If you’re dealing with high employee turnover, our sympathies, because many human resource experts say that if a company is experiencing high turnover, that company is in crisis.

Here are some tips on how to deal with high turnover.

Many employees do leave for greener pastures. As in, companies that pay them more than a current employer pays. If your exit interviews are finding that workers are leaving you because they feel they’re not getting paid enough, it may be time to rethink your salary structure.

But leaving for a higher paying position isn’t the main reason most employees leave. Another big factor is an employee’s “quality of life” at the workplace. Do your employees feel management is weak? Is there a culture of distrust and tension? Do managers belittle employees? Is there no room for advancement? Do employees feel engaged with your company’s mission; do they feel they’re working for something “greater than themselves”? Do your employees feel safe at their place of work? Is the equipment adequate for them to do their jobs? Do employees feel appreciated?

All of these factors make a big difference in employee satisfaction. Survey your workplace and see where you can improve.

A lot of employee turnover occurs when an employee and a company just aren’t a “good fit” for each other. Either an employee had unrealistic expectations, or his or her work style or even personality just didn’t mesh with your company’s “culture.”

A pre-employment assessment tool can help you screen for on-the-job performance issues that also play a big role in whether or not an employee will succeed at your company. These traits can include the tendency to loaf on the job, substance abuse, theft, sabotage, ethics, goals and even personality traits.

Using these pre-employment assessment tools can go a long way toward “hiring right.” Hire the right people for the right jobs and you’re well on your way to cutting back on employee turnover.

Let CR Fletcher Associates, Inc. help you hire right the first time. We can source exceptional employees for your Albany/Schenectady company. Contact us today.

You’re looking to hire someone for a new position.  You need to advertise for the job and write a description.  How do you write an effective job description, one that will get you the person with the skills you need to do the job?

The first thing you need to do is determine what the person in this job will do; that is, what are the major functions of the job? A function is a major area of work that is done by one person.  For example,  functions of an assistant’s job might be typing, correspondence, conference coordination and filing.  Choose four to eight major functions in your description and, to keep things simple, describe those functions in no more than five words each.

After you have figured out what the functions of the job are, you need to determine how much time the person will have to devote to each of the functions, to define the relative importance of each function in the job.

The next step is to further break down the functions into the job duties.  These are the actions that a person must take in order to carry out the functions of the job.  Duties define the methods and procedures used to carry out the functions. Again, in the interest of clarity and directness, write no more than six to eight duties for each function.  When you do, be sure to answer the questions of how the duty is performed, why it is performed, and what is performed.  Use simple language, without any jargon.  You will also want to include the frequency of each duty – how often it is performed.

For example, for the function of conference coordination, the duties might involve such tasks as: scheduling speakers for departmental seminars by calling people from listings, finding out if they are available, determining the dates of the event and writing correspondence confirming the date, etc.

Next, you want to state the job requirements, the skills, knowledge and abilities that a person must have to perform the job well.  And these requirements should be tied to the duties.  A skill is something you know that can help you perform the duties, such as public speaking skills, typing skills, negotiating skills.

As part of the job description, you also want to specify if there are any physical, environmental or special demands involved.

Finally, end with a summary, a brief overview of the job, including the degree of supervision that the person in the job will receive.

Let C.R. Fletcher Associates, Inc. find your company’s next workers. We can help Syracuse-area companies identify and source high-caliber employees via executive search as well as for direct-hire, temp-to-hire and temporary positions. Contact us today.

Your business is shorthanded.  You could use a few more people, but you’re reluctant to hire anyone full-time because of the economy.  Is it time to bring in temporary workers?  What are the costs and benefits of such a move?

There are a number of benefits to using a temp.

One of the advantages of using temporary workers is the flexibility it offers.  It enables you to quickly adjust to changes in workload.  If you have seasonal bumps in demand, or if there is an unexpected demand surge, temporary workers will help you quickly get up to speed on production.

Another advantage of using a temp is the opportunity to evaluate the person without having to make a commitment.  If you are considering the person for a full-time position, you can see how productive the person is and how well he or she fits into your business.  Some businesses, in fact, use temporary staffing services for its pool of workers from which to recruit.  Or you can use the temporary employee to fill the position while you look for a full-time replacement.  And if the temp is not working out, all you need do is contact the staffing service and it will take care of the rest.

Temporary workers usually are less expensive than full-time employees.  You are not responsible for providing any benefits.  Their employer is the staffing service, not you.  The service is responsible for recruiting, hiring, screening, and testing workers.  The service is responsible for payroll and payroll paperwork, unemployment compensation insurance, and taxes.

