Seasonal

Fun and Festive Drinks from TGHR

Meaghan Smith

December 10, 2019

We conduct very important research in our office. Of course, we track our staffing stats weekly, but in preparation for New Year’s Eve we have been trying a new drink recipe during Happy Hour. Here’s our favorites ready for you to mix up and enjoy this holiday season.

Week 1: Root Beer Float
To make this take on a soda fountain classic, mix three parts root beer with one-part RumChata. Frosted mugs are optional!

Week 2: Cinnamon Roll
We liked the RumChata so much, we brought it back in week 2. This time, we mixed one-part RumChata with three parts cream soda.

Week 3: Red Wine Floats
To change it up a bit, we switched to wine. For these delectable drinks, you need one pint Magnum Dark Chocolate Raspberry ice cream, 1/2 bottle of red wine, seltzer for serving and to make them extra fancy – chocolate sauce, for lining glasses. Start by rimming the insides of four glasses with chocolate sauce, then scoop in ice cream and pour in the red wine. Top off with seltzer before serving.

Week 4: Apple Cider Sangria
First step for this drink is grab a large glass pitcher. Then gather a Granny Smith apple (sliced), a Red Delicious apple (sliced), Golden Delicious apple (sliced), lemon (sliced) and an orange (sliced). Add that fruit to the pitcher and pour in two cups of apple cider, two bottles of ginger beer and a bottle of white wine. Stir and enjoy! Feel free to add some bite size pieces of all fruit in the bottom of each glass to really impress your guests.

Week 5: TGHR Holiday Spritzer
Break out the bubbly for the finale. Pour ¾ of a glass of champagne, then add equal parts pomegranate and cranberry juice. We like to make it extra fancy with fresh cranberries and pomegranate seeds in bottom of glass (added to the glass before champagne).

Cheers to the new year!

TGHR News

Organize Your Inbox Today

Kirstia Cropper

Operations Manager

August 19, 2019

Since it’s back to school time, let’s take a pop quiz! When it comes to email are you the type of person who:

A. Cannot stand unread emails in your inbox

B. A little email clutter does not phase you at all

C. Your email box is always filled with messages or

D. Email? Who has time to read email?

Whether you answered A, B, C or D – these ideas can help you organize your inbox. And who knows? You may just find some extra time in your day because of it!

Make F.A.S.T. Decisions

F.A.S.T. stands for F = file it, A = assign it, S = store it and T = trash it. When you are reading your email, keep this acronym in mind and act quickly. You can store emails that need responses, but once you respond make sure to file it or trash it. Another method is the O.H.I.O. method – Only Handle It Once. Once you read it, take action with the email before moving on.

Be a Rule-Follower

Using rules can automatically sort your email without you even looking at it. For example, use a rule to automatically send e-newsletters you receive to a specific folder – therefore keeping them out of your inbox and in a safe place where you can refer to them when you have time. You can even set certain emails to be automatically deleted after a certain amount of time. Setting rules is simple in Outlook and Gmail.

Put Your Patience On

Does your inbox make a sound every time a new email arrives? Hearing a “bing” is an instant distraction. It is counterproductive to check your email every five minutes. Try blocking specific times in your day to handle email, starting with 30 minutes in the morning and afternoon. If you need more time, set a timer so you know that you will be checking your email on a regular basis, but email won’t be a distraction to getting your to-do list accomplished.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

Do you get emails that you send out similar responses to? Save time by creating responses you can cut-and-paste in order to reply quickly. Step this up by creating a “Canned Response” in Gmail. Head over to the gear icon in the top right corner and select “Settings” from the menu to get started. If you use Outlook, an email hack is to use “Signatures” to have prepared responses to often answered emails. Open a blank email and select “Signature” from the top menu bar. Then, click on “Signatures” to create an email that you can access with the click of a button. You can still personalize your message before sending but using these tips can help you start from something other than a blank screen.

We would love to hear your favorite email hack – share it with us on our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)!

