IntegraBlog

Work-life Balance, Its Becoming More Important to Job Seekers Then Money

by: Wendy Floyd | Senior Recruiter

In today's turbo-paced work environment the quest for work-life balance proves to be quite a task for many employees. The demand for work-life balance options may have started with mothers in the workforce but now the push for balance is coming from all employees. Given this, it should not come as a surprise that employee demands for work-life balance options are climbing to the top of the 'what employees want' chart. Employees, with and without families want to be able to meet the demands of their careers and to be able to meet the needs of their families. It's important to them to have time to participate in professional organizations and clubs, have time for hobbies, have time to volunteer in their communities and to be able to make adjustments as necessary to deal with the changing economy, i.e. higher gas prices among other things.

So how important is work-life balance? Extremely important considering the fact that talented, highly qualified candidates are passing up job offers because they don't include enough work-life balance options. Keeping up with the changes in workforce demographics is becoming a necessity. Regardless of whether employers view work-life balance options as a case of social responsibility or competitive advantage, their awakening to the fact that work-life balance options not only benefit the employee but they also benefit the company. Although there is no perfect, one-size fits all balance employers will need to find creative ways make the work place more flexible and supportive.

Take a look at some of the benefits of work-life balance:

Employees:
‚ Emotional wellbeing
‚ Achievement and enjoyment
‚ Boost family and career
‚ Gym subsidies
‚ Job redesign (job-sharing, telecommuting, flex-time)
‚ Child care
‚ Leave
‚ Community involvement

Employers:
‚ Productive, engaged employees
‚ Dedication and commitment to the organization
‚ Higher retention of employees
‚ Elimination of stressful work environment
‚ Improved corporate image, identified as an 'employer of choice'
‚ Competitive edge
‚ Meet social responsibility
‚ Reduced absenteeism and sick leave usage
‚ Employee satisfaction

More employers are taking action to increase employee satisfaction. They are looking for ways to design and create a company culture that is more supportive. Work-life balance options show employees that you, the employer respect their personal time and make them feel good about their relationship with you and the company. Employees and employers alike can benefit and appreciate what a healthy work-life balance has to offer the workplace.

A Different Kind of Search Firm

by: Robert Fish | COO
Bankston Partners officially launched in December 2007 as a sister company to Integra Staffing & Search, with a sole focus on the Accounting and Finance Disciplines. Bankston Partners has its own office space, dedicated employees, technology platforms, communication systems, etc. The connection with Integra lies in its foundation; primarily the core values of Integrity, Passion, Consistency…and Fun!

The drive behind creating a separate company and brand for the accounting & finance focus is to eliminate the ‘sameness’ suffered by every other accounting & finance search firm in the Charlotte, NC region. Employers consistently use 3 or 4 search firms to fill open positions; mainly due to lack of differentiation and emotional connection to any one firm. In our view, this represents a clear need in the marketplace - a company who can partner with employers in a way that provides them the right people when they need them and better consistency in the screening and interviewing process.

Most firms race to submit resumes. Bankston Partners is taking a 180 degree different approach. The Bankston Partners model is to partner with employers to meet current requirements while constantly planning for the future. We are slowing down the process by creating critical steps on the front end, leveraging a unique trade marked process, and giving the client more insight and control throughout the search process. Clients tell us immediately how much they appreciate the extra attention and professionalism…and they especially like the results.

Make Time for Performance Reviews

by: Michelle Fish | CEO
If you’re like most managers, performance reviews are often pushed off and delayed until the last minute.  Performance reviews take extra time and preparation to complete – something difficult to fit into our busy work day.  It is essential, however, that we set this time aside and make performance reviews a top priority.  Performance reviews play a critical role in employee retention, team alignment, and overall productivity.

Well designed performance reviews should evaluate overall performance and measure specific goals while setting proper expectations on the side of the manager and the employee.  Performance reviews offer a forum to praise good work as well as provide constructive criticism for areas in need of improvement.  It provides the ideal opportunity for you to take the pulse of your workforce and stay in tune with their needs and concerns.

Here are some tips to follow to get the most of your performance reviews:

Use Employee Self-Evaluation

The best reviews are structured as an open discussion between the employee and the manager.  Using an employee self-evaluation form is a great way to accomplish this 2-sided discussion.  Prior to the review, ask your employees to rate their own performance using a standard set of criteria.  This gives the employee an opportunity to reflect on his/her accomplishments and take a critical introspective look at his/her own performance.

Set Measurable Goals

Setting goals is a great way to help employees focus on critical areas and know what is expected of them.  Work with each employee to set goals that are specific and measurable with a designated timeline.  Goal setting should serve as a motivational tool, so make sure that the goals are challenging yet realistic and attainable.  Most importantly, hold your employees responsible for these goals.  Encourage them along the way and evaluate progress at the following review period.

