Midwest Staffing is proud to join Opportunity Partners’ Business Partner Council. Opportunity Partners is a Twin Cities nonprofit organization providing services to people with disabilities. Its mission includes placing people with disabilities in jobs throughout the Twin Cities, and providing contract business services like packaging and professional cleaning to companies. Opportunity Partners is working hard to prove that everyone, when given the opportunity, adds value to our world.

Not only does Midwest Staffing provide quality temporary labor to help Opportunity Partners meet its mission, but now serves on the organization’s Business Partner Council. This group is charged with spreading the word about Opportunity Partners to other businesses, and ultimately increasing opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. What a great partnership!

To learn more about Opportunity Partners and its Business Partner Council, check out www.OpportunityPartners.org or contact Dan Meyers at 952-930-4242 or dmeyers@opportunities.org

As a business owner or manager, you are constantly deciding where to invest and allocate marketing resources. Before making your next marketing investment or decision, read HubSpots’ “The State of Inbound Marketing” research report. The report demonstrates the effectiveness of using blogs, social media and search engines for influencing business targets on a purchasing decision. Conversely, the traditional techniques of direct mail, telemarketing and trade shows are becoming less effective.

“The State of Inbound Marketing” surveyed 644 professional businesses’ marketing strategies. Each company recorded spending and distribution of marketing expenses in order to calculate the cost per lead. In this study, “inbound marketing” consisted of blogs, social media, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and PPC (Pay Per Click). “Outbound marketing” consisted of traditional marketing tactics, such as telemarketing, trade shows and direct mail. To understand inbound and outbound marketing more thoroughly, read Brian Halligan’s blog, “Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing.”

In the research report, outbound marketing amounted to an average cost of $373 per lead, while inbound marketing came to $143 per lead— an astonishing 62% lower cost per lead than outbound marketing. Looking at the graph below (courtesy of HubSpot.com), blogs were reported as the least expensive strategy, while trade shows and other traditional marketing tactics, along with PPC, ranked significantly lower. Although PPC had a lower cost per than telemarketing and direct mail, all other outbound approaches were significantly higher.

For greater customer acquisition and cost effectiveness, social media, blogs and search engine optimization are obviously successful factors for businesses. These techniques should be considered and implemented in all marketing budgets. Have blogs, social media and SEO been factors in your business’ success?

For the past 2 months we have been starting out our Wednesday mornings at InFit with Senior Instructor Theresa Eicher. The classes begin at 6am bright and early at the gym located in Albertville, MN. Our Vice President of Operations, Mike Thoemke has been driving 45 minutes, to join these great workout sessions. This dedication and discipline demonstrates how seriously we encourage and support a good health culture in the workplace. We also create relationships with our involvement in these fitness opportunities within our networks and communities.

The morning workouts consist of alternating intense cardio resistance training, kickboxing, bars and plates. After two months, Theresa has already seen an increase in energy levels, motivation, and camaraderie and she says, “Loves working out with the Midwest Staffing Team”. Team member Jen Granner has noticed an impact on feeling more, as she puts it “motivated to conquer the world” and that she “built camaraderie with her team!”

On Wednesday March 16, we have the pleasure of working out with the owner, Ashley Darkenwald at 7am. Ashley is excited to “Kick Midwest Staffings Butts” come Wednesday morning. In the world of fitness, it seems to be a compliment when someone wants to “kick” another person’s butt. To enjoy the sweat along with us we are bringing friends, family members and business partners. So if you want to join us in our “butt kicking” contact, a local branch representative.

The way InFit has addressed corporate wellness has increased our employee’s lifestyles and can have a positive impact on your company. Also InFit is a franchise of Anytime Fitness so whenever employees travel they can access any of the thousands of Anytime Fitness centers. Time for your business to start getting your butts kicked.

Temporary employees are a very important part of business today. Without temp employees, companies would have to spend thousands of dollars on training new-hires that are potentially not a good fit for the company. This is why companies look to temp agencies for good employees.

In order to be a successful temp, you need to take a step back and look at your personality. Temp agencies have to carefully screen candidates in order to ensure that they have reliable individuals that fit with the company they get matched with. Let's take a look at some personality traits that make for a successful temp employee.

Friendly - A temporary employee must be able to get along with others and be a team player. Such individuals often end up being hired by the company full time because this is such a strong trait to have.

Reliable - If you have a knack for showing up at work on time, and not taking days off, then you can go very far in the world of temporary employment.

Trustworthy - Employers look for individuals that they can trust to work independently.Trustworthy employees can make it easier for supervisors to run the day-to-day operations of the business, and are the first ones to get promoted when a position opens up.

