Jobs

We’re the jobs people. Staffing companies match millions of people to millions of jobs.

• 2.01 million people are employed by staffing companies every business day.
• 8.6 million temporary and contract employees are hired by U.S. staffing firms over the course of a year.
• 79% of staffing employees work full time, virtually the same as the rest of the work force.

Flexibility

The staffing industry offers flexibility to both employees and companies. People can choose when, where, and how they want to work. Companies can get the skills they need to keep fully staffed during busy times.

• 66% of staffing employees say flexible work time is important to them.
• 64% of staffing employees report that their work gives them the scheduling flexibility and the time for family that they desire.
• 90% of client businesses say staffing companies give them flexibility to keep fully staffed during busy times.

Bridge

Temporary and contract work provides a bridge to permanent employment. People can try out a prospective employer and showcase their skills for a permanent job.

• 88% of staffing employees say that temporary or contract work made them more employable.
• 77% of staffing employees say it’s a good way to obtain a permanent job.
• 80% of staffing clients say staffing firms offer a good way to find people who can become permanent employees.

Choice

Many people choose temporary and contract work as an employment option. They can select their work schedules and choose among a variety of diverse and challenging assignments.

• 67% of staffing employees say choice of assignments was an important factor in their job decision.
• 23% of staffing employees have little or no interest in a permanent job—they prefer the alternative arrangement over traditional employment.
• 33% of staffing employees say they work for a staffing company because they like the diversity and challenge of different jobs.

Training

The staffing industry provides free training for millions of temporary and contract employees to help meet today’s demand for skilled workers.

• 90% of staffing companies provide free training to their temporary and contract employees.
• 65% of staffing employees say they developed new or improved work skills through their assignments.
• 40% of staffing employees say they choose temporary or contract work as a way to obtain employment experience or job training.

Source: American Staffing Association

Here are 10 tips to help you achieve a better balance in your life. Take a moment to read and reflect on these tips — and then get your life in balance!

1. Negotiate a Change with Your Current Employer. Progressive employers recognize the value of good employees, and many are willing to find ways to help current employees deal with short-term or permanent changes caused by family situations. The changes can include flextime, job-sharing, telecommuting, or part-time employment. Your first step is to research your employer’s policies and methods of handling previous requests. Then go to your boss armed with information and a plan that shows how you will be an even more valuable and productive employee if you can modify your current work situation.
2. Find a New Career. Some careers are simply more stressful and time-consuming than others. If you need more time for yourself or your family, now may be the time to explore careers that are less stressful and more flexible.
3. Find a New Job. Rather than a career change, perhaps you simply need to take a less stressful job within your chosen career. This change may involve working with your current employer to identify a new position, it may involve a full job-search, or it may involve temping or becoming a consultant or starting a freelancing or other home-based business.
4. Slow Down. Life is simply too short, so don’t let things pass you in a blur. Take steps to stop and enjoy the things and people around you. Schedule more time between meetings; don’t make plans for every evening or weekend, and find some ways to distance yourself from the things that are causing you the most stress.
5. Learn to Better Manage Your Time. Avoid Procrastination. For many people, most of the stress they feel comes from simply being disorganized — and procrastinating. Learn to set more realistic goals and deadlines — and then stick to them. You’ll find that not only are you less stressed, but your work will be better.
6. Share the Load. Even though we may sometimes feel we’re the only ones capable of doing something, it’s usually not the case. Get your partner or other family members to help you with all your personal/family responsibilities. Taking care of the household, children, or parents should not be the responsibility of just one person.
7. Let Things Go. (Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.) It’s simpler said than done, but learn to let things go once in a while. So what if the dishes don’t washed everyday or that the house doesn’t get vacuumed every week. Learn to recognize the things that don’t really have much impact in your life and allow yourself to let them go — and then not beat yourself up for doing so.
8. Explore Your Options. Get Help. If you are feeling overwhelmed with your family responsibilities, please get help if you can afford it. Find a sitter for your children, explore options for aging parents, and seek counseling for yourself. In many cases, you have options, but you need to take the time to find them.
9. Take Charge. Set Priorities. Sometimes it’s easier for us to allow ourselves to feel overwhelmed rather than taking charge and developing a prioritized list of things that need to get done. You need to buck the trend. Develop a list. Set priorities. And then enjoy the satisfaction of crossing things off your list.
10. Simplify. It seems human nature for just about everyone to take on too many tasks and responsibilities, to try to do too much, and to own too much. Find a way to simplify your life. Change your lifestyle. Learn to say no to requests for help. Get rid of the clutter and baggage in your house — and your life.

