Find a Stable Employee : Hire a Senior - Senior Workers Add Value to Your Work Team

When you are looking for new help where do you find the kind of employee who will share your business goals with you? Have you considered hiring a senior?

These days, there are many seniors who still want, or need, to work. First, let's look at what seniors bring to the table, then what motivates them to work past retirement, and along the way we'll see how hiring a senior benefits both your business and the older worker.

1. What can the senior bring to your business?

The mature worker should come complete with a built-in knowledge of how to get along with others. Through years of life training, most seniors have had their rough edges polished to a fine degree of cooperative sensibility.

Work experience is far more than merely having held down a job and staying out of trouble. The mature worker has learned to think bigger, as in:

- what is best for the whole team?

- how does my part of the job support the whole effort?

- exactly how can I help us improve "our" business?

As well, a senior is inclined to measure himself by the success of the team, and is more willing to share the pain along with the accolades. He tends to seek peer approval through the quality of his work.

Certainly, the long term may not be so terribly many years for someone in his sixties. Then again, how many 20-year-olds have cycled through your payroll lately?

Since this will likely be his twilight working years, your senior has no urgent need to win advancement, or to harbour hidden agendas. All he is out to prove is that he can still hold up his end.

The older person will need some flexibility for illness, health care appointments, and of course time off for sudden family emergencies. As do young parents.

Your retired helper may not require health insurance or costly retirement plans. (Already been there, got that.)

Many seniors want only part-time work. So hire two seniors! Let them share one job; they can cover for each other's days off, and two heads are better than one!

2. Why would any senior want to keep working?

Jobs disappear after a company down-sizes, or merges; the more fortunate employees receive buy-outs. The others do not. Seniors in both categories are looking for useful employment, for all manner of reasons.

Some people grab that early retirement package because it's an opportunity to try something new. Ever heard of Burn-out?

Teachers (who tend toward early retirement) work part-time stocking grocery shelves and as lonely truckers; retired technicians become happy night watchmen; ex-policemen custom build furniture or operate heavy equipment. Many seniors have designed their own websites. They are still people, after all.

Often, a recently retired person is simply bored, misses the responsibility, the structure and the routine of having a job. It's not all that easy to break a 40-year habit!

Others, without adequate pensions and savings, seriously need the income.

Given the choice, most mature people will work only for someone where there is a feeling of compatibility and mutual respect.

3. Reward loyalty!

Psychologist Abraham Maslow is remembered for his Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid. This illustrates how, as human beings meet the basic requirements of existence -- food, clothing, shelter -- they will need greater social inter-action, personal development and respect. These higher needs make themselves felt as a person fulfills the more basic needs.

The perceptive employer is able to satisfy many of his people's social needs to the advantage of the social environment within his company organisation.

Share the load, the praise, and the rewards, along with the risks and the burdens. The older worker will repay you with his ingrained trait of loyalty. Next time, hire a senior!

Steve Williams is a former technologist and technical writer. Retired now, Steve edits a noncommercial website: http://www.writing4seniors.org

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Trusting HR to Hire the Right Employees is Easy - But How Do You Hire the Right HR Staff?

Human Resources is a department within a company that literally interacts and affects every aspect of the company's business. Some leaders have the notion that HR serves its purpose primarily through hiring employees. It is up to the recruiter to evaluate, test and check references for potential employees, while making sure the candidate is a good fit for the department. However, there is so much more to this department than meets the eye.

In a typical Corporate America environment, HR consists of the following Sr. Management and staff members:

VP of HR: This senior management position is directly involved with business initiatives for the company, evaluation of vendors and services, and works alongside the CEO and CFO to address and suggest ideas and changes needed within the organization with regard to compensation and various legal issues.

Director of HR: This position reports directly to the VP of HR and supervises HR managers, negotiates contracts and or disputes for union workers, addresses lawsuits and oversees the compensation, hiring practices, escalated employee conflicts and more.

HR Manager: Directly responsible for the HR staff within the organization. Reports in a straight line to the Director of HR and oversees local recruitment, employee issues, payroll (if handled within HR) issues, reporting, developing employees and interacting with management.

