Reputation - You Build It Every Day

During my youth, my father (a 20 year Air Force veteran) used to tell me; “You are born with just one last name, you need to work hard to protect its reputation”. That was good advice to remember. The same holds true with your professional reputation.

Building and maintaining your reputation can be one of the hardest tasks you will ever undertake. Why? Because your reputation is built every day, it is not just a static event. Furthermore, consistent execution on a day in and day out basis on any task is a challenge. Few are as important as your reputation. It is important to recognize that your reputation is what others believe about you, not what you believe about yourself.

Most everyone is aware of the high profile visibility surrounding the departures of Robert Moffat, ex-SVP of IBM, and Mark Hurd, ex-CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Each had reputations of being squeaky clean, fiercely loyal, and two of the most effective leaders in a Fortune 50 company. Both lost their jobs in disgrace. Hubris and poor judgment effectively ended their public careers.

Beware of letting a prideful act tarnish or even ruin a lifetime of building your good reputation, no matter how innocuous it may appear at the time. As a litmus test, if you are not willing to have your mother read about it on the cover of the Wall Street Journal, you probably are at risk of exercising poor judgment. People and companies have long memories. The advent of technology and social media can easily magnify the awareness of a poor decision.

A good reputation allows you to aim higher in life, personally and professionally. A good reputation attracts positive attention, and can inspire others to do well. A good reputation can never be bought; it can only be earned. A person with a good reputation does not need to worry about what others think about them, for their actions speak louder than words.

Go out and do something good for yourself and others today.

Wayne Rampey

Vice President

The InSource Group

www.insourcegroup.com

HIRE Act – Are you taking advantage of it?

The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act, is aimed at economic recovery and enacted in to law on March 18, 2010 However, employers need to act quickly; this is a time-limited program that expires December 31, 2010.

The Instant Savings (Payroll Tax Exemption):

The HIRE Act of 2010 provides a payroll tax incentive for employers to hire workers who have been unemployed for 60 days or more, which in turn promotes job growth. Employers, who hire unemployed workers this year, qualify for a 6.2% payroll tax incentive that, in effect, exempts them from their share of Social Security taxes on wages paid to workers after March 18, 2010. The reduced tax withholding has no effect on the employee’s future Social Security benefits, and employers will still need to withhold the employee’s 6.2% share of Social Security taxes, as well as income taxes.

The Rebate (Retention Bonus):

In addition to the 6.2% Social Security tax savings, businesses can claim an additional general business tax credit, up to $1000 per worker, when the new-hires are retained for at least one year. This tax credit is taken when the business files their 2011 income tax return. For each unemployed new-hire, that completes 52 consecutive weeks of employment, the employer can claim the income tax credit equal to, the lesser of $1000 or 6.2% of the wages paid during the 52 weeks. This $1,000 maximum credit is equivalent to about $16,130 in wages per new-hire. Therefore, if an employer has 10 new hires that are paid at least the minimum of $16,130 each, the income tax credit would be $10,000.

Restrictions Apply:

As with all sales, there are certain restrictions and regulations that apply. To obtain this instant savings and rebate, first, qualified new-hires:

1. Must be unemployed for 60 continuous days or more, prior to being hired; or, if working part-time, could not have worked more than 40 hours total during the 60 days prior to being hired.

2. Must sign and Affidavit (Form W-11), which is their statement to item number one.

3. Must not be a relative of the owner of the company

Second, employers:

1. Must hire qualified new-hires between February 3, 2010 and January 1, 2011

2. Can receive the tax credit when replacing a current employee, but only when that employee terminates voluntarily or is terminated for cause.

3. Cannot claim the payroll tax exemption and the work opportunity tax credit (WOTC), but can claim both the WOTC and the retention bonus.

The HIRE Act, can provide a huge savings to mid-market and smaller companies.

Lisa Pettigrew

Human Resources Manager

The InSource Group

www.insourcegroup.com

In Praise of Feedback

We firmly believe that we don’t praise people enough. Yet even the smallest positive remark can be genuinely rewarding and act as a powerful motivator. Everyone likes to know if they are doing a good job, and it’s easy to pass on positive information to deserving workers; you just have to recognize the opportunity and take the time to do it.

Providing frequent, truthful and direct feedback helps people understand how their work is being evaluated and what is expected of them and feedback is a key component in motivating and retaining employees. For companies that employ contractors, this can be difficult since the client manager typically supervises the contractors work. Through our years of IT staffing and recruiting, we have developed a simple yet effective system to recognize and provide feedback on performance while it is still timely.

All of our employees’ weekly time sheets have a “Performance Assessment” section that all client managers complete. Simple, yet it is an extremely powerful tool and an effective vehicle for communicating positive performance quickly and efficiently and also highlighting any issues that may have arisen. This capability provides an excellent vehicle for sharing information among all parties. Collecting the information is only part of the process; the real key is evaluating and disseminating the information in a timely manner. Positive feedback is communicated as quickly as possible, and in the rare event that a corrective action needs to be taken, it can be easily identified and managed accordingly.

