Some of the more interesting responses to their survey included:

• Employee was taking a sponge bath in the bathroom sink.
• Employee was trying to hypnotize other employees to stop their smoking habits.
• Employee was visiting a tanning bed in lieu of making deliveries.
• Employee was looking for a mail order bride.
• Employee was playing a video game on their cell phone while sitting in a bathroom stall.
• Employee was drinking vodka while watching Netflix.
• Employee was sabotaging another employee’s car tires.
• Employee was sleeping on the CEO’s couch.
• Employee was writing negative posts about the company on social media.
• Employee was sending inappropriate pictures to other employees.
• Employee was searching Google images for “cute kittens.”
• Employee was making a model plane.
• Employee was flying drones around the office.
• Employee was printing pictures of animals, naming them after employees and hanging them in the work area.

While their responses may seem entertaining their affect on the workplace, workplace distractions is anything but. A 2010 survey by Workplace Options reported distracted workers cost an estimated $650 billion annually. With the increase in technology and social media popularity in the years following the survey, it’s safe to say that staggering figure is not decreasing.

How can you help reduce your exposure to distracted workers? Provide tips and training on time management. Providing your staff with time management training will benefit them both on and off of the clock. Encourage your staff to take regulated breaks and allowing them an opportunity to respond to personal emails, texts, and check their social media profiles. Allowing them a brief opportunity to do this mid-morning and mid-afternoon can prevent them from repeatedly checking their phones throughout the day. Provide a work space that fosters good concentration. Centrally place restrooms, kitchenettes, and water coolers to avoid staff interrupting others to visit these facilities.Encouraging your staff to take a brisk walk around the office or parking lot during their break periods can also help them re-focus and re-energize before returning to their work spaces. Keeping healthy snacks on hand can keep employees from experiencing sugar lows and losing focus.

Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of top level talent? Contact us today! If you are a stand out in your profession and seeking contingent or long term career opportunities, visit our job seekers section for more information!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

Employees who struggle to find balance between their professional and personal lives can suffer from poor work performance, stress, exhaustion, illness, and depression. Often times employees who are unhappy with the balance between their work and personal lives are likely to experience turnover in their careers. Finding a suitable balance for yourself and your employer may be easier to do than you think. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Have a clear understanding of your professional obligations. Make sure that you are aware of what your employer expects of you and what they consider as above and beyond. Chances are some of the added stress and responsibilities that you find yourself overwhelmed with are not expectations for someone in your role.
• Find out what workplace flexibilities are available to you. Does your employer offer flex time? Do they allow employees to work remotely on occasion? Today’s workplace offers more flexibility than ever before. With the technology available, employers are able to allow more staff to work from home with the same capabilities and accountability as working in the office.
• Determine if you are working as efficiently as possible. Do you find yourself working overtime regularly? Chances are there are process improvements or delegations that could significantly cut down on your need to work over. The average worker spends as much as 28% of their day working on email! Set specific times of the day to check and respond to email, allowing you to be more efficient throughout the day. Unless your role requires you to be available after hours, consider turning off your email on mobile devices during your personal time. Remaining focused on your personal activities during your off time can help you make the most of your down time.
• Create and maintain priorities for yourself. Realize and accept that you can’t always be involved in everything. Determine work and personal life priorities and create a plan to help you accomplish those tasks before taking on additional obligations. Communicate to those around you that while you’d love to be involved in everything that’s not realistic for you right now, you are setting priorities that will allow you to dedicate yourself to certain important events or projects.

While admitting to yourself and others that you cannot do everything is difficult, the ramifications of a poor work-life balance can be far worse. Be honest with those around you about what you are available for and accept the things that you cannot handle at the moment. Remember to take time for yourself. Most positions provide  vacation or personal time off, taking the time off that you have earned is important and can allow you to return to work refreshed and refocused.

Are you a stand out professional, skilled trades person, or technical professional seeking contingent, temporary, or long term career opportunities?  Visit our job seekers section for more information!  Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of professionals and skilled workers? Contact us today!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

If you are considering partnering with a staffing agency or recruitment firm for the first time, here are some advantages to consider:

• Time Saved. According to NACE, the average time from interview to offer is 22.5 days. Add the additional time of position analysis, posting the position, accumulating resumes, reviewing resumes, and scheduling interviews and you’ve quickly lost a large amount of time. Industry specialized staffing agencies have a pool of qualified and screened candidates for their positions of specialization. Executive staffing and search firms also work closely with passive candidates in their niche market, giving you access to a wider range of qualified talent. Having a partner that is proactive rather than reactive in the recruiting process quickly cuts your costly down time and additional burden on other employees within the organization.
• Money Saved.  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average direct cost for a new employee is $57,967.88 including basic wages, benefits, and taxes. Add in costly overtime during the vacancy of the position, recruiting and advertising costs, screening and testing costs, and this number can quickly grow exponentially. A staffing service can provide you with a predictable cost per hire and many offer financial guarantees to support the quality of their talent. In addition to cost per hire savings, employees contracted through staffing agency fall under the staffing agency’s unemployment and worker’s compensation claims. This can quickly decrease costly overhead due to injuries and employee turnover.
• Increased Productivity. Employers who spread extra workload across their existing staff rather than adding additional staff, can quickly see a drop in productivity. Employees working prolonged overtime or long hours can quickly become overwhelmed, unmotivated, and less alert on the job. In addition to a loss of productivity due to fatigue and lack of motivation, over worked employees are more likely to become ill or suffer from a work related injury causing more downtime for the employer.
• Increased Flexibility. Whether your need for a temporary employee is to cover a vacation, medical leave, or an unexpected increase in workload, having an established staffing partner can quickly provide you with additional resources during your time of need. Established staffing agencies often work with professionals and skilled workers who are open to short term, project, or part time work that have strong backgrounds in their field. Having experienced talent that can quickly come in and adapt to your position can provide you with great flexibility.
• A Guaranteed Hire. As many as 84% of new hires do not live up to the new employer’s expectations. Ouch. With the time, money, and resources that are associated with the hiring and on boarding process this can be a discouraging fact. Most professional staffing agencies offer a guarantee or free replacement on their talent for a certain period after hire.

With the majority of employers in the United States choosing to partner with a staffing service, there are proven benefits. If you are considering a staffing partner for the first time or are considering a change in your current staffing agency, take the time to identify and qualify your future staffing partner. Established recruiting firms will be able to provide you with testimonials, have access to a strong and proven pool of candidates in your industry, and take the time to understand your goals and objectives as a organization.

Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of top level talent? Contact us today!  If you are a stand out in your profession and seeking contingent or long term career opportunities, visit our job seekers section for more information!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.