southern california

Dealing with Summer Employment Issues

Dealing with Summer Employment Issues

Summer has arrived in Southern California. With the summer months comes warmer weather and longer days. Unfortunately summer also brings its own employment issues. Let’s take a closer look at the top summer employment issues.

Competing summer holiday requests
Unauthorized time off
Late return from summer holiday
Summer dress code
Maximum office temperatures

If workers are submitting competing requests for time off during the summer, managers have the right to prioritize those requests as long as it is done in such a way that is both fair and consistent. For example, requests might be accepted on a first come first served basis.

If a request for holiday leave is refused but an employee takes the time off anyway, it is extremely important not to jump to any conclusions. A thorough investigation should take place in order to determine if the absence was for genuine reasons. However, if there is no credible explanation from the worker as to why they were absent, then it might become necessary to follow the employer’s disciplinary process.

Sometimes employees will return late from their summer holiday. Employers should allow the employee the opportunity to provide a valid explanation. However if the explanation does not appear to be genuine, then disciplinary action should be taken.

While it might be reasonable for employers to adopt a more relaxed dress code during the summer, the extent to which an employee is allowed to dress down should depend on the role that they perform. For example, customer facing roles should maintain a certain standard of presentation. However you decide to implement a summer dress code it should be reasonable, appropriate to the needs of the business and should not discriminate between groups of employees.

Temperatures inside the workplace must be kept at a reasonable level. However, what is reasonable will depend largely on the nature of the workplace and the type of work being carried out. Factors such as whether or not the work is strenuous or physical should be taken into account.

iStaffing Agency helps Southern California companies locate, screen and place professional candidates into Management, Senior and Executive level positions. iStaffing Agency specializes in Human Resources, Accountants, Executives, IT Professionals, Loan Officers and other professional candidates in addition to candidates in the Entertainment and Nonprofit sector. iStaffing services all areas of Orange County and Los Angeles County. For more information about how iStaffing Agency can help your company with their staffing needs, please contact us today.

Global Survey Shows How Employees Define Career Success

Global Survey Shows How Employees Define Career Success

Employers throughout California continue to struggle to find skilled and motivated individuals to meet performance goals. However, recent findings suggest an ongoing disconnect between employee aspirations and the performance demands of employers worldwide. A new global career survey of employees found that only ten percent of employees define career success as high performance and productivity. Further information obtained from the survey includes:

Employees rank work/life balance higher than they do performance
Employees are more concerned with achieving a work/life balance than being the best at what they do.
Enjoyment/happiness at work ranked higher than both performance and salary
A higher percentage of employees define success in the workplace as enjoyment/happiness. In fact, enjoyment/happiness at the workplace ranked higher than any other area including salary, respect, recognition and high performance.
Respect from leaders is highly valued by employees
More than fifty percent of employees admit that respect for their knowledge and experience is their top expectation of leadership.
Mutual trust is expected from colleagues
Most employees want mutual trust from their colleagues at work, followed by respect for their knowledge, equal relationships and transparency.
Employees will change jobs to improve their work/life balance and pay
The highest motivation for switching jobs was the desire for work/life balance and higher compensation. These were followed by seeking a different work culture and the desire for more challenging assignments.

According to the survey, millennials are the least likely to aspire to be the best at what they do when compared to baby boomers and Gen X. However, only three percent of employees worldwide aspire to achieve a prominent position.

It is understood that high performers have a disproportionate impact on business results. Yet talent shortages for in-demand skills remain high. In order to attract and retain top talent, organizations would need to make development a top priority and allow their leaders to mentor employees to expand their skills, capabilities and experience.

Coping with the Business Challenges of Summer

Coping with the Business Challenges of Summer

With summer upon us in Southern California it is extremely important for leaders to plan for the differing business dynamic that the summer months bring. Businesses must be prepared to meet customer needs, continue business as usual and continue to grow. Businesses face many challenges during the summer months including staffing issues, supplier issues and demand issues.

Staffing Levels

Most companies find that a majority of their staff would like to take time off during the summer. While some of this will be family oriented, with concerns centered on children being out of school, other employees will want to take time off while the weather and tourism offerings are at their finest. Fortunately there are certain strategies that can alleviate the staffing pressures that the summer typically brings.

In order to alleviate pressures of staffing levels, consider filling the gaps in creative ways. Offering opportunities to staff for assignments or acting positions can help to fill the void temporarily and can also go a long way toward building up capacity in your organization. Using a staffing agency to find competent temporary employees is another excellent way to replace lost staff during the summer months.

Supply and Demand

Depending on the business that you are in, the summer months can bring much higher demand for certain products or services, while supplies might fluctuate during this period. Dealing with supply and demand issues should be clearly defined in your business plan.

