Some companies conduct reviews annually, and others participate in more regular feedback cycles to help continually align on expectations and optimize performance, but by and large, employee performance reviews focus on a few key issues. Usually this is done by reviewing a list of agreed-upon goals and going through the list to see if the previously defined objectives were met. Sometimes these goals are extremely measurable, such as delivering a set number of reports at the onset of every month. Other goals are more subjective, like “support” or “assistance” on projects.  

The Missing Piece

One of the things that most businesses miss, however, doesn’t have a lot to do with how their reviews are timed or what goals they choose to assign and assess. Most companies don’t include a skill analysis in their performance reviews. Employee skills are the very thing that supports the ability to meet objectives, and too many employers don’t ask why their employees aren’t achieving goals; or if they are asking, they might not be sure how to gauge skills or what methods to use to improve them.  

The Importance of Ongoing Skills Analysis  

• It allows you to quantify what’s driving performance. A lack of technical training might be what prevents your employees from meeting their targets. This is an easy training that can be done cost-effectively. It’s essential to ask the questions about why employees are performing the way they are and be prepared to make changes that best serve the business and most wisely use its resources. An employee underperforming because they lack a teachable skill is different than one whose performance suffers because of bad management. Both problems affect the success of the business, but it’s important to know why to address it successfully.  
• It helps you promote from within. Organizations can save a significant amount of time and money on hiring, onboarding and training when they look for skills that already exist within the company to fill the roles and responsibilities of open positions. A skills analysis is a valuable ongoing metric to assess because it can help you identify early on who the natural replacements or promotions might be with some additional time and investment.  

Find Highly Skilled Talent With Open Systems 

If you’re looking to add the best talent to your team, we can help. Our recruiters know how to identify the skills and talent in a candidate so we can match them to the right job every time. Get in touch with our technical staffing experts today.  

The post Do Your Performance Reviews Include This Critical Item? appeared first on Open Systems Inc..

1. Exponential View with Azeem Azhar: Interested in the future of tech? Curious about technology trends? Azhar examines applications of the newest technology and how cutting-edge tech can change the world we live in. From cyberspace regulation news to the future energy, you can be sure to learn something new with every episode.
2. Intel Chip Chat: Intel builds more than hardware – they also put together a smart and engaging podcast. This series features IT experts working at Intel and includes other IT subject matter professionals. They’ll keep any IT specialist engaged with topics from cloud computing to social media to other computing advances.
3. SearchCIO: Catering specifically to executive teams and C-suite information technology leaders, this podcast delivers information on IT news and trends and offers the latest IT technology management strategies designed for IT executives.

Podcasts are a perfect way to learn something new without having to take a class or commit to a seminar. They offer you free, easy access to thought leaders and tech analysis that can help you professionally or just motivate you personally. In fact, the right podcasts can lead you to a new insight, inspire creativity, or teach you something that can take into work with you.  If you’re curious about what’s new in your field or just want to hear a new take on something you’re interested in, check out some of these popular podcasts and see where your curiosity leads.

If you’re curious about a new job, we can help. Our expert team specializes in taking your skills and matching them with the best position. Call our team today.

The post The 3 Best IT Podcasts you Should be Listening to appeared first on Open Systems Inc..

Here’s why being more honest with your boss can help your workplace happiness.

• Bosses are busy: We’re all busy and sometimes our workload and responsibilities cause some things might go unnoticed. If you feel like your work quality is being overlooked or you aren’t getting the direction you need for projects, talk to your boss directly. There’s a good chance that they aren’t ignoring you, but that they’ve gotten caught up in their own work and need an honest reminder of something they’ve missed.
• Bosses can create change: Your boss can often be the most direct route to change. If you have a coworker who constantly makes inappropriate comments or doesn’t contribute to projects, your boss may be able to directly step in and help create some change. If not, they can help you escalate issues to whoever can help. If there are issues on your team that are affecting you, chances are they’re affecting someone else too and letting your boss know can improve the situation for everyone.
• Bosses have bosses too: Your manager reports to someone. They have a responsibility to their boss to manage productive teams. This means your boss has a vested interest in your success and your job satisfaction; anything that makes you a better member of their team is not just good for you but can help them look good too.

Honest workplaces are healthier workplaces. Honest communication can always be conducted in a respectful and professional way and can help prevent future problems down the road. If you don’t feel like you can be honest with your boss directly, think about who in management or leadership you could speak with honestly.

If you’re looking for a new job or better company fit, get in touch with our team. Over our history, we’ve established excellent relationships with organizations and we’re experts at matching skilled employees with new employers. Call us today.

The post Being Honest with Your Boss can Increase your Workplace Happiness appeared first on Open Systems Inc..

