Tips

How to be a Good Partner

Tiffany Moore

VP, Client Partnerships

December 3, 2018

On a recent visit with one of my longtime clients, he asked me a question that I appreciate more than any other – “how can I as a hiring manager be a better partner to you?”. I truly value each one of my clients and do not look at the work I do daily as transactions. I believe my relationships are partnerships that I value deeply. Client interactions are a two-way street where both parties benefit. So, how can you help best?

First, time is of the essence in today’s job market. Giving me feedback quickly will help secure the best candidates for your positions. We have seen that candidates with accounting experience such as accounts receivable/payable move incredibly fast – as do most other positions as well.

Next, don’t be shy! Tell me the specific job skills and experiences you require (or do not) require for a potential employee after you review resumes. When we learn your specific preferences, it helps us to screen candidates more accurately before sending them for your review. Be honest as the more information you give, the better.

Then, once you have received resumes, it is best to schedule interviews within a day or two. This ensures the candidates that you want are still available in this fast-paced, competitive job market.

Once a candidate interviews, one way we can be a good partner to you is by providing 360-degree feedback. This could include how your company and employees presented themselves during the interview and the candidates overall impressions of your company. This information can help you stay competitive with future employees.

In the end, That’s Good HR, Inc. has built our business in Indianapolis by creating client partnerships for 20 years. And I am proud to say that I am fortunate enough to be hitting my 11-year anniversary in January. The amazing partnerships I have built over the last 11 years with clients like the one mentioned above is the reason I still love my job today!

TGHR News

Employee on unexpected leave…now what?

Tiffany Moore

VP, Client Partnerships

March 29, 2018

Having employees out, even it’s just for one day, can lead to undue stress on other employees. Not to mention, leave work unfinished and business unattended. Research shows that more than 10% of the workforce is on a qualified FMLA leave at any given time. Since it was signed into law more than two decades ago, 100 million employees have used this benefit.

There’s a simple solution if you find yourself with an employee unexpectedly out. Hire a temp through TGHR! Using temporary employees is a common solution. According to the American Staffing Association (ASA), staffing companies nationwide employed an average of 3.19 million temporary and contract workers per week in 2017. This is the third highest number of temp employees since right before the recession (2006). Temporary employees worked an average assignment of 10.7 weeks in 2017.

Temporary workers can work for as little as one day to cover your front desk or for a few months to run your payroll due to an extended leave of absence. At That’s Good HR, we’ve helped provide temporary workers for a one-day absence in a mail room or for a receptionist to cover a front desk for a day. We have provided temporary accountants for one week to three months and more. If you need HR support, a medical verification specialist or a customer service representative we have temps for those positions too.

Didn’t plan ahead? Not a problem. That’s why we are interviewing people daily so we can be ready for your call. We see this all the time and are happy to help in these times of need. Need a temp? Call us today!

TGHR News

Our Key to Success = Company Culture

Mary Springer

Partner

March 5, 2018

People before profits. That’s our company motto. Whether we’re placing a temporary employee out in the workforce, catering to one of our clients, or talking to our internal staff, we put people first.

This October That’s Good HR will celebrate 20 years in business and over the years That’s Good HR has never lost focus on what matters most – people. Ten out of our 15 employees have been at That’s Good HR for 5+ years and four team members can celebrate 10+ years with the company.

What’s our secret, you ask? Cultivating a positive company culture. We’ve never bragged about this before, but recently were honored as a Best Places to Work in Indiana. How did we achieve this honor? By creating a supportive, family-friendly environment by providing flexible schedules, including part-time options and work-from-home when needed options. TGHR employees like to come in the office too for employee appreciation lunches, pop-up smoothie bars, chili cook-offs and more.

We are always looking for innovative ways to appreciate our employees. So last year, after reading an insightful article, we introduced a new concept for TGHR – bonus days. Each employee, full and part-time employee alike, receives one bonus day per quarter. This day is designed to be used to do something for yourself like take time to pamper yourself, go shopping or take a long weekend. Bonus days are scattered through the quarter ensuring that not the entire office is off at once.

