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.

The good news: It’s very possible to get a raise today, even as the economy slowly recovers from one of the worst recessions in this nation’s history and while unemployment remains stubbornly high.

The bad news: You’ll have to earn it.

That is, before you ever approach your manager about a raise, you already should have earned it. You already should have been making a contribution to your company’s goals above and beyond what is expected of you in your job. You should have been doing the job of someone in a more demanding position and you should have been doing so for several months (at least three or four), not for a few weeks.

But that really is good news, because employers truly do want to reward top workers who do all they can — and more! — to help a business succeed.

However, most employers don’t spend their time noticing which employees are doing more and then automatically giving them hefty raises at annual performance reviews. So, you’ll more than likely have to ask for that raise.

Here’s how to do so:

Document your accomplishments. Prove that you’re going the aforementioned “above and beyond” in your duties. For example, you could e-mail your boss weekly, monthly or quarterly (just do it regularly) with a short report of all the things you’ve accomplished and where you are on major tasks/projects. It could be an e-mail such as “Completed Project A this week, one week ahead of schedule, saving the company several thousand dollars.” Don’t brag, just state the facts, which should speak for themselves.

Keep these reports for yourself. Review them regularly and self-select what you feel are the most important accomplishments. Then summarize them and a) forward them to your boss a few days before your annual review or b) forward them to her each quarter.

Be sure your attitude matches your stellar performance. Don’t complain. Don’t come up with excuses when tasks aren’t completed well or on time (in fact, you should let your boss know as soon as you know about problems or when a project will be late). Own up to your mistakes and work to make sure they don’t happen again. Be pleasant to everyone. Keep any temper you may have in check. If you have a hard time with disruption, work on yourself so that you’re better able to “go with the flow.”

Finally, ask for a raise. Depending on how well your employer is doing financially as well as your relationship with your supervisor, you can suggest yourself the raise amount, or you can ask for a raise and let your supervisor/employer decide upon the amount.

Contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen Incorporated when you’re ready to raise your career expectations. We have many terrific assignments at some of the Pacific Northwest’s greatest employers.  Contact us today.

If you’re having a hard time getting employee buy-in of your company’s or even department’s mission, here are some tips to help you do so.

First of all, understand that humans pretty much abhor change. Most of us like our lives to remain as they are; it comforts us and makes us feel secure. Even if a change will be good for us, we still balk and dither.

So understand that your mission is a change to your staff and handle your rollout of any changes that will take place due to the new mission slowly and carefully.

Understand that not everyone in your department or company thinks like you do. Don’t start thinking your employees “should” see things your way. Don’t try to force the new mission and consequent changes down your staff members’ throats — you’ll encounter terrific pull back and you may never see the changes you seek. In addition, morale will suffer tremendously whenever you work to “strong arm” your employees into thinking as you do.

Also, understand that human nature automatically asks “what in it for me?” As you craft your new mission and start planning for company changes, be sure to let your staff know the benefits of the changes and how their working lives will improve.

That improvement/benefit must appear relatively quickly, not years down the yard. Many employees today don’t see themselves staying with a business for more than a few years; promising terrific stock options in five years if all goes well may not inspire many of your staff members.

Understand also that no change benefits everyone; some employees will see their jobs, their career, etc. evolve in a way they don’t like (for example, perhaps your goal to streamline processes results in not needing so many employees, meaning some people will lose their jobs). Be sure you can see all the “benefits” and “negatives” from your employees’ point of view, not just from management’s. Extreme empathy is called for if your mission and its subsequent changes does result in negative outcomes for some of your workers.

If your company is located in the Pacific Northwest and you’ve a need for highly skilled welding, HVAC/facilities maintenance, carpentry, production, welding and machinery personnel, contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen, Incorporated. We can find skilled workers for you quickly and easily. Contact us today.

Even though the recession is on the wane and the job market is showing signs of recovery, unemployment remains high and is expected to stay high for several months.

Which means that employers will continue to have many hard-working, talented applicants from which to choose.

That’s a good thing, of course, but many desperate job seekers have been applying for just about any position they “feel” they can do, whether or not they truly have the background and skills to do it.

In addition, a resume and interview often can be poor predictors of a candidate’s ultimate ability to perform well in a position and fit in well at your company. As you undoubtedly know, many hires are made by the “heart,” and not the “head,” sometimes resulting in a poor hire.

There are tools that can help you better assess a candidate’s “rightness” for a particular position.

For example, assessment tools exist that can help you match your most talented candidates to the position’s exact requirements. Such a tool allows you to find these top candidates via a job benchmark, thus removing bias and guesswork from your hiring decision.

In addition, many companies offer candidate assessment tools that assess potential employees’ personalities and candidates’ sales and customer service skills. You also can purchase tools that will help you perform pre-employment screenings and background checks, perform 360-degree employee performance evaluations, job simulation tests (in which candidates demonstrate the actual skills needed to perform a position well, and more.

