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We've all seen the studies on how low employee morale impacts a business, from reduced productivity to increased turnover. Granted, it's a complex problem, with some factors that cause dissatisfaction — such as the current pandemic — beyond the employer's control.   However, there are plenty of things you can do to boost positivity and mitigate negativity within the company. And many don't cost a dime.   Step 1 is reading the warning signs. Step 2 is implementing corrective action.   The sign: They call in sick a lot Whether due to physical stress or mental burnout, rising absenteeism is a serious concern. Gallup studies have shown that people with low wellbeing scores can cost a company up to $28,000 a year, compared to only $840 for happy and engaged workers.   The fix: Overwork is the number one reason for physical/mental stress-related ailments (which can range from depression and anger to cardiovascular illnesses). Analyze your operations to identify sources...

Do you feel like your workload is beyond your current capabilities? You aren't the only one.   Especially in this time of COVID-19, many people need to cut back on their working hours because they have family members to care for or concerns about their own health and safety in the workplace. Or you may be in the situation of answering to a boss who expects you to work overtime every day — and you're afraid to say no because you could get laid off, or at least a bad performance review.   Life commitments outside of work — such as family, education or even just relaxing and recharging — should get their fair share of your time and energy. If you don't maintain this balance, you risk getting burned out, and then you'll be no good to either your employer or yourself.   If the time has come to bring up this tricky subject with your boss, here's how to go about it for the best chance of a satisfactory outcome.   Identify the Problem The first step to finding a solution is...

$3,500 per new hire in recruiting costs (advertising, HR's time/labor, etc.) $702 average cost to train a new employee 6 months to break-even point on a new employee's productivity level   With numbers like these staring us in the face, it behooves any company to make sure their new employee sticks around long enough to deliver a return on their investment. And that means making retention a top priority.   Want even more reasons to work on your employee retention? Contented employees are more productive, as many studies have shown Frequent introduction of newbies stresses the whole team, increasing job dissatisfaction It costs more to replace an employee than to improve their job satisfaction   Why They Leave — It's Not Always About the Money Surveys of workers who quit their job reveal that salary is not even among the top five reasons. More often, the decision to leave is motivated by unhappiness with conditions such as an unpleasant work environment,...

The year's fourth quarter (October, November, December) is almost upon us. That means retail, wholesale and logistics (delivery) companies are ramping up their capacity for the holiday shopping rush.   It means they'll be adding hundreds of thousands of jobs to handle the increased demand. Most of those jobs are seasonal — when the holidays are over, so is the job. If you're looking to make some extra cash for your own holiday spending plans, a temporary assignment with one of these companies could be the perfect solution.   You may choose to apply directly with the company, or go through a staffing agency such as Integrity. At Integrity, we don't just drop you after your temporary assignment is finished. We'll keep you in mind for future assignments, and notify you of job openings we think you'd be interested in.   While you can expect to have the seasonal assignment come to an end in late December-early January, it's not a hard-and-fast rule. Many of our temporary...

Whether you're in your first job out of school or have pursued the same career for 30 years, it's never too late to change direction.   Maybe you took a job because you needed financial stability, and what you really love to do became just a hobby. Or you're ready to give back and make a difference in the world. Perhaps you lost your job during the pandemic and need new skills to enter a less vulnerable field.   These 3 steps will help you navigate a major career change safely and successfully.   1. Educate Yourself What is it really like to work in your desired field? You may love creating new recipes at home, photographing nature on the weekends or writing stories at night. But will you still love it when you're doing it full-time, and probably overtime?   Pick the brains of people who are successfully working in the field, either in person or through social media, professional forums and other online communities. Some questions to ask:   What are the...

A full-time position is just one of your options. If your other life/work commitments don't allow time for a traditional 9-to-5, or you need income while waiting for your dream job to become available, there are 3 types of employment that you can apply for with Integrity.   Temp (temporary) Short-term employment for a specified length of time, usually less than one year. When Integrity hires you as a temporary worker for one of our clients, your work hours and duties will be directed by the company where you're assigned. However, you are actually employed by Integrity and receive your pay and benefits from us.   Temp-to-hire / contract-to-hire You are hired for a specific period of time while the client company tests you out to see if you'd be a good choice for a full-time employee. During the test period, you remain an Integrity employee. If the client likes you, you will then transition to being their employee. This is a great way to get your foot in the door....

For businesses in the retail, wholesale, shipping and related industries, the 4th quarter — AKA Peak Season — is traditionally the year's big moneymaker. But this year's unprecedented events and economic disruptions have left them wondering: How can we plan our temporary labor needs for Q4?   Just a few months ago, the outlook was dire. However, the nation continues to open back up despite the ongoing pandemic; and forecasters are painting a brighter picture for the holiday shopping season.   Those forecasts are based on some interesting data:   Imports rose dramatically in July, and may even have made a new record, according to the National Retail Federation.   UPS announced that it plans to hire more than 100,000 seasonal employees and DHL will add 7,000 workers for the expected increase in package volume between October 2020 and January 2021. Those numbers are about the same as last year.   Ecommerce has racked up a 129% year-over-year growth, thanks to...

The year's fourth quarter (October, November, December) is almost upon us. That means retail, wholesale and logistics (delivery) companies are ramping up their capacity for the holiday shopping rush.   It means they'll be adding hundreds of thousands of jobs to handle the increased demand. Most of those jobs are seasonal — when the holidays are over, so is the job. If you're looking to make some extra cash for your own holiday spending plans, a temporary assignment with one of these companies could be the perfect solution.   You may choose to apply directly with the company, or go through a staffing agency such as Integrity. At Integrity, we don't just drop you after your temporary assignment is finished. We'll keep you in mind for future assignments, and notify you of job openings we think you'd be interested in.   While you can expect to have the seasonal assignment come to an end in late December-early January, it's not a hard-and-fast rule. Many of our temporary...

As a specialist in high volume and RPO staffing, Integrity is tasked with managing teams at our clients' locations across the country. We'd like to share some of our strategies for maintaining efficiencies in these challenging conditions, especially as we head into peak season. Centralized Functions Inconsistent procedures and duplication of effort are the bane of a geographically dispersed organization. To avoid these pitfalls, our administrative teams based at Integrity headquarters handle operations not directly related to worker supervision. Candidate sourcing is implemented under Integrity's unified strategic umbrella, with a specific plan developed for each site's market conditions. Cost efficiencies are achieved with bulk buys of client branded media assets as well as utilizing Integrity's own PPC, job board seats and LinkedIn recruiter licenses. Our applicant tracking system provides the client with real-time data for making hiring decisions. The compliance team...

There's no question that increasing your knowledge and skills increases your income. But how can you acquire this education if you're already working, and don't have the time or money to go to full-time school?   In this blog, we'll discuss some practical ways to get you onto a more lucrative career path.   Take advantage of employer sponsored formal education. Many large companies offer opportunities to take courses that will make you a more valuable employee, paying some or all of the costs. In some cases, you enroll with a local school and make arrangements through HR for paying the tuition. In others, the courses are provided by the employer.   At Integrity, our Next Step U online training programs are free to all associates and employees (and can even be accessed on their mobile phones). In partnership with Penn Foster, an accredited educational institution, our course offerings range from bookkeeping and computer skills to administration and basic English — all...