Client managers develop a level of comfort with specificity in regards to performance related matters knowing that they have a vehicle to use for communication that will be acted on rather than flowing into a black hole. Contractors appreciate the fact that their performance is being honestly evaluated by the people they work for on a daily basis. Our job as the staffing firm is to facilitate communication, for the most part, good news.

Below are a few client comments we have had the privilege to pass on to our contractors:

• “(contractor) continues doing a super job as we transition to final prototype build. He has helped drive the group in task and completion that has supported successful product demonstration. I personally appreciate his flexibility, positive attitude and adaptability when day to day priorities are modified based on near term needs.

• “(contractor) has really been quick to pick up new tasks and is a real self starter. He finds the resources that he needs to get the job done.”

• “(contractor) has excellent customer service skills. He has been the fastest person I have ever seen come up to speed in our very complex environment.”

In these instances we make sure the contractor receives the accolades and feels appreciated. In the few instances where client managers have identified areas of concern, which may have not been communicated otherwise, we address those areas specifically with our consultants to ensure improvement. This has played an important role in The InSource Group maintaining its extremely high level of client satisfaction.

A simple concept enabled by a repeatable process has given us the opportunity to give praise where praise is due. Now that is genuinely rewarding.

Brett Schaefer& Mark Stevenson

Sales Managers

The InSource Group

www.insourcegroup.com

Team Building and the Art of Whirlyball

What happens when you throw a group of seriously competitive, energetic and strong-willed people who work together into a completely different situation; one that involves bumper cars and whiffle balls? Lots of trash-talking, future visits to the chiropractor and a rollicking good time.

Our industry, IT recruiting, is fast-paced, competitive and often requires a high degree of diplomacy. Seeing our staff all compete in a no-holds-barred competition was not just fun, but educational. Each and every team worked hard together and played in a manner that would make any World Cup coach proud. We’re a highly competitive bunch, but this can also result in conflict. As issues arose in the games they were resolved quickly, effectively and amiably. This, in turn, brought about a greater focus on winning. Hmmm…could this somehow translate into a workplace lesson?
Playing Whirlyball gave us the opportunity to let loose, have fun and not worry about our actions impacting our business. In return, everyone gained new insight into those around them. While playing, we all let off a lot of steam and came out of the event happy, sweaty, relaxed and with some great stories to tell.

While such training as the Meyer’s Briggs personality testing is worthwhile, it was good to mix in something completely offbeat. I gathered a great deal of understanding about how a lot of my coworkers deal with things without the strictures of a professional environment. Such fun and educational experiences should be a regular part of any company’s training regimen.

Next time, I’m shooting more and driving into fewer walls!

Jeff Weadock
Information Technology
The InSource Group
www.insourcegroup.com

So, You Want to Hire an “A” Player?

During meetings with our clients, managers often tell us, “We only want to hire an “A” player”.

What does that really mean? And are companies and management really prepared to handle the total package of responsibilities that go hand in hand with hiring a true “A” player? Every company needs its share of “A” players, but frankly not every position can handle the challenges and demands of an “A” player. These employees have greater expectations including:

• Higher Compensation: Not just at the point of initial hire, but also throughout their tenure of employment. They expect larger compensation increases and they will most likely command those increases in order to retain them long term.

• More Responsibility: Be prepared to fast track their careers or lose them to competitors who also vie for their talents. They want responsibility and expect a quick path to get it.

• Higher Work Standards: They expect more of their immediate superiors and expect to be managed differently. The “one size fits all” approach is a recipe for disaster with them. They also expect high performance standards from their co-workers and seldom settle for less. This can make exceptional employees more challenging to work with.

As an IT recruiting company, we have found that there is an additional aspect of attracting and hiring good employees that is almost universally over looked; you have to court and interview them differently than the rest of the talent pool. If you really need and want to hire that “A” player, then you need to show it. These candidates expect to be “sold” on why a particular job or company is a good move for their career. Typically, “A” players interview very well. As a suitor for their talents, you need to do a better job than they do.

If you put them through a poorly thought out interview process or just run them through your standard interview process, don’t be surprised if they are not overly interested in your opportunity. “A” players have options, regardless of the state of any economy. Sometimes more options, sometimes less; but they always have more options than others and will not hesitate to exercise them.

One of our recent experiences during an SVP search illustrates the need to treat “A” players differently. Our client’s first choice had an existing offer, and had to respond to that offer soon. The candidate had just started a typically lengthy interview process with our client. Our client recognized the need to speed up the process, but without sacrificing thoroughness. They rearranged their president’s schedule and included many senior level executives in the interview process on a compressed timeline. The final decision has yet to be made, but this is an example of changes that may need to be made to accommodate the legitimate needs of top talent.

