With the uncertainty in the economy, and companies demanding more and more from their workers, employee engagement with their jobs has sunk lower and lower. Business analysts say that to keep your company productive, you need to have employees that are engaged with their jobs.

The experts offered a number of ways to build and maintain employee engagement.

One way to rev up employee engagement is right at the start when they are hired. You can use the process of bringing them on board to build their engagement. You have workers who are naturally receptive and enthusiastic as they begin their new job, and so onboarding provides a great opportunity to show how much you value them and what you can offer them, says business advisor Alice Snell. Making them go through a process where they sign the same forms five times or not having a computer at their desk is not the way to do it.

Also, when they start you need to let them know right away what the goals of the company are and how the employees fit in with those goals.

Another way to maintain engagement is to keep the lines of communication open, especially in offering positive feedback for a job well done.

Another way to keep the energy and enthusiasm of employees high is by giving them a feeling of community, such as sponsoring company activities or working on team projects.

The company also should offer employees chances for advancing their careers, help them develop their skills and potential, treat them like professionals, and give them a sense of empowerment by letting them know that their opinions are valued.

The company also needs to have an effective reward system in place. This involves more than just pay, because beyond a certain point, pay is not the prime motivator. Other kinds of rewards focus on giving employees more autonomy and authority to make decisions on their own, giving them more challenging work, and giving them more recognition, according to a number of business analysts.

Leadership is important as well – it is difficult to maintain engagement among employees if managers and executives do not appear to be engaged themselves, says business executive Judy Whitcomb. And finally, the image people have of the company matters also. If people feel they are working for a company that is respected and admired, they are more likely to be excited about their work and to stay as an employee.

When you need to bring in fresh talent, look to RealStreet Staffing to help recruit engineers, construction professionals and architects to your Washington, DC-area firm. We look forward to hearing from you!

A  recent survey has provided some evidence to suggest that people in human resources have become the target of aggressive actions by other workers simply because of their role in the organization.

Almost one-third of the Kentucky-based human resource workers surveyed in an online poll reported being the target of aggressive behavior, which included things like interference at work, verbal abuse, even threats and intimidation. The percentage of human resource workers who reported being bullied was about the same as for workers in general. However, more than half of the people in human resources believed they were targeted specifically because they worked in human resources.

An earlier study of nearly 1,500 human resource workers was conducted in the United Kingdom. In that survey, more than half of the people in human resources reported being the target of aggressive behavior at work.

The conflict may be the result of the changing duties of workers in human resources, which has become more strategic than in the past, according to Teresa Daniel, a human resources professor who conducted the survey. Because their job is to challenge and coach business leaders, their interactions can set off conflicts or defensive responses that might ultimately lead to more aggressive behavior, Daniel says.

Human resource workers offered their own reasons for the aggressive behavior. One reason may be that their role often is not fully appreciated or understood by others. Another is that they often have to deny managers’ requests, and another is that managers may feel they are not properly qualified to make the policy decisions they do. Another reason is that the human resource person is the firewall in many instances, protecting the interests of other employees, but taking heat in the process.

Daniel says there are several things human resource professionals can do to blunt the aggressive behavior. She says human resources should increase the communication with managers and do it before problems arise. Human resources needs to better educate managers on how to handle routine problems that relate to the workforce. She says human resource workers also need to become more knowledgeable about the business itself – the financial elements, customers and operations – to get a better understanding of what motivates the behavior of managers.

If you’re looking for talented professionals for your Washington, DC architecture, engineering or construction firm, contact RealStreet Staffing. We look forward to hearing from you!

For many of those who are looking at staffing services to find work, an important consideration is the kind of benefits they offer. Many staffing firms offer a variety of benefits, including health insurance, as a way to recruit and keep workers.

One international staffing service, for example, offers up to five different healthcare plans for its workers. The company also offers dental and vision insurance, along with short-term disability insurance. Other types of insurance include life insurance and accidental death insurance.

This firm also offers a retirement program — a 401(k) through Wells Fargo. And the company also has a tuition reimbursement program for workers who want to return to school. In addition to these benefits, the staffing service recently began offering legal insurance. If one of the firm’s temporary employees is buying a house or wants to draw up a will, the employee can pay a premium for help from a lawyer.

RealStreet Staffing is not an international service and therefore can’t offer the scope of benefits as mentioned above. We do offer our temporary associates a variety of benefits, including:

For Salaried Employees

• 11 Paid Holiday
• 15 Days Paid Time Off
• 401(k) with dollar-for-dollar matching up to 7 percent
• Health Insurance Coverage – choice of three plans, two of which are company-paid for our employee.
• Vision Coverage
• Prescription Coverage
• Dental Plan
• Life Insurance
• LTD

For Hourly Employees

• 401(k) with dollar-for-dollar matching up to 7 percent
• Health Insurance Coverage – choice of three plans, two of which are company-paid for our employee.
• Vision Coverage
• Prescription Coverage
• Dental Plan
• Life Insurance
• LTD

We offer these benefits as a way to allow our workers to maintain their careers as well as to provide protection for their families. For more information on the Washington Metro-area jobs we offer, as well as our benefits, contact a recruiter at RealStreet Staffing today.

