New Hire Screening

Because employee turnover has become so prevalent in today’s economic climate, businesses should be prepared for the additional time and expense of recruiting, hiring and training a larger number of employees than they actually need. New hire screening is one of the most important steps that a company can take to ensure that they are recruiting and hiring only the best candidates for positions within their company. This screening involves a number of different aspects of evaluating the education, skills and past experiences of potential employees.

The first step in new hire screening is to obtain permission from the candidate to fully investigate their background, including criminal background, credit checks and the contacting of references. Applicants who are unwilling to provide waivers for these checks can be immediately eliminated as per your company’s policies. Once you have signed documents in place, you can initiate the background checks. There are a number of web-based companies who are able to run criminal background checks and quickly report their findings to your human resources personnel. Credit checks can be done by reputable screening firms to review the information provided by the three main credit bureaus. Finally, those employees who will be operating company-owned vehicles as part of their duties should have their driving history checked with your state’s department of motor vehicles.

The final step of new hire screening usually involves a drug screen. Applicants will report to the screening facility of your choice and submit to a urine or blood test to check for the presence of any illicit substances. Following a negative result, a more thorough review of the candidate’s references should be completed.


Filed Under: General Finance Tagged With: , ,

Is Corporate Loyalty a Thing of the Past?

It used to be that people completed their educations, found a nice company in the industry of their choice, and settled down to count off the years until retirement. Since the 1980s, more and more businesses have had to go through restructuring, mergers and downturns, resulting in a large number of layoffs. This change, more than any other, has contributed to the death of employee loyalty as a prominent concept. Also, the technological boom after the turn of the century with its numerous web-based business start-ups and failures created an environment of fluctuation in employment and employee turnover. Young, educated professionals, especially those in information technology fields, are unwilling to commit to employment past a certain point. These employees understand all too well how valuable their education and training is, and because they have so many years until they need to worry about retirement, they are more than happy to change jobs for better pay, benefits or working conditions.

It may indeed be that employee loyalty to any one corporation is a thing of the past. Businesses need to be able to cope with employee turnover and incorporate recruiting and training more prominently into their business models. Relying on employee loyalty is a sure recipe for disappointment, and even those managers who understand the importance of appreciating and rewarding their employees will experience more turnover in the coming decades. Because businesses cannot count on instilling loyalty in their employees, the only wise decision is to prepare for a lack of it.

Filed Under: General Finance Tagged With: , ,

Short Term Business Loans: What They Mean for You

If you fear the knock of father time arriving at your door because money is flowing out the window quicker than you can seem to catch it, relax. Help is available over the phone, the Internet and (if you venture outside) just around the corner. If your finances are the only thing keeping you from fulfilling your goals, why not consider a short term business loan? GreatPlainsLending can be a helpful means for both new and established businesses to obtain more financial stability.

The deer-in-the-headlights look should be reserved for dilemmas offering no solutions. Revenue can usually be increased by researching and weighing the options. Business loans may be available to applicants for short periods. Ponder the following benefits:

  • Financial institutions may offer less troublesome contract conditions with a short term loan since it presents the possibility of fewer monetary concerns for customers and themselves.
  • It’s not unlikely for quite a few short term business loans to be unrestricted. Entrepreneurs can borrow the necessary amount without worrying about collateral possessions.
  • If you have a good credit and payment history, not having collateral is to your advantage, since this is what the bank primarily examines.
  • If you’re a commitment-phobic, there’s good news. Short-term business loans can last anywhere between 90 to 120 days and there are some that lasts between one and three years.

When your “out-go” is more than your “take-in,” you might want to opt for some financial intervention to pay off the recent inventory you purchased. If you hired a contractor to do renovation work to attract more clientele to your restaurant, or you’re still waiting for customers to pay you, GreatPlainsLending will likely offer some peace of mind.

If European nations weren’t built in a day, the same is probably true for your business; it takes effort and determination. Regardless of what method you choose to fund your needs, do your homework carefully and investigate the terms.

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What Your Managers Don’t Know

Running a successful business requires a great deal of education, training, skill, talent and time. The time investment in your business may, in fact, be the most important requirement. As your business grows, hiring or promoting skilled managers to handle many of the duties and responsibilities can be a life saver, but only if your managers can be trusted to follow the policies and procedures that you have instituted. Training your management personnel is key to ensuring that they are able to train the employees who report to them and keep your business flowing smoothly.

