legislation may impact your business, follow this link.

Not interested in this hit to your bottom line?  Consider making use of temporary employees or payroll transfer services.

Temporary employees are exempt from Connecticut’s Sick Leave Act.  The law does not require covered employers to provide paid sick leave to temporary workers or non-hourly employees such as salaried professionals.  Furthermore, if a contingent or payrolled employee calls in sick or requests medical leave, the staffing service – his employer of record – is responsible for addressing his compensation and benefits.

If you are considering using temporary or contract workers, make sure your staffing provider offers them a reasonable benefits program.  Why?  The better a staffing firm treats their employees, the better those employees will perform for you throughout the assignment’s duration.   A.R. Mazzotta values temporary and contract employee’s contribution to business.  As such, it rewards its temporary and contract employees with a benefit program that includes paid holidays and a Paid Time Off (PTO) plan.  Paid Time Off can be used for a variety of reasons such as vacation or sick days.

To determine if staffing services might help control your employment-related expenses (especially in light of this new legislation), contact A.R. Mazzotta to schedule a free workforce consultation.   Together, we can examine your workflow processes and identify non-core, repetitive, project-based or intermittent work which could be more cost-effectively performed by temporary or contract employees.

The way you welcome a new hire sets the tone for his entire work experience with you.  The more positive his initial encounters, the more welcomed and prepared he will feel in his new role.  This, in turn, will give him the confidence and resources needed to quickly make a positive impact within your company (which is why you hired him in the first place, right?).

Beyond an employee’s first days with your organization, effective onboarding can also have positive long-term effects on your organization – lowering turnover, improving employee satisfaction and even smoothing operating functions.

So get ready to roll out the red carpet with your next new hire.  Use these tips to make him feel welcomed, valued and prepared to hit the ground running:

• Welcome a new employee with a letter. Before the individual’s first day, send a friendly and informative letter to welcome him and review his first day’s schedule, helpful tips for parking, details about to whom he should report, etc.  Alternately, you can post new employee schedules, materials, benefits forms and a FAQ on your company Intranet, and make it accessible from a link in a welcome e-mail.
• Prepare a corporate “family tree.” Familiarize new hires with your company’s “who’s who.”  You can make photos, names and job titles available on your company’s Intranet, or maintain a simple bulletin board with the same info to facilitate the getting-to-know-you process.
• Pre-orient existing staff members. Provide employees with your new employee’s résumé and job description before he starts.  Advise each team member to conduct a meeting with the new hire in which he shares a description of his own position, reviews the ways their roles interact and covers how they might work together in the future.
• Approach the process from the employee’s point of view. The onboarding process can be complex and overwhelming for your new hire.  To keep your new team member feeling valued, try to create orientation procedures that make the process fun, interesting and as painless as possible.
• Provide and review a written plan of employee objectives and responsibilities. This step will eliminate confusion about job functions and will open the floor to discuss concerns or new opportunities.
• Give the new employee your undivided attention. Be careful not to let e-mails, phone calls, or other employees distract you during orientation sessions, because this sends the unintended message that the new hire is not worth your time – a real morale-killer.
• Make day one personal. Prioritize interpersonal relationships with key colleagues as soon as your new employee starts.  Make sure you welcome the whole person – not just a set of job functions – from the outset, and you’ll be sure to make a great first impression.

A.R. Mazzotta works to make new employee transitions as successful and simple as possible.  Our stringent screening process ensures that the candidates we refer (whether temporary or direct) have the skills, experience and traits necessary to integrate seamlessly with your existing workforce.  Contact us today to learn more about our staffing services for Connecticut employers.

Well, quite simply, administrative assistants make good business sense.

In a recent Harvard Business Review article entitled “The Case for Executive Assistants,” author Melba J. Duncan justifies the true value an assistant can deliver.  She argues that the average company has actually gone too far in cutting back on administrative help, and that – beyond merely writing business letters and scheduling meetings – a skilled executive assistant can:

• boost productivity and free you to focus on your top priorities;
• assist in on-boarding new managers;
• provide reverse mentoring;
• and act as the air traffic controller of an office, particularly for managers who travel frequently.