If your business relies heavily on specific supplies that are known to fluctuate during the summer, it is extremely important to ensure that you have planned out your contingencies in order to keep the supply level consistent. This might mean securing commitments from several different suppliers.

If the demand for your businesses products or services increases during the summer, your business planning process should identify your operational plan in order to adequately cope and accommodate your increased operational demand. This might include ramping up staffing to accommodate increased service demand or increasing inventory levels before the summer even begins.

iStaffing Agency helps Southern California companies locate, screen and place professional candidates into Management, Senior and Executive level positions. iStaffing Agency specializes in Human Resources, Accountants, Executives, IT Professionals, Loan Officers and other professional candidates in addition to candidates in the Entertainment and Nonprofit sector. iStaffing services all areas of Orange County and Los Angeles County. For more information about how iStaffing Agency can help your company with their staffing needs, please contact us today.

Senior Financial Analyst Job Description

Senior Financial Analyst Job Description

The senior financial analyst is essential to both the profitability and the financial stability of mid to large size companies in almost every industry in California. The role of senior financial analyst is sometimes used as a stepping stone to higher level positions like chief financial officer, director of finance or financial controller.

In the coming years employment of financial analysts is expected to grow much faster than any other occupation. Job growth will continue as investments become more complex and globally focused. Competition for these high-paying positions will remain fierce, with the best prospects holding advanced degrees as well as experience in the field.

A senior financial analyst is responsible for a wide variety of duties. Depending on the industry and the size of the business a senior financial analyst might be responsible for financial forecasting reports, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, overseeing mergers and activities related to audits and finance or preparing analytics and financial models. Depending on the company, a senior financial analyst might supervise other finance staff members. They typically oversee reporting, data management, prepare ad hoc analyses, monitor financial software and serve as managers on special projects.

Candidates for senior financial analyst positions must hold at least a bachelor’s degree. However, an MBA and prior financial analysis experience is preferred. Professionals who are looking to accelerate their career and pursue a senior financial analyst position can strengthen their knowledge by enrolling in an MBA program that specializes in Accounting and Finance. Professionals that have earned this accreditation are able to:

Apply modern theories of leadership, management and negotiation
Are able to solve real-world business challenges
Can analyze accounting data in order to reach managerial and organizational goals
Can use financial, statistical and economic data to assess and manage risk
Can integrate financial, personal and operations initiatives in order to lead with success
Are able to leverage advanced knowledge and skills in order to succeed as a senior financial analyst

Top employers look for senior financial analysts that possess solid organizational skills. Additionally, they prefer team oriented, motivated and collaborative individuals for this position.

iStaffing Agency helps place professional candidates into Management, Senior and Executive level positions in Southern California. iStaffing Agency specializes in Human Resources, Accountants, Executives, IT Professionals, Loan Officers and other professional candidates in addition to candidates in the Entertainment and Nonprofit sector. For more information about how iStaffing Agency can help you locate your next career opportunity in Los Angeles County or Orange County, California please contact us today.

Why your Company’s Staffing Solution Might Fail

Why your Company’s Staffing Solution Might Fail

Many organizations in Southern California fail to understand the importance of contingent or temporary staffing. Other organizations discover that their staffing solution simply is not meeting their expectations. There are several reasons why a company’s staffing solution might fail including:

Lack of accountability
Lack of executive support
Value not recognized
Inability to adapt

Staffing solutions might be handled by procurement or human resources. While the procurement department is concerned with cost the HR department is only concerned with quality and compliance. If your staffing solution delivers on only one of these things then there will be an obvious disconnect with its value.

One of the most important factors in the overall success of your staffing solution is the support from your executives. If your executives are not on board with your solution it will probably not prove to be as advantageous as expected. This is why it is highly recommended to communicate clearly what they are supposed to be doing. This way you can prevent the executives from thinking that they can defy the solution and work their way around it.

Most importantly, staffing services will impact the day to day of the managers requiring the staff. If the hiring process takes too long, they are not provided with appropriate workers, or they are not able to communicate with the staffing agency then the managers are likely to either reject the solution entirely or look for ways around it.

The key to a flexible staffing solution is to make sure that it can be adapted when required in order to fulfill your workforce requirements. Depending on volume and other factors, many staffing solutions are developed six to twelve months prior to being implemented. Staffing solutions should be quick, reliable and adaptable to accommodate even the fastest changing business conditions. One thing a company must do in order to avoid future problems is to communicate with all stakeholders the need for taking up a certain staffing solution.

Even Small Businesses Should Know When to use a Staffing Agency

Even Small Businesses Should Know When to use a Staffing Agency

Small businesses in Southern California understand how important it is to save both time and money. If a business employs people then there is a very good chance that a staffing agency can have a positive influence on that company’s bottom line. Let’s take a closer look at why.

