Northwest Staffing Blog

As a staffing firm serving employers in Everett and Seattle, we’ve seen how conflict in the workplace can be incredibly destructive. It is therefore critical that you intervene immediately at the first sign of it. Here are some tips for successful conflict resolution:

Don’t wish and hope the conflict will go away on it’s own.
Even when conflicts appear superficial, you need to deal with them immediately. An unresolved conflict can fester and lead to negative results for your company as a whole if not dealt with properly.

Meet with all parties involved in the conflict at once.
Meet with everyone together. Let each person explain the issue from their point of view, without commenting or interrupting them. However, do intervene if the employees start attacking each other.

Brainstorm solutions.
Listen carefully and brainstorm possible solutions to the problem. Go around the room and ask the people involved what they would like to see done to resolve the issue.

Don’t take sides, though. Tell the employees that you expect them to resolve the conflicts proactively as adults. If they are unwilling to do so, explain that you will be forced to take disciplinary action that can lead to dismissal for both parties.

Help to negotiate a solution.
At this point, both sides may better understand the position of the other, and an acceptable solution may be clear to all. If that’s the case, then be sure to set up a time in the near future to review the progress of the negotiated solution.

Mediating a conflict is challenging, but if not handled effectively, the results can be damaging. Teams break down and talent and time are wasted as people disengage. But by taking an immediate and pro-active approach, conflicts can oftentimes be resolved quickly and effectively.

Employees who feel welcomed and who are properly trained will, in turn, feel good about taking the job. They will speak highly of your company to family, friends, and peers. They will also fit in faster with colleagues and feel more comfortable contributing new ideas. And they will be able to better represent your company to customers and strategic partners.

So how can you create an effective orientation program at your company? As a staffing services company in Everett, we’ve developed some steps to help you:

Think gradual.
You’re not going to be able to educate a new employee about the company’s policies, procedures, culture, products and services, history, etc. all in one or two hours time. Even if you could, it’s unlikely he or she would retain all that information. Therefore, it’s important to think of the orientation process as more of a gradual, long-term investment in new employees.

Deal with the basics first.
Rather than launching into a two-hour diatribe about where your company is and where you want it to go on an employee’s first day, deal with the basics first. He or she will likely have questions about dress code, computer and telephone systems, pay schedule, and lunch breaks.

Once the initial induction is complete, then provide more in-depth orientation about the big picture stuff. Keep in mind that the orientation process may take a couple of months as the employee learns more, deals with new issues, and has questions.

Involve the rest of your employees in the process.
Orientation programs don’t just impact new employees; they also impact existing ones, as well. So schedule a lunch meeting to introduce the employee to the people he or she will be working with. Also, introduce the new employee to the management team and have each manager tell the employee a little bit about his or her role at the organization.

Distribute an employee handbook.
Your employee handbook should contain information about personnel policies, benefits information, disciplinary measures, dress code, and confidentiality. Such a handbook will help to ensure there are no misunderstandings down the road that could lead to legal troubles.

An employee’s first few days at your company will be ones he or she remembers for the rest of his or her tenure. Having a well-developed orientation program in place can help make sure you both start off in a positive direction. If you need help creating or implementing an orientation program at your company, please contact Northwest Staffing. We can help.

Giving feedback isn’t the favorite task of most bosses and managers. However, as a staffing agency serving employers throughout Snohomish and Skagit counties, we know it is essential to building strong relationships, overcoming under-performance, and motivating employees to operate at peak performance.

Here’s how to offer feedback and criticism in a way that’s positive and productive:

#1: Give your employees feedback year-round, not only when things are going wrong.
By doing so, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to both compliment them and offer constructive criticism, when necessary. Don’t wait until performance is below expectations to start giving feedback.

#2: Be specific when offering praise.
If your senior manager did a great job making sure a certain project was completed on time, cite the project and their specific actions that led to the positive outcome.

#3: Don’t give feedback through notes or emails.
Even though it may seem easier, miscommunication can occur in notes or emails. Instead, schedule a time to sit down and speak with your employee to provide feedback. You’ll ensure your comments are crystal clear and you’ll give your employee an opportunity to ask questions and provide some feedback of their own.

