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Monday Funday – October 2015

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Monday Funday is one way in which ExactHire seeks to build and grow a fun work culture. Each month–on a Monday of course–we recognize the workiversaries and birthdays of our team. We also participate in creative competitions that sometimes turn fierce.

We will share recaps of these events via our blog in an effort to spread the word that Monday can be a fun day. But we also want to know how you have FUN at your workplace too. So add that in the comment section below. Our Fun Committee is always looking for ideas!

Gettin’ All (Witch) Crafty In The Office

The holiday season seems to grow longer each year. The end of the season is known–January 1st ends all the fun pretty swiftly. However, the beginning of the season seems to keep creeping up earlier. I mean, really, I saw a local mall display rocking the triumvirate of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas on October 1st!

Of course, we can’t just blame the retailers for the holiday jumpstart. At some level, the majority of us must want the holidays to start earlier. The retailers are likely just responding to that need…right?

In any case, this October, the ExactHire team joined in the premature celebration of holidays by hosting a halloween themed Monday Funday…on October 12th.

Ok, so it wasn’t THAT early, but celebrating Halloween 19 days in advance felt a little forced–and the bats and cobwebs, troubling to unaware visitors. Regardless, the coveted Golden Vase (our traveling Monday Funday trophy) was up for grabs again. And any resistance to an early celebration was quickly overcome when the contest was announced: Pumpkin Decorating.

I immediately knew this would not be my month to shine. While I fancy myself creative in some ways; glitter glue, sequins, and craft pens are not my tools of choice. But notwithstanding my lackluster effort, our team produced some pretty impressive pumpkins. And their addition to our office has provided a festive environment for visitors this October.

ExactHire Company Halloween Party-Monday Funday

Tasty Office Treats

Jessica won the competition decisively–the Golden Vase was hers–but everyone enjoyed a special treat for their efforts in the form of candied apple nachos. What are candied apple nachos you ask?  Well, it’s a health snack of sorts. Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

(4) green granny smith apples, cored and sliced

10 oz. of caramel squares OR  by a tub of it (depending on your health goals).

2 teaspoon water

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup crushed oreos

1/2 cup reese’s pieces

1/2 cup of…well basically anything sweet or salty that makes you smile.

Directions

  1. Unwrap caramels. Place in a saucepan with one teaspoon of water over medium low heat. Stir constantly until caramels are melted. Or heat the tub o’ caramel.
  2.  Drizzle melted caramel over sliced apples. Or pour it on generously.
  3.  Sprinkle with desired toppings. Or let it rain down with toppings.
  4. Serve with glee.

Another Monday Funday is in the books. We enjoyed the company of one another, flexed creative muscles, supplemented our nutritional needs, and jazzed up the office for Round 1 of the holiday season.

Next up: A Thanksgiving feast…and another chance to claim the Golden Vase.

Recent Golden Vase Winners

A Simple Onboarding Cheat Sheet

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As summer comes to an end and everyone’s schedule gets hectic with school, fall activities and new work projects, finding ways to simplify and focus at work are a must!  There are countless tips out there for enhancing your employee onboarding process (think employee retention), but here is a quick “cheat sheet” to make sure you’re doing the big things–and a few little things–that make the process easy and effective.

Complete New Hire Paperwork…Painlessly

Just like starting school or with any new job, there are a lot of forms to be filled out. Going paperless will help you get through these quickly and easily.  Onboarding software makes this process streamlined and painless for all involved.

Ready New Hire Workstation…Before The First Day

When a new employee arrives, make sure they feel at home with their work area, not just sitting in an empty cubicle. Have office supplies ready  and laptop and any other hardware already set up so that they are not just sitting around watching you get these items together. This will show that you are excited about their arrival to the team!

Inform Staff About The New Hire…All Staff

Make sure every member of your staff–regardless of role–is aware of the new hire’s arrival. Encourage interaction and support of the new hire so that they will feel part of the team immediately.  This will be a positive for everyone. The sooner a new hire is  comfortable and acclimated, the more efficient the organization can be!

Welcome New Hire To Your Organization…Social, Fun

Be fun! And be yourselves! Host a carry-in lunch, or order in bagels the first day to help break the ice. You want the new hire to enjoy open conversations (this is easy to do over food!), rather than feel  bombarded with inquiries. Also, invite current employees to celebrate the new hire via company social media pages. They can post with fun hashtags #newhire !

