July 26th, 2010
Looking to cut corners during the hiring process is understandable in the current economic climate. Who doesn’t need to reel in spending? But if you are considering skipping a solid pre-employment testing process before you hire your next employee, we ask that you consider the long-term costs that can result. What will it cost your business if you hire a poor-performer?
According to the Daily HR Tips post:
Pre-employment testing and screening can significantly reduce the risk of making a bad hire. Hiring the wrong person can result in an expensive and time wasting process involving terminating the current incumbent and hiring a replacement.
DirectView, hireVision’s customizable hiring process management program, offers excellent pre-employment testing services. It’s a way to determine if a job candidate has the knowledge, skills, experience and abilities you require of them to be successful in your company. And we make sure any tests that are used are not just job related, but also comply with the “Uniform Guidelines on Employment Selection Procedures” issued by the EEOC. Because we do not charge a per-hire fee, we conduct all pre-hire services while sitting on your side of the desk, completely focused on your hiring needs. We integrate within your unique culture, industry and management style to help do the work of hiring in a skilled and focused manner.
Contact us today for more information about how to put DirectView to work for your company.
Posted in Blog, HR DirectLink Service, How To Hire Good Employees, hiring process |
July 2nd, 2010
Before you sit down to do your regularly scheduled cost-cutting review of company expenses, please read “Leave Well Enough Alone! - The Case For Continuing With Wellness Programs”, a great article recently published at Daily HR Tips, one of our favorite blogs. The piece has some excellent points:
In fact, wellness classes have proven to be one of the best investments for the training dollar of all training classes. As health insurance premiums are rising exponentially every year, costs are rapidly rising to the point where employers have to find new ways to reduce their health expenses. Wellness Programs have shown incredible returns and remarkable results. Health costs for those companies using Employee Wellness Programs are significantly reduced.
Here are five good business reasons why companies should continue with (or start) wellness programs:
1. Decreased Health Insurance Costs
2. Improve Work Place Morale
3. Reduced Absenteeism
4. Increased Productivity
5. Reduced Sick Leave
“Everyone needs to keep costs down, but sometimes the important benefits far outweigh the costs. Wellness programs for your employees are a great investment in your most important assest: your people,” says hireVision’s Tina Hamilton. Small and mid-sized businesses may not be able offer the extensive wellness programs that large corporations do, she says, but even the more modest ones are beneficial. Some ideas for useful and inexpensive health initiatives include:
- Keep and update a wellness bulletin board in your break room or employee lounge
- Sponsor fun-focused company nutrition or health challenges
- Arrange for employee discounts at local gyms or sporting goods stores
- Sponsor an employee healthy recipe “happy hour”
- Invite registered dietitians or personal trainers to speak about wellness with interested staffers
- Support employees in smoking cessation & weight loss programs
- Start a company walking club
For more ideas on promoting wellness from The New York State Physical Activity Coalition, click here.
Posted in Blog, Employee Relations, Events, Human Resources, Resumes, Uncategorized |
June 18th, 2010
Why, it was our intrepid leader, Tina Hamilton, that’s who!
Tina participated in the live audience taping of “Business Matters”, which aired on WFMZ on June 7, 2010. The episode was entitled “Unions: Past their prime or now more than ever?” and turned out to be a very lively discussion about union pros and cons from the viewpoint of Lehigh Valley area residents and community leaders.
Host Tony Iannelli lead the segment with guest panelists Mike D’Amore, President of Allentown City Council, Lanita Lum, Member of the Saucon Valley School Board, Wendell Young IV, President of UFCW Local 1776 and Matthew Brouillette of the Commonwealth Foundation. During the second half of the program, audience members were given an opportunity to ask questions to the panel.
Tina’s question is at the 14:08 mark on the video, which you can view by clicking here. You can also see Tina in the middle of the crowd whenever the camera does a sweeping shot of the audience.
“Nobody puts baby in the corner!”
Posted in Blog, Employee On-boarding, Human Resources, Other News, Press, Uncategorized |
June 7th, 2010
We just read this excellent article on the importance of making a good first impression on your new hires during the first few 
days of their arrival at your company.
Here’s one of our favorite points from the article “Does Your Company Welcome Policy Make Your New Hires Want To Stay Or Go?” on the blog HR Ninja:
Although the way that we are welcomed into an organization might not seem to be particularly significant, and some might even think of it as being a childish consideration akin to a small child on his or her first day at school, the reactions of others when we are feeling especially vulnerable are, in fact, anything but trivial. In new situations, we all have an acute need to fit in and feel like ‘part of the family’, but if this doesn’t happen, the feelings of rejection can be crushing to the point that they are never really overcome.
To read the whole article, click here.
If you would like to discuss how hireVision’s On-boarding Administration services, or any of our unique HR DirectLink service packages, please contact us today. We love to hear from you.
