In turn, the past decade has seen an explosion of litigation under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which empowers people to resolve errors in credit reports and background checks, among other provisions. The number of FCRA lawsuits has nearly tripled since 2011, reaching 5,400 suits in 2021. Meanwhile, background check-related lawsuits have forced companies like Aerotek, Kelly Services, AT&T, Home Depot, and Whole Foods to pay more than $325 million in settlements. As just one example, Starbucks recently settled lawsuits alleging the company used flawed data from background checks to deny work to thousands of jobseekers.

Yet there is little reason to think employers have become less concerned for their workers. Rather, the broker-centered verification system has simply dominated the US workforce for decades, and it has become normal for employers to hire background check firms that buy their verification data from brokers like Equifax or Experian, which collect and sell billions of records on workers’ income, education, employment and more. Some verification firms are even subsidiaries of the brokers themselves. For instance, Equifax’s The Work Number service collects payroll data on more than half of the entire US workforce.

PREMIUM CONTENT: October 2022 US Jobs Report

Unfortunately, this system creates enormous risks for both workers and employers. Beyond the threat of data breaches — like the infamous 2017 hack at Equifax — or the fact that brokers re-sell worker data to countless buyers, it is incredibly easy for data errors to go undetected when workers are not included in their own verification process. Where data brokers assume there will always be errors across the billions of records they process, mistakes like inaccurate criminal histories, missing jobs and even small misspellings will be obvious and urgently important to the workers involved. And where 78% of employers aim to offer identity theft prevention as a worker benefit, employers can avoid all the added costs of this benefit if their workers can simply review their data and flag any anomalies.

This verification system is outdated and inefficient, and it treats workers like products rather than clients or consumers. Meanwhile, Equifax raised the price of its employment verification by 31% in the past year, passing these costs to job seekers, home buyers and staffing firm customers.

However, new technologies are emerging that allow workers to take control of their own payroll data, offering personal, encrypted vaults to store their data, review it for accuracy and share it with specific third parties with the knowledge that the authenticity of their data is guaranteed.

Regardless of the specific technology, it is critical that employers explore these new platforms. Beyond legal liability, mistakes in payroll data can devastate workers, ruin job opportunities and damage relationships with employers. For instance, the world recently learned Apple labeled former employees as “associates,” regardless of their title. Since these workers did not verify their own records, some were shocked to learn this error had derailed other job offers. Moreover, taking a bold step to protect your workers’ data can signal to your clients that they can entrust their own sensitive data to your company and your contractors.

To avoid litigation, PR crises, worker turmoil and corporate distrust, experts urge employers to arm themselves with policies, documentation and redundant compliance measures. And while these are good precautions, they can never fully shield a company that relies on data from massive brokers to vet their workers.

There was certainly a reason employers relied on data brokers in the past, but things have changed. Laws and technologies are shifting, leaving employers with a choice: Stick with the old system and do your best to defend against liability, breaches and distraught workers, or cut out brokers as middlemen and give workers a voice in their own employment story.

temporary staffing agencies in phoenix, az

The post Giving Workers Control Over Their Data Can Protect Their Future and Your Reputation appeared first on Paragon Strategic Staffing.

Technology

The Covid-19 pandemic has sped up digital transformation and technologies by years, leaving businesses in a tight spot with managing their digital infrastructure and adapting to these changes. However, the technology sector has been leading the way in providing remote working opportunities and has been the fastest in adjusting to them. But with many remote tech workers preferring to stay at home, how can the technology industry thrive in the remote era?

Create a productive work environment. With daily commutes being a thing of the past, workers can now focus on core projects, which boosts overall productivity levels. However, it’s important to note that with IT and digital projects catapulting to the top of the meeting agenda and many businesses seeking to adjust their business models to the latest technological developments, including outsourced services, your team is still getting their well-deserved rest. Creating a work environment with a balanced workload and fair deadlines helps them feel at ease and appreciated even when working from home.

Customer Service

When high street chains closed their doors in 2020 and moved to the online sphere, the retail sector received a huge boost. Customers filling their digital carts resulted in rapid growth for e-commerce businesses. But with online stores suddenly having to manage the increased demand of customers, many companies responded to that by expanding their customer service departments. A huge benefit of hiring customer service representatives is that support can easily be provided via phone calls, emails or chats – all from the comfort of their own home. But has that taken a toll on customer service representatives?

