Stay Metrics, a retention strategy firm, found that in the 1st quarter of 2019 only 64% of Drivers hired on last beyond 90 days. While this particular survey was sent to only 70 carriers and doesn’t necessarily represent a huge percentage of all carriers nationwide, it does lend to a particular trend that could be problematic for future hiring.

The main takeaways from this survey included such ideals as making sure to be transparent to your Drivers regarding the company, duties, equipment, etc., and paying attention to warning signs that may come before they are even hired in. Basically, the more you share with a potential Driver from the very beginning will ultimately benefit you as a employer. If a Driver knows exactly what they are getting into from day 1, they are much less likely to jump ship or leave prematurely and both the hiring manager and Driver will be on the same page.

In fact, transparency was such an important factor for Drivers, it was the basis for 4 of the 5 questions Drivers were asked. According to Lana Batts, co-President at Driver iQ, a background check company, stated that the overall cost of Driver retention can be $8,000-$10,000 per Driver.

If you are experiencing high turnover with your Drivers, this could be costing your company big, when the solution is rather simple. Listen to your applicants during the interviewing process and if you hear something that may not coincide with what you are offering or what the position entails, be honest with the candidate. Getting these kinks worked out in the very beginning of the process can ultimately save your company money in the long-run.

For more information on this survey, please visit ttnews.com.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

According to Indeed.com, nearly 50% of all candidates ghost an employer by not replying to recruiters or hiring manager or simply not showing up for a scheduled interview. A smaller percentage, around 20%, do so further in the hiring process such as not showing up on their first day on the job or accepting an offer but failing to sign the paperwork. This plainly means that employers are being affected by ghosting throughout the entire hiring process. This ultimately puts employers in a very difficult situation of having to start from scratch suddenly when time isn’t on their side. But why is this happening in the first place?

It seems that the top reasons for candidates to ghost are not a real surprise. The majority, just over 50%, state that they just decided against the job, others ended up receiving another, better job offer and some even sited lack of salary or benefits being offered was the final straw causing them to walk away. But outside of ghosting being unprofessional and irresponsible to do, are there really any true consequences for the candidate? Surprisingly, over 90% of job seekers that Indeed surveyed stated that they didn’t really experience any kind of negative impact from ghosting in terms of them finding future opportunities. They are not having to answer for their actions and can simply move on to the next interview or opportunity. In addition, while ghosting appears to be prevalent among younger job seekers (between the ages of 18-34), ghosting seems to have penetrated all age groups and demographics.

While it may feel as if there is nothing employers can do when this occurs, this may not be the case. Ghosters have provided just a little insight into what may keep them from ghosting in the first place. According to Indeed’s survey, the majority of job seekers who ghosted an employer stated that they felt the hiring process took too long and that there wasn’t enough transparency regarding the job from the get go. These are both easy problems to remedy and both surround the same idea, communication is key! Keep your candidates continually up to date make sure you are being transparent and honest with them throughout the process. You may not be able to make everyone happy in this regard but every little bit will help!

While ghosting feels like it has become a norm in the hiring process in today’s professional landscape, it is the hope that the actions of these job seekers will eventually catch up to them. But in the meantime, all of you hiring managers and recruiters out there need to take care with each and every prospective hire. The job market is too competitive for candidate’s to wholeheartedly give you their undivided attention, but in order to keep their interest, you have to make communication your number one priority.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

In order for any machine to keep running in an efficient and profitable manner, all aspects need to work together. Having one gear out of place, especially a substantial gear, can cause slowdowns and even breaks in the process. This, in turn, can ultimately effect overall profitability and production.

With that said, all people should be given the opportunity to alter their behavior. Bring the issues to the employee’s attention and set forth goals in order to get them on track with the rest of the team. If the issues persist, it’s time to move on. It is much easier to replace one person that an entire well-oiled team. The less your team has time to focus on a hostile or toxic working environment, the more time can be spent on improving production and inefficiencies. It’s proven that the more an employee feels comfortable and happy at work, the more they are inclined to perform better with the job at hand.

