…YAY! HireVision Group welcomes back Stacie Durman
For those of you who have worked with hireVision over the years surely have missed the familiar voice of Stacie Durman when you called our offices, we have good news. And for those of you who have come to know us more recently, we’d like to let you know that you are in for a treat.
Stacie has officially rejoined the HVG family as an HR Assistant, and we couldn’t be happier. In March of 2009, Stacie and her husband Anthony moved to Texas. In July of 2010 they moved back…plus one. Stacie and Anthony (Tina’s son) now have a beautiful baby girl, Hailey.
We are pleased as punch to announce that one of our clients, EcoTech Marine, has just been named to the prestigious “2010 Inc 500″ list of America’s fastest-growing entrepreneurial businesses. EcoTech Marine manufactures water pumping products primarily for salt water reef aquariums and has revolutionized reef aquarium propeller pumps with its award-winning line of VorTech products and accessories.
The list is compiled and published by Inc. Magazine, which used the following criteria to select and rank the companies for inclusion:
This year’s list measures revenue growth from 2006 through 2009. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by June 30, 2006. Additionally, they had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent — not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies — as of December 31, 2009. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2006 is $80,000; the minimum for 2009 is $2 million. Revenue figures given in the company profiles are for calendar year 2009, as are employee counts. Full-time and part-time employees are included in the employee counts; independent contractors are not. As always, Inc. reserves the right to reject applicants for subjective reasons. The companies of the Inc. 500 represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found on Inc.com.
Don’t Miss Arbor Insurance Group’s “Cyber Liability & Employment Practices Liability” Seminar on Sept. 29, 2010
Arbor Insurance Group, one of our clients, is offering this terrific seminar at the end of the month that we highly recommend to anyone with questions or concerns about their company’s liability on the Internet. For more information, click here.
If you are on the fence about hiring new employees (or ones you were forced to lay off when the recession hit your business) right now, you have got to check out the article “Hire Now, Save Later” on Entrepeneur.com ASAP. They discuss how some companies maybe able to save thousands in taxes by giving jobs to the unemployed through tax breaks in Social Security taxes and the HIRE Act tax credits, both of which expire at the end of 2010.
“Between these two breaks, you can save thousands of dollars in taxes. Better still, if you need to do a lot of hiring, there is no limit on the number of employees for whom you can claim the credits.”
The article goes on to explain what you need to know aboutIRS rules and the specific restrictions that apply to these tax breaks, which you can read about here. We can also tell you that the IRS has the new Form W-11 that each new hire will need to complete, which you can read more about at IRS.gov .
Are these tax incentives worth it? Please share your thoughts with us!
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you are on the fence about hiring new employees (or ones you were forced to lay off when the recession hit your business) right now, you have got to check out the article 
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?
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.
Why, it was our intrepid leader, 
days of their arrival at your company.
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 
Sure, you know the obvious words to avoid using around the office, such as “