#4: Don’t give negative feedback in public.
If you have an employee who is under-performing or who made a mistake, don’t announce it to everyone. You’ll only breed contempt that way. Schedule a private, closed door meeting with them to discuss the issue.

#5: Offer suggestions for improvement.
If you have some negative feedback for an employee, don’t just criticize their performance. Offer tangible steps they can take for improvement. Also, be sure to follow up with them a few weeks later to see how things are coming.

#6: Schedule regular performance reviews.
Whether you do it every year or every six months, be sure to schedule regular performance reviews. Create an agenda beforehand and give it to your employees so they know what you’ll be discussing and can prepare for the review.

If you have any questions about offering feedback, or about how to conduct effective performance reviews, contact Northwest Staffing. As employee relations experts, we can help you develop a performance review process that encourages positive results and helps you build a winning team. Contact us today to learn more.

Regardless of whether you’re a business owner in Everett, a manager in Seattle, an employee in Edmonds, or a job candidate in Mill Creek, effective communication skills are essential for your success. If your communication skills need a little work, don’t despair. Good communicators can be created as well as born.

Here are a few tips to get you started.

• Even if someone lashes out at you, don’t take their anger personally. They may simply be stressed out and taking it out on you.

• It’s ok if you don’t have all the answers. If someone asks you a question that you don’t know the answer to, tell them you’ll have to find out and follow up with them.

• People don’t necessarily care whether you agree with them or not; they simply want to be heard. So, to show that you’re listening, respond with a statement like: “Tell me more about your concern.”

• What someone else says and what we hear can be two different things. Our own filters, assumptions, and beliefs can distort what we hear. So be sure to repeat back or summarize what you think the person just said to ensure everyone’s on the same page.

• Acknowledge frustration or inconvenience and offer a timeline, particularly if you need someone else’s cooperation or your activities will have an impact on them. Also, be sure to tell them how what you’re doing will benefit them.

• Even though it’s hard, don’t offer advice unless you’re asked.

• Look for common ground instead of focusing solely on differences.

• Most people (including you) have a self-serving agenda. This isn’t a bad thing because it helps us achieve our goals. However, don’t assume that someone else has the same agenda as you.

• Become a better listener. Most people think they’re good listeners; however, they’re usually thinking about what they’re going to say next when someone else is talking. Gooding listening means clearing your mind of distractions and asking pertinent questions.

For many companies – especially smaller ones – the responsibility for human resource management can quickly become overwhelming. HR and administrative tasks can start to take up more and more time, and the effort to attract and retain new employees can seem daunting.

So what are your options for HR help? Here are some ideas:

Hire an HR Director.
You could hire a full-time employee to handle your entire HR function. This option is convenient, will eliminate your HR headaches, and will reduce your risks from any compliance issues. However, it’s also an expensive alternative.

Hire an HR Generalist.
A less costly route to take is to hire a human resource generalist. Such a professional can handle all the administrative tasks associated with HR, including maintaining payroll, hiring employees, and administering benefits. However, you maintain control over all final decision making. So, in essence, you are the HR director.

Outsource Your HR function.
This has proven to be an economical and flexible option for many companies. You can either outsource your entire HR function, or just bits and pieces of it, such as staffing or payroll.

Hire a Consultant.
Another option is to hire an HR consultant on a contract basis to supplement your internal HR function. Typically, an HR consultant will charge a retainer fee for a certain number of hours of hands-on work and unlimited telephone consultations. With this option, you or someone on your staff will still have to handle day-to-day HR and employee relations issues.

If you’re overwhelmed by HR tasks at your company, and you’re looking for a better solution, please contact Northwest Staffing. As a Seattle staffing firm, we can help with a variety of HR functions – including staffing, payroll, and benefits administration – so you can focus on other priorities.

As a staffing agency serving Everett, Mill Creek, Martha Lake, and Lynnwood, we get all sorts of email from all sorts of people. Sometimes it’s surprising, even to us, that not everyone follows the basic rules of email etiquette.

But, whether you’re an employer, or a job seeker, the email you send is an important component of your professional image – much like your wardrobe and voicemail greeting. If you want to impress, then you need to steer clear of these top eight email etiquette mistakes:

Not including a subject line.
Most business people receive a huge amount of emails on any given day. Therefore, it makes no sense to omit a subject line. If you want your email read in a timely manner, you need to include a subject line that is pertinent to your email message.