With the advent of AI and Machine Learning, technical skills among employees are becoming more and more standardized. As technology continues to improve, employers are going to begin looking at a prospective employee’s emotional intelligence to see how they fit within the team. Because emotional intelligence is hard to quantify, companies need to start looking at their teams differently. Instead of simply focusing on sales and numbers, look at how each employee works with other team members. If someone has lower sales numbers but appears to be the person that their peers turn to for advice or issues within the workplace, their worth may be more than what shows on paper. In these instances, your employees with high emotional intelligence could be the glue that holds the team together. In essence, these team members may be what keeps the team running smoothly through times of profitability and loss.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, and Trillium Technical. With approximately 100 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2017 and 2018 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

Is there really that big of a difference between retaining existing employees over searching, vetting and hiring a new candidate. Absolutely! In fact, according to Peoplekeep.com, the costs of employee turnover are continuing to increase, as much as 2.5 times an individual employee’s salary, depending on the role. This figure doesn’t even take into account “soft costs” such as lowered productivity and training costs.

So the question remains; how do you increase employee retention? Here are a few simple suggestions to keep in mind.

• Retention should start before the hire: This simply means that employee retention should be something that your hiring staff focuses on from the very beginning; starting with recruiting and continuing through the entirety of the hiring process and beyond. You need to keep a clear and concise idea of what type of culture your company holds and make sure to focus on individuals who value the same type of working environment. Always hire with the intention of keeping that employee as a long term asset. Hiring a new employee knowing full well that they will not be a long-term solution is putting your company behind from the get go.
• Always engage employees with opportunities to learn new things and for advancement. It’s human nature to want to strive for bigger and better things. No one wants to be stuck in a “dead end” job doing the exact same thing each and every day without the opportunity for additional responsibilities or even promotion within. The idea here is simple; continuously provide your employees with opportunities for growth and to further their education, even if that simply means becoming more knowledgeable about your company as a whole and how they can continue to be an important asset to you and your team.
• Benefits are and always will be a huge selling point. This can be an excellent way for your organization to stand out from your competitors. This doesn’t necessarily just mean health benefits. A lot of companies are starting to allow more flexible scheduling so their employees can spend more time with their families. In addition, some companies are beginning to offer up to 18 weeks of parental leave for all of their employees. The idea is that by allowing employees to take time off to handle personal situations, the employer is provided reassurance that when the employee does return that they are able to put their full attention back on the job, rather than worrying about something going on at home. Other important and sought out benefits could include paid holidays, company outings, performance bonuses, etc.
• Embrace technology. Especially in today’s society where it feels like there is a new technological advancement every single day; companies have no choice but to either embrace it or fall behind the curve. Everyone expects to be exposed to and have new technologies available at their fingertips. From the newest smart phone being launched to how AI will be integrated into their daily lives, employees want the best technology available to ensure that they are performing at their best at work and at home.
• Turnover will happen so be prepared for it. Unfortunately, no matter how well your treat employees, life can get in the way. In circumstances where you are feeling lost after losing what you consider to be a rock star employee, you have to move on. Always try to have a succession plan for any and all of your higher level or hard to fill positions. Making sure that there are others within your company that can at least assist with the workload after the turnover takes place, can take a huge weight off of your shoulders. Also, remember that turnover can also be a blessing in disguise. You never want to hold on to employees that don’t want to be a part of your organization in the first place.

If you take anything away from this post, please remember that now is the time for retention. Companies need to start treating their employees as true assets and not individuals that can be easily replaced. It’s only when the employee feels appreciated and recognized and the employer understands their worth that true employee retention can thrive.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, Trillium Hospitality and Trillium Techs. With approximately 100 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

Don’t get too discouraged or be hard on yourself. Unfortunately, although this type of behavior is frowned upon and can be considered to be in poor taste, recently ghosting an employer has become a part of the hiring landscape. It all started with candidates just not showing up for interviews and has since escalated into straight up not showing up for their first day of employment. Unfortunately, this new behavior can, in fact, hurt a company’s bottom line. With the cost of recruiting continually on the rise, what can an employer do if and when this happens to them?

• Sit back, take a breath and look over the hiring process. Was there something within your hiring process that may have deterred the candidate? Was the candidate frustrated or anxious at any point or were they strung along for too long? While it can be easy and human nature to automatically place blame on the candidate, sometimes the underlying reason could fall back on the company itself. However, in such a tight job market, keep in mind that it could have come down to something as simple as they got a better offer.
• Don’t stop recruiting: Even if you feel like you have a candidate lined up and ready to start, you should continuously keep recruiting. It is never a bad idea to have a few candidates within an arm’s reach should you need it. Also, it is highly likely that you interviewed and screened more than just one candidate. Take a look back at your previous applicants and see if there are any worth a second look before starting the process over.
• Simply move on: In the event that you or your company is ghosted, you may never know the true reason as to why that individual never showed up. Taking solace in this, you have to keep the hiring process moving forward. Work on any kinks in on-boarding and improve the relationships that your Recruiters are building with the candidates. It is in these relationships that candidates will begin to feel vested with your company and less likely to vanish, without a trace.

