Madden Industrial Craftsmen Incorporated

How do you retain your employees after you hire them and prevent high employee turnover?

These are problems faced by all sizes of business.  You need to anticipate what kind of turnover you might have, but it’s a hard thing to do.  For that reason, the recruiting process should be ongoing.

Turnover also has its advantages – new people bring in new and innovative ideas.  But you need to keep in mind that excessive turnover is usually a sign of some fundamental problem with the business and so steps should be taken to address the problem.

Turnover also has a financial cost to the company – estimates of the total cost of employee turnover range from 50 percent to 150 percent of an employee’s annual salary.

Turnover is usually more of a problem with blue-collar and younger employees.  One way to reduce turnover is to offer incentives to stay with the company.  These can include such things as  more vacation time, flex time, job sharing and wellness time.

It’s also important that company leaders share with employees the vision and direction of the  company and communicate with employees the benefits of staying with the company.

It’s also important for the company to understand the reasons for turnover.  Companies have set up different ways of doing this, including exit interviews for employees leaving the company, employee surveys, employee focus groups, and post-employment interviews.

To reduce the amount of turnover, some companies have modified their compensation packages, while others have made changes to their interviewing process.  They are focusing on the fit between the person and company.  Does the candidate share the values and goals of the company?  Some companies are emphasizing career development more.  They have ongoing career development programs, tuition reimbursement programs and skills training to try and retain workers.

Other businesses have become more employee oriented in an effort to retain workers.  They actively try to engage employees and get them involved in ideas for improving the company.  They let employees know they have a voice within the company.  In addition, the companies emphasize recognition of employees.

Also, companies are working on compensation packages that include long-term incentive compensation and bonuses.  They are being more creative with their compensation to retain employees.

If you’re on the lookout for top-notch talent in carpentry, welding, machinery, production, HVAC/facilities maintenance and other skilled technical trades in the Pacific Northwest, contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen, Incorporated. We can fill your temporary, temp-to-hire and direct hire staffing needs with excellent workers who meet — and exceed — your expectations. We look forward to hearing from you.

With the economy sputtering and corporations looking to pare their workforces even more, it’s no surprise that job security is a real concern.  But how do you make yourself “layoff-proof?”  How, in short, do you make yourself indispensable?

While no one really is indispensable, there are a number of things you can do to enhance your job security.

First, you need to look at your department as a corporation and yourself as its CEO.  All of your activities should be carried out with the bottom line in view.  Will they be an asset or a liability?  You need to look at the big picture as well, how your activities and department fit in with the entire company.

You need to take responsibility for your career and moving up the ladder, taking a proactive stance and not just relying on a mentor to help out.

Make sure to keep a positive attitude.  Someone who is always worrying about what will go wrong, or who is overly concerned about failure rather than success, will not be seen as an asset to the company.

Learn how to work in a leaner environment.  Show your superiors you can run your department just as efficiently with fewer people.  Learn how to hire consultants and other temporary staffers to help out.

Find a job that you can do better than it’s being done now, or one that is being neglected, and then take on the challenge of doing it.  And make sure to add the additional duties to your job description.

Develop a plan to make others in the organization aware of who you are and what you do.  Some people believe that if they keep their head down they will be overlooked during a downsizing.  That’s not true.

Find out what in areas your boss is weak and become an expert in those areas.

Become a company spokesperson at community events and other gatherings.  By doing this, you become the face of the company to the community, and you develop more contacts.  Make sure you inform your superiors what you are doing.

And, finally, it’s good to remember the old axiom – be a team player.  You should be seen as someone who supports and promotes the department, someone who finds solutions to conflicts rather than causing them.

When you’re looking for the next position where you can showcase your skills and abilities, contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen Incorporate. We have many terrific positions for skilled craftsmen at great companies throughout the Pacific Northwest. Contact us today.

Here are six questions you should never ask a job candidate (and 10 ways you can still get the information you need:

1) Are you a U.S. citizen? Citizenship legally has no bearing on whether someone can work in the U.S. Instead, ask: Are you authorized to work in the U.S.?

2) What religion are you? A candidate’s religious beliefs also have no legal bearing on their ability or ability to do a job. You legitimately may be wondering if their religious practices may preclude them from working nights or weekends, so instead ask: What days are you available to work?

3) What clubs or social organizations are you a member of? Again, this question has absolutely no bearing on a candidate’s ability to do a job and it can reveal too much about a person’s political or religious affiliations. If you were to decide not to hire a candidate based on his or her political/religious membership, you could be sued. A better question to ask is one that’s work related: Do you belong to any trade or professional groups relevant to our industry?