Not every manager (particularly younger managers, who’ve grown up with technology that’s increased their self-sufficiency), however, knows how to make good use of an assistant.  So if and when you decide to add this valuable resource to your staff, remember these suggestions maximize his effectiveness:

• Develop a checklist of responsibilities. Consider tasks that could be shifted from higher level employees and add in new tasks that are important, but not currently being carried out.  If several people are sharing the resources of your new assistant, be sure to clearly establish how he should allocate work time, to whom he should report, etc.
• Properly introduce and orient your assistant. Let your colleagues know that your assistant speaks and acts for you (or your work team/department).
• Don’t be afraid to delegate. If you hire intelligently, you should trust your assistant to figure out how to do the things you need accomplished.
• Have your assistant attend important meetings.  This will facilitate his understanding of the issues facing your staff or department and help him to be viewed as an important contributor.
• Offer training. Technology and managerial training may help your assistant fill his changing role effectively – while making him a more valuable team member.
• Keep the lines of communication open. Make it easy for your assistant stay in touch with you, and let him know your preferred methods of communication.  When delegating and giving instructions, be sure they are clear and precise.  And since communication is a two-way street, listen to your assistant.  Because he plays such a central role, he may be privy to vital information that you don’t readily have access to.
• Show him your appreciation for a job well done. Your assistant’s job is to help you be more successful in yours.  Don’t forget to thank him when he’s made your job easier or helped you look good.

Let A.R. Mazzotta Find You the Perfect Administrative or Executive Assistant

Surprisingly, hiring the ideal executive assistant can actually be more difficult than filling other management jobs.  A.R. Mazzotta can make the search quicker, easier and more cost-effective.

We know that personal chemistry between you and your assistant is paramount to long-term success.  To that end, we will work diligently to learn the key traits and skills you require, as well as your company’s culture, business philosophy, values and goals – and then find you the perfect assistant.  Contact us today to get started.

Up until a few years ago, job boards were the “latest and greatest” way to connect with job seekers.  The advent of smart phones, free online video technology and social media, however, has created yet another paradigm shift in recruiting.

While job boards should remain part of your recruiting mix, consider incorporating the following emerging media to attract and recruit the best talent:

Remote Interviews

Online interview technology has revolutionized the hiring process.  This cost-effective tool allows you to rapidly connect with viable candidates anywhere, while greatly simplifying interviewing logistics.  Instead of spending valuable time and money on travel, you can now use services like Skype and TokBox to virtually meet applicants and determine their potential early on in the recruiting process.

Mobile Technology

According to statistics from Pew Research Center, 83 percent of Americans own cell phones.  Nearly half of them (44 percent) use their mobile devices to get access to the internet.  Leverage mobile technology to reach potential job seekers anytime, anywhere by sending text alerts about your job openings and recruiting events.  Additionally, you may want to consider making your website more “smart phone friendly,” so that it facilitates the job search and application processes.

Video

Digital video enables you to get your company’s message across like no social media tool can.  By allowing candidates to literally see and hear what the true employee experience is like, video offers a powerful way to influence and engage potential candidates:

• Use online videos to enrich your online job postings.
• Add video clips of your offices, production facilities, etc.
• Interview current employees about what it’s like working for your organization.
• Demonstrate ways you take care of your employees, work for the greater good and/or stay on the cutting edge of your industry.

To ensure your videos are viewed, add them to your homepage, job postings and social media, or use QR codes to direct job seekers to them.

Twitter

Twitter can help you contact candidates in real time by instantly broadcasting or “tweeting” available jobs.  If you have a Twitter account:

• Search for relevant hashtags that qualified candidates might be using and integrate them into your tweets.  Tools like Search.Twitter.com, Twubs and Tagalus can help you identify hashtags your target candidates may be using.
• Shout out new job listings.  Services like jobshouts.com and jobamatic.com allow you to automatically feed new job listings to your Twitter account.  You can even add custom prefixes and hashtags to make the content more user-friendly and searchable.

Recruiting technology will continue to evolve at a rapid pace. If, like many employers, you find this rate of change intimidating, remember that you don’t have to go it alone. As a leading Connecticut employment agency with over 40 years of experience, A.R. Mazzotta can help you win the war for talent.

With offices in Westbrook, Middletown and Wallingford, we are strategically located to provide you with the most highly-qualified and trained professionals available throughout Connecticut. Contact us today!