Traditionally, temp workers have been used mostly in lower level, unskilled positions.  But that is changing.  Temps now are used in practically every industry and in skilled positions for a range of short-term projects in levels from unskilled labor to even doctors and nurses and everything in between.  Even in the legal field, firms are now using attorneys on a temporary basis.

Some employers assume that temporary workers just don’t work as hard as a full-time employee would.  But research has shown that this is not the case. It found that temporary workers actually work harder, and that their performance continued to improve when they were hired as full-time workers.

What are the drawbacks?

If you do bring on temporary workers, a certain amount of training will be necessary to get them up to speed on the specific projects they will be doing, no matter if they are skilled or unskilled.  If, however, you use the same temporary workers on an ongoing basis, the amount of training needed will be a lot less.

Using a temporary worker may also be impacted by safety issues.  Some jobs are obviously more dangerous than others.  Studies have shown that the number and severity of injuries on the job are higher with temp workers.  So, you will have to make sure all safety measures are taken when using a temp, and never let a temporary work a job without making sure he or she can do it safely.

Also, as an employer you must be aware of the legal issues involved in using temp workers.  The contract must be clear about the status of these workers and that they are not eligible for the benefits regular employees receive.

C.R. Fletcher can help Syracuse-area companies identify and source high-caliber temporary workers for direct-hire, temp-to-hire and temporary positions. Contact us today.

For recruiting services, maintaining good communication with hiring managers is important.  It improves the chances for hiring the best person for the job.

Feedback is also important for finding out how the candidate perceived the interview process.  The recruiting service should get in touch with the candidate shortly after his or her interview with the company’s hiring managers to get the candidate’s opinions and also to answer any questions or to clear any misunderstandings that may have resulted from the interview.

As part of the feedback process, the recruiter should find the answers to several questions, including what the job candidate learned about the position, what he or she liked most and least about the position, whether or not he or she would accept a job offer, whether compensation was discussed, and whether the candidate has any questions or concerns about the position.  If the candidate does have questions, the recruiter can then answer them immediately, rather than letting them remain as concerns in the candidate’s mind.

After the recruiting service gets the answers to these questions, they should give the feedback to the hiring managers at the company, to give them critical insight about the candidate’s experience.

Through this feedback, company interviewers can determine what things they are doing that impress candidates, and what needs to be changed.  They can find out how well they are doing in terms of selling the job to candidates and where there might be breakdowns in the process.  If for example, the recruiting service finds out that the candidate didn’t think the interviewers were particularly knowledgeable about the job skills and requirements, they can take steps to work on this area in future interviews.

The feedback would let the hiring manager know of the candidate’s interest in the position, opening the way to an offer, or helping to remove roadblocks to closing the deal.  Conversely, the feedback would let the hiring manager know if the candidate really wasn’t all that excited about the position.

The recruiter get feedback from the hiring managers at the company, regarding questions they have about the candidate and the candidate’s perception of them.

This kind of feedback among all the parties involved – the recruiting agency, job candidate, and hiring managers – plays an important role in getting to a final commitment.  Time can very often be the enemy in these situations, and using this feedback approach reduces the amount of time in reaching a deal.  This kind of feedback will greatly improve the ratio of good hires.

C.R. Fletcher can help Onondaga County companies identify and source high-caliber employees via executive search as well as for direct-hire, temp-to-hire and temporary positions. Contact us today.

Even though most people understand that applying for a job is “business,” and therefore any rejection isn’t personal, it’s still stings a bit to receive a rejection letter, especially if the candidate really wanted the position.

In fact, what really stings applicants is receiving a form rejection letter. Here are some tips to write more personal candidate rejection letters.

First, start with a buffer, of sorts. This should be short and have a small bit of praise, such as “Thank you for applying for our executive assistant position. We appreciate that you thought enough of our company to send in your resume.”

Your next paragraph should tell the applicant why you’re making this decision. Provide a few details: “The position requires at least 10 years of senior administrative experience.”

Then segue to the bad news. Don’t put this in a separate paragraph; that just draws attention to the negativity. For example, “This position requires at least 10 years of senior administrative experience and the position has been filled it with someone who meets that criteria.”

Notice how you didn’t say anything at all about the rejected candidate’s lack of experience. It’s implied, however, and is done in an indirect and more tactful manner.

In fact, your next sentence could be something like this: “We will be keeping your resume on file should you wish to apply for a different position.”

Aim to never use words such as “unfortunately,” “regret,” etc. Very gloomy.

Your close should be positive: “We wish you much success in your job search.”

Candidates who interviewed but not chosen should always receive a phone call from the hiring manager. Always. After all, candidates took the time from their schedules to meet with your managers, perhaps traveling several times for different interviews. The hiring manager can at least take a few moments to call all interviewees and let them know someone else was hired. It’s the professional and courteous thing to do.