In the end, the key word is balance. You need to find the right balance that works for you. Celebrate your successes and don’t dwell on your failures. Life is a process, and so is striving for balance in your life.

Scoring: Give yourself 1 point for each “true” response. Note that each “true” response is a sign that you probably need to make changes in your life — and the higher the number, the more critical it is for you to make changes in your lifestyle.

If you scored…

0-2	Your life is in pretty good balance; just be sure to do what you can to guard that balance.
3-5	Your work/life balance is teetering on the edge; now is the time to make changes before the problems overwhelm you.
5+	Your life is out of balance; you need to take immediate action to make changes in your work and your life before things start crashing around you.

Everyone faces the issue of time management at one point or another, but as more and more people deal with working at one or more jobs, fighting long commutes, managing a household, attending school or other training, raising one or more children, responding to increasing work and time pressures of the shrinking workplace, and dealing with aging parents, the days often seem to last long into the night and vacation and leisure time seem to be consumed with issues other than relaxation and personal fulfillment.

In fact, a recent study of more than 50,000 employees from a variety of manufacturing and service organizations found that two out of every five employees are dissatisfied with the balance between their work and their personal lives. The lack of balance “is due to long work hours, changing demographics, more time in the car, the deterioration of boundaries between work and home, and increased work pressure,” says the study’s author, Bruce Katcher, president of the Discovery Group, a management consulting firm.

How much is work invading your personal life, and how much of your personal life is affected by the stress of trying to balance all the many responsibilities in your life? Take our Work/Life Balance Quiz below and see for yourself.

Directions: Answer true or false to each statement below.

1. I find myself spending more and more time on work-related projects.
2. I often feel I don’t have any time for myself — or for my family and friends.
3. No matter what I do, it seems that often every minute of every day is always scheduled for something.
4. Sometimes I feel as though I’ve lost sight of who I am and why I chose this job/career.
5. I can’t remember the last time I was able to find the time to take a day off to do something fun — something just for me.
6. I feel stressed out most of the time.
7. I can’t even remember the last time I used all my allotted vacation and personal days.
8. It sometimes feels as though I never even have a chance to catch my breath before I have to move on to the next project/crisis.
9. I can’t remember the last time I read — and finished — a book that I was reading purely for pleasure.
10. I wish I had more time for some outside interests and hobbies, but I simply don’t. 
11. I often feel exhausted — even early in the week.
12. I can’t remember the last time I went to the movies or visited a museum or attended some other cultural event.
13. I do what I do because so many people (children, partners, parents) depend on me for support.
14. I’ve missed many of my family’s important events because of work-related time pressures and responsibilities. 
15. I almost always bring work home with me.

Click here for Quiz Scoring

Trip One: Cape Romain

(average of $230 a day for family of four…including stay at B&B, food, and activities)

Cape Romain!  Established in 1932 as a migratory bird refuge, Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge encompasses a 22-mile segment of the southeast Atlantic coast. The refuge consists of 66,267 acres which include a fascinating expanse of barrier islands, salt marshes, intricate coastal waterways, long sandy beaches, fresh and brackish water impoundments, and maritime forest. Points of interest include Bulls Island, Cape Island, and Lighthouse Island where two lighthouses, no longer operational, still stand.  Make plans to stay at Cape Romain B&B located in the beautiful town of McClellanville, just minutes from the refuge.  You should also make plans to visit The Village Museum and Hampton Plantation.  There are always weekly and monthly events at the refuge, so even if you don’t plan ahead, you can still look forward to an exciting weekend.

Trip Two: Riverbanks Zoo & Garden and EdVenture Museum

(under $500 for two nights/ two days of fun)

Take a half day from work on Friday, head up to Columbia and spend the rest of the afternoon at the EdVenture Museum.  Spend the night at a local Bed & Breakfast or at the Embassy Suites (they have a nightly Managers Reception with appetizers and wine/beer!  Your stay also includes a hot breakfast!)  Saturday morning, after breakfast, head over to the Riverbanks Zoo & Botanical Gardens.  Plan on having lunch at the zoo!  Around 3 or 4pm, head back to your room, get refreshed for the evening and head out to a local pizza place or have it delivered right to your room!  Sunday morning, after breakfast, head back to Charleston! OR trim $120 off your bill and head back Saturday evening.