Promoting diversity in the workplace is vital for a number of reasons:

• It helps organizations actively identify and remove barriers to equal opportunities in all aspects of employment, including recruiting, hiring, promoting, retaining and developing professionals.
• It improves workplace cultures and team performance, by helping employees and managers alike to overcome long-held stereotypes and misconceptions.
• It encourages employers to develop and retain diverse, competitive workforces that draw on the talents of all parts of our society.

But while today’s typical workplace may be generally more welcoming and accepting than one of generations past, many employers and workers still struggle with issues of diversity and tolerance.  For a variety of reasons, employees still feel excluded from certain occupations – regardless of their qualifications and experience.

The harsh reality?  Discrimination on the job occurs every day.  Factors such as age, race, gender, sexual preference and religious affiliation still influence recruiting, hiring, promotion and daily interaction in the workplace.  The good news is, you have the power to change this reality.  In addition to providing diversity training for your employees, use these ideas to help improve and promote diversity in your workplace:

Formalize anti-discrimination policies. Make it clear to all employees that discriminatory hiring, promotion and other practices will not be tolerated.  If you haven’t already, formally introduce, implement, enforce and update clear anti-discrimination policies.  Countless resources are available online, such as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s website.  Their site provides guidance to help you add anti-discrimination policies to your employee handbook.

Establish responsibility and accountability. Diversity promotion and training usually falls to HR.  If no such department exists, create a committee to help implement the policy you develop.  Encourage members to continually develop new ideas on how to attract more diversity to your company.

Reach out to local organizations. Take a look at your existing workforce.  Does it resemble the communities in which you operate?  If not, develop a hiring strategy that allows for greater inclusion and representation.  Talk to community leaders from churches, cultural institutions and colleges.  Ask them to help you better connect with potential candidates who are under-represented in your workforce.

Ask employees for referrals. Your current staff may have peers in the industry or know qualified candidates who may be looking for work.  The referring peer can help your new employee more easily adjust to his new work environment, especially if he is part of an under-represented group.

Expand your reach. Appeal to a wider audience by participating in job fairs and career expos.  Make available postings more attractive to diverse job hunters by emphasizing details that will attract them.

Offer benefits that appeal to a diverse workforce. Demonstrate your willingness to hire from all segments of the workforce by offering programs such as:

• onsite daycare
• flexible work schedules
• job sharing
• childcare subsidiaries
• religious holiday accommodation
• diversity-friendly (but office appropriate) dress codes

Support new hires. As you develop a more diverse workforce, make sure the new employees you hire feel welcomed and valued.  The first few weeks can be challenging for a new employee, so do what you can to help him get acclimated.  Pair him with a mentor to help him develop new working relationships, and clearly communicate opportunities for advancement.  Show him that he has a future in your company and he’ll be much more likely to stay.

A.R. Mazzotta understands and promotes the value of diversity in the workplace.  We are certified by the State of Connecticut Supplier Diversity Program as a Women Owned Small/Minority Business Enterprise. This enables businesses utilizing our services to meet contract supplier diversity requirements as well as build stronger communities.  We are also an Affirmative Action-Equal Opportunity Employer, helping all job seekers find rewarding employment opportunities.

On July 13, Connecticut’s Governor signed S.B. 361 into law.  It went into effect just a few days ago, on October 1, 2011.  This new law bars mandatory consent to credit checks by employees and applicants for all but a few types of employers.  Since then, California has also banned most employers from running credit checks on job applicants, and at least five more states are also considering similar bans.

What does Connecticut’s new credit screening law mean for your business?

In a nutshell, the law (PA 11-223) prohibits most employers from using credit reports in making hiring and employment decisions regarding existing employees or job applicants.  Major exceptions to the law are:

• financial institutions as defined under law;
• credit reports required to be obtained by employers by law;
• credit reports that are “substantially related to the employee’s current or potential job.”

“Substantially related” reports are allowable only if the position:

• is a managerial position that involves setting the direction or control of a business, division, unit or an agency of a business;
• involves access to personal or financial information of customers, employees or the employer, other than information customarily provided in a retail transaction;
• involves a fiduciary responsibility to the employer, as defined under the law;
• provides an expense account or corporate debit or credit card;
• provides access to certain confidential or proprietary business information, as defined under the law; or
• involves access to the employer’s nonfinancial assets valued at $2,005 or more, including, but not limited to, museum and library collections and to prescription drugs and other pharmaceuticals.