It is rather unfortunate that ghosting is infiltrating the workplace and most likely a culture shift could be to blame. However, that doesn’t mean that your company can’t arm itself to better prepare and even prevent ghosting from occurring within your organization. Make the necessary changes, updates and improvements to your hiring process to secure a prospective employee’s faith in your company and how they fit into it.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, Trillium Hospitality and Trillium Techs. With approximately 98 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

For many college graduates, the prospect of finding your first post college opportunity can feel overwhelming and a scary prospect. However, there are few key factors to keep in mind while you are searching for employment in this tight job market.

1. Do some research and contact your local temporary agency. Working with a temporary agency will allow you to not only gain experience in your preferred industry but these types of agency can typically get you working in a shorter amount of time. In a job market as tight as this one, you are not the only group struggling. Employers and companies nationwide are having a hard time finding qualified candidates to fill their open positions, leading them to turn to temporary agencies.
2. As ideal as it would be for your first job out of college to be your long-term position, it will most likely be the first of multiple stepping stones. As it is becoming more common practice for companies to take employees away from each other, job length expectancy is certainly shorter than it used to be. However, employers are aware of this being an issue and are working towards a solution. Currently, there is a huge culture shift within organizations to put more emphasis on employee retention and recognition in order to secure top talent for a longer period of time.
3. Continue to develop your education and knowledge in your respective industry. While receiving a college degree is a fantastic accomplishment, it is only the first step in developing who you are going to be as a working professional. On the job experience is just as important to ensuring that you are forever adapting to changes in industry, technology and social economics. Regardless of your area of expertise and the level at which you are in your career, it is imperative to continue to stay on top of the best practices and changes in your respective industry as a whole. This may arise from on the job learning, online courses, company provided training, etc.

The main takeaway here is patience. We all want to graduate from college, land our dream job and be done with it. The reality is that through hard-work, determination and an eagerness to grow in your field, your dream career could be just around the corner, you just have to be patient and treat each job and opportunity as a stepping stone down your career path.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

Before jumping on the seasonal work bandwagon, there are some key points to consider when determining if this is the right move for you or not.

PRO: The additional work can help to build your resume and fill in any seasonal gaps due to other positions you may work throughout the year.

CON: The pay is traditionally lower than the full-time, year round work and the hours tend to be longer, working evenings and weekends as needed.

PRO: A seasonal position could be an excellent way to get your foot in the door at a particular company or industry if you are just starting your career.

CON: Due to the short-term nature of many seasonal positions this time of year, companies tend to not invest a lot of time and effort into training for these roles.

The bottom line for anyone seeking employment this time of year is to decide what is most important to you in regards to your future position. If you are simply trying to build your resume and bring in some extra cash, seasonal work could be a great option!

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

“Many years ago when we started the company we felt that there were a couple of things that we needed to do particularly well. The first was to give great customer service, that means finding the absolute best candidate for the jobs that we have available. Today, we use a partnership approach between our candidates and our clients to find the best possible career matches,” states René Poch, CEO.

Trillium Staffing was founded in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1984, by founder and CEO René Poch. Since that time, René Poch has steadily expanded the employment service to include seven companies with over 95 locations across the nation. Today, Trillium is proud to be recognized as a national leader in recruitment and staffing, providing service to thousands of clients and employees in various capacities across the country.

The organization’s commitment to excellence has been the driving force behind its growth and expansion. Trillium is proud to employ a full time risk management team to help clients identify areas of liability and provide an unsurpassed safety program for their employees.

With a recruitment team of approximately 400 individuals nationwide, Trillium excels at attracting, identifying, and recruiting some of the best candidates in each line of work. Trillium uses the latest technology and sourcing tools available to locate and identify talent for some of the industry’s hardest to fill positions. Trillium employees have access to careers with some of the nation’s leading employers along with competitive pay and benefit options.

