If you haven’t yet drafted your 2012 marketing plan, it’s time to get this meaningful task underway. Businesses need to be focused on designing marketing plans that not only help grow brand awareness to bring in sales, but also to attract the best candidates to fill challenging roles. It’s especially important for small businesses to complete their marketing plans as early in the year as possible to get off to a great start.

Read on to learn a few tips for writing a 2012 marketing plan to create a winning strategy for your business, from a growth and staffing standpoint.

Get a marketing plan started, now!

Whether you think so or not, every business needs a strong marketing plan at the start of the new year. You cannot have a successful year without one, because without a clear plan, your business is just staying afloat. A marketing plan is like a map, leading you through tough times and helping you find success by keeping you on track all year long. If you don’t get this started now, you may never find real success as a company, or the people you bring on board. Let’s get started now before you find one more excuse not to do this.

Remember what last year was like.

If you are like many companies, you may have had a tumultuous year with a lot of stress. While your business may have experienced a few positive moments, chances are you also experienced a lot of worry. The country is still recovering so it’s highly likely this year may be a tough one as well, but it can be a much more productive and profitable one if you get your marketing plan ready. This will help you not have a repeat of all the bad things that last year brought.

What are your goals?

The reason we asked you to think about last year is simple. Did you reach your goals? Why or why not? Did you even have goals that were realistic, or were you just merely trying to survive? As you start writing your goals for this year, step back and consider your mission statement and how it ties into your planning for this year. Then write a marketing plan based on attainable, and measurable goals.

For example, if you are a company that’s focused on being the top seller of widgets this year, then your goals will be number based. A marketing plan will look at several things, from how much your widgets should cost to consumers to materials needed and the number of staff to produce these numbers. Set a number that you feel comfortable managing, given your current and future expansion plan.

Eliminate obstacles in 2012

A marketing plan can also help you to avoid many of the pitfalls and obstacles you may have encountered in previous years. Can you learn something about the mistakes that were made in production of your widgets, the materials you used, or the manpower you needed? Did you spend too much in any of these areas? This year’s marketing plan needs to have a fresh approach, with new ways of handling problems that may arise.

If you are unsure where to start in terms of your staffing needs, be sure to get in touch with the Suburban Group today for support with making your marketing plan a reality. You’ll reach the summit and find success this year when you partner with our caring team of recruiters.

Workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility. Each year, thousands of workers become injured on the job due to unsafe working conditions and worksite hazards. As of the most recent figures from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in 2010 there were 3.1 million workplace injuries reported in the year. In many cases, these injuries could have been prevented simply by one person stepping up and reporting an unsafe condition to a supervisor or the proper agency.

If you are a concerned employee, there are some steps you should take in order to report unsafe working conditions with respect for your company and your co-workers. It’s important to note that you should follow your company policy manual regarding the reporting of workplace hazards, and obtain training to do this in the event of a problem. However, if you report a hazardous condition and it is not taken care of in a reasonable amount of time, there are certain rights you have to report this without fear of reprisal.

Here are some basic guidelines for reporting unsafe working conditions.

1. As soon as you spot a hazard, not matter how minor it may seem, report it to your immediate supervisor. Mark the area with an OSHA approved safety device, such as a “caution wet floor” marker. Do not complain about it to your co-workers, customers, or others who cannot do anything about it. Go directly to you supervisor who will report this to the safety officer or maintenance person on staff.
2. Depending on the severity and scope of the issue, it may take a couple of days to fix. If the matter is not handled in a reasonable amount of time, again advise your supervisor, this time in writing and provide a carbon copy to your next level supervisor and the human resource department. Ask that the hazard be addressed so that no one accidentally gets hurt on the job. Protect yourself and your co-workers by avoiding the area as much as possible, until it is addressed.
3. If the unsafe working condition is not taken care of in a reasonable amount of time, following a verbal and written notice to your employer, you may need to report this condition anonymously to OSHA, via their toll-free phone number. This number should be listed on the OSHA poster found prominently in a common employee area (break room/locker room) or you may obtain it from your onsite human resources manager. Companies who willfully fail to take care of a serious workplace hazard, or that take negative action against an employee who has reported a reasonable claim, can face stiff penalties including fines up to $7,000 per day after a citation has been issued.