Provide Ongoing Support…Resources to Thrive

Resources for learning the job in the first few weeks, as well as for continued professional development, are vital for new hires. Also, have a plan of attack for the training period, and be able to provide an outline or schedule of this plan to the new hire. They will feel more at ease with what to expect during the first few weeks. And after the first few weeks, be sure to keep new hires informed of opportunities for continued improvement through professional development and job evaluations.

Hopefully this list helps you do the bigs things (and a few small things) to effectively onboard new employees. Great onboarding will lower costs and boost moral within your whole organization, so it’s worth your investment.

To learn how onboarding software can compliment your current onboarding process, visit ExactHire to checkout a demo, or contact us to learn more.

Getting The Most From Your Work Commute

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Hello. How ‘bout that ride in.

Every weekday morning, millions of Americans take to their cars and head to work. According to a study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, workers from the 30 largest U.S. cities spend an average of 4.33 hours commuting to and from work each week. Those working in New York City lament the longest work drive in the nation at 6.65 hours per week. That’s a lot of time on the road that can leave motorists and their employers paying a heavy toll.

Mental Health

Ever been stuck in traffic and taken a quick look at the faces of your fellow drivers? Well, stop! Keep your eyes on the road. That’s how accidents happen.

Now, ever been a passenger in a car and observed the drivers’ expressions while in traffic? You might notice a lot of grimaced or yelling faces mixed with dejection, boredom, anger, and anxiety. Sure, there are smiling and laughing faces, but those are few and far between. The majority of drivers are stressed, and they’re taking it with them to work.

The University of Montreal’s School of Industrial Relations found that commute times of more than 20 minutes can lead to “professional burnout” for many employees–disillusionment, cynicism, and general unhappiness with their workplace. And a study from the U.K.’s Office of National Statistics found that commuters, when compared to non-commuters:

  • felt less satisfied with their lives,
  • rated their daily activities as less worthwhile,
  • reported less happiness and higher anxiety than non-commuters.

Mental and physical health will often, if not always, impact one another. So it should come as no surprise that employees who face long, stressful commutes, also suffer from physical ailments.

Physical Health

A 2012 report by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine  found that greater commuting distances are associated with decreased cardiorespiratory fitness, increased weight, and other indicators of metabolic risk. Additionally, the cramped quarters of a car present the perfect setting for back and neck pain. This is to say nothing of the spikes in blood pressure that may occur thanks to:

  • That guy who cut you off
  • That guy who’s driving too slow
  • That guy who doesn’t use a signal
  • That guy who’s tailgating

Yeah, you know those guys. They’re a real pain.

Strategies to Overcome the Effects of Long Work Commutes

Fortunately, a long daily commute doesn’t have to be a life sentence of pain and stress. By realizing that long commutes can be hazardous to your physical and mental health, employees and employers can be proactive in combating the negative outcomes–and maybe even add some positive ones.

What Employers Can Do

Telecommuting: In addition to cutting down or eliminating commutes, telecommuting has been shown to increase employee productivity, retention, and satisfaction, according to a study in the Harvard Business Review. For those reasons and others, telecommuting is a rising trend among employers in the United States, where nearly 24% of workers state that they work some hours from home (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011).

Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA): Often times, work commutes cause employees stress and anxiety because some days they are challenged to fit everything into the day. Whether it be doctor’s appointments, childcare, volunteer commitments, or car maintenance, these commuters are feeling the time crunch –and that 20-minute traffic delay doesn’t help.

Employers who offer employees flexibility to work where and when they prefer also provide them with the autonomy to manage their daily schedules in the most effective manner. As with telecommuting, research has shown that productivity and absenteeism are positively impacted by a FWA (SHRM, 2014)

Fitness Space/Classes: Employers can seek to provide employees with resources to alleviate stress too. This can be as simple as providing a quiet room for meditation or, at larger office spaces, access to a fitness facility. Professionals–for mental or physical health–can be invited in to teach crash courses in stress-relieving techniques, such as yoga, mindfulness, meditation, tai chi, or high-intensity cardio workouts.

What Employees Can Do

Change Your Perspective: Before getting into the car, realize that more than likely you will encounter traffic, delays, and idiot-drivers. By simply taking the time to set realistic expectations for your drive, you’ll be less likely to become stressed by delays and the antics of your fellow-drivers.

Podcast or Audio Books: Get a jump on your workday by listening to a podcast for professional/personal development. Or, if you can’t find the time to read for pleasure, why not spend your commute listening to a book? These approaches will have you looking forward to your commute, and the delays may not seem so bad.

Mindfulness: There are many resources available for practicing mindfulness. If you are not familiar with the practice, read up on it and consider using your commute as an opportunity to practice it. In essence, you will seek to be present in the moment of driving–not using past experiences to explain the present, or worrying about future, possible outcomes that may result from the present–just relaxed, with your attention on the drive. You’ll arrive to work fresh and stress-free.