4) How old are you? This question is bad for so many reasons, particularly because you’re setting yourself up for an age-discrimination lawsuit. A better question to ask: Are you over the age of 18?

5) How many years do you have before you plan to retire? Another loaded question. Even if someone appears old to you, she may have 20 years or more before she plans to leave paid work. In fact, she may be planning to never retire. Instead, ask: What are your long-term career goals?

6) Do you have children? Do you plan to have children? Again, what does this question have to do with a candidate’s ability to do the job? How he handles his childcare situation is his responsibility. Far better to ask: This position requires some/considerable travel and overtime. Is that a problem for you?

Madden Industrial Craftsmen, Incorporated provides skilled carpenters, welders, machine and production workers, HVAC/facilities maintenance personnel and other skilled tradesmen to companies doing business in the Pacific Northwest. As a leading staffing agency, we can help you develop a strategic staffing plan to help ensure your company’s fiscal success.

If you hire people full time who were unemployed or working only part time and Uncle Sam will reward you with a terrific payroll tax incentive.

President Obama signed the Hiring Incentive to Restore Employment (HIRE) on March 18. If your company qualifies, under the HIRE Act you could receive payroll tax incentive and a general business tax credit.

Just about every business in the U.S. could qualify. All your company needs to be is a “non-governmental entity.” If you’re a U.S., Federal, state or local government organization, you’re out of luck, although even state colleges and universities qualify for the incentive/tax credit.

Hire someone who starts working for you after March 18 but before December 31, 2010 and you may be exempt form paying the 6.2 percent social security tax on wages to paid to qualified employees. Those qualified employees are those who

Payroll Tax Incentive
Under the Act, employers that hire new employees this year may be exempt from paying the 6.2 percent social security tax on wages paid to qualified employees through December 31, 2010. An employee is “qualified” if she: starts work after February 3 and before January 1, 2011; signs an affidavit that he wasn’t employed for more than 40 hours during the previous 60-day period (which ends the date she starts working for you) ; wasn’t hired to replace another employee (unless that other employee left of his own accord or was terminated for cause; and isn’t one of your family members.

You may claim your payroll tax exemption on your federal employment tax return.

As for the general business tax credit, the HIRE Act allows you to receive this tax credit if you retained the employee for at minimum of 52 consecutive weeks and her wages during the last half (26 weeks) of that 52-week period  were at least 80 percent of her wages of the first 26 weeks of the period.

If the employee stays with you for just 50 or even 51 weeks, you cannot claim the general business tax credit.

The credit is equal to the lesser of either $1,000 or 6.2 percent of the wages you paid to the retained worker during the 52 weeks mentioned above.

If you’re on the lookout for top-notch talent in carpentry, welding, machinery, production, HVAC/facilities maintenance and other skilled technical trades in the Pacific Northwest, contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen, Incorporated. We can fill your temporary, temp-to-hire and direct hire staffing needs with excellent workers who meet — and exceed — your expectations. We look forward to hearing from you.

Our sister company Madden Fabrication has been hosting an interesting project that is being created by Portland artist Pete Beeman. Pete has been commissioned to design and build a work of art for Charlotte North Carolina’s Shuffletown Sportsplex, on the site of the old Shuffletown Dragstrip. This piece is an interactive sculpture where the person turns a crank on the sculpture which then makes the hand open and close. Pete used a CAD program to draw up all the individual pieces of the hand and to make sure that they all worked together perfectly. Along with insuring the accuracy of construction, Madden Fabrication was able to cut and fabricate directly from these CAD drawings. You can see how the hand works in the video belong. If you would like to see more of Pete’s work you can check out his website at www.petebeeman.com. For more information on Madden Fabrication you can go to www.madfab.com or call them at  503-226-3968.

Mike – Electrician – Commercial and Industrial – Mike is a strong industrial and commercial electrician.  He holds a Journey license for Oregon and Washington.  He has worked in paper mills, saw mills, and has experience with wind turbines.  He has done new construction jobs as well as tenant improvement.  He has run crews at many of his past jobs.  Mike can start to work for you immediately.

 Chris – Maintenance Supervisor – Chris has a strong background in creating and managing maintenance programs. Chris has managed up to thirty skilled trades’ personnel including mechanics, electricians, tool and die makers, and grinders. In addition he oversaw the maintenance for a 750,000 square foot state-of-the-art distribution center.  Chris has outstanding communication skills, longevity at past positions, and is looking for a challenging job. 

 Randy – Carpenter – Commercial – Journey level drywall hanger and concrete carpenter. He is strong at tilt ups and metals studs, and he has done siding, vinyl, and T-111. Randy has all of the needed tools and know-how to hit the ground running with any related job that you might have.  Give us a call to find out more about Randy.