These three key positions within HR account for very important functions within a company. However, as important as these positions are, the staff level remains one of the core elements of a solid, and knowledgeable HR group.

What happens if an HR staff member leaves the company?
This can be a sticky problem if foul play is involved. These employees are naturally privvy to confidential information that others are not. This translates to the fact that HR staff need to maintain confidentiality at all times. Period. A higher level of professionalism is required from these employees in order to have the company function properly. Which brings us to the topic at hand.

What qualities should I look for in an HR staff member?
Generally, any one of the staff positions must have integrity, polished professionalism, knowledge within the area they are seeking, and good instincts in general. References are a must in evaluating these employees and several interviews with key managers should be scheduled. These HR candidates will interact frequently with management and if there is a personality or knowledge conflict, your organization will definitely feel it.

Take a look at the area of focus they are being hired for: Recruiters must be extremely personable and knowledgeable about employment law. They should have a professional appearance and have articulate communication skills. They are the first representative of the company a new hire candidate will meet. First impressions are everything. Feel free to quiz this individual on various legal and illegal hiring practices.

Generalists traditionally are considered the "next in line" to an HR manager's job. They should have a well rounded background in all facets of HR: Recruiting, Reporting, Payroll, Benefit Administration, Compensation, Employee Issues, Legal issues and more. They should also have a professional demeanor due to their wide variety of interaction with management and duties.

Benefits/Payroll: These individuals should be analytical by nature, good with numbers, organized and be able to work closely with the accounting department. They should have a high sense of confidentiality and a wide knowledge of insurance plans, good customer service skills in dealing with employees, payroll systems, tax filing etc.

Think of HR as an all purpose department. These staff positions lay the ground work for a well run company. Next time you have a vacancy within your HR department, don't panic. Focusing on the particular function that is vacant will help you to make an intelligent new hire choice for your group.

Taryn Simpson is a published author and freelance writer with over 15 years of HR experience. Ms. Simpson owns her own writing company, Simpson - E Publishing which offers clients ghostwriting of novels/articles, web content, brochures, newsletters, press releases and more. Sign up to recieve her free newsletter for writer's tips and news on her website "http://www.Simpson-EPublishing.com". To learn more about this writer, feel free to visit her online presskit: http://www.TarynSimpson.com

Employee Screening - Investigative Techniques to mitigate negligent hiring

Negligent hiring normally refers to a cause of action in tort law that arises from an employer's obligation not to hire an applicant that may undertake conduct against other individuals or otherwise subject employees or third parties to actions which can create legal liability. Through negligent hiring lawsuits, many employers have been found liable for their failure to perform due diligence resulting in millions of dollars in damages. Conducting proper employee screening goes beyond the criminal background check and taking the appropriate measures prior to hiring will protect and help ensure your organization from potential lawsuits under negligent hiring tort law.

The initial screening process should encompass a variety of measures to protect your company against potential litigation. It's important to keep in mind that 36% of applicant resumes provide some form of falsified information.

* During the interview process, ask applicant to explain any gaps in employment or education. There are always circumstances that justify gaps in employment, however a lack of reasonable explanation may warrant further investigation as any prolonged absence may be an indication of past incarceration.

* Have applicant provide a written summary of last 7 years of residence and any other names used.

* Obtain a social security trace and cross reference this information with applicant provided written summary. This report will show address history (some potentially not revealed by the applicant), alias and or maiden names. Often a prior address is not disclosed if he or she were convicted of a crime in a past city or county of residence.

* Perform a criminal search based upon every county applicant has resided over the past 7 years. A county criminal report is the most effective search as this information is direct from the source. A true national criminal search is typically only available to law enforcement or in a situation where a state mandate requires that the applicant is subject to an employment background check.

* A search of the national sex offender registry should be completed in addition to the criminal search. Often a sexual offense does not appear in the criminal background report. If the applicant offended in a state or county outside his or her residence the criminal search would not likely reveal this information.