Getting The Most From Your Work Commute

Commuting to and from work is a necessity for most employees. And although more and more employers are offering telecommuting as an option, it is not likely that your work commute will completely go away anytime soon. To combat the negative impact of commuting to work, both employers and employees must take a proactive approach to managing employee stress inside and outside the workplace.

Eliminating unnecessary employee stress is one of the best ways for organizations to retain employees; it’s also one of the best ways to hire them. ExactHire offers hiring technology that eliminates stress for HR Departments and provides job applicants with a transparent, seamless, stress-free experience from application to onboarding.

Image credit: Los Angeles Traffic by Luke Jones(contact)

Checklist to Improve the Small Business Employee Onboarding Process

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Your business is agile, nimble…you’re capable of taking swift, decisive action in a short period of time. For example, it’s Thursday afternoon and your team has just finished interviewing the last of the final candidates for a newly-created job in your firm. You needed to fill the position yesterday. But, if all goes as planned, the offer will be extended yet today, the candidate (who seemed really excited) will accept on Friday, and…in the spirit of chaotic, yet productive startups, he will start work on Monday! He can just grab a notepad and some pens out of the supply closet, and do without a laptop for a few days (argh…we need to order that today) because he’ll just be shadowing other people during that time.

Sound familiar? Hopefully not, but don’t be ashamed if it is a sometimes accurate description of the employee onboarding process at your small business. It can be easy to ignore the importance of employee onboarding in the SMB space, especially if you happen to be growing like gangbusters, have a pretty good culture and perhaps many opportunities for upward movement across the organization. The thing is…those positive attributes are likely in play despite your lackluster onboarding process. Since your onboarding process is akin to your new hires’ first impression of your company, the business needs to put some effort and time into this new employee experience. The results of your efforts will exponentially improve your business.

Download ExactHire's Employee Onboarding Checklist

Here’s a checklist a small organization may use to start talking about employee onboarding process change.

1 – Envision future success

There’s no point in initiating a change effort if you won’t recognize success when it finally happens. If you’re not sure where to start, consider your organization’s current definition of employee onboarding, and then think outside the box to include other items that are now commonly attributed to this effort by the modern HR practitioner.

Think about broad stroke adjectives that could be used to describe your future successful onboarding process. Do you want to make it more: special; professional; efficient; niche-focused; standardized; personalized; etc.? Pulling out some key themes will then allow you to brainstorm more detailed ideas.

It’s key to visualize success simply so that you actually know when you accomplish it someday. And certainly the journey is never over. Upon reaching your first milestone accomplishment you’ll want to create new success goals; however, you must know where you’ve been and where you are going first. That’s why it’s important to identify potential performance indicators, establish starting benchmarks, and then evaluate movement and impact over time to determine which metrics are the most influential to positive change. Stay tuned for more details on this in a future blog.

2 – Discuss planning considerations

Before embarking on the change effort, along with brainstorming ideas, it’s important to note constraints that may impact your re-engineering endeavors, as well. For example, identify potential obstacles such as:

  • Availability of certain employees to participate in various steps of the onboarding process
  • Any existing policies prohibiting certain activities within the organization (i.e. new hires can’t watch videos about company culture and training on YouTube if your company blocks that site from employee computers)
  • Fulfillment time for provisioning employee equipment is set at a minimum number of days (no matter what)
  • Lack of the availability of hiring software to facilitate electronic signatures and approvals and task notifications

Additionally, bear in mind that your approach will vary depending on whether your human resources function is centralized or decentralized. For example, in a centralized system, an organization with different locations will likely rely even more heavily on supervisors to carry out the majority of the tasks associated with pre-boarding and onboarding since HR staff won’t always be directly available.

The complexity of your business will of course drive the development of your new onboarding plan, too. If you have multiple divisions and/or departments, then it would be to your advantage to take time to customize different versions of your plan so they each include items specific to their respective department to better engage employees. These customizations will range from different statutory forms being required depending on employee location to different long-term training curriculum options being offered depending on employee role level.

As you plan the many elements of your revised employee onboarding process, continuously evaluate how the number of stages you choose to include impacts the overall length of your process. And remember, it’s not a bad thing to have a comprehensive onboarding process that lasts for a year or more; however, it is underwhelming to cram a bunch of information into a new employee’s first couple of days — particularly, if that’s all she wrote for the onboarding experience.