Let C.R. Fletcher Associates, Inc. help you achieve great results with great people. We can source, interview and place many talented Syracuse-area employees for temporary, temp-to-hire and direct placement assignments at your company. Contact us today.

Interview Questions You Should Avoid Asking

Interviewing candidates can be a true minefield. Ask the “wrong” questions and you could be setting yourself up for a discrimination lawsuit.

Here are some questions you should not ask job applicants, as well as some alternative questions you may ask that will give you the information you seek.

How old are you? Classic question that could land you in court defending an age discrimination suit. Not hiring someone based on their age is a huge no-no in this country. If you truly do need to ask an age-related question, your safest bet is “Are you over the age of 18?”

Are you a U.S. citizen? Whether someone is a citizen of the U.S. or not is irrelevant. So long as someone as the legal authority to work here, you may hire him or her. The best question to ask — and you’ll have to ask it anyway when it comes time for the person you hire to fill out the I-9 form is “Are you authorized to work in the U.S.?”

Do you have children? Do you plan to have children? Whether a candidate is a parent or not has no bearing on whether he or she is capable of doing a job. The proper question to ask is “This position requires extensive travel and/or overtime/weekend work. Will that be a problem?”

What religion are you? Again, an individual’s religious beliefs in no way determines his or her ability to do a certain job. However, some religions do ask their followers to take certain work and weekend days off, so a good question to ask is “What days are you available to work?”

How many years do you have until you plan to retire? Don’t be fooled by someone’s appearance. A very young looking person could be deciding to retire young (saving money like crazy to retire at age 35), while someone else could be planning to work until age 70 or longer.  A much better question to ask is “What are your long-term career goals?”

C.R. Fletcher Associates, Inc. provides highly-skilled professional employees to companies doing business in the Syracuse, NY area. As a leading staffing agency, we can help you develop a strategic staffing plan to help ensure your company’s growth and success. Contact us today.

Many career experts recommend that young or inexperienced professionals identify a mentor to help them grow and advance in a profession.

Most of the “find a mentor” advice puts the onus on finding a mentor on the individual who is looking for one.

Why is that? Those with inexperience may not be able to see good mentor qualities in his or her colleagues. Instead, your company can identify mentors itself and then offer those employees who wish to take advantage of a mentor’s wisdom and expertise the opportunity to enter into a mentoring relationship with high-level professionals you identify.

Here are five traits to look for in potential mentors:

1. Mentors in your company should first and foremost be accessible. They should want to speak with and listen to younger professionals within your company. They shouldn’t look at the time they’ll spend with their mentees as “burdensome.”
2. They should be good listeners. In fact, some of the best mentors speak less and listen more. They listen to their mentees’ questions, goals, insecurities, ideas, etc. so that they can get a good idea of their mentees’ strengths, weaknesses and desires.  Mentors used as sounding boards can be a great way for younger professionals to “make mistakes” without making real mistakes.
3. Mentors should be the type of people who like to encourage others. They also should be the type of individual who can gently but firmly tell someone an idea is bad without cutting the person to smithereens.
4. Mentors should have experience and wisdom (the two don’t necessarily go together). That is, mentors should have learned from their own mistakes.
5. Mentors also should be willing to be “mentored” by their mentees, as in, mentors should be willing to learn from others no matter how young, seasoned, educated — or not — someone is. Mentors should believe they can and do learn from anyone.

Let us find your company’s future mentors. C.R. Fletcher Associates, Inc. can help Syracuse-area companies identify and source high-caliber employees via executive search as well as for direct-hire, temp-to-hire and temporary positions. Contact us today.

As the economy begins to pick back up, your top performers may end up getting offers from other companies.  In past downturns and recoveries, many talented people jumped ship, especially when they perceived there was more opportunity elsewhere.

So what can you do to retain your best people?

The key is to identify your top performers, stay close to them, and work on finding rewards that work for them.  Here are few tips:

• Pay attention. Show your employees that you value them and their contributions. Tailor HR and benefit programs to meet the needs of your unique workforce. This may mean moving to flex time, PTO, or offering more choices in healthcare plans and adding any other unconventional policies.
• Teach, coach…lead the flock. Provide ongoing training. Have an open door policy. Provide mentoring and opportunities that your competitors do not offer. Lead by example and follow through on your promises.
• Ensure your company’s goals are in line with your employee reward system. Set clear expectations on how you will reward top performers.
• Ask and you shall receive. Ask your top people why they like working at your company. Ask them why they stay. And ask them what they’d do differently. Use their feedback to make improvements. On the other hand, when someone leaves your company, ask them what made them make this decision. Knowing is half the battle.