Even though you may have chosen experienced and well-educated managers, there are still some key components to supervising people that they are not aware of. The first is the importance of employee loyalty and how to gain it. In today’s world, many employees live in constant fear of economic downturns requiring layoffs and business closings. For this reason, they are hesitant to remain loyal to any one company. Inspiring employee loyalty can be accomplished by making sure your employees know how appreciated they are. You should also make every effort to let your employees know that you will do everything in your power to avoid actions that negatively affect them and their ability to provide for their families. Enlisting your employees’ help and suggestions for cost-cutting policies and procedures will give them the opportunity to help you avoid layoffs or loss of employee benefits. Working with your employees on such matters gives them an incentive to work with you, as well.

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Reducing Turnover to Cut Costs

Hiring, training and equipping new employees is one of the most expensive outlays that businesses have to make. It is a fact that high turnover creates a great deal of expense, but is that the best use of resources? Most managers would agree that it is not. Reducing employee turnover in all departments of a company is a powerful strategy for cutting costs in nearly every industry.

Reducing turnover may sound like an easy fix, but accomplishing this task can take time and effort. Employees who are unhappy for any reason are likely to eventually leave the company and keeping them happy is not usually a cheap endeavor. Employees need to feel like they are valued and appreciated, both by their treatment and by their compensation. Compensation involves much more than just the monetary salary that an employee receives; things like health benefits, paid vacation and personal time and any other perks the employee receives as a condition of employment are also part of a total compensation package. It is important to reward your employees in any way possible for their hard work, even if the raise or bonus cannot be substantial.

Encouraging employee loyalty may go a long way toward ensuring lower turnover. The most loyal employees remain with a company because they feel that they are making a difference. They are reassured often that their work is valued and that their ideas and opinions are always considered. These types of strategies may actually be more difficult to incorporate into an existing management style, but are much less expensive methods for reducing employee turnover. Spending time and money on training your managers is a much better use of resources than having to replace workers.

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Best Small Businesses

There is an emerging trend in the current American economy for previously laid-off workers to start small businesses of their own. Some of these former employees may be better educated and skilled to succeed in business than the companies for which they used to work. Others may turn a talent or hobby into a small business that adequately meets their needs for income. Of the many ideas for small businesses, those that build upon an already present skill or talent have the best chance of succeeding.

There are more elderly in the American population now than ever before, and unfortunately, many of these individuals require more help and assistance than is available to them. A small business that focuses on home health care has an excellent chance of becoming profitable, even in today’s economy. Other small business ideas that are of service to the elderly include transportation to doctor’s appointments and other errands, or pet care services such as bathing and dog-walking.

Other ideas that are especially attractive in our current economic climate are those concerning resale of goods. Consignment shops and thrift stores are relatively easy to start up, require minimal training of employees and rely on little up-front purchases of stock. Someone who knows a great deal about fashion and designer labels may be able to create a more upscale type of consignment shop that caterers to the brand-conscious. Children’s clothing and toys are another great idea for a consignment shop; because they outgrow these items so quickly, few parents are willing to pay full price for them. More creative and web-based options are also available, such as stock photography, online marketing or web design are all great choices for a beginning small business.


Filed Under: Capital and Interest Tagged With: , ,

Starting Your Own Small Business

If your commute is becoming unmanageable, if the drone of nine-to-five office inhabitation is making you crazy, if you have great ideas but no one will listen, you should consider starting your own small business. Most people who have been working within an industry for a number of years already have a great deal of knowledge about the products, consumers and business practices that make a company successful. There is little reason to avoid putting that knowledge to work for yourself.

When you begin to plan for your own small business, there are a few important considerations. For instance, you should have a good idea of what your small business will offer to customers that the larger corporations cannot. Some examples are better service or personalized products. You should also have an idea of what your average monthly expenses will be for renting or purchasing a space, acquiring computers and other office equipment and utilities. These figures will allow you to estimate the revenue you need to achieve in order to make your business profitable.

Nearly every new small business starts out as just one person, working as hard as three; in time, however, you will need to expand your force. You may be tempted to hire unskilled and uneducated workers for minimum wage, but you should be aware that the turnover for these types of workers is quite high. You may spend more in training and hiring expenses than you would if you chose to hire more experienced employees. Trusting new employees with your fledgling business may be difficult at first, but with good screening procedures, high quality training and your management support you will have a well-qualified staffcapable of making good decisions on their own.