Trip Three:  Beaulieu House at Cat Island Waterfront Bed & Breakfast

(about $620 for two nights/two days of fun)

Oh so close, but oh so far away!  Just over an hours drive, Beaufort is the second oldest city in SC, after Charleston.  With its picturesque alleys and homes, you can find yourself spending hours just touring the city.  Beaulieu House is located on the water and is only five minutes from downtown.  The Sanctuary has a newly rebuilt 18 hole championship course and an Olympic sized swimming pool. 

Trip Four: James Island County Park Campgrounds and Cottages

($50 a day)

Campgrounds and Cottages at Charleston County Parks and Recreation!  This is the ULTIMATE experience, with great savings and minimum travel time.  Within less than 30 minutes, you and your family (up to 6 people) could be camping out at the James Island County Park around $20* per night!   Doesn’t get any better than this if you’re trying to save time AND money.   And to throw in a lesson on community involvement, your family could even volunteer in the park for a few hours.  *rate is for Charleston County residents

Please share your money and time saving vacations with us!  Comment below or send us an email!

Things You’ll Need:

• Magazines (any and all kinds!)
• Scissors
• Glue (glue stick works best)
• Tape
• Markers
• Cardboard or poster board

Step 1:  Gather as many magazines as you can that you are comfortable destroying. Go through each magazine looking for pictures and words that are in line with your goals. This is a fun part of the creation of your vision board. Tear out all of the pictures or words that seem relevant and place them in a pile. Keep doing this until you have a very large pile of material to choose from.

Step 2:  Take the pictures and words and start laying them out on your poster board or cardboard backing. Discard anything that may no longer fit or does not work. Move things around until they fit well and look right. This is also where you may want to organize your board. For instance, if you are working on your personal goals, you may place images of a house in one corner, money and credit cards in another corner, school or continuing education in another corner and then friends or hobbies in the last corner. Many people organize their boards by themes but there are others who like to place pictures all over the board rather than assigning corners. You may want to consider leaving some space to write words that you were not able to locate in the magazines and leaving a space in the center of the board.

Step 3:  Start gluing and taping. Turn over each picture or word and add glue or tape to secure it in place. Once you have finished getting everything into place, you can use a marker to draw words or images that you feel are important to your vision board.

Step 4:  Place your picture in the middle of the board and make certain that it is a picture where you are smiling and happy. This is because your smiling, happy picture will be in the center of all of your dreams and goals.

Step 5:  Hang your vision board in a place where you will see it every day. This should be an area in your house where you spend a lot of time or are constantly walking through. Some great locations include the back of your bedroom door, a home office, a refrigerator or a bulletin board. Looking at the board every day will cause you to always be aware of your dreams and goals.

Employee Recognition
Appreciation Award Ideas

Employee Recognition Ideas (no cost)