3 – Identify potential onboarding process players

Planning a stage in which you get buy-in from the stakeholders involved in your employee onboarding process is a critical port-of-call on your voyage to improvement. People will more likely be active (rather than adverse) participants in change that they help shape. So, at the onset of your project, think about people who have relationships with new hires, and then also consider how the scope of their relationships will impact the extent to which they should be involved in the project. Some will be champions for your cause; while others are sufficient as supporting cast members…but you do want to engage all at the appropriate level. Potential onboarding process players may include:

  • newly hired employees
  • human resources department members
  • hiring managers / supervisors
  • people that provision equipment / resources
  • people that approve forms
  • existing department members
  • members of senior management
  • mentors and buddies assigned to new employees
  • external vendors who interface with a new hire’s role
  • customers of your organization

Depending on both the individual as well as his/her role in the onboarding effort, different communication styles may be appropriate. Take time to mutually create expectations with others about communication preferences that will efficiently support the execution of the process.

4 – Build a framework for accountability

Where many small organizations fall down is in their tendency to repeatedly bandage their process gaps instead of making time for re-engineering efforts and strategy sessions. Their immediate pain is often getting product out the door in time, delivering service that is personalized, and other issues that arise from narrow staff bandwidth. Or, if they do have a periodic project retreat to discuss action steps, they may later fail to execute those items and stay on track to realize change.

The same macro-level tendencies of the organization are often recreated at the employee onboarding micro-level, as well. To overcome this pattern, it’s important for companies to specifically document their plan for change, assign tasks to specific individuals and set milestone deadlines for project completion so that the revamped onboarding process can be put into action for future new hires. Your initial approach may involve the eventual creation of a Gantt chart; however, if you’re a small business ready to foster team collaboration, using colored sticky notes at a team meeting can go a long way, too. Brainstorm all facets and tasks involved in the process, narrow down a sequential order and then assign stakeholders action items and responsibilities by adding initials to the sticky notes. The note color coding strategy can be applied in whichever way is most appropriate for your organization. Here are some ideas:

  • task category (tactical vs. strategic vs. cultural?)
  • task location within onboarding process timeframe (first week vs. six month anniversary)
  • person responsible
  • new onboarding process items vs. old process steps
  • priority for completion (if process is being rolled out in multiple phases)

As you and your team hammer out the details, be sure and think about how employees’ task assignments and roles can affect their onboarding experience and adjust accordingly. For example, some tasks may be completed independently from one another; whereas, others require certain prerequisite items to be completed beforehand.

5 – Incorporate external feedback, tools and resources

It’s easy for small businesses to only consider how their existing resources might be altered to impact employee onboarding process change. However, SMBs do themselves a disservice if they assume that external resources may cost too much, take too much time to research/implement, or have too many bells and whistles for their needs. Here are a list of ideas that could further raise your employee onboarding process game:

  • Survey stakeholders – While the HR team is accustomed to looking out for employees and striving to make improvements, they have only one perspective of what needs to change–their own perspective. By taking time to survey other players in the process who are external to HR, valuable ideas can be gained.
  • Research other employers – If you admire any other organizations for their low turnover and ability to assimilate happy new employees, then make time to take some notes on how your organization can incorporate some of their best practices…or at least take their ideas and tweak them to fit your culture.
  • Don’t forget the legalese – The more tactical side of employee onboarding includes the requisite paperwork and documents…some of which are required in order for the individual to be in your employ legally. The employment law landscape changes over time, and especially if you hire in different states and certain industries, being aware of the latest updates is essential to avoid big costs later. A trusted employment law attorney is someone you should have on speed dial.
  • Make the most of employee assessments – A validated, job-relevant assessment tool, when embraced and used by the entire team, can dramatically improve a new hire’s productivity earlier in the employment relationship. Especially those assessments that have cognitive and behavioral elements…as they allow both new hire and manager to peer into one another’s hard-wiring right off the bat so that they can begin to work together effectively that much sooner. Scheduling onboarding sessions to discuss assessment tools and how they tell a story about one’s skills, motivations and/or preferences is time well spent.
  • Reserve a spot for technology in your onboarding process – Especially because some software companies now focus on working with small- and medium-sized companies, many web-based tools now exist that are budget-friendly. Whether it be using social media to publicly welcome new employees to the firm, building in gamification activities to improve training activity retention rates, and/or implementing employee onboarding software to make your process paperless and improve accountability further into your onboarding process with the use of task assignments and notifications…the cost of tech resources is often insignificant when compared to the savings realized by the resulting improved productivity, lower turnover and quick access to web-based information.

