Wilson Employment

Hi all,
Joe and I have been off the blog grid for a few months. The good news is that it is a very busy time and we are seeing indications of the economy picking up across the board. Have not had much time to post.

Given that the staffing and recruiting industry has been decimated over the past few years, I am proud that Wilson Employment Networks has continued to grow despite the economy. I have to credit the determination and relentless commitment of my team to work hard and get the job done.

Business professionals, please visit our new Staffing Resource Center on our website. Great tools you may be able to use.

Job Seekers, please visit our new Candidate Resource Center. Great articles to assist on your job search and managing your career.

www.wilsonemployment.com

Please feel free to comment on our blog and let us know how your business or organizations are doing. Do you think the economy is improving?

Paul

pwilson Uncategorized

Over the past few years we have implemented several new processes that have helped us reduce our waste and consumption.

10 years ago when Paul started the business virtually everything was done on paper and filed away. The era of computers was upon us, yet we seemed to be leaving a paper trail that continued to pile up as we became more successful.

One of the first steps that we took was to implement a comprehensive Applicant Tracking System known as Bullhorn. Bullhorn has allowed us to keep all of our resumes, emails, calendars, and contacts in one central location (online) and has greatly contributed to our efficiency. No more faxing resumes, or searching through file cabinets for the right resume. (Granted we did go through 3 different systems in a span of about 14 months, but it was a learning process for all involved!)

Periodically we sit back to review our process, including how we interview, orientate, and pay our employees. We have reduced the amount of paperwork in our orientations; we have posted our timeslips online for downloading, as well as our Field Employee Manual. We have also implemented an online QC form for both our Field Employees and our Clients to give us feedback after an assignment ends.

A few years ago we implemented Direct Deposit for those interested and recently we have begun to email those statements to employees who are interested instead of printing and mailing the stubs. We have also started emailing our invoices to customers who prefer it. This alone has reduced not only the amount of paper that we use, but also saved us money on postage.

When I first started we used to brew 2 pots of coffee, decaf for Paul and extra strength to get me to wake up in the morning. Now we have a Keurig system and we have stopped wasting both coffee and water. (I should add that this also happened because Paul blew up the old coffee maker by not fully closing the lid, and yes I have pictures). We have also converted from individual bottled waters to a water bubbler. We have a recycling bin for shredded papers, bottles and aluminum cans.

The best part about going green, besides the fact that we are doing our part to help the environment is that we are also saving money as a company, it has been one of the easiest things to do to boost our bottom line.

Although our processes and methods have changed over the past 5 years, our commitment to our customers, field employees and community has only grown stronger.

We recycle paper, not candidates!

jwentworth Uncategorized

Many staffing providers are telling their clients “this is a great time to review performance of your core talent and determine where you can upgrade the skill sets in your organization”.

My thinking is a bit different. The above statement is true if your business can afford to add to its core workforce at this time and can survive the expense while we are waiting for the economy to improve. At the same time, we should be seeing some bursts of increased activity and many companies may struggle to handle the activity with their core workforce and others will turndown work because they won’t have the capacity.

Temporary workers or “Temps” as many people refer to them are not considered as a viable option for many business people. They are not considered skilled or trained in the specific needs. This is where we get back to the current available talent…….. Now, in more than a long time, there is a trained and skilled workforce available and ready for businesses to leverage to meet their peak productivity needs. Our Field Employees are evaluated to confirm their skills and knowledge. We complete a minimum of two in-depth references, and for appropriate positions we complete criminal and credit record background checks. We review our client’s best hiring practices and incorporate them into our process. All of our field employees sign confidentiality agreements. There is a powerful and flexible workforce to meet your supplemental peak productivity needs.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments regarding this cost effective workforce option.

pwilson Uncategorized

That appears to be the big question and no one I have talked to appears to know. I look at our sales graph and it is up and down and all over the place. I really appreciate the ups even though they are few and far between. Usually from January to June we see a steady increase in activity for direct placement and supplemental needs.

Below is some research from the American Staffing Association that “may” be signaling an improvement in the economy. Their best guess is a strong fourth quarter and a slow first quarter 2010.

