About TGHR

National Volunteer Month: TGHR Cares

April 24, 2019

April is National Volunteer Month and our staff celebrates by helping not just this month, but all year long.

Multiple TGHR team members volunteer through ministries at their place of worship. You’ll find Payroll and Operations Manager Kirstia Cropper coaching CYO volleyball and serving on the Parish Council for St. Mark’s Church and helping at St. Vincent De Paul. Senior Accountant Meaghan Smith gets her whole family involved by packing a “care bag” each month and bringing it to Eastern Star Church and adopting a family at the holidays. Marketing Director Susie McKenna and CFO Greta Cline have taught Sunday School at St. Alphonsus and Staffing Specialist Ashley Paramore spends her time with the children’s ministry at Brookside Community Church. Ashley has also volunteered through Northview, most recently at the Hope Center. You’ll find Account Executive Amber Graves welcoming you to Traders Point Church. Amber also volunteers at Wheeler Mission and has been known to hand out bags with hotel toiletries to the homeless.

Other TGHR staff members volunteer right where they live. Division Manager of Temporary Services Kate Stephens is a proud Broad Ripple Village Association Board Member. She champions the Beautification Committee and organizes groups to keep the Village clean and vibrant! You also can find her behind-the-scenes at most Board Ripple fairs and festivals.

Greta Cline, CFO and Co-owner, is currently serving as vice president and treasurer of the Boone County Dairy Promoter Board. Greta also has taught Zionsville history through the Sullivan Munce Cultural Center and organizes a Toys for Tots toy drive gala annually. Marketing Director Susie McKenna also hails from Boone County and works as a Board Member for the Boys & Girls Club of Boone County and elevates her soccer mom status as a Board Member for the Zionsville Youth Soccer Association.

Other staff members find joy in giving back to organizations where they have a personal connection. Division Manager of Temporary Services Lindsey Curtis used to work at Make-A-Wish Foundation, and she’s stayed involved with the organization through volunteering. Staffing Specialist Madison Schacht benefited from being a part of Delta Zeta while she was in college and now heads back to her alma mater, Ball State, to serve as Alumni Relations and Academics Advisor for Delta Zeta at Ball State.

We’d love to hear what organizations you are involved with and where you volunteer to make Indy a better place!

Seasonal

Being Thankful

Mary Springer

Partner

November 16, 2017

‘Tis the season of gratitude – literally. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It feels like everyone is #blessed this time of year…but is that true?

The Greater Good Science Center, based at UC Berkeley in California, has spent two decades studying gratitude. Their research has revealed people who practice gratitude are less likely to be depressed, have stronger relationships and report fewer illnesses. The Center also found that people, in general, are less likely to express gratitude or feel thankful at work. So how can you change that? Here’s four suggestions to get started.

Discover if you are a grateful person. When looking at something new, you should start with yourself. Take this quiz and find out how grateful you are.
Say thank you. Sounds easy enough, right? Start by thanking your co-workers, which will help to cultivate a culture of gratitude in your workplace. Saying thank you doesn’t cost you or your company any money, but could benefit the bottom line.
Keep a journal. Take a page from Oprah’s playbook and write down 3 – 5 things you are grateful for each day. Oprah has kept a journal for more than a decade. Whether it’s in a physical journal or electronically on your phone, writing down items daily can remind you of all that you have.
When we do something for someone else, it often reminds us of what we have and how lucky we are. This time of year, there is an abundance of places to volunteer.

We at That’s Good HR are thankful for our staff, our candidates and our clients. We are grateful that we have such good people to work with in the Indianapolis area. There’s always something to be thankful for at TGHR!

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and give thanks continuously.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Seasonal

Take the Chill Off with Chili

Meaghan Smith

November 8, 2017

Recently, TGHR employees participated in our inaugural chili cook-off. The event was a hit, and we sampled five different chilis. Here are the participating recipes. Make them at home, share with your fellow coworkers, and let us know which is your favorite!

First up, is the taste-test winner! This unique chili took home first place and really hit the spot.

Chicken Enchilada Chili
1.5 lbs chicken breast
1 can black beans
1 can chili beans
1 can corn
1 can Rotel
1 can red enchilada sauce
2 cups chicken stock
1.5 tbsp chili powder
3/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1 package cream cheese

In a large crockpot, add the enchilada sauce, Rotel (undrained), chili beans (undrained), black beans (drained and rinsed), corn (drained) and uncooked chicken breasts. Next, add the chicken stock and all the seasonings. Stir well. Cover the crockpot and place on high for 3-5 hours or low for 5-8 hours. Remove the chicken and shred using two forks. Cube the cream cheese and put the cubes in the crockpot. Then, whisk the cream cheese and add the shredded chicken. Cook on high until all the cream cheese is melted. Stir and serve!