Failure to change the subject line with each reply.
If you’re going back and forth with someone regarding a project, don’t just hit reply every time. Rewrite the subject line so it reflects the issue discussed in each email. This way, you and the recipient won’t have to go searching through dozens of emails with the same subject line for one piece of information.

Not personalizing your email.
Email is an informal means of communications. But in the business world, it shouldn’t be too formal. Therefore, be sure to include a greeting in each email you send out, such as “Dear Mr. Smith,” or “Hi Mike.”

Not thinking about tone.
Choose your words carefully because the recipient can’t see your body language or hear your tone of voice. You may be kidding around about something, but the recipient takes it seriously because you didn’t take tone into account.

Failure to check for spelling and grammar.
Some people seem to think that they don’t need to proofread emails. But would you send out a business letter without proofreading it? Absolutely not! If you repeatedly send out emails with spelling and grammar mistakes, people will begin to question the quality of your work in general.

Writing long emails.
Email is supposed to be brief, so write only a few paragraphs at most. When you need to write something longer, then it’s probably time to pick up the phone or schedule a meeting.

Including sensitive information in emails.
Once an email leaves your mailbox, you have no idea where it might end up. So if you want to keep something more private, don’t include it in an email. Use other means to communicate such information.

Completing the “To” line first.
Write the subject line and email, and then proofread it before even thinking about filling in the “To” line. A quick hit of the wrong button can send out an embarrassing, half-finished mass email to all your colleagues. And it can never be taken back.

In this day and age, proper email etiquette should be a no-brainer for everyone. But as a staffing agency in business serving Everett, Mill Creek, Martha Lake, and Lynnwood for over 20 years, we still get lots of emails from people who make many of the mistakes mentioned above. Whether you’re a business owner sending an email to a client, or a job seeker submitting your resume, make sure you follow proper etiquette. You’ll establish more positive relationships and make a better impression in the long run.

Today’s workforce has different needs than the workforce of 20, 30, or 40 years ago. Responding to those diverse needs is critical if a company wants to remain competitive now – and in the future. Here are some ideas for adopting a diversity program at your company:

Analyzing diversity at your company.
The first phase is to analyze where you are and where you want to be in terms of diversity. That may mean conducting either formal or informal affirmative action analyses, and then establishing a vision for the future.

Creating targeted recruiting efforts.
If your company hasn’t met its diversity goals, the next step is to refine recruiting efforts to directly speak to certain groups, such as blacks, women, or seniors.

Implementing sensitivity training.
Educate and inform your managers and employees about diversity issues through sensitivity training. These seminars and presentations help to ensure that both groups work together to create a comfortable and supportive environment for everyone.

Ensure equal opportunity for growth.
If you’ve found that your company’s culture is not open to diversity, you may need to make major modifications to ensure that all employees have equal opportunities for growth and advancement.

Holding management accountable.
In order for a diversity initiative to succeed, managers need to be held accountable. Performance criteria and bonuses must be based upon the effective management of diversity, including recruitment and retention.

By effectively managing diversity in the workplace, your company can embrace new opportunities, meet the needs of your workforce, and remain more competitive for years to come. If you need help implementing a diversity initiative at your company, contact Northwest Staffing. We can help.

It’s hard to control overhead at your company when you’re dealing with rising health care costs every year. In fact, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, group health care costs account for nearly 11% of payroll, making it the largest benefits expense.

To control these costs, many Seattle companies are exploring a variety of strategies, including some of the following:

Increasing the cost to employees.
This includes increasing the amount each employee must pay towards their premium, as well as raising the amount of co-pays and prescriptions.

Consolidating health insurance plans.
Consolidating plans can help to lower administrative expenses and decrease risk segmentation, which can lower health care costs overall.

Disease management.
Programs such as these work to emphasize the importance of preventing or reversing diseases that are common and manageable, like hypertension, diabetes, and asthma. They also aim to improve employee health, reduce time off from work, and lower medical costs in the process.

Case management.
Case management works to control the costs of major illnesses on a one-to-one basis. It consists of teaching individuals likely to incur high health care costs to take better care of themselves, as well as improving adherence to treatment regimens and access to post-hospital care and other support services.

