About TGHR

20 Years of Staffing Stories: Mary Springer

February 20, 2020

If you had asked Mary Springer in college if she wanted to own her own business, she would have told you no. At the time, she was preparing herself to climb the corporate ladder, most likely in the area of finance. Upon reflection, she has always been metrics-driven and self-motivated, which are two vital skills for any business owner.

Upon graduation from Purdue University, armed with a degree in financial planning, she moved to Ft. Wayne to start a management training program to become director of finance for an educational institution. While she enjoyed the management aspect of the job, Mary was eager to move back to Indianapolis. Moving back without a job would be tough, so she found a new job in a way that many people get a job – through networking. A college friend had recently talked to a national staffing firm with a local presence in Indy and thought the job sounded like a good fit for Mary, not him. He was right and Mary worked at that staffing firm for six years and then was recruited to open the temporary staffing division at a new, locally based staffing firm that was just starting out – That’s Good HR.

There are some aspects of the staffing business that have remained the same since 2000, but many have changed. In 2000, there was an online job board – Monster.com, while today there are plenty to choose from like Indeed, Zip Recruiter, LinkedIn, Career Builder and more. The online job boards have provided access to more people, but everyone has that access. Mary recruited at college fairs in her early days, a practice that is still done today. And the number one thing that has stayed the same through the years is the fact that staffing is about connecting the right person with the right job at the right time.

Social media has also changed the landscape of staffing. As Mary points out, back in the day when you put an ad in the paper, the people responding didn’t have a LinkedIn profile that was readily available – not to mention that they were still reading a printed newspaper regularly. Online job boards and social media sites like Facebook have changed how we talk to people. In fact, That’s Good HR has only been on Facebook for the past decade! In today’s fast-paced world with technology at your fingertips, Mary remarked that finding that personal connection is harder, but she’s up for the challenge.

The biggest challenge in the past 20 years was the recession of 2008, as it was for many businesses. In theory, the staffing industry is “recession-proof” since when the market goes down, many companies hire contractors and there are more people looking for work, which is good news for staffing firms. But the recession of 2008 was different and forced more than 170,000 small businesses to close during the first two years of the recession. That’s Good HR was forced to reduce staff and do more with less resources but was able to not only survive but thrive amid a dismal economy.

As That’s Good HR continues to reinvent itself to meet the changing needs of the local landscape, Mary looks forward to what the next 20 years will bring. And the end of the day she is most proud of building a place where people want to come to work and help people find jobs to achieve their goals every day. Cheers to 20 years!

Do you have a story about how That’s Good HR has impacted you in the past 20 years? Let us know as we are sharing staffing stories all year long as part of our 20^th Anniversary Celebration!

Events

Soak Up the Sun in Indy this Summer

June 6, 2019

That’s Good HR focuses on staffing the local Indianapolis area, which means we work local, live local and most importantly love to play local! Summer is the perfect time to get out and experience all that Indy has to offer! There’s no shortage of festivals in Indy during the summer months and here’s where you’ll find our staff hanging out and soaking up summer.

Lindsey Curtis never misses the Italian Street Festival at Holy Rosary Catholic Church. If homemade pizza, spaghetti sauce, cannoli and cheesecake sound good to you, then mark your calendar for June 14 and 15 from 5 – 11 p.m. The best part about this festival (besides the food) is admission and parking are free!

What’s the “best day ever” for Tiffany Moore? It’s Carmel Fest on July 4. She loves the parade, the food AND the fireworks. The celebration kicks off this year on July 3 and features a kids zone, talent show, 4.5 mile run – not to mention a plethora of vendors and food.

Greta Cline spends a week every summer relishing in the fun at the Boone County Fair – you’ll find her July 20-26 at The Fair Shake serving up grilled cheese, milkshakes and more!