Keep it Standard & Simple

The review process should be standardized for all employees – not matter what level they are in the company.  All managers should be trained on the performance review process so that each employee receives a fair and consistent evaluation.  Also, keep the process simple!  An effective review doesn’t require a stack of burdensome forms to be filled out; keep the review concise and focused on core objectives.

Why Best Place to Work in Charlotte?

by: Robert Fish | COO
Integra Staffing & Search was fortunate enough to be nominated for the Top 25 Places to Work in the Charlotte, NC region in the small business (10-49 employees) category. This was a program assembled and produced by the Charlotte Business Journal and turned out to be one of their best attended events of the year. The award ceremony was held at the Charlotte Convention Center in a room with over 400 of Charlotte’s business leaders and their top employees.

The MC announced the winners starting at #25 and worked his way up to #1. Rather that just announcing the company name, he would share a short description of why that company was awarded one of the great places to work. Over and over I kept hearing the same things; Mimosa Mondays, ice cream socials, half day Fridays, flexible work hours, etc. Everything was activity based as if activities alone build a great place to work. Integra’s description was completely different and really caught my attention. Integra’s description sounded like this; “Fun is their core value, humor is a requirement for employment, they live by Kindergarten rules, creating opportunities for growth is a focus point, they leverage each others unique abilities,” etc. Yes, we do have great training, after hour get-togethers, and other activities. However, according to the independent market research company that scored the employee feedback forms, basic core values make a company a great place to work; not the “activities.” Core values has been Integra’s focus from day one, not to win an award, but to create a destination for the region’s top recruiters to do what they do best…create opportunities for growth; both for themselves and their clients…and having fun along the way!!!

Grow Your Business by Taking Time Away from the Office

by: Robert Fish | COO
Time management for the Fast Growth Entrepreneur is paramount to success and a balanced life. There are literally so many opportunities to chase, projects to complete, people to meet, etc. that it’s very easy to fall into the mode of working in the business versus working on the business. One tactic I have learned over the years is to spend 6 to 8 hours a week away from the office in a place where I feel my creativity is the greatest. This can be a library, a coffee shop, my home, or sometimes even a casual hike or bike ride.

With 6-8 hours of creativity and planning time each week, my stress level is substantially reduced. This is the time where I feel like I create the most value for my company, employees, clients and ultimately my family.

During this time, everyone knows what I’m doing (so it’s not a secret) and that I will not be checking emails or answering the phone. Because this time away is not a secret and very important to me, I have found that my employees actually support me being away versus making it more difficult for me to be away.

One huge unexpected benefit from being away from the office with no contact on a weekly basis is that it forces employees to step up and take control of situations that would normally get ‘upward delegated’ to me just because I’m available and in the office.

Employees also have taken my time away as a vote of confidence in their abilities and performance and see it as a chance to show me what they can do on their own. I believe this has been the single most important change I have made to help transition myself from a Technician to Manager to Shareholder.

My time away from the office also creates a mechanism for future leaders and managers to emerge. The employees who are eager to move the company forward without supervision are the ones that will naturally move up in the organization.

My goal is to spend no more than 24 hours a week physically in the office. I still have my share of 60+ hour work weeks at times, but I feel much more in control.

Staffing Fast Growth Companies: The Challenge for Today’s Entrepreneur

by: Robert Fish | COO
A common challenge many entrepreneurs face is appropriately staffing their fast growth company. The complexity surrounding building management teams, sales teams, back office teams, etc. has much more to do with managing business dynamics than simply hiring more people. The entrepreneur is really working with two major forces: 1) satisfying current business needs and 2) developing new capabilities to drive growth. In simple terms, there are the existing business structures and the future business structures that have to be run simultaneously. The existing business must service existing clients, manage current cash and financing arrangements, work with legacy systems and processes, work within the existing corporate culture, and perform with current employees.

At the same time, the entrepreneur must have a clear vision of what the future company will look like including new markets and clients, corporate capabilities, systems and processes, improved company culture, sales and marketing strategies, and in most cases additional employees.

In essence, the fast growth company leader is always running two companies: the existing and the future. I have founded or co-founded three fast growth companies and have learned that not all of the pieces and parts of the existing or early stage company will have a place in the future company. My experience has been that this dynamic is what makes hiring for fast growth companies so complex. The future company concept is not clearly mapped out from a wholistic perspective and hiring decisions are made without thinking about the fit and performance requirements of the future team. Most hiring decisions are made with only current needs in mind which limits growth and creates unnecessary turnover. I’ll address the process of assembling teams that address the requirement of both current business needs and the future business needs in another post.