If you’re committed to avoiding future next day new hire scenarios, then follow this small business employee onboarding checklist to be on your way to planning innovative change that will positively impact your organization.

ExactHire’s hiring software solutions are specifically designed for small- and medium-sized organizations. For more information on our employee onboarding software, please visit our resources section, try our pricing estimator tool and/or contact us today.

Rethink Customer Service to Create Exceptional Employee Experiences

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Customer service is commonly understood as how an organization interacts with–or serves– its customers (those individuals who buy its product or service). A key tenet of customer service is that an organization should have the goal of providing an exceptional experience by anticipating and meeting customer needs before the customer even asks. Imagine if the employees of an organization did the same for each other. Well, businesses with a strong employer brand do.

If we go back to the definition of brand, we are reminded that brand is not smoke and mirrors, it is the core of what you are as a business. To extend that concept to employer brand, an organization cannot expect an “employee appreciation day”, company swag, and an annual “employee satisfaction survey” to be the drivers of its employment brand. Those are nice expressions, but to truly possess a strong employment brand, an organization must offer an exceptional experience on the other days of the year too.

Every week, and indeed, every day will bring its own ups and downs–this is true inside and outside the workplace. When we talk about providing an exceptional experience for employees, our goal is not to create a workplace utopia. Rather, a business should seek to foster a culture that respects the dignity of the individual and affirms their contribution to the business on a daily basis. By doing this, employees feel supported and confident in their work, and thus, are more likely to collaborate with each other in an open and honest way.

5 Ways to Foster an Exceptional Employer Brand Experience

  1. Set realistic expectations of your work culture during the application process
  2. Provide new hires with a “culture book” that summarizes your work culture
  3. Announce milestone achievements, while also affirming the work and small wins that helped the organization get there
  4. Provide monthly or quarterly group incentives for valuable, collaborative objectives
  5. Develop a continual improvement plan that engages employees

ExactHire provides hiring technology for small to medium-sized organizations. Our SaaS solutions include HireCentric ATS and OnboardCentric which can streamline your hiring and onboarding processes, while providing an exceptional experience for new employees. To learn more about how you can enhance your hiring process through the use of our software, contact us today!

Image credit: People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile – Lee Mildon by rohit gowaikar (contact)

Grow Employer Brand Loyalty, Engage Employees in Continual Improvement

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Taking concepts of brand management and applying them to employee management is an effective strategy for attracting, hiring, and retaining talent. Previously, we’ve covered the concept of “employer brand” and how it relates to “consumer brand”. Today, we’ll look at the concept of “employer brand loyalty” and how an organization can strengthen it by implementing a continual improvement plan that engages employees.

Consumer Brand Loyalty Vs. Employer Brand Loyalty

Simply put, “consumer brand loyalty” is the phenomena wherein consumers choose to exclusively purchase a product or service from one business, or brand , over a long period of time. Sometimes this is because the quality of the product or service is perceived to be better, sometimes it’s because the brand provides an intangible benefit, such as prestige, fashion, righteousness, or a sense of belonging. The bottom line is that the consumer’s purchasing decision is based on factors that are not limited to price ($$$).

Similarly, “employer brand loyalty” describes an employee’s choice to exclusively contract with an employer over a long period of time for reasons beyond salary ($$$). Employee perceptions of the employer also play a significant role in the development of employer brand loyalty. In fact, many of the intangible benefits that convince a consumer to remain loyal to a brand, can be the same reasons why an employee remains loyal to an employer brand–prestige, fashion, righteousness, a sense of belonging.

…the big difference between consumer and employer brand loyalty??

Consumer brand loyalty is based on how the brand treats the consumer. Employees are, themselves, the employer brand, so their loyalty is based on how they treat one another. This means that in addition to gathering feedback from consumers on products or services, businesses must provide opportunities for employees to provide feedback on their experience. The continual improvement process is a perfect chance to do both.

Continual Improvement

Continual improvement is a concept that is understood by most of today’s successful businesses. These businesses know that operating at optimal levels on Day 1 is nearly impossible, and so smart owners plan for continual improvements that will ensure sustained growth and profitability. In improving a consumer brand, this can be illustrated by adding features to a product in order to address customer complaints. For an employer brand, an example could be investing in new technologies to automate tedious tasks and increase process efficiency.

Making informed changes to existing processes in order to increase efficiency in operations is at the heart of continual improvement. But, often times, decision-makers are blind to process inefficiencies that plague daily operations because they are not close enough to the processes. And although process inefficiency may seem of little importance in regard to consumers, it will take a toll on employees. From there, it’s only a matter of time before the low morale of employees begins to impact customers and the consumer brand.

