Employing Undocumented Workers Can Mean Big Fines and Criminal Liability

At Express Employment Professionals, hiring employees with the right skill set and temperament for your staffing needs is of paramount importance. However, behind the scenes is a detailed system in place to keep from hiring the wrong worker—because oversight in this area can mean a lot more than inconvenience.

Take the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency’s policies on undocumented workers, for example, and its five-fold increase in annual audits since 2008. You can be running your business without a care in the world one day and the next be holding an order to produce within three days an I-9 employment eligibility form for each of your employees. According to a July, 2011, New York Times story, ICE audited 2,196 businesses last year and the rules apply to all industries.

That’s why at Express Employment Professionals, we not only thoroughly document all our associates according to current Federal, State and local laws, but also closely monitor upcoming legislation to keep ahead of procedural changes in lawful hiring.

“We’ve always completed I-9 forms prior to assignment for all our associates,” says Lee Fossett, president of Express Employment Professionals’West Palm Beachoffice. “We also E-verify all I-9 information and match the information supplied to us with the Social Security Administration’s payroll files.”

According to Fossett, the staffing itself, however, is only part of the equation. Express Employment Professionals is a valuable clearinghouse of all kinds of employment-related information readily available to businesses to help them maintain good employment practices.

“We’re constantly updating our extensive database of articles, statistics, and changes in employment law and policies,” Fossett says. “We’re available to consult with human resources departments. We help facilitate live programs and simulcasts for guest speakers who are experts in the field. There’s a lot we can help with and we’re just a phone call away.”

Whether temporary employment for periods of peak production, upgrading key positions, outsourcing payroll processes or hiring for HR-related functions, Express Employment Professionals has the pool of qualified candidates to help make your company efficient and profitable.

Gender, Hours and Vacation Affect Happiness

A recent study of Canadian and U.S.professionals by Captivate Network, a leading digital media company, found a noticeable disparity between the happiness of men and women in the workplace.

Compared to women, men are 25 percent happier at work. The research revealed that this is due to a variety of reasons, including the fact that men are 35 percent more likely to take breaks “just to relax,” and women carry a higher percentage of daily household chores while still working full time.

Gender aside, the study also found the top traits of individuals who happily achieve a balance of work and life, with 93 percent of happy people taking vacations and 89 percent of happy people leaving work at a reasonable hour.

All of which goes to show, whether a Jack or a Jill, all work and no play makes one dull and unhappy.

It’s National Staffing Employee Week

By Jared Brox

This is National Staffing Employee Week in theU.S.The American Staffing Association (ASA) sets aside a week each year to honor the more than 2.5 million men and women who make upAmerica’s temporary and contract workforce.

To help better understand the contributions staffing employees and staffing companies make to businesses across the country in multiple industries, check out these statistics provided by the ASA.

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

The staffing industry offers flexibility to both employees and businesses:

• 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 thetime for family that they desire.
• 90% of client businesses say staffing companies give them the flexibility to keep fully staffed during busy times.

Temporary and contract work provides a path to full-time employment:

• 88% of staffing employees say 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.
• 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 to obtain employment experience or job training.

Staffing employees have positive views about their temporary or contract job experiences:

• Eight out of 10 temporary and contract employees work full time, about the same proportion as the overallU.S.work force.
• The number one reason staffing employees cite for choosing temporary or contract work was to get a permanent job.
• Flexibility and work experience were also ranked high.

As you can see, staffing agencies are an integral part of the American workforce and Express Employee Professionals is proud to be a part of the industry.

Three Lessons All Leaders Need to Know

Being a leader isn’t always easy. In all honesty, it never is. Even natural born leaders have to work at it every day. There are an infinite number of projects and issues to juggle and manage better, and they’re always changing. But you can inspire, strengthen, and lead your team to help manage the changes and challenges you face together with these three tips from two men who were meant to lead, best-selling authors Patrick Lencioni and Ken Blanchard.

Find sources of inspiration outside of work. As a leader, the task of motivating and inspiring your team and company often falls to you. In fact, achieving that task is what makes you a leader. John Quincy Adams once said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.”

Leaders create the vision for the future of their team and their company. And, they determine the strategy to reach it. But, establishing a vision your employees will follow requires inspiration. The distractions and complications of the workplace – even work itself – can make it easy to overlook your own need to be inspired. So, you must find time each week to refuel and find inspiration outside of your company’s doors. Whether it’s a hobby, a seminar, a mentor, or simply time with your family, you need an outlet to best lead your team.

Not sure where to start? See what national best-selling author Patrick Lencioni had to say about the realities of leading others and learn seven sources that will inspire greatness in any leader.

Manage change. Last year plainly demonstrated to millions of companies and their employees the truth that in both life and business nothing ever stays the same for long. The world is a changing place. The way we do business changes. Your customers change. Your employees change. And, even you change.

Change is inevitable. It’s constantly occurring, and you cannot stop it. Often, change is necessary. And, sometimes you must create it in order to meet your clients’, customers’, and even your employees’ needs. Whether change is spontaneous or designed, you should never ignore it. For successful change, you have to know where you’re going, and you must learn to manage change. Read best selling author Ken Blanchard’s insights on change management, to help you stay ahead of the curve and provide your team with the innovation and solutions they need during times of change.

Understand the importance of team building. Your team can be one of your greatest assets. A good team is the foundation of every company’s success. So, building a better team is important to accomplishing the goals and vision of your company, and a solid team is critical to the future of your business. From having open and honest conversations about the strengths and weaknesses of your team to defining what’s best for the company, there’s a lot that goes into great team building. Don’t just keep getting by with your team’s current capabilities. Get ahead by strengthening your staff to build a better team. Start with this advice from Patrick Lencioni.

Maybe you were born to lead, and you know it. You’ve planned, studied, and trained for it. Or, maybe you’re an unintentional leader who humbly happened upon your position of leadership, and you’re just taking it one day at a time. No matter how you got where you are or how long you’ve been there, your team looks to you to provide them with guidance and support. So, find your own inspiration, so you can inspire them. Manage the changes your team faces to create an environment that employees are excited to work for. And, strengthen your staff to ensure the success of your vision, as well as the goals of your team members.