Staying connected. Customer service jobs can be challenging, despite the perks of working from home. A customer service agent deals with various situations daily; some are more demanding than others, and it can easily take a toll on a person mental health. As such, prioritizing employee well-being has never been more critical. Getting involved in your team’s daily activities, sharing the daily struggles, and finding common ground can help your team face the challenges ahead. As a celebration of all your achievements, a daily virtual huddle, a day out or a networking event once every quarter can go a long way.

PREMIUM CONTENT: Online Job Advertising: 2022 Market Update

Marketing and Content Creation

Hiring marketing or social media representatives is an investment in future sales, as it contributes to building a company’s brand and selling it to a broad audience. Along the way, the team creates a range of content from blog posts to ads. As a manager, the day is never the same as you jump from project to project, which certainly requires good time management and organizational skills. But how can you ensure your team is driven even when the times are challenging?

Take feedback. As the digital world is changing rapidly, it’s only natural you expect your team to be up to date with the latest releases and ready to implement them in your strategy. But remember that building an empire with a solid base takes time and your employees need to feel supported while taking on more responsibilities. Make sure to implement regular meetings, take their suggestions on board when working out your strategy, and ask what other forms of support they would need to develop in their roles.

Final Thoughts

There are no right or wrong answers regarding best practices for managing your remote team, as each individual requires a different method. Remote working at this scale is a new and fresh method; best practices and technologies will inevitably emerge to help us. As always, it’s essential to be open-minded and focus on how you, as a manager, can empower your team and foster greater collaboration.

temporary staffing agencies in phoenix, az

The post Managing Remote Workers in a Variety of Industries appeared first on Paragon Strategic Staffing.

“Inflation will put more pressure on chief procurement officers to manage their departments strictly within budget,” according to the Ardent Partners Annual Research Report. That said, here are some compliance pitfalls to be aware of when hiring contingent workers.

Worker classification. A common freelance hiring issue originates from a poor chain of custody around worker classification. Without legal worker classification, your organization is in danger of costly litigation. If your worker classification is outsourced to a managed service provider (MSP), they may also have outsourced this important function to a vendor management solution (VMS).

Many businesses have redistributed the responsibility of worker classification to a third party or still have paper processes in place, which is precarious and, dare I say, archaic. The party you employ to carry out worker classification won’t be in the hot seat if an audit occurs, so it’s up to you to ensure your worker classification is compliant with the law.

Selecting poor MSPs/VMSs. Poor vendor choices can happen using an outdated MSP. Many MSPs have not updated their practices to include modern technology and inevitably have inaccurate need analysis and data errors. Using inadequate MSPs and VMSs can leave you non-compliant, and may contribute to a perceived talent shortage because of their limited bandwidth in quickly and compliantly hiring contingent workers.

If your MSPs or VMSs are not adhering to the established set of guidelines laid out in their contracts, your organization is at risk for fraud, corruption and rogue spending. Dependable vendors can also be the link between you and a flowing supply of labor. Capitalizing upon what VMSs and MSPs do well while directly sourcing your own external talent could save you time and money. Tech tools allow you to sidestep low-quality recruiting services, undelivered talent quotas, questionable ethical standards and compliance risks around hiring.

PREMIUM CONTENT: The US Gig Economy — 2022 Edition

No agile workforce strategy. Smart enterprises are hiring at speed using External Workforce Management systems to minimize the effects of the talent shortage by adopting strong external hiring processes. A good process streamlines onboarding, tracks progress and compliantly pays freelancers on time.

Procurement teams can benefit from External Workforce Management to reduce risks around signing contracts, non-disclosure agreements, background checks and the long-term storage of and access to onboarding documents. Standardized procurement procedures in one central system allow internal stakeholders to know exactly what to do at each hiring stage because the system is virtually automated.

According to Deloitte, “Only 8% of respondents, for instance, said that they had established processes to manage and develop alternative workforce sources…”

Managing independent contractors compliance -at speed- can be difficult. Nonetheless, there are technological workarounds that procurement professionals can use to speed up the notoriously slow non-employee hiring process while upholding ethics, data privacy, transparency and other legal requirements surrounding employment laws.