Companies in the United States do well in handling problems of discrimination in the workplace, but they don’t rate quite as well in aiding employees’ family life.

That was the result of a recent study that compared U.S. companies with other firms in 173 countries on their guidelines for working families.  The study used information from a range of sources – government, private, and academic.

The U.S. came out well when compared to other countries in right-to-work policies, and in programs that reduced poverty in the elderly.

However, the U.S. did not fare as well in comparisons of business support for employees’ personal lives.  Almost 200 countries offered paid leave to women who were pregnant.  But the United States is one of only five nations that do not offer paid leave – the other four being Lesotho, Liberia, Papua New Guinea, and Swaziland.  According to the study, more than 100 countries allow women to breastfeed and almost 100 give them paid breaks to do it.  Some 65 countries ensure paid paternity leave.  However, the United States offers none of these options.

More than 130 countries require a paid yearly leave, and of those, more than 120 require a minimum of two weeks leave.  More than 130 countries have regulations that cover the number of hours a person can work, and 50 have government required wage differentials for evening and night work.  But there are no regulations on any of these areas in the United States.

Almost 50 countries have regulations that allow workers to take a leave of absence for marriage or funerals.  And an additional 145 countries have laws which allow employees to take paid sick leave.  Almost 80 countries give benefits for a minimum of 26 weeks for illness.  The United States allows only unpaid leave for severe illness through the Family Medical Leave Act, but the Act does not apply to all workers.

The results of the study are important, according to the researchers, because of the impact these programs have on children.  When companies offer paid leave for employees to have babies or to raise their children, it helps to improve the children’s health because parents are there to bond with the children and care for them.  With paid leave, the family’s financial situation is also better.  This has an advantage for employers as well, resulting in less turnover and greater productivity and job satisfaction, researchers said.

Are you looking for help in coming up with strategies on how to help your employees better meld their home and work lives for your Washington-area construction, engineering or architecture firm? If so, RealStreet Staffing can help. Contact us today!

Taking on a new career path is more prevalent now than in the past.  Different reasons have been given for this – the rise technology, the pace of change.  The days when someone spent their entire career at one company or in one job are certainly becoming less common.

People change jobs for many reasons.  But the most common reasons probably will come as no surprise – people change jobs out of boredom, for more money, to move to a better location, because of a conflict with a supervisor, for better benefits, from not feeling appreciated, not having a sense of purpose, and because of a layoff.

A lot of people have named boredom as one of the main reasons for having left a job.  By boredom, they mean more than just feeling listless now and then, but an overall feeling of dissatisfaction with the job that affects their performance.

That money is a prime reason for changing jobs or careers probably comes as little surprise to most people.  Everyone would like to earn more money.  If people feel that they are not being compensated fairly, they are much more likely to look elsewhere for employment.

Job location is another big factor in determining where people want to work.  People seldom enjoy making a long commute to work and constantly fighting rush hour traffic, all of which affects your mood at work and overall quality of life.

Conflict with supervisors is often a reason for leaving, and it’s much more common than many people realize.  If you are working under a boss who does not communicate well or often, or who tries to manage every little detail of your job, or who gives you little control in decision making, you soon may feel there are better places to work.

With the rising cost of healthcare, factors such as job benefits play an important role in where a person might work.  Some employers offer better benefit packages to employees, while some pass off more of the costs onto workers.

Some people look for new careers simply because they don’t feel fulfilled working in their current job.  They are looking for a sense of purpose in their work – feeling that what they are doing is significant and important, that they are making a real contribution.
Many people also switch careers because they feel that they are being taken for granted in their current job.  They work hard, perform well, but receive little in the way of praise or feedback.  This leads to a loss of motivation.

Unlike the other reasons for a career change, people have little control over a layoff.  But many take the opportunity to explore new career options or even return to school to train for something new.

Since work is such a big part of life, it should be more than just about getting a paycheck, but should be something that is enjoyable and fulfilling as well.

If you’re looking to change jobs or even careers and you live in the Washington Metro area, RealStreet Staffing may be able to help. If you have a background in construction, engineering or architecture, those skills may be transferable to another business sector. Bring your résumé to us and let’s talk!

A study conducted by Brigham Young University and published this past summer in the Journal of Family Psychology reported that employees who were able to work from home said they had a better work/life balance than their office-based colleagues — even though the telecommuters worked much longer hours.