All summer long you can find Ashley Paramoure hanging out at free concerts, eating ice cream, and riding bikes with her kids on the Monon Trail. Free summer fun concerts can be found in Indy at Holliday Park, Eagle Creek Park, Garfield Park and downtown on the Canal at the Indiana History Center and Eiteljorg Museum – click here for a full list.

For more ideas on how to celebrate summer in Indy check out this list of 100 things to do this summer compliments of Indy’s Child or Thrillist’s list of cool things to do in Indy. For a robust list of summer festivals, Downtown Indy has them all lined-up for you!

Tell us…what’s your favorite way to celebrate summer in Indy?

Staffing

Are You Taking a Spring Break?

Mary Springer

Partner

March 27, 2019

Many employees across the U.S. are getting ready for Spring Break. Did you know that this time off from work may actually extend your tenure at your job? A recent IBJ infographic noted for every week that employees took off, it extended their stay at their company by eight months. We at TGHR know how important tenure is since our entire client services staff has been with the company for 10 years or more! In addition, as a result of every 10 vacation hours an employee took, their performance review was 8 percent higher.

Vacation is good for the soul as reported by the American Psychological Association in their annual Work and Well-Being Study. Sixty-eight percent of workers claimed they were more positive after returning from taking vacation time and 66 percent claimed to have more energy. This translated to 57 percent of employees feeling more motivated and 58 percent of workers saying they were more productive.

But does everyone use all their vacation time? In 2018 there were 212 million unused vacation days and only 41 percent of US workers said they felt encouraged by their companies to take their vacation. But companies who encouraged their employees to go on a vacation like Spring Break had employees that felt more valued and who were satisfied with their job. One of the most important statistics? The employees who worked at places who encouraged taking vacation said they were likely to recommend their employer as a good place to work, 81 percent versus 39 percent.

But having workers out on vacation can cause added stress on a company, but there’s no need to fret. That’s Good HR places people on temporary assignments for as short as one day. If you have someone headed out on Spring Break or if you are prepping for a summer vacation give us a call. We are ready to help so vacation can be stress-free for you and your employees!

Healthcare

What is the #1 Benefit for Job Seekers?

Greta Cline

Partner, CFO/COO

October 3, 2018

Unemployment has continued to be at an all-time low, which means the labor market is tight. Finding qualified candidates can be a challenge. It’s a simple case of supply and demand, less people looking for work means quality candidates have more options. There is one key benefit that top employees look for when considering a new opportunity. Good news – it’s a benefit offered by That’s Good HR so you don’t have to worry about providing it to temporary or contract employees.

According to a recent study conducted by Essential Staff Care (ESC), availability of affordable, usable health benefits is a core indicator of employee interest in a position, attitude and longevity on the job. In addition, 87% of temporary employees say medical benefits are their most desired perk when job searching. Employees enrolled in the healthcare insurance plan that we offer are also more likely to stay on the job almost 4 weeks longer than those who do not have this valuable option.

More than half of Americans hold less than $1,000 in savings, meaning that one illness or injury could result in significant financial hardship. Having the option to enroll in TGHR’s health insurance option helps alleviate financial stress and gives temporary employees an affordable healthcare option, with no added expense to our client companies.

Another benefit to our candidates? The plan rates – which are paid weekly – have remained unchanged since 2010. This is just one way we can show we are committed to our candidates and prove that we want to attract the highest caliber employees for our clients.

Customer Experiences

From Candidate to Client

September 20, 2018

When Erin McLennan was about to graduate college, she wasn’t sure where she would land a job. She was no stranger to working, since she had been employed at a local hospital while balancing her studies. Erin majored in Psychology but was unsure if she wanted to head to graduate school or seek full time employment upon graduation.

Some of her friends from the hospital had used That’s Good HR (TGHR) to find a job, so Erin decided to reach out to a recruiter at our office. She made an interview appointment and met staffing manager Kate Stephens. Shortly after interviewing with TGHR, Erin was offered a position at an innovative company in Carmel as a lending associate on a temporary basis. After a few short months, her role converted to a permanent position and six months after that, based on her performance, she was made a supervisor.