* Obtain a state motor vehicle report whenever the position involves driving in any capacity. This report has valuable information including validity and violations, suspension or DUI related offenses. Understand some applicants may state on their application that they do not have a driver's license when in fact it is suspended. It's essential to obtain at least a state issued identification card and perform a search of this identification number.

*Always be consistent with each and every applicant in the hiring process. All applicants should be screened in the same manner and "gut feelings" should never be applied.

Remember the old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". An effective pre-employment screening can save your company from huge potential losses simply by performing your due diligence.

Advanced Research arsbackgrounds.com is a national provider of employee screening solutions made up of a team of experts in risk management, human resources and legal investigations. Contact us for a free consultation.

Employee Screening - Investigative Techniques To Avoid Negligent Hiring

Negligent hiring normally refers to a cause of action in tort law that arises from an employer's obligation not to hire an applicant that may undertake conduct against other individuals or otherwise subject employees or third parties to actions which can create legal liability Through negligent hiring lawsuits, many employers have been found liable for their failure to conduct appropriate due diligence and pre-employment background investigation. Negligent hiring lawsuits have cost many companies millions of dollars in damages. Conducting proper pre-employment screening goes beyond the criminal background check and taking the proper measures prior to hiring will protect and ensure your organization from potential lawsuits under negligent hiring tort law.

The initial screening process should encompass a variety of measures to protect your company against potential legal action. It?s important to keep in mind some 36% of applicant resumes provide some form of falsified information.

? During the interview process, ask applicant to explain any gaps in employment or education. Keep in mind there are always circumstances that justify gaps in employment, however a lack of reasonable explanation may warrant further background investigation.

?Applicant should provide a written summary of last 7 years of residence.

?Obtain an address history report of the applicant and cross reference this information with applicant provided residence history. Applicant may not provide a prior address if he or she were convicted of a crime in a past city or county of residence. The address history report is a critical search tool in conducting a criminal background investigation.

?Perform a criminal background check based upon every county applicant has resided over the past 7 years. A county criminal report is the most effective search as this information is direct from the source. A national criminal search is typically only available to Law Enforcement or in a situation where a state mandate requires that the applicant be subject to a background check.

?Many applicants should be searched on the national sex offender registry separate from the criminal search as this offense often does not appear in the criminal background report. If the applicant offended in a state outside his or her residence the criminal search would not likely reveal this information.

?Obtain a state motor vehicle report whenever the position involves driving in any capacity. This report has valuable information including validity and violations, suspension or DUI related offenses. Understand some applicants may state on their application that they do not have a driver?s license when in fact it is suspended. It?s critical to obtain at least a state issued identification card and perform a search of this identification number.

?It?s important to be consistent with each and every applicant in the hiring process. All applicants should be screened in the same manner and ?gut feelings? should never be applied.

Remember the old saying ?an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?. An effective pre-employment screening can save your company from huge potential losses simply by performing your due diligence.

Advanced Research http://www.arsbackgrounds.com is a team of experts in risk management, human resources and legal investigations.

Business Training Videos: Equipping Your Employees To Serve Better

Business training videos are the most cost effective way to train your staff, be they working force or management leaders. The company has to make a one-time investment in the business training videos that come in various formats, such as VHS cassettes or CD?s in VHS or DVD formats. The business training videos are then stored in the company?s library and can be accessed for the training programs of management groups or individual managers who can take the video home as well. All they need is a simple video or DVD player or a personal computer to view the training video at any convenient time.

Every company or business process, be they manufacturing or marketing a product or service needs some form of training for new employees as well as refresher training from time to time to make efficient workers. It is in the best interest for the company to invest in training programs as this keeps the employees up to date with the company?s policies, products and services as well as makes better workers out of them. Many companies hire external trainers who specialize in management training. These professionals conduct training programs from time to time and the managers and employees have to leave what ever they are doing to attend the training session. This leads to a loss for the company in man-hours as well as paying the training professionals who have a fixed time to deliver their training program and then move on.