Posted in Blog, Employee On-boarding, Employee Relations, HR DirectLink Service, Human Resources |
May 20th, 2010
If you ignore, misuse, or demean talent within your company—even during this recession—they’ll move on to greener pastures. That’s the overall take home message from BusinessWeek’s recent article “Five Ways to Ensure Mediocrity in Your Organization.” The magazine details “five of the most insulting leadership practices, the ones that virtually guarantee a business will end up with the most self-esteem challenged, optionless team members when the dust settles” and it is a great read for managers everywhere. We especially like the first example of lackluster-promoting leadership:
1. If you desire a mediocre workforce, make sure your employees know you don’t trust them.
Nothing spells “You’re dirt to us” like a corporate culture that screams, “We don’t trust you as far as we can throw you.” I refer to company policies that require employees to clock in and out for lunch or software that tracks every keystroke and change of URL in case a molecule of nonwork-related activity squeaks into the workday. When employees know they’re not trusted, they become experts at “presenteeism”—the physical appearance of working, without anything getting done. Congratulations! Your inability to trust the very people you’ve selected to join your team has cost you their energy, goodwill, and great ideas.
Posted in Blog, Employee Relations, Human Resources |
May 6th, 2010
Sure, you know the obvious words to avoid using around the office, such as “&*(%^%$*“, “*(&*^&%$” and “%$$*^#@“. But do you know the more subtle words and phrases that might also be damaging your image at work? Yahoo! Hot Jobs recently posted “The Worst Words to Say at Work” that lists nine common words and phrases that will make you sound noncommittal, undependable, and untrustworthy to the people you work with every day.
Here’s our favorite part of the article:
Projects depend on everyone doing his or her part. People who use “if” are usually playing the blame game and betting against themselves. They like to set conditions, rather than assuming a successful outcome. People who rely on conditional responses are fortifying themselves against potential failure. They will say, “If Bob finishes his part, then I can do my part.” They’re laying the groundwork for a “no fault” excuse and for not finishing their work.
There are always alternatives, other routes, and ways to get the job done. Excuse makers usually have the energy of a slug and the spine of a jellyfish. You don’t want them on your team when you’re trying to climb Mt. Everest.
The article was actually an excerpt from Surviving the Toxic Workplace (McGraw-Hill, 2010), by Linnda Durre, a psychotherapist, business consultant, and columnist. You can follow her on Twitter: @LinndaDurreShow.
Posted in Blog, Employee Relations, Human Resources, Uncategorized |
May 4th, 2010
Whether you are a superb schmoozer, a reluctant conversationalist or something in between, we think this excellent article called “10 Commandments for Better Networking” is a worthwhile read. It comes from Career Rocketeer and offers sound, straight forward advice. One tip in the article that really caught our eye was this one:
Remember that a good networker has two ears and one mouth and uses them proportionately. After you’ve learned what another person does, tell them what you do. Be specific, but brief. Don’t assume they know how to help you.
And speaking of networking, don’t forget to check us out on these social sites:
Posted in Blog, Uncategorized |
April 29th, 2010
President Tina Hamilton has been tapped as an HR expert again, this time for Woman’s World Magazine’s “Land that job with new recruiter-proven tricks!” The article, which appeared in the April 26, 2010 issue, offers advice to job candidates on how to improve their “soft” skills, which the define as the ability to be able to put others at ease.
To view a printable PDF of the article, click here.
Posted in Blog, Interviews, News Coverage, Press, hiring process |
April 23rd, 2010
We found these jaw-dropping poll results over at DailyHRtips.com. The survey, by Right Management Consultants and originally published in HR Magazine, asked 1,308 people why they left their jobs in the last year. (Totals add up to more than 100% because people we able to give more than one reason.) Here’s what they found:
1) Downsizing or restructuring (54%)
2) Sought new challenges or opportunities (30%)
3) Ineffective leadership (25%)
4) Poor relationship with manager (22%)
5) To improve work/life balance (21%)
It used to be that a poor relationship with your supervisor was the No. 1 reason, but these days people are more likely to leave because of a layoff. That being said however, the bad-boss reasons—”ineffective leadership” and “poor relationship with manager”—are still near the top.
As the economic recovery continues, there is no doubt that poor supervision will return as the number one reason for employee dissatisfaction and exiting. Maybe its time to get those supervisors trained up now before your most talented employees jump ship for greener pastures!
Posted in Blog, Human Resources, Terminations |
April 12th, 2010
How many times have you looked over a resume and thought to yourself, “Oh, this applicant should not have included that”? How often does a case of too much information result in a job seeker being cut during the resume screening process?
The Work Buzz, a CareerBuilder.com blog, recently posted “6 things you should probably remove from your resume”, and we think it’s pretty spot on.
In an age of FaceBook, Twitter and FourSquare, we’ve gotten used to broadcasting any and all information about ourselves. But when it comes to your résumé, it might be best to take a cue from German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe who coined the phrase, “Less is more.”
Do you have anything you’d like to add to this list? We’d love to get your thoughts on this topic.
Posted in Blog, Resumes, hiring process |