Do you want a chili that has a unique flavor to it? This recipe was a definite crowd pleaser, and came in second place!

Bloody Mary Chili
1 lb beef
1 lb Italian sausage
3 cups Mr. & Mrs. T’s Bold and Spicy Bloody Mary mix
2 packets McCormick’s chili mix
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 white onion, diced
Elbow macaroni
Salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder to taste

Brown the beef and Italian sausage with the diced onion. Then, put all the remaining ingredients in crock pot EXCEPT the macaroni. Put the crock pot on low (or high if you are in a rush). Cook the macaroni separately and add them to the chili 1 – 2 hours before serving.

Looking for a chili with a different texture? Try this recipe, which can be made with regular ground beef too!

Organic Chili
1.5 lbs organic ground beef
2 cans hot chili beans
1 can mixed beans
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 can mild Rotel
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
Cooked macaroni
Garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper to taste

Sautee onions and garlic for about two minutes in olive oil. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain fat. Add beans, Rotel and tomatoes. Season to taste with spices. Simmer for 30 minutes and serve over cooked macaroni.

Are you cooking for a crowd? Give this a try! It was also suggested to put this atop your favorite hot dog.

Hot & Spicy
6 lbs of hamburger
1 big white onion
6 habanero peppers (4 cooked into the hamburger, 2 habanero peppers juiced on browned meat)
1 large can of mild chili beans
5 packs of McCormick’s chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Dice the habanero peppers and then add to the meat while browning it. Once the meat is browned, juice two additional habanero peppers over the browned meat. In a stock pot, combine all the other ingredients and add the meat and peppers. Simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can transfer the chili to a crock pot if you are transporting it to share with coworkers/friends.

Pressed for time? Try this simple white chicken chili, no cooking skills needed!

White Chix Chili
3 cans white beans (drain 1.5 cans)
2 cans chicken (drained)
2 teaspoons cumin
A little less than 1 cup onion, diced
2 chicken bouillon cubs
2 cans diced green chilies

Simply put all the ingredients in the crock pot until heated and stir occasionally. That’s it!

TGHR recommended toppings include: sharp cheddar cheese, mild cheddar cheese, cilantro, green onions, limes (especially for the white chicken chili), avocado, bacon bits, sour cream and oyster crackers. We also suggest serving with cornbread and tortilla chips on the side. And then, when you are too full to possibly do any work, call TGHR and we’ll fill your open positions with award-winning candidates. Bon Appetit!

Tips

How Serving Others Serves You

Greta Cline

Partner, CFO/COO

December 3, 2016

Carving out time for volunteering may feel impossible with your schedule. Between juggling work, family, hobbies, activities, and friends, life often feels jam-packed. But when you step in to help others, you not only fill a vital need in your community, but you personally also benefit from donating your time, energy, and talents. Want to know how? Read on!

At a glance, It’s easy to see how community service benefits others—providing clothing, housing, education, companionship, task assistance, etc. But serving others doesn’t just help communities—it helps you, too. When you step into a serving role and accomplish a task—be it building a house, helping with a fundraiser, painting a run-down school—you can gain a great sense of empowerment, significance, and confidence. A UnitedHealth study found that:

94% of people who volunteered over a one-year period said that it improved their mood
76% of volunteers said serving others actually made them feel healthier.

Plain and simple: doing good feels good. But the benefits don’t stop there.

Giving your time and talents to others is also a way to hone hobby and professional skills. Often charities and non-profits need help with tasks in areas like graphic design, photography, videography, writing, tutoring and education, coaching, and organizing (just to name a few). Your talents and skills can be put to great work helping others while you gain extra experience.

Getting out into the community broadens your network of social contacts, too. Sometimes to move ahead professionally, it’s more who you know than what. Volunteering puts you in a position to meet many new faces from a variety of backgrounds—both personal and professional. Making these contacts is a great way to not only form new friendships, but to widen your net of business connections, too.

Lastly, serving roles can be a good opportunity to step outside your comfort zone and experience personal growth. This might be as simple as trying something new, like building a house, landscaping a school, or fostering shelter animals. Or you can adopt a leadership role by organizing a fundraiser, coaching a team, or managing a big project. Pushing the limits on what you think you can do is a great way to grow on a personal and professional level.

Not sure where to start? There are some great online sites for finding new opportunities like VolunteerMatch, Idealist, and United Way. You can always call an organization you’re interested in directly, too, and see how you might help. No matter which route you take, make 2017 the year you give volunteering a try. You won’t regret it.