TGHR does many standard practices for employees, including offering great health benefits available from your first day of work, to having an employee of the quarter, complete with a comically large trophy, and a swinging holiday party celebrated in January with spouses.

Twenty years ago, That’s Good HR was founded out of a desire to do staffing better. This includes treating people better too – our candidates, our clients and our internal employees. Want to work with us and see why we’re one of the Best Places to Work in Indiana? Reach out and our team would be happy to show you.

Tips

Running out of time…in 2017!

Amber Crosby

December 7, 2017

It’s already December (how did that happen?) and the new year is right around the corner. We all need more time in the day and more time before (hopefully) taking some time to enjoy the holidays with friends and family.

So how can you squeeze the most out of 2017? Here’s what we recommend:

Be focused! Scrutinize your to do list – both work and personal – and prioritize what really needs to be done this year. Focus only on the items that must get done right now. At the same time, get a jump on your to-do list for 2018 now.
Go to sleep! No, really. A good night’s sleep makes you more productive during the day. Being productive makes you feel less stressed, being less stressed helps you be more relaxed, which, in turn, affords you a better night’s sleep. It’s a cycle! This is one of Inc.’s 9 Ways to Save More Time. Check it out – but only if you have time!
Be in the moment! How much time do you waste on your phone each day? Too much? Download an app like Moment, which will track your phone time and track what you are using your phone for. There’s even a “coach” that can help you break bad habits and provide suggestions to free up your time.

But the best way to get more time in your day? Call That’s Good HR. It takes an average of 42 days to fill a position, but we provide candidates within 24 hours – 98% faster than average. Save time and let us do the work. We’ll get you staffed up and ready to take on 2018. Call us today so we can give you the gift of time this holiday season.

HR Insights

Tips for Productive Annual Reviews

Mary Springer

Partner

February 2, 2017

Successful businesses recognize great people make their companies valuable. And building strong professional relationships with employees is a key component to maintaining talented individuals. Annual performance reviews are an important opportunity for your business to build rapport with your workers and invest in strong employee relations. Unsure where to begin? Check out these tips for investing in your workers by conducting helpful, productive annual reviews.

1. Focus on the good.

Nobody likes being scolded, and some managers commonly mistake performance appraisals as a time to focus mostly on the negative. While an annual review is a great time to talk about improving work performance, emphasis on positive comments can foster a much better working relationship. As a general rule, more than half of the conversation should be aimed at your employee’s good attributes and performance. Affirmative and encouraging language builds a relationship based on mutual trust and understanding—and who doesn’t want more of that in the workplace?

2. Make it a conversation.

Annual reviews are a good time to have a conversation, not a one-way dialogue. Avoid monopolizing the meeting, which can cause your employee to feel less in control of his/her performance and its outcome. Instead, empower your employee and invite them to take ownership of their work and success by having an open conversation. Ask inviting questions and listen actively to responses.

3. Provide a self-evaluation tool first.

Just as a manager should prepare for giving an annual review, employees can benefit from a little prep work, too, by filling out a self-evaluation. Use this form to set clear expectations about what is expected of your employee before he/she heads into the annual review. This gives your worker time to think about past performance ups and downs, ideas to overcome obstacles, and future goals. It’s also a great starting point for review conversations.

4. Set realistic goals.

Annual performance reviews are a prime opportunity for goal-setting. With the help of your employee, write down two or three objectives to work towards for the year. Discuss ways to meet these goals and define challenges or obstacles the employee may face. Set goals that are motivating and reasonable. A clear, direct picture of what’s expected is key to a successful outcome.

While annual performance reviews are a powerful one-time investment in the people who make your business great, remember to keep an open dialogue going all year long. Regular words of encouragement, positive (and negative) feedback, goal check-ins, and open conversations will build solid professional relationships. Over time, your company will benefit from a group of loyal employees who feel appreciated and invested in their work.