Although the use of credit checks as an employment screening tool has grown over the past several years (with some 60 percent of employers using credit reports for some or all of their background checks), this practice will now be illegal for most employers.  In the future, it will be interesting to see if and how this ban will help people with financial problems find employment.

What is your take on our new credit screening law?  Will it affect the way you screen and hire candidates?  We at A.R. Mazzotta would like to know.  Please leave your comments below.

They occur when smart people (like you) invest in creating the best possible relationship with a quality staffing firm (like A.R. Mazzotta).  Don’t leave your staffing success to chance.  Use these 10 ideas to achieve better staffing results:

1. Give temporary employees formal job descriptions. Job descriptions should be well-defined, prioritized, current and submitted in writing to your staffing firm.  They should include your expectations in terms of candidate abilities and experience, along with specific performance goals and standards.
2. Give your staffing service as much lead-time as possible. This will optimize your chances of finding an ideal candidate for the assignment and may give you more than one suitable candidate to choose from.  And when lead-time isn’t an option, let your staffing provider know which skills and traits are most critical for the assignment.
3. Be mindful of cut-rate deals. People – including temporary employees – are your organization’s most important asset.  They should be viewed as an investment, not an expense.  When it comes to staffing, you get what you pay for, so work with a staffing service that takes the time to fill your needs correctly.
4. Train your staffing services representative. Educate your staffing representative on your company’s mission statement, goals, culture, history and current performance.  Tell them what types of work styles or personalities will fit best in your organization.  Familiarizing your representative with your company’s needs and preferences helps your staffing partner become a more knowledgeable extension of your human resources department.
5. Take full advantage of your staffing vendor’s resources. Invest a little time to learn about your staffing firm’s full range of capabilities and value-added services (such as skills training), so you can take maximum advantage of their resources.  A good service can provide not only qualified candidates, staffing flexibility and cost savings, but staffing expertise and employee relations support as well.  To learn more about your staffing service, request a tour or a capabilities demonstration.
6. Set clear expectations. Establish mutually agreed upon expectations for interaction with your staffing supplier at the beginning of your relationship.  This may include order-placing procedures, appropriate quality control checks and feedback methods.  Setting expectations will ensure clear communication and expedient service.
7. Benchmark performance. Find out what tests candidates are required to take at your staffing firm.  When candidates are referred to you, ask what their test scores are.  Establish preferred scoring levels for placements within your company, using your own employees as benchmarks.  Additionally, encourage your temporary employees to take advantage of training available at the staffing firm.
8. Provide feedback. Maintain an ongoing dialogue and honest relationship with your staffing contacts, keeping them abreast of changes in your company.  Provide feedback on their service and the performance of their temporary employees.  Meet regularly to obtain their input on what you can do to improve the quality of service and placements.
9. Create a partner in your success. Consider involving a staffing firm in your company’s business planning.  For example, you might include your staffing representative in an annual meeting to plan staffing strategies.  Staffing experts can offer valuable insight regarding the possible uses of strategic staffing to meet your needs for workload variations, new hires and completing special projects.  They can also offer valuable market data to help you retain key employees.
10. Reward results. High quality staffing firms focus on more than filling orders.  They want to help you save time, lower expenses and get work done.  When you find a vendor who does a great job, look for opportunities to enhance the relationship.  Invite them in.  Challenge them to help you solve problems.  See what you can do to reward their good results.  Not only will you make your top vendor happy, you’ll increase their commitment to your success.

What can A.R. Mazzotta do for you?  Give us a call.  Together, we can explore opportunities to enhance your staffing results by:

• identifying inefficiencies where work could be performed at a lower cost;
• providing access to highly skilled and diverse candidates seeking temporary, contract or direct employment;
• offering the staffing flexibility you need to stay fluid during economic challenges.

But not anymore.

Today’s staffing industry is comprised of diverse, robust organizations whose services can greatly enhance your company’s productivity and profitability – even in a tough economy.  Still, a significant portion of the business community doesn’t really understand what we do, or how we do it.

So if you think that staffing services are too expensive, or that you can’t find an ideal candidate through an employment agency, take a read through this quick post.  It debunks five common staffing myths:

Myth #1:  Staffing firms are too expensive.