Safety Conscious - A very important aspect of temporary employment is safety. Work related injuries cost businesses lots of money, and safety is something that is often stressed over and over in orientation and training videos.

These simple factors determine whether or not a candidate is temp material or not. The employees that carry these traits are valued members of a temp agency, and the companies that contract with them. If you match these personality traits, then great opportunity awaits you. In this case, don't hesitate to apply for temporary work today!

As a prior military member, I did not test my M16 or wish for extra ammunition on the battle field, instead weapon systems were tested on a regular basis and I always packed extra ammunition. That’s because, wishing and wanting in a time of need, will prove to be useless.

Do you want to resolve problems at 3am with a voicemail or answering machine with your “direct” contact number? Be proactive to your vendors instead of reactive and test your promised service. If your service agreement promises direct phone support 24/7 or extended hours contact them at off peak times and check the reliability. Take things off your wish list and take advantage of vendors promised services.

In a management position, current vendors may have a service that you are not taking advantage of or testing the reliability. Also, they may provide a service that your company wishes they had that you are not utilizing yet, such as extended hours or access to technical support, human resources or safety support. If you have access to a vendor or clients Human Resource department contact them and setup a meeting. Find out all the services that are available to you and get your questions answered.

Have you tested or taken advantage of a service or support lately to mature your company? Click “reply” below to share what service your company has taken advantage of. Or a service that should have been tested instead of procrastinating till it was needed.

Micromanagement refers to a supervisory style where a manager gives instructions on each step of a process to assess every little aspect employee performance. Remember “Lumbergh” from the 1999 movie “Office Space?” He was a classic micromanager that drove all employees insane with his obsession with paperwork (notably TPS reports) and his passive-aggressive catch phrases. It’s important to remember there is a difference between being a concerned, intuitive and constructive manager and being a micromanager.

For some managers, micromanagement comes naturally. After all, it can be scary knowing that your performance is contingent upon the actions, successes and failures of all subordinates. New managers who aren’t quite secure in their positions may feel the need to assess each and every step an employee makes. There are several situations where micromanaging can be helpful.

• May be good for new employees because it provides constant corrections and guidance.
• May be essential in cases of poor performance so the precise problem can be assessed.
• Can convey that a manager cares about employees – more so than an absent manager.
• Gives managers full knowledge of every single thing that happens in the workplace.

For the most part, micromanagement is one of the worst things for a place of employment. Early guidance is important, but a good manager knows when to take the training wheels off and let employees shine on their own through professional development opportunities and instilling accountability. Once you know how to communicate clearly, delegate responsibility and motivate performance, you’ll find the need to micromanage disappears.

• Does not motivate any employee.
• Creates resentment from peers.
• Creates resentment from subordinates.
• Displays a lack of trust and confidence.
• Dramatically increases employee turnover.
• Provokes anti-social behavior and spiteful actions.
• Inhibits workers’ capacity for growth and development.
• Harms the corporate culture when rumors spread beyond the office.

For managers of temporary employees one obstacle is motivating the temporary employees. This can be extremely difficult since they are not receiving the benefits and compensation of full time employees. There are however several methods to increase motivation and inspiration in your temporary workforce, such as:

• Give your temporary employees the same respect of full time employees by learning their names and make them comfortable in their new workplace by giving a tour of the business (bathrooms, lunchroom, offices, etc…).
• Educate them about the history of the company and the management structure.
• Explain the importance their position contributes in the success of the business and how their skills help the organization meet those goals.
• Invite your temporary employees to department meetings. Inform them of announcements and plans for the department in which they work.
• Advise the temporary employee to the possibilities of changing their status to permanent employment (if available) and who they should contact if interested.

By managing the temporary employees through a model similar of full time employees, you will create a leaner workforce and friendlier working environment. Enhancing temporary employee’s sense of belonging and ownership of your business is beneficial to both parties.

Have you ever had any positive experience or outcomes from any of the above bullets? Or have you ever implemented a concept that wasn’t listed above that benefited your company or the temporary employee? If so, reply below and share your success.

The national emphasis program (NEP) is a recently issued strategy released by The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Last year, OSHA launched the NEP after studies found that many companies were underreporting or incorrectly reporting workplace-related injuries and illnesses.

The goal of the NEP is to crack down on the underreporting of occupational injuries and illnesses. Specifically, OSHA plans to target manufacturing companies, companies whose rates are significantly lower than the industry standard, and/or companies that have large worksites. Currently, the NEP pilot program is scheduled to run through February, 2012.