Have more questions about common workplace issues or career topics? Be sure to browse through our many articles on various work-related topics here at the Suburban Group. Give us a call if you would like to speak with one of our HR experts or recruiters.

Due to an ever-growing population of Baby Boomers staying on the workforce longer, combined with new generations of talented employees, there’s a good chance your business has a diverse staff. With age groups ranging from new graduates to retirement hopefuls, there may be some challenges in terms of managing them at times.

Even the seasoned manager may come up against obstacles to being an effective manager when dealing with everyone from Millennials, Gen X, Gen Y and Baby Boomers –who all have unique attitudes about work and need to be managed very differently. Read on to learn how to better manage your employees of all ages.

Keep workers engaged. A great way to keep employees productive and committed to the success of the company is to keep them engaged in the work they do. This means providing meaningful projects that let them utilize all their talents. All employees, regardless of age, should have access to rewarding work so that they feel valued at all times.

Respect the individual. It can be tough to be a manager when dealing with different age groups because the “old school” method of management does not work on younger employers, and it can backfire on older workers. Instead lead by facilitating employees at all age levels to excel in their particular duties. Learn how to be a manager who respects the individual and gives praise where it’s due.

Tap into all talents. Your company is in a lucky position to have a large array of talent all in one place, so use this to your advantage. Conduct a skills assessment for all your workers and then translate these skills to assignments that can utilize all the skills of your workforce. In this way, you can increase productivity and employee engagement on the job.

Promote common interests. Many times, both older and younger employees feel as if they are being dismissed or worry they may be replaced by other workers. To reduce this issue, create work teams that include all age groups and give employees important roles and tasks on each team. Provide plenty of team building activities to break up work with fun. This helps to bring employees closer and reduce tension.

Want to improve workplace productivity and make your corporate environment a better place to be? Consider adding employees of all ages and skills to your talent pool with Suburban Group staffing solutions.

Photo credit: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The traditional method of finding talent is to post an opening and receive a flood of resumes. Hiring authorities would then go through the process of weeding through resumes to see the best fit. Through the interviewing process, the right candidate would then be selected. This traditional method is time consuming and often takes managers away from regular job duties.

The use of the internet is changing the way potential employees can be screened. Over 30,000 searches through Google are conducted each second. Employers are increasingly becoming aware of the amount of information that can be found through the internet. Everyone has an online presence that reveals much about who they are. Social media can be a tool to help find the right candidate.

Richard Bolles, the author of What Color Is Your Parachute mentioned in a recent AOL article, that “Google is the new resume. 82 percent of people use the internet and social media outlets.” It is now possible to create your own personal website with resume for potential employers. Interested parties can put a name in a search engine and see what their accomplishments and interests are. Instead of a faceless piece of paper like the resume, the internet can paint a clearer more informative picture.

Two sites have really enhanced the use of social media as a  screening tool. Twitter is a site where people communicate with 140 characters or less. People set up an account with followers and who they follow. Over 20 million users are this site. People follow others based on their interests and experiences.  Employers can tell much about someone through their followers and what they communicate or “tweet”. Content from comments, discussions and interactions can reflect on a person.

Linkedin is another site that is changing the way employers find talent. This is a business oriented website with over 100 million users. It provides a profile where skills and accomplishments are listed. Present and previous employers are listed. Participants can also link with other users, often people in the same professional area. This is helpful for networking purposes. Searches can be conducted by name or business fields. People often used Linkedin to find employment prospects.

One issue regarding the use of social media is how accurate a portrayal it represents. Many people use these sites not thinking potential employers can use them. There is potential liability in using sites to choose candidates. Users often feel there is a sense of privacy in what they express online. Many do not realize that what they say is out there to be viewed. Some sites such as Facebook do have  privacy settings that can be adjusted. Employers should use care that the ultimate decision for hiring someone is based on the ability to do the job.

Looking for ways to improve your job search, while utilizing the great tools that social media have to offer? Consider becoming part of the Suburban Group for great part time and full time temp and perm jobs.