It is better for the company to invest in business training videos that can be played in the company meeting room at anytime and the managers or employees needing the training may attend in groups while the rest of the staff take care of regular business. Business training videos deal with a number of issues employees and managers face at the work place. Managers and employees need to hone up their skills in sales, customer service, safety and tem building. Business training videos provide the employer with the ultimate versatility when it comes to training the staff of a particular business process. With Internet marketing California, it is easy to locate the business training video a manager is looking for. If the business video is for a particular process or product Internet marketing California can make the video at very reasonable rates and still deliver quality business training content in a format easy to replay and understand by anyone.

California is flooded with interactive video companies but few can match the standards adhered to by Internet marketing California. None can match the research and resources that Internet Marketing California has. They know all the requirements of a business, be it customer service of a call center or training service staff in dealing with technical difficulties at the work place Internet marketing California has it all. Just call for a personalized or custom made business-training video from few Internet marketing firm in California having expertise in development of Business Training Videos and see the difference it will make to the productivity of your business.

Shakir Ali is independent writer on Internet marketing, PPC, SEO, SEM, Online Marketing, Video Production and other related topics. Video Production Orange County - Video Production Services in California http://www.internetmarketingcalifornia.com/ & http://www.the-emerchant.com; http://www.videoproductionorangecounty.com

A Valuable Gift For Your Small Business Employees That Won't Cost You A Cent

Employees love to get gifts. It could be extra cash in their paycheck, liberal leave or, perhaps, a party in a restaurant.

But here is one idea that may be the gift of a lifetime. Really. Plus that, it will cost your small business nothing except the short time employees are away from their job.

The gift is cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. Whoa! Just stay with me, now. After all, your own life may depend on this.

This idea comes from a client who heads a small business of less than 25 employees. Once a year he schedules a guest appearance by a member of the local fire and rescue squad.

This CPR expert brings along his equipment which includes a full size mannequin. Using the mannequin, he gives a live demonstration of how to clear the air passages, position the victim's chin, inflate the lungs and press down on the breast bone.

If your business is as small as my client's, it is easy to get members of the audience to come forward and try it for themselves. The expert corrects their procedure and gives helpful tips.

If you have more than 25 employees, you might want to schedule two separate demonstrations.

On the other hand, if your employees number only a few, ask the fire and rescue squad the minimum number they need to warrant a live demonstration. To make up the difference, you could always invite in friends or family of employees.

Some demonstrations include a video that highlights a few further points. It may show how to recognize breathing problems and how to check the vital signs of a victim.

There are also special considerations when administering CPR to a baby and a child.

You might want to wrap up the demonstration by offering coffee and donuts and allowing time for a short discussion.

My client's employees realize the importance of the skill they are learning. They know they could save the life of a loved one. Some of them teach CPR to family members so their own life might be saved in an emergency.

This tip may not add to your bottom line, but it goes a long way to building a rapport between you and your employees.

Plus that, there is something even more important for your small business. It gives you and your employees a chance to save a life with nothing more than your hands and breath.

What a gift!

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A Home Based Business Is What Most Employees Are Striving For

A home based business is what most employees are striving to get. A small business that they can run from their own home and be their own boss is something worth dreaming about. It is not so difficult to get such as business started. The big thing is just to start by planning what you want to do and when you want to do it. It is no good drawing up plans and not giving your self a time limit otherwise this could drag on forever.

Set yourself small goals first in order to achieve the bigger goals. This will help you to stay focused on the big goal, namely the opening day of your own business. You need to do some market research so that you start something that will be well received in your area or if you intend working on an internet business the area will not matter.

Working online is a fantastic experience as you do not have to look for a market, the market finds you. The market is so much larger than you could ever imagine it to be as you will have practically the whole world able to log in and shop from your site. The big thing is to have the right products to attract people to shop from your site.

If you feel safer managing a conventional business this is fine as well. Find something to generate an income that interests you and gives you pleasure at the same time. This is the best way to remain focused. You are going to be working very hard at your business in the beginning so make sure that you will be spending your energy on something that will be rewarding.

The author writes informative articles about Home Based Business http://www.triomarketers.com/AD/reg.html