There can often be confusion among companies that utilize a temporary workforce on the reporting requirements: who should record the injuries, how they should be recorded, etc . To provide some general guidance, below are are few key points to keep in mind with regard to temporary employees:

The "Controlling Company"

Employers who supervise temporary employees at their work-site are required to maintain the OSHA 300 Logs for those employees. The controlling employer is often the company who uses the temporary workers because they direct the day-to-day work of the employee. Some companies prefer to sub-divide the OSHA 300 Log to provide separate listings of temporary workers and their own internal employees. However, the records must be maintained in one larger log for all recordkeeping purposes.

First Reports of Injury and OSHA 301 Forms

When the workers from a temporary service firm are under the day-to-day supervision of the controlling party (using firm), the entire OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping responsibility belongs to the using firm. This responsibility includes completion of an OSHA 301 Incident Report form, or an equivalent form, for each recordable injury or illness entered on the OSHA 300 Log. The agency that is supplying you workers should partner with your organization to ensure you receive the medical records and return to work updates necessary to complete your reports.

The record keeping requirements of OSHA are quite intricate. Please be sure to consult with your own human resources and legal team prior to implementing any new processes. This article is intended to provide a general framework for the reporting requirements of OSHA. To keep updated on reporting requirements, you can consult OSHA's website at www.osha.gov.

Midwest Staffing Group is dedicated to supporting our clients in complying with all federal, state and local laws. If you have any questions on the OSHA reporting guidelines, please be sure to contact your local branch office!

Unlike previous recession recoveries, there seems to be no quick return to hiring on permanent employees. Because of growth of technological solutions, operational effectiveness, and out-sourcing, many companies are finding that they can be more productive with fewer employees. Employers have found that they can get the job done by complementing their regular employees with temps. This gives companies the freedom to increase and decrease their workforce depending on what is needed at the time. Your people are your greatest asset but also your biggest expense. The more actively you manage the cost of your employees, the more money you’ll have to invest. Managing your staffing function isn’t just about cutting costs; it’s about giving you the ability to overcome challenges and take on new opportunities.

So here are some ideas you can utilize to enhance profits – and grow your business – through effective staffing.

Take on new opportunities.
There are probably times when you have a great idea for your business, but simply can’t implement it because you don’t have the resources. With temporary or contract workers you can access the resources you need, when you need them.

Tap into skilled talent.
Rather than trying to learn something on your own or taking tons of time to train a staff member, bring in a temporary or contract employee who already has the skills and experience you need. Once the project is complete, you don’t have to worry about the cost of another full-time employee.

Utilize temporary workers to generate revenues.
For instance, temporary workers can help you:

• Collect data and conduct market research.
• Set up sales appointments.
• Manage a seasonal surge in business.
• Fill employment gaps when an employee gets sick, goes on maternity leave, or takes a vacation.

Keep your employees focused on what they do best.
Don’t give your top talent low-level tasks to complete simply because there’s no one else to get the job done. Keep your full-time staff focused on their priorities and bring in temporary employees to manage less important duties.

Chances are e-mails take up a good part of your day. First, sorting through the important ones to the irrelevant ones, and then responding to them in a timely manner. In order to keep up with this fast paced growing communication process in an efficient and productive way there are guidelines and tips so e-mailing doesn’t become too time consuming or distracting.

The reason e-mailing has become such a distraction according to a Radicati study, a technology research group the average typical user receives 74 emails and sends 36 emails. Of those 74 emails received 18% are spam or Graymail (annoying newsletters, and alerts) leaving 61 legitimate emails. Now, for me to send 36 well-structured emails a day I would need more than 24 hours in a day.

I took a college course on business writing which helped my career tremendously but also drove me to working overtime weekly because of the extensive writing requirements that I tried to follow throughout my job. Maintaining the integrity of proper grammar, spelling, and eliminating acronyms are just a few of the basics. Since then an altered guideline was formed in combination of the work and college environment in efforts to create a leaner work day.

• More Clear, Concise and to the Point – If it takes one sentence or one-two words, “do it”.
• Create Templates – To deal with multiple emails involving similar objectives such as follow-ups, thank you, proposals, etc... Have a generic template where you can change just the recipient’s or business name to save time typing.
• Use the “Phone” – Avoid clarifying and elaborating which could lead to even more questions instead pick up the phone.
• Actions – If actions are required in an email Highlight them.
• Stay Focus – When the email alert pops up, maintain focus on the task at hand. Set aside specific times for checking and responding to emails.

Keep in mind there are times where it is necessary to maintain email etiquette depending on the recipient, for instance when responding to the CEO of the company you may want a more formal response. These basic points have increased my productivity and I am confident they will increase yours.