Therefore, it is vital to understand that the strength of employer brand loyalty and consumer brand loyalty are connected; in order to achieve high levels of both, a business must engage customers, as well as employees, in the improvement process. Again, no one expects all operations to hum in the early days of a business. Mistakes are made, unexpected challenges occur, and resources are often limited; however, if lessons are not learned and shared, then those mistakes and setbacks can begin to define an organization and its employer brand–“The people are nice, the product is good, but the place is dysfunctional.”

Gaining The Employee Perspective and Buy-in

It is important to have a plan in place that provides employees with a formal channel through which they can suggest improvements. This can be as simple as a drop box (real or virtual), or it can be a standing topic at department meetings. Regardless of the chosen channel, it must be easy to submit and receive suggestions, and each suggestion should receive a genuine response.

Engaging employees in the improvement of processes is just one way to strengthen employer brand loyalty. Employees can also contribute ideas for improvements to other areas of your business such as workspace, marketing collateral, customer support, communications, and even janitorial service. This is not to say that every decision for improvement must go through the entire organization, but empowered employees who are given a voice, and whose voice is listened to, will be your brand’s most loyal advocates.

5 Steps to Improve Employment Brand Loyalty

  1. Develop a continual improvement plan that engages your employees
  2. Provide a quick and easy way for employees to suggest improvements at anytime and to provide feedback on specific issues
  3. Respond to all suggestions and feedback for improvement with next-steps and a time frame for completion
  4. Upon implementing improvements, recognize the source of the idea and its benefit
  5. Maintain a running log of improvements that can be celebrated at year-end

ExactHire provides hiring technology for small to medium-sized organizations. Our SaaS solutions include HireCentric ATS and OnboardCentric which can streamline your hiring and onboarding processes, while providing an exceptional experience for new employees. To learn more about how you can enhance your hiring process through the use of our software, contact us today!

12 Quirky Ways to Build Company Culture

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One of the most powerful employee woo-ing tactics a company can use is maintaining a unique and rewarding organizational culture. Everyone loves a good story, and as brands compete to stand out from the landslide of content that is posted everyday, traditional storytelling has once again become one of the more effective techniques for converting prospects into customers and engaging job seekers to apply for jobs.

This blog celebrates twelve nontraditional ideas for championing company culture…which is such a huge part of a company’s story.

1 – Make it easy and fun for employees to share the culture story

HubSpot does this especially well. I had the opportunity to hear Co-Founder, Dharmesh Shah, speak about HubSpot’s culture and their wildly successful Culture Code presentation at Element Three’s Go Inbound Marketing Conference last summer. What a fantastic way to celebrate why employees love their company…while at the same time creating a powerful marketing message to earn more business and attract more top talent.

 

2 – Have a coloring contest

But not just any coloring contest…one in which jerky unicorns are celebrated. Hey, SNL’s bathtub Simon has got nothing on mystical creatures gone fiendish. ExactHire employees recently rolled up our sleeves and peeled the paper back on our crayons. Special thanks to “Unicorns are Jerks” coloring book author Theo Nicole Lorenz for bringing new flavor to our competitive coloring competition! Below you can find a few entries from those of us cool enough to participate:

 

 

3 – Get outdoors and do something active

 

The extent to which you experience the great outdoors will of course be dependent on the needs of your staff…but just changing your scenery and breathing some fresh air can do wonders. Set up a grill in the parking lot or take it to the next level and plan a group zip-lining adventure! Our team took to the treetops last fall after achieving an internal quarterly goal. We’re all smiling in this picture…which was taken before we stepped off the ledge into the woodsy abyss. Everything was perfect in the end, though, thanks to the adventure provided by GoApe.

4 – Pose for a unique holiday card

Fall is my favorite season of the year. I love the crisp weather, the colorful leaves, everything pumpkin-flavored, and of course, our annual ExactHire Thanksgiving card to clients. We like to get a jump on celebrating the holiday season around here, while at the same time remind our customers that we may be small, but we are mighty when it comes to personalized service from a core group of people.

 

ExactHire Thanksgiving Card 2012
ExactHire Thanksgiving Card 2012
ExactHire Thanksgiving Card 2013
ExactHire Thanksgiving Card 2013
ExactHire Thanksgiving Card 2014
ExactHire Thanksgiving Card 2014

 

5 – Have “show and tell” day or a talent show

While you may get to know your workers pretty well after months or even years of working together, do you know their passion for various hobbies? Plan an event where staff members may optionally participate by demonstrating their craft or sharing their creations with the team. Talents could include photography, scrapbooking, woodworking, cake decorating, brewing craft beer or making wine, food preservation, making jewelry, flower arranging and quilting, for example.