The study took a look at almost 24,500 IBM employees spread over 75 countries. Researchers did so in order to ascertain the number of hours someone had to work before 25 percent said that work interfered with their personal/family life.

Those who worked in IBM’s offices reported that point to be 38 hours a week, while those who could telecommute reached that point at 57 hours per week The telecommuters also “flexed” their time working at home between personal/home tasks and work tasks. Both genders reported that they appreciated the flexible working arrangement.

The report found that more than 80 percent of IBM’s managers said they believe that productivity increases when flexible working arrangements are made available. The study found that flexibility in the telecommuting arrangement was key to satisfaction, however (those who could telecommute but who still had strict and set times to work weren’t as satisfied with the arrangement).

The study reported that a recessionary economy may make telecommuting and flex-time options more attractive to companies because these arrangements can save money or, at the least, not cost companies any more than the traditional 8-5 arrangement does. Such flexible work options were found to create higher job satisfaction in employees and boosted morale.

When you need construction, engineering or architectural professionals for your Washington Metro company, contact RealStreet Staffing. “We know the good guys,” and we would look forward to sending them to your firm. Contact us today!

No matter if you’ve interviewed hundreds of candidates over the years or if you’re new to the “art of the interview,” here are some tips to help you as you work to find your next great hire.

Listen. Really listen. Talk less. A good rule of thumb is to listen 80 percent of the time. Let your candidate be the one who does almost all of the talking. You’ll learn quite a bit that way. Get comfortable with silence — don’t feel you have to rush in and ask another question as soon as your interviewee finishes answering a question. You can use this time to finish jotting down notes or coming up with another question based on something your candidate just mentioned.

This also shows your candidate that you’re interested in what he has to say and that you’re really considering what he’s saying.

Don’t be shy about asking for clarification. If, for example, a candidate mentions he was the project manager for a multi-million dollar project, ask for specifics. What was the actual dollar amount? How many people did he manage during the project? How long was the project? Did it end on time and under or at budget?

Listening more and talking less allows you to get a good idea of a candidate’s personality and will help you ascertain if he will be a “good fit” for your company or department’s culture.

Here are some questions you may want to consider asking:

Why do you want to work here? This question lets you see how much a candidate knows about your firm. The more detail a candidate offers (“I’ve followed how your company is earning more and more government contracts and I want to be a part of a company that’s growing”) shows you that the applicant has done his research.

Why should I hire you over someone else? This question lets the candidate tell you in more detail about his skills and background. If a candidate relays that experience in a way that shows how that experience will help you, all the better.

Tell me a bit about your background. You already know a bit about this from reading an applicant’s résumé. Yet asking this question allows you to see if the candidate couches his work history in a way that shows how it will benefit your business. On the other hand, if the candidate goes on too much about how working for you will benefit him (it would be a great promotion, he could save more for a down payment on a home, it’s always been his dream to work in Washington, DC, etc.), you can pretty much see that this candidate doesn’t understand that you’re hiring him to solve your company’s problems, not his.

When you need skilled and reliable engineering, architecture and construction professionals for your Washington Metro-area firm, contact RealStreet Staffing. We can provide you with top-notch temporary, temp-to-hire or direct hire professionals. We look forward to hearing from you!

When the economy is good, and all companies are in a hiring mode, it’s tough for the smaller business to compete with larger companies, which draw well-qualified candidates based on the better opportunities they see at those companies in terms of job duties, pay, benefits and perks.

A down economy, when larger firms are laying people off or freezing their new hires, may seem like an ideal time for smaller firms to scoop up some talented employees that might go elsewhere in better times.  But small firms also are affected by economic slowdowns, and may be reluctant to hire.

So when is a good time to hire?

There are several elements to look at when determining a good time to hire.

The first is cash flow – make sure it’s moving in a positive direction, to make sure you can afford your new hire.  You want to look at trends in your sales and profits for about three to six months.  Is there an increase?  The amount of time you are looking at for cash flow will vary with the industry you are in.  But new employees need to bring in enough revenue to pay for themselves.  To determine that, you need to look at what similar employees are producing and trends in the market.

Other expenses to keep in mind when hiring include advertising to attract applicants; the time to sift through resumes, do background checks and interview; training the employees; and lost productivity for new employees who don’t work out.

Find out what your competition is doing.  Check out their websites.  This may also help determine if it’s an opportune time to hire.

Network to find out about the local market  – are people buying?

Also, a new hire might be determined by other needs – you may need to hire someone with a certain expertise in order to expand your business.

Finally, you may need to hire if you see that employees are making more mistakes, which may be sign that they are handling too much.