After just two years at the company, Erin had gone from being a TGHR candidate to a TGHR client responsible for her own team. She was confident in the quality of TGHR temporary employees and knew it would make hiring employees a breeze.

Erin is now a product manager in the technology field working with software engineers. She credits TGHR for finding a career field that she is not only passionate about, but also excelling in. Erin never would have guessed she would be in the technology field after college. She is thankful she found a position where she can use her knowledge and creativity at the same time.

Erin’s favorite thing about working with TGHR could be credited to her psychology background. She loved having someone to go to as a mentor to counsel her through her job seeking journey. Erin felt supported by Kate right after college and found it helpful to know she had someone in her corner.

As a client, Erin appreciated TGHR’s high-level of customer service. When Erin was busy supervising 20 people, she was grateful that there was always a live person picking up the phone at TGHR if she had an issue or needed additional employees. When hiring, Erin looks for someone with a good personality and willingness to learn, just the type of candidates TGHR likes to work with – a perfect fit!

When she’s not working, Erin enjoys the outdoors with her black lab, Charlie, and is keeping busy planning her upcoming wedding. Wedding details can be stressful, but hiring decisions are not thanks to That’s Good HR!

TGHR News

Staffing Stats – All Time Low

Greta Cline

Partner, CFO/COO

June 6, 2018

On June 1, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the latest unemployment stats. Last month, the rate reached an 18-year low and that trend is continuing. The unemployment rate is currently at the lowest rate in nearly half a century – that’s truly remarkable!

The unemployment rate dipped to 3.8 percent in the U.S. in May. Good news if you hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, the unemployment rate is even lower at 2.1 percent. In addition, total employment increased by 223,000 and the number of unemployed people fell to 6.1 million.

In our home state of Indiana, the unemployment rate is also extremely low. The state unemployment rate has been below the national rate for the past four years, with one small exception. For one month in 2014, the rates were equal. Not bad, right? The total labor force in Indiana is 3.3 million workers.

According to the American Staffing Association, staffing job growth has risen an average of 3.6 percent per month, which is significantly higher than the average of 2.2% for all of 2017.

With unemployment at this historic low, finding qualified candidates is more difficult than ever. But not to worry, That’s Good HR is up for the challenge. What sets us apart from others is our daily process of sourcing quality employees and meeting with our candidates face-to-face. When we schedule candidates out for client consideration, we know that they are vetted and well-suited to each unique client’s needs.

Whether you are looking to make a change from your current gig or have open positions we’re ready to help today and every day. Recruiting times are tough, but we’re tougher!

About TGHR

What Do Employees Value?

Mary Springer

Partner

May 10, 2018

Recently, That’s Good HR was recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Indiana. In fact, in the small business category That’s Good HR took home the fourth-place spot. To say we were thrilled to be in the Top 5 the first time we applied for the award is an understatement. But we don’t share our accolade to brag, but rather to share how to build a corporate culture that matters to your employees.

That’s where it starts – with your employees. And the number one thing you can do to make a difference in your corporate culture is to ask your employees what matters to them. Multiple industry studies cite better health/dental/vision insurance as the number one benefit an employee looks at when choosing a job. Can you make changes to your health benefit package that would help your employees?

Or perhaps your employees would rather a benefit that helps them achieve a better work-life balance like flexible hours or the ability to work remotely. Once again, you won’t know until you ask them. Is unlimited vacation time the answer? According to the Society of Human Resources (SHRM) only 1 – 2% of companies offer unlimited vacation time, therefore this may be a way to stand out from other companies in your industry.

Other benefits that employees value include tuition assistance, free/paid gym membership, employee outings such as lunches and team building events. For us at That’s Good HR, there’s a combination of benefits that our employees value – the key is finding out what works for your company. One of the advantages of participating in a program like the Best Places to Work, is participating companies, no matter what their rank, get a detailed report of what their employees value and what areas need some work. This can provide company leadership with a road map for future policies and updates.