Tips

Getting Organized is as Easy as 1, 2, 3 – A, B, C

Ashley Paramoure

August 15, 2019

There are two types of people this time of year – those who love buying school supplies and those who don’t! No matter what camp you fall into the start of the school year is a great time of year to get organized. How can you get organized and free up more time? School is in session with these tips:

Manage Your Calendar. There are multiple ways to manage your calendar but start the school year by implementing a color-coded system. You can color code your calendar based on importance (red, yellow, green) or by areas of your life work, family, fitness or even some people suggest organizing your calendar based on your chakras. Start out with a minimum of three categories and code all your activities. Don’t be afraid to break out that new box of Crayola crayons and use all the colors of the rainbow if needed. You can then see what is monopolizing your time and you can work throughout the year to better balance your efforts.
Tackle Your To-Do List. Even if you do not write it down, we all have a to-do list. In order to tackle your list, try writing it down at the end of every day. When you write it, think about tackling your tough tasks first instead of saving them for later in the day. Every office has a silent saboteur that can derail your list in mere minutes – email. Email is a to-do list that anyone can add to, so think about not checking your email first thing in the morning and start on your to-do list instead. Your newly color-coded calendar will tell you when it’s time for email. At the end of every day, throw out your list and start anew. This will keep you feeling fresh and moving forward.
Declutter Your Work Space. Whether you have a cube at work or an entire office, chances are your space could stand to be cleaned up a bit. Use the deals on school supplies to pick up some new folders and storage boxes to tidy up your space. Next, organize your workspace in zones. For example, put work that you need to complete to the left of your computer and put completed items to the right. And once you have your work space neat and tidy, take a moment to run a disinfecting wipe over your desk to wipe out any germs.

Try some of these tips this fall and by spring break you’ll feel like you are ready to go to the head of the class. Let us know what works for you – we love to learn!

Seasonal

TGHR Souper Bowl

February 1, 2019

With crazy cold temperatures in the Midwest and the big game approaching this weekend, team TGHR decided to heat up the office with a little friendly competition. Introducing the inaugural TGHR Souper Bowl! Staff members made soups and desserts to share during an office lunch. Our big winner was Pizza Soup, but the other entries definitely made the playoffs in our book. Try your hand at these soups and let us know which one you think is a touchdown.

Crowd-Pleasing Pizza Soup

This is crowd favorite especially with kids. What really sends this soup over the goal line is topping it with mozzarella cheese and garlic butter croutons.

1 pound ground sausage

½ cup onion, diced

4 cups water

2 jars of pizza sauce (16 oz. each)

1 package pepperoni cut into quarters – pro tip: look for the mini pepperonis to use there fore no cutting needed

2 tomatoes diced

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp dried rosemary

¼ tsp dried basil

Brown and drain sausage and onion. Put in crock pot with other ingredients and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Great soup to make the night before the big game as this soup tastes best the next day.

Sausage Supreme

We’ll find out which team reigns supreme this weekend, but this soup was a winner! This one comes with the option of making it in a stockpot or a crock pot.

1 pound Italian sausage

1 onion, diced (red onion was used)

1 can Northern White Beans (do not drain)

1 can chicken broth

1 can of Rotel

1 Tbsp oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown sausage with onion. If in stockpot add other ingredients and simmer for a minimum of 20 minutes. In crockpot, heat for 3 hours.

Touchdown Tortellini Tomato

This soup was top draft pick and comes together so quick, it will be ready by halftime.

1 can petite tomatoes (28 oz)

1 can chicken broth (28 oz)

1 can tomato soup (21.5 oz)

1 package chive and onion cream cheese spread (16 oz)

1 package cheese tortellini (found in refrigerated section)

1 pound Italian sausage (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and simmer for 1 hour.

Huddle-up Vegetable & Steak Soup

This low-carb soup will warm you up so fast, you will feel like you are in the middle of the huddle.

1 pound beef stew cubes

2 cans of diced tomatoes with garlic and oregano

3 cans of beef broth

1 package of each: corn, green beans, edamame, carrots (frozen)

Radishes, quartered

Place all ingredients in the crockpot on low for 8 hours, add water if needed.

Legendary Red Beans and Rice

This take on a classic is sure to be a winner!

1 pound uncooked (dry) red kidney beans

12 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced

5 garlic cloves, minced

3 celery stalks, diced

1 medium white onion, peeled and diced

1 bell pepper, cored and diced

2 tsp Creole seasoning

1 tsp hot sauce, or more/less to taste

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

7 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the kidney beans thoroughly. Add the kidney beans, sausage, garlic, celery, onion, bell pepper, Creole seasoning, hot sauce, dried thyme, bay leaves and chicken stock to the crockpot and stir. Cook on high for 6-8 hours, or until the kidney beans are soft and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Before serving, remove the Bay leaves. Serve immediately over rice, garnished with green onions. Recipe here.