Most small business owners have the misconception that only large companies can benefit from using a staffing agency. However staffing firms can benefit businesses both large and small. In fact there is a large magnitude of small businesses that rely on staffing firms. These businesses use staffing agencies to fill a variety of positions.

Staffing agencies help free up time by handling hiring needs when workloads increase. Time is often the most valuable commodity to a small business owner. When small business owners develop a relationship with a staffing firm they are able to resolve staffing issues in as little as one phone call.

Outside of staffing services, a staffing agency is able to handle many human resource services such as:

Performance evaluations, hiring, terminations, disciplinary matters and statutory issues
Group health plan administration
Payroll services
RSSP administration
Benefit plan consulting
Employee handbook, policies and procedures
Organizational effectiveness surveys

When a company utilizes these services early in their growth they are able to resolve many human resource issues before they are allowed to become a problem.

Many people do not realize the cost involved with hiring people. Online recruiting costs an average of $2000 per new hire and additional time is lost as the hiring manager is kept from their regular duties. Over time these types of hiring methods cost a company far more time and money than using a staffing agency.

While large companies hire employees on an ongoing basis, small businesses typically do not. When recruiting and interviewing isn’t common practice, issues can arise. Knowing how to properly conduct an interview is a skill that not everyone possesses. Often, the hiring of employees is based on emotion rather than fact and skills. A staffing firm’s evaluation program eliminates the guesswork. In fact most of the time, associates provided by a staffing agency prove to be a perfect fit.

Using Temp Jobs to Boost your Career

Using Temp Jobs to Boost your Career

While temp jobs might seem like worthless endeavors to some people, these opportunities could be just what you need to further your career. Temp positions help bridge the gap between jobs, help job seekers get a feel for a different work environment and can possibly lead to permanent employment.

Even though experienced workers and college graduates might not think to consider temporary jobs, temp work has many benefits. During long periods of unemployment, a job that lasts a few months can be a welcome change and can even add to the relevancy of a resume. For first time job seekers, temp jobs provide much needed hands on experience.

Temp jobs are ideal for anyone that is unsure of what they want to do. Working briefly for one industry can help workers determine whether a career in that field is right for them. If the job is not to their liking, they are able to try out other temp positions without having to make any long term commitments.

Temporary jobs are a great way to stay employed while you are looking for permanent work. When an individual works one or more temporary jobs, recruiters and potential employers are able to learn what their individual strengths and weaknesses are. In addition, the job seeker can learn what job training or college courses can further their job prospects and make them a more valuable candidate in the future.

Another benefit to temporary employment is that candidates can work with a variety of people and employers and build a strong social network to use for job referrals. Additionally, when individuals continue to communicate with previous co-workers they create the opportunity to be called back for a position.

Temp jobs can be a valuable stepping stone for many people. Temporary jobs keep skills fresh and keep job hunters in contact with potential employers. When a temporary employee shows strong work ethic, ambition and initiative they might even be asked to take on a permanent position.

Questions you Should be Asking During an Interview

Questions you Should be Asking During an Interview

When interviewing in Southern California, it is extremely important to make yourself memorable. Asking questions during an interview demonstrates an interest in the position, a desire to learn more and creates a feeling of communication rather than interrogation. The following ten questions will help you impress your interviewer and make you stand out above your competition.

Is there an ability to grow with the company?
When you ask this question you show your ambition, drive and intent to stay long-term. Numerous studies have proven that employers prefer to hire employees who offer the greatest return on their investment.
What is a typical week like in this position?
This is a more practical question and encourages the employer to describe how the position fits into the larger framework of the company. It also allows you to imagine yourself in the position and encourages your interviewer to do the same.
What unique qualities does your ideal candidate have?
This question lets your interviewer know that you are willing to better yourself to become the ideal candidate for the position.
Can you describe the culture and atmosphere of the workplace?
This answer to this question will give you an idea of how you might mesh with your coworkers and how your personality and interests might be received in the office.
What do you like most about working for the company?
If you show a general interest in the interviewer’s experiences you make yourself a more memorable candidate. This question allows you to connect with the interviewer and gives you a firsthand account of the benefits if you take the job.
What is your least favorite part of working for the company?
This is a question that most interviewers are not used to answering. It forces them to evaluate their own experiences and puts them into an entirely different frame of mind for the rest of the interview.
What drew you to this company?
This question helps you build a better connection with the interviewer and gives you a closer look at what they value most when approaching a new position.
What are the typical hours and is overtime expected?
This question will provide you with an idea of how hard their average employee is expected to work.
How is success evaluated and rewarded?
If you understand before being hired what you need to do in order to advance then you can focus your energy on the tasks and responsibilities that are most valuable to the company.
Does the company offer extra training or education opportunities?

This question shows your enthusiasm for the position and your desire to continue improving.