1. Remember digital space: Introvert isn’t synonymous with shy or anxious. Introverts are energized by time alone and feel depleted by large groups of people, making it harder for them to engage in common business situations like conference meetings. Making space for introverts to join the conversation can look like following up with meeting attendees after the meeting and requesting feedback.
2. Create recharge spaces: Introverts may find the very act of being in a busy workplace draining, so it can be beneficial for employers to provide quiet spaces for employees to take a break and recharge so they can feel more energized during times of collaboration.
3. Look for other signs of engagement: Introverts might not engage best by leading group conversations and brainstorms. They might feel more comfortable in one on one conversations or get more thinking done by taking notes or sketching. If you’re concerned that your introverted employees aren’t as engaged in their work, make sure to look for and encourage signs besides outward collaboration.

Introverts are valuable members of every work team. Learning how to better relate to and encourage them will help them feel more included and result in higher employee engagement. A little planning on the employer’s part can go a long way towards fostering the kind of workspace where everyone can thrive.

If you’re looking to add the next talented member of your team, we can help. Our industry experience can help you connect with the right person for your open role. Call us today to get started.

The post The Best Ways to Include Your IT Staff’s Introverts into the Discussion appeared first on Open Systems Inc..

Employees feeling frustrated can lead to performance and even retention issues. If you have employees who like to self-manage and aren’t being given an opportunity to do so, or employees who feel stifled at work, they can become disengaged and start to look for new opportunities.

Here are some ways to tell if your employees need a little space.

They ask to do things differently

Sometimes, employees will ask directly if they can handle tasks in a different way. Perhaps you’ve been compiling reports with a specific database or in a specific format. If the folks responsible have new suggestions, hear them out at a minimum.

Think their suggestions through, but if the new ideas seem like they would work, give the go-ahead on a trial basis. Be sure to get back to the person who suggested a new way whether you approve or not. If the trial works, congratulate them on the new idea.

It’s important not to micromanage. If the position and company allow it, give your employees as much latitude as possible in deciding how and when to accomplish tasks. When you have a team objective to fulfill, discuss the steps to achieve the goal with them. Let them determine the steps to accomplish the objectives as much as possible.

They ask for flex time

Do you get requests to come in an hour earlier and leave an hour later? Requests for flex time are often signs that your people either need or want schedules outside the 9-to-5 norm. Whether they want it for family responsibilities, to attend school, or achieve other goals, it’s a request for more elbow room.

Your answer will likely be determined in part by the company and department policies and needs. In some organizations, a certain number of people need to be around from 9 to 5, either to meet customer needs or to work together. But in other places, flex time is the norm. If you can grant a flex time request, and want to, be sure to do it in such a way that you have coverage of all needed work. Otherwise, employees not working on a flex schedule may come to resent it.

How a Staffing Firm Can Help Your Business

Want advice on employee engagement, morale, and retention? Staffing firms can provide valuable assistance on all these questions, plus advice on recruiting in the current business environment. We’re happy to help. Contact us today.

The post How to Tell If Your IT Employees Need a Little Space appeared first on Open Systems Inc..

Walking is one of the most underrated forms of exercise. You don’t need to have a gym membership, fancy equipment, or any particular exercise clothing to get more steps into your day and it doesn’t take any extra time in your day to incorporate more steps for more movement.

1. Take a step break at lunch: If you’re already on a lunch break, take advantage of good weather and do a few laps around the building before or after sitting back down to eat.
2. Invest in a standing desk: Studies show that standing more at work can encourage additional movement. Taking breaks to stand can lead to reminders to walk. It can encourage standing or walking meetings, which are proven to be healthier and more productive.
3. Hydrate: Staying hydrated has a huge impact on your overall health. Drinking a lot of water throughout the day can improve digestion, fight headaches, keep skin soft, and provide lots of other every day benefits. One of the best workplace benefits, though, is water breaks get you up and moving. Refilling a water bottle a few times a day gets you to visit the cooler more often and regular water consumption will have you walking to the restroom more often, too.

Small changes, like more steps, can add up to big health improvements. Finding new ways to increase your step count every day can keep both your mind and your body in motion. Some health experts recommend a minimum of 10,000 steps a day while others recommend even more, but the most important thing is to move. Making sure you are taking time to move during your 8-hour workday can make a difference.

If your mental health could use a boost by being in a different job or you want to try to find a healthier office, get in touch today. We can help you find the right position at the right business for you.

The post Looking to Kickstart your Health? Get Up and Walk Around at Work. appeared first on Open Systems Inc..

1. Contact other candidates: If you had a shortlist of candidates and your first choice rejected your offer, go back to your list and try to figure out if there’s someone just as strong in the pile. If you’re unsure, discuss with your peers or other managers and see if opening up a dialogue helps you decide. Most businesses don’t send out rejection letters to a shortlist of candidates until someone who’s gotten an offer answers one way or other, but if you’ve already let people know you won’t be moving forward with them as an applicant, you can always reach back out, explain that circumstances have changed, and ask if they’d still be interested in working for your company.
2. Consider re-interviewing: If you can’t decide on a candidate to make an offer to, consider re-opening the job to start the interview process over or consider re-interviewing people who you’ve passed over. You might find something new and valuable from another conversation or from meeting new applicants.
3. Look at your process: What is your interview really like from an outsider’s perspective? Do candidates feel rushed? Are there too many interviews in the process, driving them to accept another job from elsewhere during the drawn-out process? Are your benefits and salary ranges in line with others in the industry? Taking the time to really look at your recruitment process – even if it hurts – is a helpful way of figuring out what works and what might be causing you to lose qualified candidates.