Assessment companies generally will complete an easy-to-understand report and comparison on how a potential employee scores against values, critical thinking skills and top competencies that have been identified as important — or even critical — to success within the position.

When you need terrific technical professionals such as carpenters, electricians, engineers, draftsmen and project managers for your Pacific Northwest company, contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen Incorporated. We have a broad-based employee pool with terrific skill sets for just about any light or heavy industrial need.

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.

Companies continue to search for new ways to become more nimble and thrive in a tough economy.  In Part 1 of this series we shared three ways companies are using staffing to contain costs, reduce risks and increase flexibility.

Today, I’d like to share a few ideas to help you save time and grow your business:

Saving Time
Time may be the most precious commodity in business. The time you spend finding and administering employees is time away from critical job concerns.  Here a few ways staffing firms can relieve your hiring and managing burden:

• Hiring Process–Staffing companies that offer direct placement services can substantially reduce or eliminate the time you spend advertising, screening, interviewing, testing, and reference checking.

• Training–Because staffing firms have access to temporary employees with the skills you need, you’ll spend less time training new personnel. Often, staffing companies have training programs their temporary employees can use to sharpen their skills before they begin their assignment with you.

• Payroll Administration–When you use temporary employees, the staffing firm is responsible for the time-intensive tasks of processing and administering payroll and benefits.

• Non-Critical Activities–Outsourcing non-critical departments or activities to a staffing company with the necessary expertise can free up your employees’ time and lead to improved performance.

Growing your business
Businesses either grow and prosper or stagnate and fail. Staffing can play an important role in facilitating new growth concepts and supporting demands created by an organization’s success.  Here a few ways strategic staffing can help:

• New Ideas–Before you commit to hiring direct staff to implement a new concept, you can test your idea with temporary employees. These temporaries can assume a direct role, or they can fill in for your staff members involved with testing the new idea.

• Rapid Growth–A staffing organization can act as an adjunct to your human resources department. By taking the time to learn and understand your business, they can help you recruit temporary employees and direct hires who will succeed in your work environment.

• Knowledge Infusion–Staffing firms allow you to bring in the expertise you need on a short-term basis. These experts, especially temporary technical and professional staff, can also teach new skills to direct employees in your organization.

If you would like more ideas on how to save time and grow your business please give us a call.  As one of the leading staffing agencies in Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, we can help develop a strategic staffing plan to help ensure your success.

Even though some positive economic signs begin to emerge, these three goals will still ring true for nearly every business throughout the country.

Through using a planned approach to staffing, companies are saving an average of roughly 10% (and in some cases up to 30%) of labor costs with temporary staffing and reducing financial risk.  Here are some ways you can have similar results:

Better Contain Costs
All businesses need to control expenses. When used effectively, staffing services can save far more than they cost. Staffing solutions can reduce overhead and manage operating costs in several areas:

• Fixed Expenses–By using temporary employees for special projects or during peak workload periods, you get the experience and skills you need without increasing your fixed payroll costs.
• Benefit Expenses–Using staffing services can limit your benefit expenses. Most temporary employees receive only limited benefits paid by the staffing firm.
• Overtime Costs–By using temporary employees, you can reduce the amount of overtime you pay your direct staff.
• Unemployment Claims–Because staffing companies provide temporary employees, none of the unemployment claims affect your rating.
• Reduce Your Financial Risk – Staffing firms can help your business thrive by reducing the risks inherent in hiring and human resource management:
• Bad Hires–All hiring decisions are risky because bad ones are so costly. To help protect yourself, consider a temp-to-hire option to try out a new employee. If you’re pleased with the temporary employee’s performance, you can offer him or her a direct position. If you’re not, you can terminate the assignment without consequence.
• Burnout–As the workload increases, tension in the workplace rises, and so do absenteeism, workers’ compensation claims, and the need for more management. Adding temporary employees during peak work periods can help relax the demand on your direct staff.
• Legal Issues–Staffing firms are well-versed in employment law, so they comply with all federal, state, and local regulations. They can also help ensure that you’re following non-discriminatory hiring practices.
• Layoffs–By using temporary employees on an as needed basis, companies that experience frequent variations in workload can reduce or eliminate the need to lay off direct personnel during slow periods.
• Increase Flexibility – Today’s organizations are challenged to meet market demands quickly, without committing to long-term expense. Staffing firms can provide the support and expertise you need to get your work done within time and budget constraints.  Temporary employees are an ideal answer to situations with short-term staffing requirements, including special projects, seasonal work, vacation and maternity leaves, and tight deadlines.

Improve Operating Efficiency
Business functions outside of your core competencies can be outsourced to staffing companies. Outsourcing normally translates to decreased expense and increased efficiency.

Overcome Hiring Restrictions
If your company has instituted a hiring freeze, temporary employees can help you with the workload without increasing your direct hire headcount.

In Part II of this series, we’ll cover a few additional tips on driving performance and lowering cost in your organization.  In the meantime, if you would discuss any of these topics in more detail please contact Madden Industrial today!