A recent survey of about 200,000 employees shows that employee morale is the lowest it’s ever been.  Employees report job satisfaction is minimal.

In order to help raise the level of worker morale and motivation, one important tool that some HR specialists advocate is using praise and recognition.  The lack of motivation within a job and lack of engagement that lead employees to quit is a major expense for employers.  Hiring a new employee to replace one who has left can cost a company as much as 250 percent of the person’s annual salary.

The survey reported that 65 percent of the workers had not received any recognition at all during the past year.  Almost 80 percent said the major reason they left a company was because they felt their work was not appreciated.

At places where morale is high, almost all the employees said that the managers effectively use recognition of their employees.

Companies that use recognition of excellence in their organization usually are more profitable than those who barely use it all.  Moreover, those companies that do a good job of recognizing excellence have a return on equity more than three times greater than those companies that do not recognize good performance.

There are many, many ways to recognize excellence.  One way is to create high expectations for new employees by having a small ceremony on a new worker’s first day on the job.  This can then be followed by an e-mail to employees giving some background about the new person and what he or she brings to the organization.

At the start of the day, put three coins in your pocket.  Move one to the left pocket when you give some recognition to an employee for performance that has made a difference to your company’s goals, to your customers, or your employees.

Recognizing performance also means recognizing those who may not be the strongest performers at your company.  You need to praise even the most incremental movement toward the goals you want to achieve.

Another way to recognize an employee is to personally deliver the paycheck, and before you hand it over, tell the employee what his or efforts mean to the company.  It’s not the money that will inflate the employee’s pride, it is the praise.

You’ll be praising the work of C.R. Fletcher Associates, Inc. to the heavens when we’ve found the perfect employees for your Syracuse-area firm. Contact us today so that we may learn more about your staffing needs!

Companies will be ramping up their hiring once the economy really starts to recover, but the way they do it may include some different techniques.  Because of cuts to recruiting offices during the recession, companies are looking for more cost-efficient ways to recruit.  As a result, they are turning more to refining their methods using social media aimed at specific groups.

Employers have been using social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook for some time.  But now employers are aiming their recruiting efforts at blogs with very specific content and audience and LinkedIn groups using video.  As an example, one employer used such a content-specific blog to find people who had a very specialized kind of financial services background. The company put a recruiting video on the site and got a very good response.  There usually is a big increase in people visiting a site after a video is posted, according to one social media consultant.  Nearly 20 percent of those viewing the video apply for the position, which exceeds other sources.  The cost to the employer is minimal, and thousands of people see the video.  Moreover, because the audience has been targeted, those who apply for the job are much more likely to have the qualifications the company needs.

Employee referral programs also are finding renewed interest.  It’s a lot faster and cheaper to make a hire if done from with a referral from a current employee.  Again, the company uses video, only this time puts it on the company’s Facebook page.  There is a much greater chance this way of being seen by workers, who then send it to their friends.  Moreover, the electronic traffic can be tracked to see how well the video is working in recruiting people.

The use of mobile phones in the hiring process also is becoming a trend.  Companies are placing videos on cell phones that users may then text ID to other people.  This way, an employer has the person who receives the video watching it and sending it to friends.  The video in this way goes viral.

Because these kinds of electronics and social media sites are becoming much more prevalent, especially among younger workers, companies are finding that if they want to reach more people, they have to have a presence on these sites and in these technologies.  And with tight financial constraints, this kind of recruiting makes sense as a way of reaching new groups of potential job candidates.

C.R. Fletcher Associates, Inc. can help your Syracuse-area firm find great local employees for temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire positions. We look forward to showing you how we can help your company become more profitable and productive. Contact us today!

When companies think of hiring temporary workers, it’s usually clerical or mid-level managers that come to mind.  But more and more in the fast-paced business world, companies are turning to contract employees to fill executive level positions, including CFOs and CEOs.

In today’s business environment, companies often cannot afford to go leaderless for the time it takes to search for and hire a CEO, especially when the future of the company is at stake.

Such leadership is especially crucial for start-ups, who need the guidance an experienced CEO can offer.  But they can’t afford to be without a CEO for the six to nine months it may take for a search.  By hiring a contract, temporary executive, companies can get a very experienced CEO to move their business forward right away, and have someone to mentor their own workers.

Such contract CEOs are screened extensively for their managerial skills, such as creating marketing plans, making long-range financial projections and negotiating joint venture agreements.

Contract work appeals to former CEOs who have expertise and want to keep their hand in the game, but who don’t want to make the all-consuming, long-term commitment a permanent position would require.

Another dimension that contract CEOs bring is a focus and strategic outlook, which their independence allows.  Sometimes, a CEO can get bogged down in operational details, the day-to-day running of the company.  Because the permanent CEO can get caught up in the details, he or she may not be able to focus objectively on the long-term

In a depressed economy, where businesses need to make tough choices, a temporary CEO also has advantages.  Because the temporary executive comes in without the emotional and political ties of a permanent employee, he or she can take a more objective look at a business, and also make the tough decisions without the entanglements that surround a regular CEO.  The temorary CEO doesn’t have to worry about relationships with others in the company if unpopular decisions need to be made.  These high-level temporaries have no political agenda, and so can be honest in their assessments. The contract CEO can play the role of the bad guy, and incur the ill feelings of other workers.  When a permanent replacement arrives, that individual may then focus on rebuilding the relationships and culture of the company without the baggage.