6 – Group exercise

It’s no secret that wellness initiatives have increased in the workplace as organizations fight to control health insurance costs and maintain current employee benefits. If your building has a gym on site, then grab a buddy and burn some calories. No gym? Bring a pilates DVD from home and designate an empty conference room as a group exercise spot at lunch on certain days. Just make sure to check on any policies that need to be put in place first, and research potential liabilities with your business insurance provider. Have participants sign releases, as well.

7 – Embrace themed lunches and dress up days

Having a potluck isn’t so quirky or unique. However, not every company puts the effort into planning themed culinary events….complete with suggested coordinating attire. One of our favorite lunches at ExactHire featured Tex-Mex dishes and Western wear outfits. Giddyup! Of course Halloween always gives us an excuse to don a costume, as well. And if food prep isn’t your forte, keep it simple and plan an office Spirit Week! Yes, just like high school…college sweatshirt day, farmer day…but maybe not backwards clothes day (we do have some limits, of course). At ExactHire we chose to relive the glory days last year by bringing in our letter jackets, senior portraits and yearbooks.

 

Western Wear ExactHire Lunch
Western Wear ExactHire Lunch
Wicked Witch Legs
Wicked Witch Legs
Letter Jackets Group
Letter Jackets Group

 

8 – Follow the action of big events together

Tourney Brackets | ExactHireWhile we certainly don’t stream basketball games from our laptops to the overhead projector in the conference room year round, we do watch the NCAA tournament over a lengthy lunch during a couple of days in March (if any of us care about the teams playing, that is). In addition to dressing up in our favorite team gear (I told you we were into themes, didn’t I?), employees are invited to optionally complete a bracket just for fun. If basketball is a cultural mismatch for your company, consider other spirited competitions such as the World Cup, the Oscar nominations, NASCAR races and the Olympics.

9 – Holiday decorations

Somewhat unconventional holiday decorations are even better. Make sure that however you celebrate the season, it includes representation from all of your employees’ beliefs and preferences. This past December someone in our office got a little stir crazy one afternoon and found some older, eclectic decorations in the hallway closet. Here you can enjoy a collage of some of the displays…

ExactHire Holiday Decorations

10 – Go to war, but in an altruistic way

If you happen to have any children in school, you likely already know all about “penny wars.” Do your combat the harmless way by arming yourself with loose change to deposit in jars according to which company department you prefer to see as victor. Award some amazing prize (such as an extra PTO day, a coveted parking space or some highly desirable swag) to the winning department members. Then, donate all the proceeds to your company’s favorite non-profit organization or charity.

11 – Head to the fair to hang together

Depending on your office location, a local fair may not always be practical. Maybe you go to a circus or festival instead. My co-workers and I always look forward to the annual office outing to the Indiana State Fair. Where else can you climb on tractors, watch professional log rollers, admire crocheted afghans and eat at least eight different fried items on a stick together? And, don’t forget to get group photos together in front of various landmarks year after year!

 

State Fair Pig Shot | ExactHire
State Fair Pig Shot | ExactHire
State Fair Milk Cow Shot
State Fair Milk Cow Shot

12 – Develop your own internal system of communication

Sometimes you hear about twin toddlers developing their own twin language to communicate to one another. Similarly, the cool thing about company culture is developing your own fun set of traditions and communication methods that are unique to your organization. We like to welcome new employees by sharing some of our own common communication quirks:

  • A great deal of professional candor and friendly banter that embraces all of our behavioral traits (we live and breathe our employee assessment scores everyday)
  • New dry erase wall clings popping up with messages all the time
  • Exaggerated hand gestures (yes, I’m guilty of air typing with monster arms)
  • Singing your thoughts on a topic

Don’t be afraid to try some unconventional approaches to build company culture. Sometimes the wackiest ideas are the most successful.

 

Company Culture Ebook Download | ExactHire

5 Steps to Zip-Line Talent – Applicant Tracking System

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Ever zip-lined? If not, you should. It’s fast, fun, and–thankfully–safe.

This fall, the ExactHire team took to the treetops of Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis for a Go Ape! zip-line adventure. Over 2,300 feet of cable tied between 39 waypoints  provided thrilling “zips” across heights of more than 40 feet. The trip was part of ExactHire’s incentive program that rewards our team for meeting quarterly performance goals. Now that’s a nice benefit!