It is critical to fully understand the responsibilities of managing and challenging “A” players to retain them over the long term. Be prepared to clearly illustrate the benefits of joining your firm, both in terms of career opportunities as well as the impact on the social fabric of your organization. “A” players like to associate with “A” players. During the interview process, involve some of your top performing employees even if they are not in the same department or at the same job level. This lends credibility to your claim of being able to attract, challenge, and keep top talent.

Wayne Rampey
Vice President
The InSource Group
http://www.insourcegroup.com/

Dress Codes Don’t Take a Vacation

At the last company I worked for, the receptionist’s official title was “Director of First Impressions.” Well, I recently visited an insurance services company, where a young, attractive woman, dressed in a hot pink, terry-cloth sundress, greeted me. As she walked away from the receptionist area, I further noticed she was wearing very cute and fancy flip-flops. Although she looked quite lovely (for a day at the beach), I thought, “Really? This is the 'first impression' this company wants to present?”

Unfortunately, this insurance company is not alone. It’s almost universal that as the summer temperatures rise, the adherence to a company’s dress code policy drops! Workers adopt a "vacation view" of dress codes. Females, especially, start to wear less; we see more cleavage, more leg, and less in foot coverage. We see everything from spaghetti-straps and halter-tops, to mini, mini-skirts and flip-flops. True, styles change with every season change, however, I believe, when conducting business, it is very important to exude professionalism always, and these clothing items fail to do that.

The majority of companies now practice the “business casual” dress code policy, which can leave much to self-interpretation, if not outlined with specifics. Employees must realize that all “casual” clothing is not suitable in the workplace. Clothing that you would wear on the beach, in a nightclub or for exercising and yard-work is not professional or appropriate in the workplace. Clothing that reveals the chest, cleavage, back, stomach or underwear is also inappropriate. These items can actually be distracting and/or offensive to co-workers, clients and customers.

To remain professional, wear a jacket or sweater to cover low-cut blouses and spaghetti-straps. If you are the slightest bit concerned about the length of your skirt or split in your skirt, you probably should not wear it work. And those strappy sandals with the 5-inch spiked heels, that looked “hot” at the club Saturday night, are probably not professional in the office; and neither are the fancy flip-flops, even though you paid nearly $100 bucks for them.

When the temperatures heat up, don’t let your clothing style “heat up.” Remain professional and present strength and stability when representing your company in front of your clients, customers and even co-workers. Be cognizant of your company dress code policy and abide by it, even when the temperatures rise above 90 degrees. And save the flip-flops, no matter how fancy or expensive, for the mall or the beach.

Lisa Pettigrew
Human Resource Manager
The InSource Group
www.insourcegroup.com

Current DFW IT Job Market

In 2009, most of the country experienced layoffs and a depressed job market. Fortunately for those of us in Texas, and in particular the IT job market, we were one of the least affected nationwide.

In the winter of 2009, the economy started showing signs of recovery and, as a DFW IT recruiting company, our hopes were high that 2010 was going to be a much better year. Several of our clients told us in annual client reviews that they expected to begin hiring again and restart project plans that were put on hold, but the vast majority told us they were still concerned about the economy and were in a “wait and see” mode. We expected an anemic recovery with slow growth, but we were cautiously optimistic for 2010.

What have we seen this year?

The Federal Reserve’s June 9th Beige Book report for the Eleventh District (Dallas) stated, “Business conditions continued to improve,” and, “Employment levels held steady (with) reports of hiring activity.” Reports from staffing industry contacts indicate, “…demand remains strong and widespread across sectors. Orders are mostly for contract work but assignments are becoming longer in length and temp-to-hire placements continue to pick up pace.”

What we have experienced in the first half of 2010, as a staffing agency, is in line with this report. We have had a significant increase in activity with more open job requests than during the same time frame in 2009. Job offers to our candidates have gone up, several of our candidates are receiving multiple offers, and job offers are coming more quickly. In one case, a software developer was hired sight unseen and without an interview by one of our clients. He was only on the market for 3 hours!

What does this tell us?

The IT job market in North Texas is definitely becoming more active as regional economic activity improves. Companies are gradually spending and hiring again, indicating an optimistic outlook. Competition for candidates is increasing, making securing top candidates more challenging.

What does this mean to our clients?

Despite a 9.7% unemployment rate, securing the “A+” candidates still requires companies to do all the right things to streamline the hiring process and make their open positions as attractive as possible. Smart hiring managers shouldn’t hesitate in reviewing resumes, scheduling interviews, and making hiring decisions. Besides a competitive salary, hiring managers need to ensure their companies offer stimulating jobs and positive work environments. They also need to have a formidable benefits package that includes health care and a 401K. With business improving, companies can’t afford to keep critical projects on hold and expect to remain competitive.

Brett Schaefer & Mark Stevenson
Sales Managers
The InSource Group
http://www.insourcegroup.com/