Click here to view Jim Annis' RGJ article

Click here to view Jim Annis' RGJ article

Tuesday, October 16 is National Boss’s Day. According to most sources Patricia Bays Haroski registered National Boss Day in 1958 with the US Chamber of Commerce while working for her father at the State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, Illinois. Aware of the challenges he faced in directing the company and managing employees, she wanted to show respect for his leadership. Haroski’s desire resulted in a national observation on her father’s birthday and in recent years has become an international celebration.  

According to Hallmark Corporation’s website, “ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics research indicates that about one in five full-time workers has some level of supervisory responsibility over other employees, and about 12 percent of all full-time workers are directly responsible for managing other employees. Workplace surveys confirm that one of the most important elements of job satisfaction is a positive relationship between a supervisor and employee.”

Want to be the boss receiving a Hallmark greeting card?  Try these five tips.

Listen Listen Listen

Just like a restaurant’s success can depend on location, a supervisor’s success can depend on how well you hear your staff. What is an employee searching for when they approach you with issues? Are they looking for answers or a sounding board? Do they need conflict resolution training or someone to step in and take charge of a situation? If an employee isn’t doing a good job, an effective boss will ask questions and discover if it is a matter of training, motivation or stress.  

Genuine Praise

The vast majority of employees want to know they are doing well. I actually had a boss say, “You’ve still got a job don’t you?” as a way to affirm my work and no, she didn’t get a card. A compliment doesn’t have to be lengthy or take a lot of time. When you really mean it, a simple “Brilliant” or Well done” can brighten an employee’s day. Know your employees well enough to avoid embarrassment when handing out commendations; some people like public attention, others don’t.

Know How to Motivate People

Good management is making people feel good about what they are doing. Great bosses take the time to learn what encourages staff, as individuals and as a team, and puts what they learn into practice. Recognize who likes new challenges and who feels penalized when given projects. Who likes the “Way to Go” and who shies away from verbal pats on the back.

Be Respectable

Staff doesn’t have to love the boss; however, they must have respect for him/her. Be honest, trustworthy and observe the rules just like everyone else. Follow through. Show employees you are a person of your word. Be aware that everyone is watching and looking for best practices, examples and models.

Consultations & Confrontations

Refuse to wait for the annual “performance evaluation” before addressing concerns. Do it now and give employees an opportunity to correct behavior(s). Perhaps the rest of the staff is expecting a problem to be dealt with and don’t want to view their boss as ineffective. Engage in ongoing conversations to keep a finger on the pulse of your department. A good boss will embrace even the unpleasant aspects of a job. Employees look up to managers who have no tolerance for abusive clients or hostile sales representatives. Protect staff from unwarranted negativity.

If you don’t think these tips will work, you can always leave a blank card at the front desk as a hint.

Written by Susan Fix, The Applied Companies Community Liaison Partner. Fix has worked 15 years in staffing services performing outside sales, recruiting, permanent and temporary placement coordination, career counseling, customer service and social media/business.

Need work? Applied Staffing Solutions has jobs, temporary and temporary-to-hire. We are holding a Job Fair on Saturday, October 13, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Details and job descriptions are available on our website AppliedStaffing.com  

We are searching for people who want to be employed. To compound the quest for great employees, it’s that time of year where the warehouse/distribution industry’s need for workers escalates. Holiday products have hit the stores!

As indicated in Jim Annis’ RGJ article posted September 26^th (The Qualified Candidate Pool is Shrinking) “we have more job orders now than in the last six years. Temporary orders are up 30 percent in 2012, which is an indicator of recovery.” In addition, more clients are recognizing the value of buying local and working with locally owned companies like Applied Staffing Solutions.

We are seeing an abundance of articles pointing to temporary workers as the wave of future employment. It offers employers a flexible workforce and employees a chance to get a foot in the door to companies where their skills and talents glow. Temporary work is networking. We’ve seen it countless times where temporary employees shine like a star and the company moves heaven and earth to hire them. Or we have those rock star employees that keep getting assignments at different companies and then Bam! they’re hired.

While we don’t employ everyone who walks through our doors, a concerted effort is made to keep qualified job seekers on our radar. When a client calls with a position that matches our candidate’s skills and personality, it’s all hands on deck to make a match. We make a difference in people’s lives. Spread the news and help put Nevadans to work.

Written by Susan Fix, The Applied Companies Community Liaison Partner. Fix has worked 16 years in staffing services performing outside sales, recruiting, permanent and temporary placement coordination, career counseling, customer service and social media/business.

Everyone familiar with The Applied Companies knows the owner and staff are strong supporters of the community. This includes, but is not limited to, operating a healthy business that employs Nevadans and supports local businesses, putting job seekers to work and volunteer service. In the effort to find qualified candidates of all levels for our clients, which strengthens our community, we come in contact with organizations that work hard to achieve that same goal.

Today we’re proud to feature one of Applied Staffing Solutions partners, the Lyon County Employment Partnership (LCEP), a division of Lyon County Human Services. Established in 2009, LCEP works primarily with Lyon County residents to remove employability barriers and help unemployed citizens find work. Over 500 job seekers have utilized LCEP to find employment and more are being referred every week.

Although not a placement service, LCEP helps with employment strategy, referrals to open positions, pre-screening, and serving as part of a “team” with unemployed or underemployed participants by assisting them with finding jobs that match their skills and experience levels.

Resume writing is one of the largest services LCEP provides. Whether it's updating, reformatting or writing a resume from scratch, employment specialists provide the job seeker with a resume that has been very successful in getting job seekers into interviews. Clients are assisted with job searching strategies to maximize the possibilities of finding employment. Interview preparation and tips are provided to make the best impression possible at job interviews.  Workshops in all of these areas are also available throughout the year at various locations within Lyon County.

LCEP provides more direct assistance on a case-by-case basis for those who meet income eligibility and residence guidelines. This assistance ranges from referrals to employment service agencies, assistance with interview or work clothing requirements, gas vouchers to help people get to interviews or start working, all the way to a two-month wage subsidy for employers that hire official clients of LCEP. Eligibility for these expanded services is limited to Lyon County residents whose income falls at or below 125% of the federal poverty level.

For those who do not meet income guidelines, LCEP counselors will assist with resume creation or updating, job searches, and referrals to agencies or non-profit companies that may be able to assist with employment or other needs. LCEP’s goal is to help people - regardless of location or income - get working again.

For more information on the Lyon County Employment Partnership, or to download the forms for enrollment, visit the Employment Partnership page on the Lyon County website or e-mail John Karadeema at jkaradeema@lyon-county.org. 

Written by John Karadeema, Human Services Specialist and Susan Fix, The Applied Companies Community Liaison Partner. Karadeema has worked over 8 years in career counseling and employment assistance within the military and civilian sectors. Fix has worked 16 years in staffing services performing outside sales, recruiting, permanent and temporary placement coordination, career counseling, customer service and social media/business.