Sometimes a contract executive can help a company out of a crisis situation, if, as a result of the crisis, the original CEO loses his or her job.

If you need high-level or executive expertise for your Syracuse-area firm, contact C.R. Fletcher Associates, Inc. We can provide you with professional contract employees for those time when your company is in crises, between CEOs or otherwise needs the expertise only an experienced executive can bring. Contact us today!

As with any place where you have a group of people working in close proximity, there will be people at work who are difficult to get along with. It might be because of work habits, or personality types. Nonetheless, in the workplace, you will have to learn how to cooperate in order to be productive.

What kinds of difficult personality types are you likely to run in to in the average workplace? There are several, but there are ways to handle them and actually work together.

One kind of difficult coworker is the person who just likes to talk. This person is not being malicious. He or she genuinely likes to converse with other people, sharing experiences, thoughts and anything else that may be of interest at the moment What these folks don’t see, however, is that their loquacious ways are hindering other coworkers from getting their jobs done. Sometimes it’s difficult to extricate yourself from conversations with these types of people because you want to be courteous, and often that means trying to listen. But if you want to get away from them, without insulting them, you can put the focus on yourself. Explain to the person, for example, that you just have trouble concentrating on your work while someone is talking to you, but that you would love to hear his or her stories another time.

Another person who can be difficult to work with is one who continually complains. The complaints might cover a range of issues – home life, friends, coworkers, the job, the company, the boss. When this gets to be a problem, one way to handle it is to change the subject whenever the complaining starts. After you do this several times, the complaining person should get the hint that you just aren’t interested in listening.

Other coworkers who can be difficult to work with are those who try to unload some work onto others because they believe they too have much to handle, or because they simply don’t want to do it. If this happens to you, the best way to handle it is to be direct – you simply tell the person you cannot do the task because you have your own work to do.

Another difficult person to work with – and this is someone who can really cause frustration – is the person who likes to take credit for something he or she didn’t do, or someone who inflates the contribution made to some work effort, or who takes all the credit — and praise — for a project that other people worked on as well. The first time this happens, let it go. It may simply be a mistake, or a matter of over enthusiasm. If it happens again, however, you need to make sure those who matter know about your own contributions. And then, unless you have to work with this person, refuse to work with him or her again.

Tired of pushy coworkers? The queens (and kings) of gossip? The backstabbers? The whiners? Then bring your rèsumè to C.R. Fletcher Associates, Inc. and let us help you find your next great position. We “know the good guys” among Syracuse-area employers, and we’d be happy to help you find a great job with one of them. Contact us today!

How do you write that perfect résumé that will land you the job you want?  Here are a few tips.

First, figure out what your job search objective is.  What is the particular job you are looking for?  What is the job you want to do?  Planning your objective will help you focus everything else that follows.  The format of your whole résumé will revolve around that objective, and you won’t come across as vague or unsure of yourself.

You also need to think of your résumé as an advertisement, not just a list of things.  Your résumé is a way of selling yourself.  When you compose it, you need to think of what you need to say that will put you in the best light, what will pique the interest of a hiring manager enough to pick up the phone and call you?  What makes you special or unique?

The purpose of the résumé is to land you an interview, not a job.  You don’t need to include every last little detail.  As was mentioned, you need to generate enough interest in the employer so that he or she will call you.

Keep things simple and direct, clear and concise.  You want to use bullets and short sentences, which will make it easier to read.  Leave white space.  Don’t use a font smaller than 10 points.  Also, use action words.  This will give your writing more power and make it more compelling.  Use numbers, and dollar amounts and percentages, which stick out in your résumé.

You want to put your strong points up front.  Save the lists of employers and educational institutions for the end.  Lead with your strengths and your selling points.  Look at the ads for the job you are applying for, and match the keywords used in the job ad with the bullet points in your résumé.  Also, use the buzzwords of your particular field or profession, which will help show your competence in the field.

Figure out what in your background is irrelevant to the job you are applying for and leave it out.  For example, if there are some duties in your current job that have nothing to do with the job you are applying for, don’t include them.  If you think including your date of graduation from college may cast you in a negative light with your age, don’t include it.  Focus on the things that support your job objective.

And again, use the résumé to show breadth of knowledge and experience, rather than waste space going into detail or depth.  Save showing your depth of knowledge for the interview.

Have someone take a look at your résumé.  She may find things that you missed.  Ask her if she found it engaging and interesting.

Finally, a point about résumé length.  Conventional wisdom says you should keep the résumé to one page, two at most.  Generally, this is pretty good advice. But it’s not set in stone.  Again, you need to look at your objective and what you need to do to best advertise yourself, and if you find that you can do it best in a résumé that is longer than two pages, then do it.

When looking for your next great position in the Syracuse area, Bring your résumé to C.R. Fletcher Associates, Inc. We have many career and temporary positions just waiting for your skills and terrific work ethic. We look forward to hearing from you!