Losing your first-choice candidate can feel like a loss, but it’s also an opportunity to examine your recruitment and hiring process, as well as other aspects of your business.

If you need to fill a position with the right talent the first time around, we can help. Get in touch today to utilize our staffing expertise and take some of the stress out of hiring.

The post Your First Choice for the Job Declined, Now What? appeared first on Open Systems Inc..

1. Plan for openings: Identifying those who might be moving into retirement is the first step structuring a strategy to handle pending job openings. Looking at the people who have occupied these roles and identifying what has made them a strong, successful employee can help you with everything from writing job descriptions to recognizing what’s necessary for a replacement hire.
2. Assess all positions: Are there any roles that can be or should be phased out of your organization? Any positions that can be combined with another to create a more streamlined, efficient workload? When a wave of retirement comes through, it’s a good time to analyze if there are any positions that can be eliminated or combined to save
3. Think about training: Is there any way that a current employee looking to retire can contribute to the knowledge base of your business? Even if they can’t train their replacement, they may have useful project experience or other expertise that future employees or the business overall can benefit from. Asking retirees to complete a “legacy survey” or giving them another type of knowledge transfer opportunity can help grow to make the transition more successful.
4. Pay attention to your pipeline: There may come a time when there are more open roles to fill than there are people applying to positions. Keeping records and resumes on file can help you find talented people faster so you have fewer disruptions of business.

The health of your organization depends on the people making decisions and doing the work of driving business. Having a plan in place to handle pending retirements is important is securing your continued success.

If you need help filling your upcoming openings or planning your hiring strategy, give us a call today.

The post Are you Ready for the Baby Boom Retirement Wave? appeared first on Open Systems Inc..

Here are some of the top tips for using LinkedIn to network effectively.

• Don’t add strangers to boost connection numbers: Many people believe that a high follower or connection count on your LinkedIn profile automatically translates to being a thought leader or industry expert. This can lead to people connecting with a lot of random individuals they don’t know or aren’t even related to your industry or interests in the hope of seeing a boost in recruiter contacts or catching the eye of hiring experts. This tends to backfire as it ends up clogging your LinkedIn feed with irrelevant information and drowning out the things that may be important or helpful.
• Watch your industry: The best place to start building your network in a genuine and effective way is to follow leaders in your industry who you admire, from CEOs and entrepreneurs to marketing experts and authors. You can also make connections with people who work for brands you love or at companies you hope to one day work at. If you’re actively job hunting, you may want to connect with industry recruiters as well.
• Don’t forget to follow businesses and brands: Following interesting or relevant brands gives you insight into happenings in your industry and also puts you in touch with job listings, as most businesses will cross-post their job opening on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn continues to help professionals make valuable business connections and nurture their networks. In addition to having insight into professional opportunities, LinkedIn allows recruiters and companies to get better, faster insight into your career interests and accomplishments.

If you’re looking for additional resources and contacts in your job search, get in touch today. We use our expansive network to connect candidates to the best jobs to help grow their careers.

The post Utilize LinkedIn to Network and Grow your Brand appeared first on Open Systems Inc..

Being mindful of these symptoms and signs can help you better identify, manage, and prevent employee burnout.

So what can burnout look like?

• Physical illness: If your employees are regularly missing work or calling in sick, they may be experiencing physical side effects of emotional and mental burnout. Their job performance may also be suffering and they may seem willing to engage with coworkers, managers, or their work.
• Irritability: Irritability is a side effect of burnout also. If your employee seems to be surly and snapping at teammates, it might be because of workplace burnout.
• Lack of concentration, energy, and productivity: Employees who are unengaged during meetings, turning in shoddy work, making mistakes, and experiencing a significant dip in productivity are typical and noticeable signs of burnout.

Burnout is not only unhealthy for an employee, it can be unhealthy for your business. Burned out employees are more likely to quit and also less productive during their work day. Finding ways to reduce stress and increase employee satisfaction is key to a more successful business. By offering reasonable paid time off benefits, good healthcare options, a fair work-life balance, and even perks like a zen room or on-site yoga classes are ways to help invest in your employees and prevent burnout. Many people can bounce back from burnout after some mental and physical rest, but the longer the effects go on, the more negative the situation can become.

If high stress has caused your staff to shrink or you’re looking for employees to invest in, we can help. Our expertise allows us to find the talent that best aligns with your mission. Call us today.

The post Stressed & Pressed, How to Know When your Employee is Reaching Burnout appeared first on Open Systems Inc..