Don’t Be Afraid to Tap Into the Gig Economy

It’s critical to hire flexible global talent to stay competitive. While communicating with external talent is more straightforward, engaging contractors for flexible work and maintaining compliance can seem overwhelming without the right innovation.

Using agile talent means you can scale your labor force during seasonal demands, contract talent to fill gaps in your teams, reduce workers during slower periods and have access to a larger talent pool.

According to Statista, “In 2021, there were about 23.9 million independent workers in the United States, an increase from 12.9 million in 2017.” Using quality External Workforce Management  can help you outmaneuver the competition with perks that include tax benefits, increased productivity, higher ROI and lowered overhead costs while providing options for increased diversity and inclusion. Advanced tech exist that works alongside your MSP and VMS, not replacing them, but enhancing the workflows around labor law compliance, worker classification, custom contracting and spend visibility — cutting out rogue, low-quality hiring practices.

temporary staffing agencies in phoenix, az

The post Compliance Pitfalls Procurement Professionals Need To Be Aware of When Hiring Contingent Workforces appeared first on Paragon Strategic Staffing.

The pandemic and various new Covid-19 variants forced companies to allow working from home. They cast their nets out for a wider geographic reach when recruiting talent. Workers accepted positions they may never have otherwise considered due to the distance from their homes.

Now, those decisions are coming home to roost as some companies seek to reign back in their workforces and re-populate their deserted offices. And workers are pushing back. The question is, how much should companies demand of their workers in this talent market? And what of their contingent workforce?

Google and one of its staffing suppliers are facing such a conundrum. The Seattle Times reported Google Maps contractors working for a staffing provider and assigned to a Bothell, Washington location are being recalled to the office full time. Office-based Google FTEs are also being recalled, but at a more flexible three days per week, and the contractors are asking for the same consideration.

Commuting full time would be unaffordable, they say. Many are far-flung, living miles away from the high-cost Seattle suburb. One would be commuting over 140 miles daily. Another worker who spoke with the Times has a less lengthy but still burdensome 50-mile trip each way. Both were hired during the pandemic. In addition to the commute, health concerns remain.

While some could argue workers should have foreseen the eventual return to office, they claim they have not been given the notice period they were promised when the eventuality occurred — meaning they have had less time to formulate childcare and other solutions. Also, shouldn’t contingents be offered the same flexibility as employees?

We’re still in the middle of a significant talent crunch, with employers lamenting the dearth of skilled workers they need. Is now really the time to lay down the law with regard to returning to the office? For more than two years now, we’ve learned if nothing else that working from home has not been detrimental to productivity. In this particular case, it appears to be the staffing firm calling the shots. However, the end result could prove problematic for the contingent workforce program and the project directly should a percentage of its team quit all at once over this situation.

Timing aside, the Google Maps situation points to a lack of understanding management has of its workforce. Earlier this year, a survey conducted by Microsoft of 31,102 workers around the world indicated that about 50% of leaders say their company already requires or is planning to require employees to return to in-person work full-time in 2023. In the same report, 52% of workers said that they are thinking of switching to a full-time remote or hybrid job in 2022. What leaders are looking for stands in sharp contrast to what employees really want: flexibility.

While many companies are initiating back to the office plans, others are still availing themselves of the benefits a remote workforce can provide. And workers know they have options, they may prefer to work for top-shelf employer brands, but at the end of the day, they know their worth and will take their skills elsewhere to protect their health and wellness.

Staffing providers and contingent workforce programs would do well to listen to them and work with them to find a suitable middle ground. In addition, corporations need to craft a return-to-office plans that is suitable for all its workers. Hybrid, anyone? Otherwise, employers may find themselves spending considerable time and money replacing talent and, given the labor crisis, may be left out in the cold.

temporary staffing agencies in phoenix, az

The post Return-to-Office Plan? Read the Room Before Crafting a Strategy appeared first on Paragon Strategic Staffing.

This IC’s experience with a client that demanded he deliver beyond the scope of his contract went viral recently on Twitter. But as an editor at SIA, my thoughts turned to the costs to the client and to the contingent workforce managers who often administer the IC program at enterprise organizations. Situations like the one detailed by Twitter user @BirdRespecter could prove to be major headaches — if not costly — for the enterprise organization.

What happened here was the client ultimately lost the worker — who was a week away from completing a “site installation.” While the client did not in fact have the authority to terminate the contract, subsequent exchanges led to the worker walking away from the relationship.