 Bruce – Facilities Technician – Bruce has worked on boilers, air-handlers, chemical pumps, electrical, and other HVAC equipment.  He has also worked on air compressors, forklifts, log loaders, and production equipment.  He also has supervisory experience at a number of his past positions.  Bruce is looking for a long-term opportunity with a solid company. 

 Laborers – We have a number of hard-working, reliable laborers available to go out on short-term or long-term projects.  All of our laborers have related experience, reliable transportation, and are eager to work.  If you need some laborer help for a day or longer, please call us,

When the economy bounces back, many companies will bring on new, permanent staff. Unfortunately, hiring new staff can be scary because you’re basing a long-term working relationship on an impression made in a few moments time. By hiring through us, you have months to evaluate your new addition as opposed to minutes.  By hiring your long-term employees through us, you’ll enjoy a fantastic safety-net-an “Employee Warranty”.  Whether you let us do the footwork and provide you with the right employee or simply have us manage your own hand-picked employees, you’ll enjoy a priceless “New Employee Warranty” simply by running them through us!

If your workload is getting consistently heavier and you think it’s going to keep increasing, it might be time to permanently increase your staff. Permanently increasing your staff can make your business run more efficiently and can help prevent your current staff from burning out. It also means you only have to train them once, as opposed to retraining temporary employees that you bring on sporadically. Our talented recruiters locate the best trades-people your industry has to offer and hand-pick the best match for your company. Our company also provides you with an “employee warranty.” This warranty removes ALL liability from you for expensive unemployment claims if you complete an employee before hiring them direct, as well as from any potential workmen’s compensation claims that occur while they’re being run through us. When you run a new employee through us, we are liable for potential unemployment claims and workmen’s compensation claims-not you. Even better, you’re exempt from this liability until you transfer them to your payroll!

            In addition to protecting you financially, we also handle the extensive preliminary footwork of hiring a new employee such as advertising, recruiting, screening, interviewing, and setting up taxes and benefits. We can also help ensure your employees remain available during your slower times that you need to temporarily cut them lose. If your production suddenly takes a temporary drop off, we can often place your employee on short-term assignments that will allow them short-term work until you can bring them back full-time. Our employee warranty will protect your pocketbook from wrong hiring decisions, and in today’s litigious society, that piece of mind is priceless! Call us today to find out just how easy it is to experience our “Employee Warranty.”

After a decade and a half of solid success in the Northwest, it’s clear that our longevity is due in part to our ability to not just hear what our clients want, but to truly listen to them. Every client is seeking a superstar employee, whether for short, filler assignments, or as a permanent addition to their team. Yet an ideal employee is different for every company. Our recruiters think outside the box and excel in finding out just what type of employee it will take to help your company thrive. First we determine what type of employee you are looking for. Next, as our relationship with you deepens and we understand additional requirements, we then custom-design our employee search around what works best for you. Finally, we add the finishing touches of personalized operating procedures– designed solely for you and your company.

To find the ideal employee, we first have to understand just what constitutes your idea of a “superstar”. Think the perfect employee comes from a cookie-cutter mold? Think again. We understand that the “perfect employee” is unique to each company because everyone’s business is different. Do you need a short-term “fire-starter” that can hit the ground running and jumpstart your project? Does your business require a personality that has a great work ethic, but is content with little room for advancement, instead seeking a corporate “family” to join? Do you need someone that can function well under rotating shifts? Do you want someone who craves overtime, or someone who likes a 40-hour week? Perhaps your ideal employee is the solid, soft-spoken steady worker that never lets you down and follows directions beautifully, or is it the energetic maverick thinker that offers creative strategies? Our goal is not to just find the perfect employee, but to find the perfect fit for your company.  We appreciate that a good fit between employees and clients requires more than hard work;  it requires insight, along with shared work values and goals.

Once we understand what type of employee is required for your business to thrive, we then customize our search to best fit your individual needs. Some clients are pressed for time and prefer for us to do all the footwork and then deliver the perfect employee to their door-step. Others prefer to be in charge of the final decision by speaking with our hand-picked applicants through phone or live interviews. Whatever method you elect, our recruiters and sales staff will inquire to find out the method works best for you.

Furthermore, we can provide on-the-job safety training, forklift re-certification, welding certification through our fabrication shop, per diem management for out-of-town work, and many other areas. We also offer hand-delivered payroll to our employees at your request and we are always eager to have our recruiters tour your business so they can see first-hand what you do on a daily basis. Our top priority is your satisfaction-and by adapting our protocol to your needs while maintaining our high standards, we continually achieve this satisfaction. Call us today and let us help you find your own unique Superstar-you’ll be glad that you did!