Want to know more about our company culture and how we can help you find great employees who will love working for you? Contact us today, we are happy to share our experience with you.

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.

About TGHR

Knocking on Doors

Mary Springer

Partner

February 8, 2018

Back in the day, salespeople used to knock on door to sell their wares. Encyclopedias, vacuum cleaners, knives – you name it. Door-to-door salespeople have been declining steadily. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2010, there were fewer than 7,000 door-to-door salespeople, down from about 33,000 in 2000, which means there’s even less today. But…TGHR is still knocking on doors.

How you ask? Our recruiting team is constantly sourcing and interviewing quality candidates so that when our clients call, we can fill the position quickly and with a quality candidate. Our doors may be virtual now, but that doesn’t mean that recruiters are not still the cornerstone of our business practice.

The plethora of online tools we use at TGHR help us knock on doors faster and more efficiently and without leaving the office. Our systems help streamline our processes to ensure efficiency. Sure, technology helps, but there’s no replacement for the human side of recruitment. Talking to people face-to-face and digging into what their passions and skills are is how we find the best employees for you. And this is what our skilled recruiters do every single day.

Call us old-fashioned, but we believe people hire people and we are in the people business, day in and day out. So, leave the door-to-door sales to TGHR! We will save you time and we’re happy to run door-to-door to find your next employee. Give us a call at 317.469.4141.

Healthcare

What Makes Temp Employees Stay on the Job Longer?

Greta Cline

Partner, CFO/COO

October 5, 2017

With unemployment rates still at an all-time low, retaining temporary workers continues to be top of mind for employers and staffing agencies like That’s Good HR.

The current debate regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) does not help as benefits are a top reason talent is retained. That’s Good HR offers the required ACA health care plans to all full-time temporary workers, but there is low participation in these plans.

We are committed to our candidates and want to attract the highest caliber employees for our clients. One of the ways we do this is to offer other health insurance options, including a fixed indemnity insurance plan. Indemnity plans offer the freedom for employees to choose their own health care professionals and visit almost any hospital they choose. Employers have been using traditional indemnity plans since the World War II era. Interestingly, before World War II only 10% of employees had health coverage from any source, but by 1955 (10 years after the War) nearly 70% of workers had health insurance, according to The Essentials of Managed Health Care.

We believed that this type of insurance plan could be a better fit and more useful to a temporary employee. This month a study was released that confirmed that this was the right decision. Essential Staff Care, known as ESC, tabulated data from more than half a million temporary staffing employees across the country. The study revealed that temporary employees enrolled in an ESC Indemnity Plan stayed on their assignment 47% longer than employees not enrolled in an indemnity plan. That is good news for That’s Good HR, since this type of plan is the most popular option for our candidates. Another benefit to them? The plan rates – which are paid weekly – have remained unchanged since 2010.

Offering insurance options to our candidates helps attract better and more qualified candidates to fill open positions. The ACA requires us to offer specific plans to maintain compliance, but we also chose to offer the indemnity plan that temporary workers can afford and use. Temporary employees with this health insurance are more likely to recommend their employer to other job seekers and have fewer health related absences, according to the study.

According to the study, more than half of Americans hold less than $1,000 in savings, meaning that one illness or injury could result in significant hardship. Medical benefits rank as the number one job perk that employees are looking for and 69 percent of candidates nationally say they would consider one job over another if the benefits were better. Having the option to enroll in the indemnity insurance helps alleviate financial stress and gives temporary employees an affordable option in addition to the ACA compliant plans that we offer.

Providing this insurance and explaining the options to employees is just one of the many services That’s Good HR provides our clients – saving them time and money. The American Staffing Association states 60% of employers feel overwhelmed with the increased complexity of managing benefits packages and 7 out of 10 employers believe they cannot keep up with the changes. The good news? That’s Good HR isn’t one of them. Give us a call, we’ll take it from here. In your newfound free time, read the full study by ESC.