Filed Under: Capital and Interest Tagged With: , ,

Creating a United Team

When leading a team, companies have found that a united team can become more productive. When workers support each other, and are aware of each other’s strengths and needs, heading into the office can be a more rewarding daily experience. Here are some ways you can bring your team together and create clear communication habits, bringing out the best of each member.

Team building exercises. Taking your employees on a retreat that will focus on interpersonal skills, group activity, and mutual trust may improve how your workers relate to each other. Taking workers out of their usual work environment may eliminate or lessen dysfunctional patterns of behavior, allowing them to form healthier relationships with coworkers. When people must interact with each other on a daily basis, even a simple afternoon out of the office can improve the attitudes and relationships of your workers.

Group projects. The key with group projects is focusing on each individual worker’s abilities and trying to use these strengths effectively. If one person is good at completing timely assignments and another is excellent at outputting creative ideas, delegate their work accordingly. You can also create a system for handling unpleasant jobs so that the burden is shared equally and can be addressed accordingly.

A conducive work environment. Finally, teams will always work better if their work environment is conducive for productivity and work relationships. Changes that can help this can even be simple things like rearranging the lunch room or adding an additional microwave, which can reduce the frustration workers feel on their lunch break. Creating a more pleasing work environment can be beneficial as well, such as adding curtains or working blinds to the windows, installing better office chairs, or supplying each worker with a set of new pens or sticky notes.

When a manager takes the time to make sure his employees are thriving in their work environment, his workers are sure to notice and appreciate this. Working to create a confident working environment in your office is one of the best ways to raise employee satisfaction and productivity.

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Make a Big Impression with 3.5 inches

Look at you; you’re a big shot executive with your own company. You have worked hard all these years and are finally running the business of your dreams. Your widget design has taken off and you are managing several dozen people who work just to bring your vision to life. Now that you have the company, it is important to make sure that your people are seen as extensions of your business and as a team working together to make you and your company successful. It may seem silly, but in many ways it is the little things that bring a vision full circle. One of those little things is business cards.
When your employees go out into the world they are representing you and your company. Everyone they meet is a potential client. They need to be able to represent a unified vision and part of that is with your corporate logo. By distributing business cards with their name and the company name on it, they are demonstrating they work for a powerhouse and major player in the widget field. They look professional and the company as whole shows that it is a powerful entity. Clients will be duly impressed with a minimal investment on your part.
It is also important to always be searching for the right people. Talent recognizes talent and if your staff is out and meets the next great widget designer you want him on your team, even if he’s not looking for a job. By passing on his card, your employee is extending the company’s hand to smart hard-working people and inviting them to share its success. The company looks good and in turn grows stronger. Again, all of this is possible with just a minimum investment. Such a small item can really do great things.

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Who to Hire?

With many people searching for a career, your company may become flooded with applications. When sifting through the applicants, keep in mind how different personalities and ages function in a work environment. Here are a few things that can help you know who to hire.

Experience level. The first thing to know when looking to hire is to know what level of experience the job requires. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box on this note. While you could hire someone with years of experience, how much better will their productivity be in the long run? Can a dedicated worker with little experience in this field quickly grasp what needs to be learned? If so, a person with less experience but a better work ethic may be a better fit.

Energy level and personality. Do you need an outgoing and extremely friendly person? What about someone who is detail-oriented? An outgoing person is likely to bond well with customers and other employees, but may be less productive due to being more talkative. On the other hand, a more introverted person may be less engaging, but will quietly and thoroughly complete their work on time. The nature of a job may also require a different personality. A calm personality may be better for some jobs, such as a receptionist (especially at a medical office), while a more boisterous person would fit an office in the construction industry.

Pay Scale. A younger worker is much more likely to accept a job for a smaller salary than person who has a family to provide for. A younger person may also have the flexibility to travel that an older person would find difficult with other commitments. However, less experience may mean a few more mistakes, but if a person is dedicated, they will quickly overcome these to be your most energetic and experienced members. You may also need to consider the cost of relocating for some applicants and decide if you want to hire someone who will have to uproot and move, or if a local community member would be a better fit.

Filed Under: General Finance Tagged With: , ,
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