Beyond the immediate and obvious costs to the client in terms of a project thrown into turmoil, there is the danger of managers like this one pushing engagements into the realm of IC misclassification (exerting control over a worker is a significant factor in such determinations). Then, there’s employer branding.

Control. There are a number of tests that may apply to the relationship between a business and a contingent workforce. The applicable test varies based on government agency, relevant statute and jurisdiction, but a primary factor in nearly every test is the company’s right to control the worker’s conduct, according to Eric H. Rumbaugh, a partner with Michael Best and Friedrich LLP. However, he points out that this particular scenario is unlikely to lead to misclassification concerns. “Requiring a worker to attend a meeting, by itself, would unlikely have any weight in converting a contractor to an employee – independent contractors and employees both have meetings and both have necessary meetings.”

Branding. While the contractor did not name the client nor the agency through which he worked, he easily could have, and other similarly situated independent contractors could turn down future work with the client given the demands made. Having your company blasted on social media can do lasting damage to its reputation and remove it from consideration as an employer of choice for top candidates.

Companies are accustomed to paying attention to social media from a consumer experience aspect, but in terms of the employer brand, it’s still not being addressed well, says Dawn McCartney, SIA’s VP, Contingent Workforce Strategies Council. Employment is becoming far-flung as the pandemic pushed employers to accept remote work. “Where you might have known people working for an employer in your city, now, if you’re considering an employer across the country or globe, you’re going to look to social media to learn about the employee experience.” With the current talent crisis, especially, companies simply can’t afford not to address complaints that emerge.

Educate. While the company involved in the viral Twitter thread presumably avoided the long-term damage it could have suffered, it still was left scrambling to get its installation project completed. And this could have been avoided easily, had the engagement manager been educated on what they could and could not require of the worker. As the IC said in one response to the manager: “You guys really ought to read the contracts you make us sign sometime. Pretty wild stuff in there.”

As the talent crisis deepens, the power lies with the worker. SIA knows from its annual Workforce Solutions Buyer Survey that enterprise organizations plan to expand on their use of independent contractors over the next few years. Further, many are developing their own direct-sourcing programs, which puts more of the responsibility for relationship management on the program. Increased use of ICs means more engagement managers interacting with them, and perhaps setting expectations they’ve no right to set.

When engaging ICs, learn what the do’s and don’ts are and make sure your engagement knows them as well. Then, of course, there’s business 101: Read your hiring contracts.

temporary staffing agencies in phoenix, az

The post Going viral: When an engagement manager does not know how to manage an IC appeared first on Paragon Strategic Staffing.

A renewed focus on remote working. With the successful integration of remote working across many industries over the last 18 months, many companies are looking to retain this approach into 2022.With the many benefits it can offer, as well as continued apprehension surrounding the pandemic, remote and hybrid working models remain popular due to their practicality and agile nature. However, in order to ensure that this system remains effective, it’s important to have employee management tools in place that can monitor performance and progress.

Employee engagement. One of the biggest challenges that many organizations faced over the last year has been a reduction in employee engagement. As a result, several issues have arisen, from lower productivity to higher attrition rates within many businesses. With this in mind, the focus for many companies in 2022 is going to be all about revitalizing employee engagement in order to get back on track with their goals and expansion plans while increasing performance levels back to their optimum level. There are many different ways to nurture employee engagement, from changing feedback structures and improving internal culture to ensure a better work-life balance and mindfulness of your workforce’s individual needs.

Health, safety and well-being. Employee health and safety quickly came to the forefront of many business’ agenda during the growth of the pandemic. Employers had to take immediate steps to ensure that workers felt safe and able to continue their work despite the challenges they faced. This is likely to continue as a trend going into the new year as uncertainty around public health remains. Perhaps more important is the impact of recent events on employee mental health, with many individuals feeling stressed and isolated. As a result, both the physical and mental well-being of workers will remain a core focus for 2022, meaning businesses will need to ensure they can facilitate the support services that their staff may require.

PREMIUM CONTENT: VMS Global Landscape Summary 2021

Reflecting key values and beliefs. Employees today are much more likely to seek out workplaces that reflect their own personal values and beliefs, which means that ensuring the workplace positively performs for key values such as diversity and inclusion has become a priority. Diversity is the demographic of a workforce and inclusion is how well all the different perspectives that are represented within it are integrated. Values such as this are vital to attract and retain the next generation of talent in the workplace — and also to ensure that your business is primed to benefit from all the advantages that a more diverse and inclusive body of employees has to offer.