If you’re still reluctant to hire, one alternative is to look at temporary employees or interns.  This is a good way to fill slots when your labor needs are going up and down.

If that’s the case, contact RealStreet Staffing. We can create a strategic staffing plan that you can use at any time, whether business is booming or you need to be, well, strategic. In addition, we can supply you with reliable and skilled employees for short or long-term temporary assignments at your Washington Metro company, as well as your direct-hire needs. Contact us today!

If you’re working for a difficult boss, our heartfelt sympathy goes out to you.

Still, sympathy doesn’t make the bad boss go away. So here are some tips on how to work with a difficult boss.

First of all, if your boss is making your life miserable, here are a few things you should not do:

Don’t stoop to his or her behavior, especially if there’s shouting, derision and rudeness.
Don’t be meek and “just take it.”
Don’t avoid interacting with your boss.
Don’t start missing work just because you want to avoid your boss.

You should sit down and figure out what you believe to be the source of your conflict with your boss. Is it truly a personality clash, or is it because you and your boss have a different way of looking at the world of work?

If you feel you and your boss clash because you look at the world differently, try these tips:

• Remember that the two of you are different and you don’t have to see or feel things in the same way in order to get along at work.
• Work to solve your disagreement; don’t try to win the argument. Compromise should become your middle name.
• Go to your boss in a conciliatory manner. Ask for his or her thoughts, ideas, and reasons about an issue and really listen to what your boss has to say.
• Compliment your boss on any suggestions or ideas you like, then suggest your own ideas. Explain how these will benefit your company. You also may want to bring up the drawbacks to your ideas and how you could go about fixing these “problems.” It’s always a good idea to highlight both pros and cons — it makes it appear you’ve given balanced thought to your ideas.

If you and your boss have a personality clash, consider these points:

• Does your boss tread everyone poorly, or is it just you?
• If it’s just you, do the two of you have some unresolved beef going on between you?
• Be honest – is there really something your boss legitimately can dislike about you, such as poor performance, lackadaisical attitude or some other on-the-job issue?
• Do you have issues with other people? If so, maybe it’s not your boss; maybe it’s you.

Once you’ve figured out the “why,” it’s time to see “how” you can fix the relationship with your boss.

• Keep calm. Your boss may have bad people skills. Don’t take the bad behavior personally.
• When you approach your boss, do so calmly and reasonably. If your boss starts yelling, don’t yell back. Instead, calmly state that you don’t appreciate being spoken to in such a manner.
• If your boss says something with which you can agree, say so. People often rant because they feel they’re aren’t being heard or validated. Agreeing with your boss, even if it’s on something minor, can go a long way to opening the lines of communication.
• Discuss your needs calmly and clearly.
• If your boss shows aggressive or abusive behavior, contact your boss’ supervisor or your human resources department.

If, no matter how hard you try, your relationship with your boss still is fraught with stress and difficulty, it may be time to begin looking for your next opportunity. If so, bring your resume to RealStreet Staffing. We can help you find your next great opportunity at some of Washington DC’s best construction, engineering and architecture firms. Contact us today.

As a business owner or manager, you’re undoubtedly using more temporary employees at your company for both short- and long-term assignments. In addition, you very well may be using highly skilled temporary workers, such as accountants, human resource managers, even project managers, technical writers, and document control technicians.

Here are some ideas to help you motivate your temporary workforce:

• Treat your temporary workers with the same respect you give your regular employees. With that in mind, be sure to give your temporary workers a tour of your business, showing them where the bathrooms are, where they can have lunch, etc. Tell them some information about your company and how their position helps you reach your goals. Introduce temporary employees not as “This is Joe, our new temp,” but more along the lines of, ‘This is Joe, who will be helping us with the Brown Project in document control.” A professional introduction shows respect for his skills and the value he brings to your company. It also helps someone feel he’s a valued part of your team.

• Try to treat your temporary workers as much as possible as you do your regular employees. Let them know of your company’s goals and how their skills  help your organization meet those goals. If possible, invite your temporary workers to staff and department meetings. If not applicable, at the least, be sure they know of know of your company’s announcements and short-term plans for the department in which they work.

• If you hire temporary workers onto your regular payroll, let your temporary employees know so right up front. Tell them to talk to their staffing supervisor if they are interested in coming on to your payroll — and be sure to speak to your staffing service contact if you decide to bring someone on to your payroll.
• You may want to consider offering cash incentives to long-term temporary employees, especially if you have no plans of hiring people onto your own payroll. Cash incentives can be very helpful in keeping highly skilled individuals working on a long-term project to its completion.

If your company is located in the Washington Metro and you’ve a need for highly skilled construction, engineering, architecture and technical personnel, contact RealStreet Staffing. We can find skilled workers for you quickly and easily. Contact us today.