1. Fluctuations in Demand. Whether you have a seasonal business, or you foresee a dramatic but temporary increase in demand, instead of hiring full-time employees, you can meet this need with a staffing service. They can provide extra staff for you when you need it, and when the demand slacks off, you can simply go back to your regular staff level without any problems.

2. Turnover Issues. If there are specific positions within your company that have high turnover rates, you can temporarily fix the issue by contracting with a staffing service. They can supply a highly trained person to fill the position and may even be able to assist in training a new hire. Instead of getting stuck with an empty position, you can use a temporary staffer until you can get the issue addressed.

3. Specialized Skills. This is particularly common in IT departments, and other specialized areas within a company. You may need someone with specialized skills — but you may not need them all the time. Instead of trying to carry a full-time employee, a temporary staffing solution is ideal for this situation.

4. Immediate Needs. If you have a position that suddenly opens up and you know it will take you several weeks to find the right candidate, a staffing service can help you fill the position right away with a highly trained worker, giving you the time to find the right person for the job. This is particularly important for positions that are highly necessary within your organization.

5. Rising Costs of Labor. Not only are wages getting higher, but employees want more benefits to go with the higher pay. This can easily break a smaller company and even large companies can feel the pinch. Subcontracting out a position to a temporary staffer can easily solve this problem — you don’t have to pay them benefits, and you get the person you need for the job.

1. Take a close look at your IT department. Call a meeting with your IT manager and your head of accounting. Examine the current state of operations and how they are impacting the company’s bottom line. Work up a strategy that includes improving your current performance, while cutting costs where it’s possible.
2. Look at your service options. If you opted to have a full service IT option, it may be a little overboard for your organization. While it’s important to keep everything running smoothly, there are ways to save money here. Analyze your current uptime and employee needs. If you can cut your service down, this is a great and easy way to save money.
3. Consider other options. Cloud computing has decreased the need for keep servers on site, and can drastically reduce your storage and server needs. Investigate this option, particularly SaaS or Software as a Service, to see if your organization’s needs can be met by utilizing the power of the Cloud.
4. Improve your equipment process. It’s all too easy to junk old equipment, but you could be sitting on a potential gold mine. Instead of tossing it in the trash, consider auctioning off old equipment online, or ask a local computer store if they would be interested in purchasing some second hand equipment.

With a little tweaking, you can have your IT department running smoothly, and under budget. It may mean making some small sacrifices at first, but in the end, you’ll have a leaner and meaner department that’s ready to take on anything, and do it economically.

Before you put contact information on your resume or on an application, it is vital to take a little time to get back in touch with your references.

First, start by calling your old workplace and ask to speak to the person you want to use as a reference. This will help you make sure that they still are at that company. If they are, ask them politely if they wouldn’t mind serving as a reference for you. If they seem hesitant, don’t push the point. If they no longer work there, see if you can find out where they are now and repeat the process of asking them to give you a reference.

Next, make sure that the numbers you are giving are correct. Confirm your reference’s direct contact number and ask them what time of day is best to get a hold of them. This will save your potential employers the time of trying to track down your references during the day.

It’s always a good idea to keep a written copy of your reference list with you, or store it on your phone for quick reference. Double check everything before you head out to an interview. It’s very easy to transpose a number.

If you are having difficulty tracking down old references, you may need to rethink your position and use newer references, or find other key people in that organization that remember you and your work.

While it does take more time to do a little fact checking on your own references, it will help you make the best possible impression on an employer. There’s nothing worse than being embarrassed by having the wrong number, the wrong name, or a contact that is simply no longer there.

It’s all too easy to fall back on the thought that employees are motivated by money. In many cases, it is true that employees will stick around longer if they are getting a higher rate of pay. But, just because they stay doesn’t mean that they’re happy and it certainly doesn’t mean that they are productive.

If you want to get more out of your employees and make sure that your retention numbers stay up, stop worrying about pay rates and start focusing on ways to help your employees feel that you value their contributions to your company.

Here are some simple ways to get started.

1. Make it possible for your employees to advance within your organization. If you aren’t practicing promoting from within, now is a great time to start. Instead of looking for new talent when a position comes open, review your existing employees to find those who will be just the right fit.
2. Appreciate the work they do. A simple thank you can be the equivalent of hundreds of dollars of cold hard cash. Personally recognize and thank employees who go above and beyond. Let your employees know you appreciate their efforts and reward them when appropriate.
3. Listen to their suggestions. In many cases, your employees may know your company better than you do. Hold regular meetings and ask your employees for their feedback on what you could be doing better. You may be surprised at what they come up with. Once you get their feedback, implement the suggestions that are feasible.

When an employee feels valued, they become emotionally invested in your company, instead of just hanging around to collect a check.

Management has come a long way in the past few decades, and thanks to these technological advances, it’s easier than ever to manage even the largest staff. Not only can companies benefit from adding workforce management to their organization in terms of a better structure and higher productivity rates, companies can benefit their bottom line as well. According to Nucleus Research, the return on investment in workforce management technology is around $7.88 back for every single dollar spent.

The typical workforce management tool will include a variety of different features that will allow you to manage everything from the initial hiring phase to keeping track of employee hours and even payroll. These applications integrate the job posting and review process, allowing candidates to post video resumes and making it easier to do background checks, right within the app.

The ability to log employee’s time and attendance figures  are also included in most applications and provide you with instant view reports to check on employee progress, spot potential trouble areas and make sure that your pay process is working correctly.

Most of us dread hearing the words payroll and withholding. However, with a workforce management application, everything is integrated. Not only are you keeping track of employee hours, you’ll also be able to calculate proper withholding amounts for each employee, issue checks and keep track of earnings for your IRS forms.

Instead of having to have multiple departments and managers keeping track of your employees, you can centralize the process and make it much more effective with one of these applications.

There are a few things that you can do to help keep your retention rates high and your employees well satisfied with their jobs.

1. Make your company a great place to work. It’s one thing to have a good job, it’s quite another matter to have a “great” job. Work on improving the environment in your company and reward your employees for their achievements. A friendly atmosphere not only improves morale, but it also improves productivity.
2. Make it easy to advance. No one wants to hold the same position for years on end. Practice promoting from within your organization and give your IT professionals a clear career path and then the goals they need to achieve to continue on that path.
3. Offer competitive pay and benefits. Money is a great motivator and can cover a multitude of common complaints. Make sure you keep your pay scale competitive and find unique benefits that will set your company apart from the rest. Paid time off, incentives and bonuses will also go a long way in keeping your employees happy.
4. Offer continuing education. In the IT field, if you’re not constantly learning, you’ll easily fall behind. Offer your employees the ability to continue their educations, free of charge if possible and support their efforts to better themselves.  You’ll win in this too, since you’ll have employees with better skill sets and more knowledge to apply to their daily tasks.

By incorporating these tips into your workforce management techniques, you can be assured that you’ll not only keep your IT staff, but that your company will reap the benefits of such a highly qualified, productive and happy team of employees.