Spicy Chicken Ramen with a Kick

There’s no pressure to make the extra point when you make this soup with a kick!

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 can coconut milk (14 oz)

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp honey

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

2 Tbsp red chili sauce (or sriracha)

1/4 cup Thai red curry paste

3/4 pounds rotisserie chicken

8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 red peppers, chopped

1 zucchini

1 inch fresh ginger, grated

1 clove garlic, minced or grated

2-4 squares ramen noodles

1 line, juiced

3 cups fresh baby spinach

1/3 cup fresh basil or cilantro, roughly chopped

In a large soup pot, combine the broth, coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, peanut butter, and chili sauce. Add the chicken, cremini mushrooms, red peppers, zucchini, ginger, and garlic. Simmer on the stove over medium heat for 15 minutes. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Stir in the noodles, lime juice, spinach, and cilantro. Let the noodles soften. Top the soup with peanuts, cilantro and scallions. Recipe here.

Seasonal

Our Intent

January 10, 2019

Annually as the new year approaches, many folks take time set their intentions for the next year. Making a new year’s resolution is common place on January 1, but 80 percent of resolutions fail by February. One thing you can do to help your resolution – or resolutions – stick is to share them with others who can help keep you accountable.

To prepare for the new year, the TGHR team engaged in a fun, crafty activity one day during a staff lunch. Using a kit bought online, each TGHR staff member came up with a word that sums up what they want out of the new year. We took the words and hammered them on to bracelets that can be worn as a reminder of our intention. It was great to share these words and the meaning behind them with the co-workers we see daily. We also documented our intentions on our office white board (well in our case our board is, of course, orange – our signature color), so we can help keep each other accountable.

What’s your word for 2019? Here are ours:
Mary – Breathe & Patience
Tiffany – Let Go
Amber – Grace & Serve
Lindsey – Cici & Sully
Kate – Be Present
Lana – Trust
Ashley – Thrive
Madison – Be Bold
Staci – Breathe
Greta – Patience
Kirstia – Strength
Susie – Grace
Meaghan – Faith over Fear
Emma – Rooted

We’re excited to get the new year underway. If getting a new job is one of your 2019 resolutions, give us a call – we’re ready to help you achieve that goal!

Seasonal

TGHR Thanksgiving Traditions

November 19, 2018

Thanksgiving means traditions! Approximately, 88% of Americans eat turkey as part of their Thanksgiving dinner, amounting to 46 million turkeys eaten in the US on Thanksgiving. Here are some favorite traditions from our TGHR family.

Our VP, Client Partnerships Tiffany enjoys sweet potato casserole every year, but she puts brown sugar on top – not marshmallows. She pairs that up with broccoli casserole and pumpkin cheesecake for the perfect family feast. After eating, it’s time to strategize for Black Friday deals!

You’ll find Account Manager Amber enjoying these apple dumplings on the big day. There’s a surprise secret ingredient that you’ll never guess. You can take the girl out of Kentucky but can’t take Kentucky out of the girl!

It’s no surprise that the always active Staffing Specialist, Kate starts her Thanksgiving by running the Drumstick Dash in Broad Ripple with her family and friends. After the race, she enjoys a mimosa brunch before hosting Thanksgiving dinner.

Greta, our CFO and Co-Owner, is starting a new tradition this year by running the ZGravy Chase in Zionsville with her family. To keep the healthy vibes going, here’s one of her favorite side dishes to bring to the table to compliment the turkey. To make this oh-so-pretty Thanksgiving salad, use kitchen shears to cut 1 ½ bags of spring mix salad. Then dice one orange pepper and one yellow pepper into bite sized chunks. Roast one cup of pine nuts for two to three minutes (don’t forget to salt the nuts right before placing them in the oven). Grab a glass salad bowl and layer the salad in the following order: Spring mix, peppers, goat cheese, pine nuts. Repeat this pattern until you bowl is full!

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Staffing Specialist Staci is starting a new tradition. She will be baking and decorating cookies with the women in her family. Everyone will bring their recipe and container to take home a sample of everyone’s goodies. The day includes a fun festival cocktail as well!

We at That’s Good HR hope you day is filled with traditions both new and old! Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

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.

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!

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.