Better ways to work with contractors. The benefits of a contingent workforce have become very obvious over the past year or so — but so too have the issues that many organizations experience in accommodating these workers. As we move into a more agile and flexible workplace management style, next year we are going to see more businesses turning to contractor workforce solutions to help with attracting and managing key talent.

As workforce trends continue to pivot towards engagement, well-being and flexibility in 2022, ensuring that your company reflects and delivers on these values will be a key contributor to your success.

temporary staffing agencies in phoenix, az

The post Workforce Trends to Consider in 2022 appeared first on Paragon Strategic Staffing.

In this regard, research by Dr. Anil P Sarode and Manisha Shirsath offers an excellent starting point. Specifically, it identifies five environmental factors that may be worth your attention.

Air Quality. Naturally, air quality is vital toward ensuring productivity. Extreme cases of air pollution may expose employees to airborne contaminants. Similarly, milder cases of unclean air may still induce headaches, fatigue, and otherwise hamper your employees’ health. By extension, their productivity will also naturally decline accordingly.

Regarding air quality, you may initially consider temperature and humidity. The ideal workplace temperature has been found to be 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit, or 22 degrees Celsius. If yours deviates significantly, you may examine your heating and cooling solutions to meet this goal. Similarly, ideal relative humidity levels should remain between 40-70%, depending on your temperatures. Should your humidity levels remain high enough to hamper productivity, dehumidifiers may be a wise investment.

Office Furniture. Office furniture can also affect productivity in the workplace both positively and negatively. Indeed, ergonomic furniture will naturally affect productivity, as it will ensure employee comfort. Sarode and Shirsath note, “If all factors surrounding the employee are ergonomically correct, then the employee will … remain motivated.” Conversely, they also indicate that non-ergonomic office furniture may pose health risks and decrease organization. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for needless furniture clutter to distract employees and further hamper their productivity. Thus, consider removing unnecessary pieces of furniture while ensuring the remaining ones are sufficiently ergonomic.

PREMIUM CONTENT: SIA Bullhorn Staffing Indicator – July 30, 2021

Noise. Among environmental factors that affect productivity in the workplace, noise is likely among the most common. A noisy work environment can understandably distract employees and reduce their day-to-day productivity. However, that’s not to say that complete silence is desirable either; indeed, some healthy background noise is desirable.

Thus, you may examine your workplace’s soundscape and address noise levels through such means as sound-absorbing materials or device relocations. At the same time, you may consider discrete background music, if and where appropriate, to provide a more pleasant work environment and enhance productivity.

Lighting. Similarly, lighting is a crucial, complex factor in productivity. Initially, low lighting levels may strain employees psychologically, while high ones may also distract. At the same time, optimal lightning might better facilitate such tasks as reading, but the placement of lighting fixtures may also create screen glare and other unpleasant results.

Ideally, depending on your workplace location, layout and typical hours of operation, you may address lighting in all such senses. Consider, for example, how your layout makes use of available natural light to create a psychologically pleasant atmosphere. Similarly, consider how your artificial lighting addresses the needs of your premises and how it may accidentally hamper productivity.

Color. Finally, few workplace factors affect productivity in the workplace as much as your color choices.

Initially, your workplace colors can physically affect your employees; consider, for example, how bright colors can strain the eyes, especially if combined with excessive lighting. They can affect your employees in subtle ways as well. You should thus consider the psychology of colors as you examine your color choices. While there is no universal best choice, safe choices should include soft hues of green, blue or orange. In brief, any color that helps your employees relax without distracting them should help enhance productivity in the workplace.

temporary staffing agencies in phoenix, az

The post Environmental Factors that Affect Productivity in the Workplace appeared first on Paragon Strategic Staffing.

The goal of all onboarding process improvements is to provide the best onboarding experience for all involved, be they the candidate or the recruiter. This post addresses how to do just that.

You might presume that providing a great candidate experience means more work for the recruiter. But thanks to technology, elevating the candidate experience no longer means working your recruiters harder. In fact, the opposite is true.