Fact: If you focus solely on bill rates and placement fees, you may conclude that staffing services are more expensive than a DIY staffing approach.  In reality, staffing firms can actually save you money.  You can leverage their recruiting expertise and economies of scale to quickly and cost-effectively access the talented candidates you need.

You can also reduce overtime, training and payroll administration expenses by using temporary employees to handle your extra workload.  Additionally, staffing experts can show you how to lower your labor costs by reducing your core staff to meet the low end of your production cycle, and then bringing in supplemental help for busier times.

Myth#2:  Temps are all secretaries.

Fact: Temporary employees now work in virtually every industry and increasingly include highly skilled professionals.  In additional to administrative and industrial workers, staffing firms now regularly supply medical, technical, legal and executive-level professionals to tackle mission-critical projects.

Myth #3:  You can’t hire a good employee through a staffing firm.

Fact: Staffing firms use rigorous screening, interviewing, skills testing and background / reference check processes to ensure the quality of talent they supply.  And unlike an individual you recruit on your own, a staffing service’s candidate comes with a guarantee.

Myth #4:  Staffing firms only provide “temps.”

Fact: Today’s staffing suppliers offer a wide variety of services that can be customized to suit your workforce needs, including:  temporary help, direct hire, temp-to-hire, contract staffing and payrolling services.

Myth #5:  Temps are only good for “fill-ins.”

Fact: Beyond filling in for vacations or illnesses, employers regularly use temporary and contract employees to: provide extra support during busy times; staff special short-term projects; access specialized talent; evaluate talent for permanent positions.

The Truth about A.R. Mazzotta Employment Services

The truth is, A.R. Mazzotta can certainly fill your last-minute staffing needs.  But we can do so much more for your business!  With over 40 years of experience serving Connecticut employers, and a full complement of staffing, recruiting and HR solutions, we can help you use staffing to reduce overhead, complete critical projects and cost-effectively recruit top talent.

What can A.R. Mazzotta do for you?  Contact us today.

It would be easy (and logical) to use this question as a launching pad for a sales pitch.  The true answer, however, is more complex.  What’s right for one employer, under a certain set of hiring, employment and market conditions, is not necessarily right for another.

So how do you decide if you should hire on your own, or partner with a recruiter?  Here are a few critical questions to consider:

Evaluate Your Current Hiring Practices

• How do you typically hire personnel?  Have you always done it yourself, or do you have a good working relationship with a recruitment firm?
• How much do you really spend on hiring on your own? Be sure to consider HR time, legal costs, management interview time, opportunity costs, vacancy costs and the cost of a bad hire – in addition to the cost of advertising.
• Do your DIY recruiting methods yield enough qualified candidates?

Conduct a Needs Analysis

• Do you have the time and resources available to properly recruit, screen, interview, assess, reference check and follow-up with candidates on your own?
• How much would it cost you to replace a bad hire in this position (i.e., do you need a guarantee)?
• Does your hiring situation require confidentiality or anonymity?
• How quickly do you need the available position filled?

Consider Current Market and Employment Conditions

• What is the current unemployment rate – not just in general, but specifically for the level/type of candidate you need?
• How desirable is your location?  Have you had difficulty attracting candidates to work there in the past?
• What are the emerging industry trends which could impact your ability to hire the talent you need?

Consider the Advantages Recruiters Offer

With budget constraints remaining a key concern, you may lean toward a DIY approach for recruiting.  But before you start posting to job boards, remember these key advantages A.R. Mazzotta can provide:

1. Improved focus. We free you to focus on your key priorities.
2. Specialization. We know how and where to find the high-caliber talent you require.
3. Temporary and contract staffing options. If your needs are short-term or project-oriented, we can provide access to the skilled individuals you need without adding to your headcount.
4. Access. We maintain robust candidate databases and relationships with passive job seekers.
5. Simplification. We save you considerable time and stress, while ensuring that correct selection and screening procedures are utilized.
6. Guarantees. We reduce the stress, expense and risk involved with hiring and/or replacing a new employee.

When working with a recruiting service makes the most sense for your organization, A.R. Mazzotta is the ideal choice for your placement needs. With over 40 years of experience, diligent screening processes and three Connecticut locations to serve you, we are uniquely qualified to deliver the talented candidates you need.

Contact A.R. Mazzotta today.  We can help you analyze your recruiting needs and determine if our services could help you hire more quickly, accurately and at a greater cost savings.