At C.R. Fletcher, we continually help companies manage retention issues.  Whether looking for temporary support to alleviate stress on your internal staff, or searching for a new top performer to fill an opening please give us a call.

By design, temporary staffing provides workforce flexibility–allowing you to match your workforce to your work flow.  But many employers think of “temps” as unskilled labor or fill-ins.  But in fact, many highly experienced professionals (ranging from CPA’s to Operations Specialists to Executives) are available on a contract basis.

Whether you’re interested in improving organization wide productivity, handling spikes in your workload or bringing on talent with specific skill sets, temporary staffing is a great option.  To help you get the most from a flexible, temporary workforce, be sure to follow these key steps:

Step #1: Determine the type of person you need and define required skills.
Meet with managers and those who will be working with the temporary employee to determine which skills are ideal for the position you are trying to fill.  Examine top performers you already have on staff to determine what skills have made them successful.  And finally, work closely with your staffing agency and provide as much detail as possible.

Step #2: Work with an experienced staffing agency.
Find an agency that has experience in your industry.  Not only will an experienced staffing agency know where to look to find the right person, but they will also be able to help you determine things like an appropriate pay rate for a particular position.

Step #3: Provide a solid orientation and training program.
Include information such as working hours, breaks and lunch schedules, any safety regulations or company rules, and contact information for direct supervisors. You may also want to assign a core staff member or supervisor to help orient the temporary employee.  Also, find out what type of training and orientation your staffing agency can provide.  Good staffing agencies will offer guidance on how to best bring temporary employees up to speed so they can hit the ground running–and they may even conduct initial training and orientation for you.

Step #4: Communicate clearly and openly.
Make sure your temporary employees understand what’s expected from them.  Encourage employees to ask questions and make sure they know who to direct those questions to.

Step #5: Check in regularly.
Be sure to take a minute or two at several points throughout the first day to check in and gauge progress.  Set specific days/times you plan to check in throughout the week to answer any questions and monitor progress.

Bringing a temporary employee on board at your company can offer a host of benefits – as long as that employee is managed properly. And from our experience at C.R. Fletcher, hard-working and properly managed temporary employees often become leading candidates for full-time openings.

If you’re interested in hiring temporary employees or just want to learn more about how temporary employees can help your company, contact C.R. Fletcher today. As Syracuse’s leading recruiting staffing agency, we can deliver the flexible staff you need without increasing your overhead.

What business isn’t looking to control expenses? Staffing firms offer many effective solutions for reducing overhead, managing operating costs and improving organizational performance. Used effectively, staffing services can save you more than they cost.

Here are some key ways you can use staffing to reduce costs in your organization:

Convert fixed expenses to variable.
Develop a plan to staff your business strategically. Minimize the number of permanent employees on your staff to the level needed to sustain your core volume of work. Proactively plan to bring in extra help when it’s needed.

Bring in expertise on an as-needed basis.
Temporaries can deliver the experience and skills you need without impacting fixed expenses. As an added benefit, temporary “experts” are often less expensive than consultants.

Lower benefits costs.
Limit benefits expense by using temporary employees. Most temporary employees receive only limited benefits which are paid by the temporary staffing service. Companies with extensive benefits programs may not want to offer full benefits to all employees. Using a temporary staffing, payrolling or employee leasing service may make it possible to offer more limited and cost effective benefits programs to these employees.

Eliminate overtime.
Use temporary employees to reduce the amount of overtime worked by your permanent staff.

Reduce training costs.
Reduce training costs and learning curves by bringing in temporary employees who are trained and have experience using the skills you need.

Streamline recruiting.
Use a permanent placement service to eliminate the cost and time involvement associated with advertising, screening resumes, interviewing, testing and reference checking applicants.

Lower payroll expenses.
Eliminate the costs associated with processing and administering your company’s payroll and benefits by using a payroll or employee leasing service.

Reduce unemployment claims.
Using a temporary in place of a short-term employee prevents an unemployment claim from affecting the client company.  Legally, payrolled or leased employees work for the company providing the payrolling or employee leasing service. All claims affect the staffing service’s unemployment rating, not yours.

Eliminate operating inefficiencies.
Inefficient functions can be outsourced to services that can perform the work more effectively. The outsourcing service should be able to reduce expenses and improve performance while allowing your company to focus on its core competencies.

Develop a Strategic Staffing Plan for Your Organization
At CR Fletcher, we help clients evaluate their current workforce and develop a strategic staffing model to help lower overall employment costs and access the skilled talent they need.  Discover more about CR Fletcher’s staffing solutions.