And since we’re in the business of helping small- to medium-sized companies leverage technology to hire top talent, we can’t help but draw some inspiration from our adventure. So what can you take away from a zip-line adventure that can be applied to tracking job applicants?

Well, with a little bit of reflection–and some admittedly forced metaphors–here are five steps to “zip-lining” your talent through the hiring process.

HireCentric Applicant Tracking System

5 Steps to Zip-Line Talent

 

1. Safely get them hooked up.

You may be wary of embracing a digital storage solution. But ExactHire’s HireCentric applicant tracking system ensures that you’re in compliance with EEOC and other Federal employment regulations. Additionally, all personally identifiable information is stored on a separate server and hosted on Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) pages. HR administrators may access applicant information on these SSL encrypted pages only after logging in with a unique username and password. Learn More About Our Security

2. Clearly tell them where they’re going.

HireCentric gives you the capability to pre-screen applicants by customizing minimum criteria for each open position. If applicants don’t meet that criteria, they can be filtered out from consideration, leaving you with a more manageable list. But more importantly, applicants–qualified and unqualified–can now quickly receive an update on their status.  Learn More About Pre-Screening

3. Quickly send them down the line.

All of your applicants are safe and secure inside your database. You have quickly filtered out the unqualified applicants and notified them of their status. Now you’re focused on only qualified applicants. But great talent won’t wait around forever, so you need to quickly zero in on your ideal candidates. HireCentric makes it easy to share candidate information with other stakeholders at each stage in the selection process. This leads to quicker, more informed decisions and, ultimately, better hires. Learn More About Sharing Candidate Information

4. Kindly prepare them for the landing.

Your hiring team has come to a consensus on the top candidates. You’ve completed phone interviews, and perhaps the candidate has even completed an online assessment. Now you’re ready to bring the top candidates in for an interview. Through the use of customizable email templates and status codes, you can ensure that all candidates are up-to-date and engaged at every point in your hiring process. This means that no candidates slip through the cracks and that every applicant feels informed and appreciated. Learn More About Applicant Management

5. Leave them smiling.

By using HireCentric, you have effectively “zipped” your pool of applicants through your hiring process. With branded online applications and email communications, your company has provided a personalized look. With efficient management of your candidates through the hiring process, you have lent a personalized touch. You’ve avoided the “black hole” experience that so many other companies leave with applicants, and though you could only hire one candidate, they all walk away with the impression that they were treated with fairness and respect. And if there’s an opening in the future, you now have a strong applicant pool to re-engage. Request a Full Demo of HireCentric applicant tracking system

 

New Mom Motivations – Increase Employee Happiness

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I have a new daughter, and she is amazing! I love having a baby in the house again. My two sons are six and eight, full of energy, and involved in everything. But having an infant in the house has reminded me to slow down and enjoy life a little bit more.

Although my husband and I are often sleep deprived, we’ve learned to appreciate the quiet times and enjoy the first smiles, snuggles, pretty dresses, and bows. It’s safe to say that being home and having the opportunity to enjoy all of this is motivating to me.

And my company knows it.

Motivate Your Employees

What Makes Your People Tick?

A successful company knows what makes people tick. People are driven in many different ways. Compensation is important, but it’s not everything. Companies need managers who know what it is that makes their teams happy and what motivates them to help the organization succeed.

I work for a company that believes in a work-life balance and provides flexibility to work from home and to change schedules if necessary. Two years ago, I preferred to arrive after 9:00 AM because I didn’t need to rush out at 5:00 PM (and because I wasn’t a morning person). Today, I arrive at work early so that I can be back home by late afternoon. I am motivated to be as efficient as possible at work so that I can be home to help my boys with homework, make dinner, and have time to hold my baby girl. I am telling you this to illustrate how employee priorities and motivations can change as they reach different stages in life.

Knowing more about what motivates your employees will also help you learn to manage them over the course of their employment within your organization. From the very beginning–as part of the hiring process–companies can utilize cognitive and behavioral assessments to determine whether an applicant is a good fit for both the position and the organization. Later on, you can use these assessment results to help manage and motivate the employee.

Maximize Employee Happiness

It’s About People

For long-term success, the happiness of your employees should matter the most in your organization. Be sure to assess new hires for job fit, get to know your team and what makes them happy through informal conversations, and use company social activities and events to to strengthen relationships. You will find that happy employees lead to greater work efficiency, and the work environment is more enjoyable for everyone.

 

How will you keep your employees happy so that you can retain the best team?

Learn more about applicant assessments tools and other people-pleasing HR Technology at ExactHire.com. Contact us today!

Image credit: mother&child01 by David Bleasdale (contact)

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