Good for the Recruiter, Good for the Candidate

The most effective way to elevate the onboarding experience for candidates is to first elevate the onboarding experience for recruiters, which you can do through smart tools.

“The candidate and recruiter experience go hand-in-hand. You can’t have one at the expense of the other,” confirms Gibree. She has already instituted a wealth of changes, including automating background checks and much of the Form I-9 process, and is currently working to streamline all processes through a single portal. The feedback from recruiters has been overwhelming. “These are huge pain points for us, so we’re really excited about the shift.”

EG has also reaped serious rewards for both recruiters and candidates with their onboarding enhancements, says Hoke. “It used to take candidates about an hour and a half to complete their onboarding documents. A lot of recruiter intervention was needed. But now that we’ve automated with Able, candidates get through the process in 10 minutes, and with minimal recruiter intervention.”

By removing a large amount of the work and seriously simplifying the complexity, EG’s recruiters were left feeling “very, very pleased” with the new onboarding system, giving it an NPS score of nine.

PREMIUM CONTENT: US Staffing Industry Pulse Survey Report: July 2021 Selected Highlights

The Key Traits of a Great Onboarding Process

What exactly does a great onboarding process look like? As new technologies continue to be adopted, the shape the best onboarding experiences is beginning to become clear:

• Mobile-optimized: Candidates are becoming less and less willing to put up with long and complex onboarding and application processes. Both must be able to be completed on a smartphone, ideally in minutes.
• A single portal: Your onboarding process must be simple and streamlined for both recruiter and candidate. A single portal should solicit every piece of necessary information in an intuitive way.
• Automated: Your firm should challenge itself: What are we doing manually today that we could automate tomorrow? What are some of our most labor-intensive tasks, and can they be automated?

A smart solution isn’t a silver bullet. Remember that 70% of technology implementations fail – you can’t just slap a tech solution on a problem and expect it to be fixed. You need to be considered in your choice of solution, you need to develop an implementation plan and you need recruiter buy-in.

The Surprising Perks

The benefits of enhancing your onboarding processes stretch beyond candidate and recruiter experience, and even beyond increased efficiency, productivity and revenue for your firm.

The staffing industry struggles with retention — one out of every four account managers and recruiters leaves a staffing firm in any given year. But enhancing the recruiter experience can see you beating those odds by freeing them up to focus on the fun and exciting side of staffing: building relationships and making money. Not only will you retain the best, you’ll attract the best.

Investing in your onboarding processes also serves to future-proof your business and make it more resilient in turbulent times, a fact laid bare by Covid-19.

At the end of the day, enhancing onboarding comes down to one thing: technology. If you choose the right solution and implement it in the right way, you can turn the current pain of onboarding into some serious gains.

temporary staffing agencies in phoenix, az

The post Enhancing Onboarding Experiences to Gain a Competitive Edge appeared first on Paragon Strategic Staffing.

Smart, future-focused organizations are creating a people-first strategy. That means being open to new ways of meeting talent, creating a meaningful culture and considering different types of workplace models. The following are five key areas employers should consider today and in the future.

1. Establish a clear purpose/mission and values. People want to work for organizations that share their values — and act accordingly. Clearly knowing and communicating who your organization is, why it exists and what it stands for helps you attract like-minded people who want the same things and are aligned on how to get there. More than ever, people want to work in an organization that allows them to contribute to something greater than themselves and make a difference for the world. A clear purpose/mission and values are essential to creating a people-first organization, and now is the time to assess and update them for the future.

2. Earn trust through transparency. Trust has plummeted across institutions such as government, healthcare and the media. Organizations have an opportunity and the responsibility to step up and earn people’s trust through honesty, transparency and vulnerability. Employers can build trust by consistently being who they say they are, staying open to feedback and being willing to adjust if they fall out of alignment with their purpose/mission and values. The companies that can do these things authentically will earn meaningful relationships with employees, partners, customers and communities. They will also be in the best position to attract and keep talent.

PREMIUM CONTENT: US Staffing Industry Pulse Survey Report: July 2021 Selected Highlights

3. Embrace flexibility. The data shows that employees are as effective, if not more effective, when given flexibility to work remotely, and that the majority (41% in fact) prefer to continue working that way. Individuals want flexibility, but they also want to be around other people. Organizations need to achieve both by allowing for flexible work but also bringing people together for onboarding, training, celebrations and other in-person events that can be helpful. People-first businesses consider what’s best for the business, as well as employee preference, to meet people where they’re at in a variety of ways, including schedules, communication preferences and approach to work. When this happens, everyone is willing to lean in and create the best solution. And for employers, this shift opens a national market for high-impact talent and companies to find each other — a true win-win.