Creating Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs).
HRAs are Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-sanctioned programs that allow an employer to reimburse medical expenses paid by participating employees, thus yielding tax advantages to offset health care costs. Unused funds can be carried over to the following year, which encourages employees to become better health care consumers.

If you need help managing health care, or other employee benefits, please contact Northwest Staffing. As payroll and benefits administration experts right here in Seattle, we can help you evaluate your situation and make more cost-effective choices. We can also take ownership and responsibility for your company’s payroll and benefits function. Contact us today to learn more.

From drama queens to pragmatists, there are a whole host of different personalities at work. So how can you effectively manage each to create the most productive team possible? Here’s some information you may want to consider.

The Two Categories of Personalities – Introvert & Extrovert
Generally speaking, most people fall into either one of two personality categories – introvert or extrovert.

An introvert is someone who gets their energy from themselves, rather than from other people. Introverts tend to be a little quieter and more reserved. People that fall into this category are usually more drained by social situations, even if they have good social skills, and need time alone afterwards to re-energize. Introverts are typically detail-oriented and perfectionists. They excel at handling one task at a time, on their own terms, rather than as part of a larger group.

In contrast, an extrovert is energized by social situations. They get bored fast when they’re alone. If given a choice, an extrovert would much rather be surrounded by people. Extroverts tend to be at their best when interacting with others. They are typically assertive and risk takers; oftentimes, they show visible leadership capabilities.

Managing Introverts & Extroverts

While these two personality types seem like polar opposites, they actually complement each other quite nicely – if you manage them properly.

For instance, both personalities react differently to various work situations, such as meetings. An extrovert is typically energized by a meeting, seeing it as a forum for open discussion. An introvert, on the other hand, can become stressed and drained by meetings.

As a manager, you need to meet the needs of both types of personalities. Before a meeting, make sure to hand out a meeting agenda so that the introvert has time to prepare and is more comfortable coming to the table. Extroverts will also feel more energized by the contributions offered by the introverts – and the meeting will be more productive.

Here are some additional tips for managing introverts and extroverts:

• Since extroverts do well in social situations, be sure to put them in a role at your company that includes a lot of interaction.

• Extroverts tend to display a lot of confidence. But, since they’re not the most detail-oriented group of people, they’re not always right.

• Introverts, on the other hand, tend to be perfectionists. As a result, they will take more time to complete projects. Encourage them to not think about every single detail before moving forward with a task.

• Introverts like to perform tasks on their own. So hand off projects to them for which they can take full responsibility.

To be a successful manager, you must take different personalities into account. If you do so, and nurture the strengths of each, you’ll ultimately be able to build a stronger team and improve productivity.

The purpose of drug testing is to lessen the impact from drug abuse in the workplace, including tardiness, absenteeism, turnover, decreased productivity, and theft. Why is it important? Consider these statistics:

• Drug use in the workplace costs employers $75 to $100 billion dollars annually in lost time, accidents, health care, and workers compensation costs, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Labor.

• Sixty-five percent of all accidents on the job are related to alcohol or drug use.

• Substance abusers use 16 times as many health insurance benefits and are six times more likely to file workers compensation claims than are non-abusers.

Types of Drug Testing Programs

The easiest and most common type of drug testing program is a pre-employment drug test as a condition of employment. Pre-employment testing weeds out applicants who may have drug abuse problems and such a program can be set up with minimal effort. Before testing someone though, make sure you obtain consent and clearly indicate that drug testing is mandatory for employment.

There are also a variety of types of post-hiring drug tests you can conduct on your current employees, including:

• Random testing
• Testing due to suspicion
• Testing after an accident occurs
• Testing that is legally required in certain industries

For post-hiring testing, be sure to develop training and education for supervisors and employees, as well as guidelines for discipline in the event of a positive test.

Also, keep in mind that although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar state laws provides protection for people who are in rehab for drug problems, it does not provide protection for people currently using illegal drugs, nor does it impact drug testing.

If you’re looking to implement a drug testing program at your company, contact Northwest Staffing. Our experience with our own temporary employees gives us in-depth expertise on this complicated issue. We can also help ensure you comply with appropriate employment laws and regulations.