ASA Research Provides Recession Guidance
New ASA research released last week can help staffing firms track the economy and job growth, anticipate when the recession will end, and develop better business plans for the near term.
In examining more than 35 years of government data, ASA confirmed that changes in temporary help employment coincide with changes in gross domestic product. This relationship is particularly strong when the economy is emerging from a recession. Accordingly, a sustained upturn in staffing employment would signal the end of the recession.
ASA also analyzed quarterly employment and sales data that the association has been collecting since 1992. Models based on that data show that GDP growth of 1.2% is required to increase staffing employment, and growth of 0.8% is required to increase staffing sales. Generally, then, economic growth of 1% is necessary for staffing industry growth.
Returning to the government data, ASA analysis shows that, when the economy is emerging from a recession, changes in temporary help employment occur about three months before changes in nonfarm employment. This means that overall employment would likely begin to pick up about three months after staffing employment ticks up.
ASA offers the only tool that provides a near real-time measure of temporary help employment: the ASA Staffing Index. The index tracks weekly changes in staffing employment. Last week, ASA improved the index by cutting one week off the data lag, resulting in index reports being issued just nine days after a week has ended. The index has been flat since the beginning of the year, but when it turns up, staffing industry growth has ensued and the U.S. economy is probably emerging from the recession.
When will the recession end?
In early June, 54 economists regularly surveyed by the Wall Street Journal predicted GDP growth of 0.6% in the third quarter. But they anticipate 1.9% GDP growth in the fourth quarter�plenty to spur staffing industry growth. For 2010, they predict GDP of 2.7%.
Beware the first quarter, though: ASA data since 1992 show first-quarter employment and sales have always been down from the preceding fourth quarter.

pwilson Uncategorized

In light of the recent economic downturn, networking has become more important than ever. Some people aren’t quite sure what networking is or where to get started.

Simply put, networking is getting out there and meeting people. These people can be business associates within your field or outside of it. In addition, friends, family and acquaintances are all part of your network.

There are many ways to network, but an easy way to get started is to offer your services as a volunteer. It is my belief that everyone has a talent or skill that can be used for a higher purpose. Whether it is volunteering for a non-profit, charity, church, business group such as the Rotary, or a trade association the opportunities are endless.

The main goal is to get out into the community and develop and maintain relationships. It is not a short term solution, but a long term one. The relationships that we develop in life need not be necessarily for personal gain, but they do come in handy when you are looking for work. As the saying goes it’s not necessarily what you know, but who you know. Having a network of people helping you find a job is one of the best ways to learn of and take advantage of emerging opportunities.

You may not get a job directly from someone in your network, but the more people who know you are looking and available, and whom you have already proven yourself to, the better.

So whether or not you are currently employed, it is important to get out there and meet other people. Giving your time not only enriches your community, but it also gives you access to new ideas, contacts, and emerging best practices.

Networking is just as important in finding a job as searching the internet, or writing a cover letter, everyone should make sure that they make time to network, both during an active job search as well as before you have to start looking.

So get out there and start networking today!

jwentworth Uncategorized

Ok. Here we are in a down economy, we are being bombarded with negative information on the news, and it appears that many businesses are hunkered down to wait out the storm. “We are not hiring, we are not buying, and we are attempting to survive” is what I hear from many of my clients and professionals I speak to. This is how many businesses are reacting and it is contributing to the recession and challenging the recovery.

I am a capitalist. I believe in the American system. Many companies will adapt and be successful or disappear. Companies will be created and thrive as a result of the recession. My team plans on thriving. We choose proactive long-term thinking as our mantra; work hard at keeping our business moving forward, and not getting stuck in negative news.

Yes, we did reduce our monthly expenses. No, we did not lay off any of our employees. We have too much invested in training and relationship building not to invest in keeping our people employed at this time. Breaking up the “dream team” is anti-productive and not an option. We negotiated with our vendors, we have cut our budget for travel & national conferences. We did increase our marketing budget and invested in developing new resources. We offered cost saving promotions and free trainings to the business community.

It is clear that the economy is beginning to improve. Thinking long-term; adapting, changing, continuing to evolve and most importantly resisting being reactive to the negative news has positioned us to continue growing as the economy improves.

pwilson Uncategorized

The focus of this blog is to provide a venue to for discussion regarding all human resources and staffing industry information. We are particularly interested in the sharing of best practices and solutions that positively impact our community and economy. I hope you take the time to visit & contribute often!

pwilson Uncategorized

We’re just getting our blog started and expect to have the first couple of postings available soon. Not all posts will allow comments, but many will and we hope this will enable a dialog that will beneifit everyone. Welcome and we look forward to hearing from you!

jwentworth Uncategorized