4. Authentically activate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Meaningful work is at the center of personal and professional decisions. People want to work in teams with diverse strengths and perspectives. The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer finds 86% of survey respondents expect CEOs to speak publicly on DEI/social issues. Businesses need to define, communicate and activate their DEI commitments and think differently about whom they invite into their organizations to create a diverse team and inclusive workplace. True change requires clear action steps and measurable progress designed to break down barriers. A strong record of following through on DEI commitments will demonstrate credibility.

5. Create an agile workforce. A recent report notes that 46% of the average organization’s workforce is now considered contingent. An employee-driven market is creating new requirements, and we need to pay attention to what is changing.  Like it or not, the way we work today will change in the fall and likely again in the winter as we find our new norms. People have options and are thinking differently about how work fits into their life versus fitting life into their work. Companies willing to embrace the benefits of an agile, flexible workforce are best able to accommodate ever-changing business and marketplace needs.

People-first organizations are best positioned to create the meaningful work opportunities that lead to better business outcomes, improved work-life balance and fulfilling careers. If you look closely, change and optimism are in the air. And there’s never been a better time for employers to do something extraordinary and capture this unique opportunity.

temporary staffing agencies in phoenix, az

The post The Great Resignation or An Extraordinary Opportunity? Now is the Time to Make People the Priority appeared first on Paragon Strategic Staffing.

According to the Labor Department, the share of United States workers who left their jobs in April was 2.7%, the highest level since at least 2000. And if they haven’t left their jobs yet, they’re planning to, according to a recent study by Prudential Financial, which found that one-quarter of workers say they plan to look for a role with a different employer soon.

Turnover isn’t cheap, either. Estimates vary, but conservatively, replacing an employee can cost a business one-half to two times their annual salary. The smart play for businesses is to invest in both current and prospective employees in order to ensure retention and stand out amongst competitors.

PREMIUM CONTENT: July 2021 US Jobs Report

Successful Organizations Focus on What Employees Need 

Investment is about more than just money. While salary requirements will usually drive contract negotiations, the perks and benefits are turning out to be just as important for the diverse workforce of today. Benefits packages now go beyond the staples of health insurance and 401k plans to include investments in employees’ short- and long-term futures.

Here are a few ways that successful companies are utilizing benefits to invest in their most valuable assets — their human capital:

1. Job up-skilling and soft skill development. The workforce is largely made up of millennials, and 87% of them say that career growth and professional development are important factors in their job decisions. Whether a position is changing because of technological advances or analytics requirements, offering employees the opportunity to grow with their position is vital. Not only are new skills a welcome development for employees, but soft skills development like leadership, management and communication are drivers for successful retention. Employers can provide fully-remote training through learning libraries for soft skills as well as industry-specific courses, and artificial intelligence and virtual reality are making training an immersive, interactive experience.

2. Mentoring and feedback. To grow in their fields and reach their true potentials, employees need feedback and coaching. Whether through regular feedback, annual performance reviews or mentoring opportunities, employees are demanding that those in leadership positions invest more time in providing career guidance. Mentoring relationships benefit both employees and businesses by developing strong employee loyalty and ultimately increasing worker retention.

3. Fully remote and hybrid work models. The pandemic forced employers to adjust their work requirements, and many employees are now demanding some of these changes stick around. A flexible work environment is no longer just a perk, but a necessary investment for employers. Research conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) showed that 52% of employees forced to work remotely due to the pandemic want to continue to work from home permanently on a full-time basis.

More than two-thirds of small businesses reported they are currently having a hard time finding qualified workers. Raises and promotions help retain talent, but they aren’t the only way to think long-term. In a job seeker’s market, finding ways to attract new talent is the only way to keep an innovative, talented team. The ways that businesses show up for their employees will continue to change as cultural priorities shift, but the philosophy that will stick around is one that involves investing in people.

temporary staffing agencies in phoenix, az

The post How Companies Are Investing in Their Employees appeared first on Paragon Strategic Staffing.