1. Post a thank you note on an employee’s door.
2. Take time to explain to new employees the norms and culture of your department.
3. Give special assignments to people who show initiative.
4. Arrange for a team to present the results of its efforts to upper management.
5. Encourage and recognize staff who pursue continuing education.
6. Create and post an “Employee Honor Roll” in reception area.
7. Acknowledge individual achievements by using employee’s name when preparing a status report
8. Make a thank-you card by hand.
9. Give employees an extra long lunch break.
10. Establish a place to display memos, posters, photos and so on, recognizing progress towards goals and thanking individual employees for their help.
11. Swap a task with an employee for a day – his/her choice.
12. Establish a “Behind the Scenes” award specifically for those whose actions are not usually in the limelight.
13. Give a shiny new penny for a thought that has been shared.
14. Nominate the employee for a University formal award program.
15. Keep in mind that managers should serve as coaches to indirectly influence rather than demand desired behavior.
16. Present “State of the Department” reports periodically to your employees acknowledging the work and contributions of individuals and teams.
17. At a monthly staff meeting, award an Employee of the Month and invite co-workers at the meeting to say why that person is deserving of the award.
18. Recognize employees who actively serve the community.
19. Have staff vote for top manager, supervisor, employee and rookie of the year.
20. Name a continuing recognition award after an outstanding employee.
21. Include an employee in a “special” meeting.
22. Allow employees to attend meetings in your place when you are not available.
23. Create an Above and Beyond the Call of Duty (ABCD) Award.
24. Ask your boss to attend a meeting with your employees during which you thank individuals and groups for their specific contributions.
25. Pop in at the first meeting of a special project team and express your appreciation for their involvement.
26. Send a letter to all team members at the conclusion of a project, thanking them for their participation.
27. Start an employee recognition program. Give points for attendance, punctuality, teamwork, etc. Provide gift certificates to employees who reach certain point goals.
28. Find ways to reward department-specific performance.
29. Plan a surprise achievement celebration for an employee or group of employees.
30. Start a suggestion program.
31. Privately recognize employee’s personal needs and challenges.
32. Write a letter of praise recognizing specific contributions and accomplishments. Send a copy to senior management and the employee’s personnel file.
33. When you hear a positive remark about someone, repeat it to that person as soon as possible (Face-to-face is best, e-mail or voice mail are good in a pinch).
34. Call an employee to your office to thank them (don’t discuss any other issue).
35. If you have a department newsletter, publish a “kudos” column and ask for nominations throughout the department.
36. Publicly recognize the positive impact on operations of the solutions employees devise for problems.
37. Acknowledge individual achievements by using employee names in status reports.
38. Express an interest in employee’s career development goals.
39. Post a large “celebration calendar” in your work area. Tack on notes of recognition to specific dates.
40. Create and string a banner across the work area.
41. Greet employees by name.
42. Practice positive nonverbal behaviors that demonstrate appreciation, such as smiles, or a handshake.
43. Support “flex-friendly” schedules.
44. Encourage employees to identify specific areas of interest in job-related skills. Then arrange for them to spend a day with an in-house “expert” to learn more about the topic.
45. Encourage employees to participate in community volunteer efforts.
46. Share verbal accolades – forward positive voice mail messages.
47. Actively listen to co-workers, especially when discussing their accomplishments and contributions.
48. Use 3×5 cards to write “You’re special because…” statements. People can collect the cards and refer to them when things aren’t going perfectly.
49. Have a recognition event created by a peer group that decides what they will give and why they will give it.
50. Keep a supply of appropriately funny notes that can be given as immediate rewards. Keep the supply visible – in a basket or box in your office.
51. Widely publicize suggestions used and their positive impact on your department.
52. When someone has spent long hours at work, send a letter of thanks to his/her home.
53. Acknowledge and celebrate birthdays.
54. Arrange for an outstanding employee to have lunch with a dean or director.
55. Allow an employee to choose his/her next assignment.
56. Recognize a team accomplishment by designating that team as consultants to other teams.
57. Recognize those committed to personal health and wellness.
58. Smile. It’s contagious.

Employee Recognition Ideas (minor to moderate cost)

1. Plan a surprise picnic.
2. Create a Hall of Fame wall with photos of outstanding employees.
3. Make a photo collage about a successful project that shows the people that worked on it, its stage of development and its completion and presentation.
4. Find out the person’s hobby and buy an appropriate gift.
5. Make and deliver a fruit basket.
6. Inscribe a favorite book as a gift.
7. Give the person a membership or subscription to a journal that relates to their work
8. Design a “Stress Support Kit” that included aspirin, a comedy cassette, wind up toys and a stress ball – or design your own.
9. Serve ice cream sundaes to all of your employees at the end of a project.
10. Once a year, have a “Staff Appreciation Day” where the managers supply, cook and serve food.
11. Serve a team a hero party sandwich at the end of an assignment, for a job well done.
12. Give flowers to an employee at their home or office as a thank you.
13. Purchase a unique pin to serve as a memento for a task well done.
14. Hold informal retreats to foster communication and set goals.
15. Provide a lunch for project teams once they have made interim findings. Express your appreciation.
16. Give a personalized coffee cup.
17. Give an employee a blue ribbon for achievement.
18. Design and give magnets with appropriate messages.
19. Give a deserving employee a mug filled with treats.
20. Give a framed poem (poster or card) as a thank you.
21. Throw a pizza lunch party for your unit.
22. Give a note reading, “Thank you. You are a ______!” Attach a roll of Lifesavers.
23. Serve popcorn and lemonade on Friday (especially after a particularly hard week).
24. Give a puzzle as an award to a problem solver.
25. Have weekly breakfasts with groups of employees.
26. Treat an employee to lunch.
27. Give out gold coins for a job well done.
28. Bake/bring a gift (cookies, bread, etc.) for an outstanding employee or team.
29. Send birthday cards to employees’ homes, signed by dean or director.

Welcome to the very first edition of our regularly published P.A.P. e-newsletter! Inside you will find lots of new updates concerning job availability, staffing solutions and industry specific information all geared towards the Charleston community.  As your certified staffing experts, we look forward to creating an open exchange of information to help you make the best decisions regarding your staffing needs!

Enjoy! 

P.A.P. March Issue