“We have the same commitments to each and every one of our employees as we do our clients. We have high expectations and our requirements are stringent. Once you become an employee of Trillium, we’ll do everything in our power to help you succeed and meet your career goals. When our employees are successful, we’ve done our job,” stated René Poch, CEO.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

At this point in the market, it would be typical for this large of a discrepancy to result in a demand for higher wages. However, economists saw an increase in wages of less than 3% from April into May which is anything but typical. What it is coming down to is that if employers want to find the qualified and skilled talent they are seeking, they will either have to raise wages or come with up creative incentives to lure new talent in the door. This job market is also instilling a lot of confidence in employed workers to jump ship and find a different job that may offer better benefits and incentives.

On top of the unemployment rate dropping to 3.8%, tied for the lowest rate since 1969, the number of individuals counted as not being in the labor force (ie retirees) is now at a record of 95.9 million, a 21% increase over the last 10 years.

What does all of this mean for employers? Not only is the demand for skilled and qualified talent continuing to rise, but it is projected that this trend is only going to continue as more jobs open up due to more people leaving the work force. Now is the time to invest in employee retention and build a company culture that will not only entice current employees to stay put but will encourage skilled and qualified talent to take a closer look at your company and what you may have to offer.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

1. No one is perfect so stop trying to be. This is a simple but very important tip to always keep in the back of your mind. Everyone wants to do their best in life in general but most of the time perfection is not attainable and trying to achieve it can cause physical and psychological damage. As you climb the professional ladder, responsibilities and duties increase and life can get more complicated. Rather than seeking perfection in what you do, strive for excellence.
2. Put your electronic devices down and slowly walk away. This is some advice we could all use, not only in our professional lives but in our personal lives as well. Whether you’re at work responding to emails or scrolling through social media in your spare time, we are constantly bombarded with screen time. This is not just hard on our eyes but can become overwhelming mentally. If unplugging all together seems daunting, try baby steps. Try not responding to emails while hanging out with family or friends and instead of scrolling social media during your child’s sporting event, sit back and enjoy. Remember, that it is okay to live your life in the moment and not feel the need to have constant updates and interruptions.
3. Exercise is important for not just your physical health but your mental health as well. Exercise, in any form, is a proven method to reduce stress. When trying to juggle a career with growing responsibilities at home, it seems that exercise is always the first thing to go out the window. This may be doing more harm than good. Exercise can include going for a walk with your family after work or even participating in meditation or yoga when you’re able. These less intensive methods of exercise can have some of the same stress reducing benefits as going for a run or visiting your local gym. In any way you are able, try to incorporate exercise and being active back into your lifestyle.
4. Focus on activities and people that benefit you. Finding yourself mindlessly scrolling Facebook or Instagram when you could be getting chores done around the house? Try and limit the time wasting activities to save room for things on your to do list. It may not seem like fun at the time but you’d be surprised at how good it feels to get items marked off. Continually getting cornered by the office talker in the morning? Politely excuse yourself so you can return to your desk and begin your day. This may sound selfish but it really isn’t. You can only be a good friend, co-worker, parent, etc. when you are feeling confident and organized throughout your day.
5. Consider re-organizing your life schedule and structure, switch things up! Where there is comfort in the predictability and knowing what to expect out of your day, sometimes this can actually add undue stress. As you grow in your career and personal responsibilities change, it can become difficult to keep up with old routines. If making dinner every night is causing undue stress, try planning out meals ahead of time or prepare freezer meals. If your daily trip to the gym in the morning is becoming too much a burden, try going after work or during your lunch. No one’s daily, weekly or monthly routine is necessarily set in stone. Simple, small changes can make a huge difference in your overall stress level at home and work.
6. Don’t over do it! As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day so don’t expect to improve your work life balance overnight. The key here is to take small steps in an effort to make the change more feasible. You want to start exercising again? While it sounds like a good idea to set a goal of going for a walk everyday after work, it will be much easier to obtain a smaller goal of walking 1-2 nights a week. You can always build on your goals when you start to see success.

Striving to have a healthier work life balance is something that all working professionals should aim for. Today, it is estimated that 94% of working professionals are working more than 50 hours per week and almost half are working 65 hours or more. The hope is that these tips will help to remind you that regardless of what it means to you to have a solid work life balance, it can be attainable with small, incremental changes.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.