Freshly graduated from high school or college? What real world skills does an employee need to enter the workforce? Does it depend on the industry or field of work? Not exactly. There are some basics everyone needs to be grounded in prior to entering the real world of work post graduation. 

What skills should graduates already have?

Most high school graduates know how to use a computer, type at a reasonable rate, read at a minimum of an 8^th grade level, and do basic math. These skills have become expectations for these young adults. But they are still not enough to secure a dream job in this tough economy.

College graduates often have higher reading levels, stronger computer skills, and a reasonable understanding of how to research for answers. Still, this is not enough real world experience for landing that dream job among such hearty competition.

What basic skills does the real world require?

According to a wikipedia article on job skills, The U.S. Department of Labor identified sixteen generic skills. These included everything from time management to people skills. But beyond personal growth is the hard task of learning daily, on-the-job skills that are marketable and dependable. Build a proficiency over a lifetime in the work-world by starting with the basics.

Foundational business task skills

It’s important for a resume to stand out. It proves the applicant knows how to write a summary of credentials and experience which highlights his or her compatibility to the open position. Writing a resume means the applicant understands basic forms have a structure and logical process. It shows literacy, glimpses maturity and illustrates capability to write and proofread basic sentences.

Math is another crucial skill. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are necessary in most businesses simply for balancing a cash drawer or payment batches. Additional basics in accounting, statistics, geometry, and algebra comprehension rounds out the most business reporting in a large portion of companies.

How can monthly and quarterly reports be handled if there’s no entry-level comprehension? Without some working knowledge in the advanced mathematical arenas, it’s nearly impossible to take an employee up the corporate ladder. Go-getters might like to know about learning for free to improve their job skills.

Computer skills are fun for entertainment but crucial for social media marketing, spreadsheets, writing proposals, reports, and other business documents.

Every person entering the workforce now should understand how to use a word processing program (most use MS Word), basic spreadsheets like Excel, and understand the basics of computer operations and Internet use. It’s too time consuming for an employer to train computer usage when inventory, time clocks, and client files are now kept digitally.

Do you need more basic office skill training? Does one of your employees have great people skills, but lacks in an area crucial to their position?

The Lee Group offers both training and temporary opportunities to solve either dilemma. In a temporary position, an employee can gain business skills he or she doesn’t have but has an aptitude to achieve.

In training, an employer keeps a valuable person both they and clients like while increasing that employee’s success. Contact the Lee Group to find a temporary placement to allow training time, choose a temporary position to gain more experience, or schedule training for valuable employees.

Watching an employee falter who you thought would be great in the position isn’t easy. But how do you help them get their confidence in a new or changing position?

On the job training (OJT) isn’t just for interns.

OJT is a perfect opportunity for growth and learning on the job for anyone. But OJT is an amazing chance to help someone grow who hasn’t felt confident in a new or changing environment. Sometimes that’s an employee who has been with your company for years.

Reduce payroll costs and increase workforce flexibility.

Often payroll costs are significantly reduced by retraining or offering additional training to an employee that might otherwise be eliminated as business needs morph. Our mercurial economy, changing insurance laws, and technological knowledge seems to be in hyper drive. Hiring someone new with the skills already in place may seem like the best course of action, but an employee who has proven loyalty and dependability may be the right person for ever-changing business needs.

Keep valuable employees.

Most employees not only welcome new training opportunities, but may see the chance to learn something new as a confidence builder in their company too. That confidence strengthens resolve to stay in the fold and support an employer who helps them to continually grow professionally.

Very few people prefer to stagnate. As an employer, you may end up preventing attrition of valuable employees by enriching goals and employment experience.

Word of mouth matters.

Keeping people employed, training in new or needed skills, and building confidence in your company infuses trust in the community your business serves. Word of mouth travels fast. The words you want your employees using are those of belief, loyalty, and enthusiasm.

A program set up for on the job training could well be one of the most valuable decisions your company ever makes! Contact The Lee Group today and let’s start to talk.

Rewarding employees for saving their co-workers from injury reinforces the team, recognizes the individual, and adds a touch of heroism to your work force. Reward systems that focus on workplace safety can motivate more than they’re intended. Moreover, reward systems can add to job satisfaction, team-building, and healthier employees.

 Play the game and build your team safety.

Having a team attitude in the workplace, rather than isolating individuals, is one of the most important features of workplace safety. Gamification is the concept of playing a game to earn team points. With this concept, team players are more aware of one another’s needs, focused on the team’s safety, and able to help them reach goals because of healthy interaction.

 People who feel they’re part of a team—something bigger than themselves–have a higher level of job satisfaction when they realize they can rely on team members, trust one another, and gain personal satisfaction by helping their members.

Job satisfaction and workplace safety results when reward systems are in place.

Be creative in the rewards systems your company uses for workplace safety and team-building. Some employers have a “pot of goals” where funds are deposited monthly. Those funds can be used for events, office parties, gift certificates for gym memberships, and a variety of entertainment ideas.

Some of the best ideas offer fitness/health incentives that doubles as a support to the corporate bottom line. A healthier employee produces at higher levels while costing less to support in benefits packages. Consider both individual and team rewards for strong safety records and implemented safety suggestions.

Remember monthly small goals should build to an annual celebration.

Some companies have been known to rent a movie theater and invite only their corporate families to see a special red carpet experience after a great year. Others used 50% of the monthly funds for individual rewards and allowed the remaining 50% to compound for the annual big event. Whatever reward system your company chooses, be sure it’s fun, interactive, and non-punitive.

Team-building means friendships are also built between employees.

Because team-building also builds friendships, subsequently, members don’t want to see a coworker hurt. Therefore, training employees matters in workplace safety because employees want to care and need to care about others with whom they work. Caring people are safer people who have a high sense of job satisfaction.

Do you need help creating a workplace safety rewards system?

The Lee Group will share both its resources and the time and talents of its employees to better the lives of those we serve. Contact us to speak with an excellent consultant.

Fatigue is a major player in workplace accidents. Americans push hard in a workaholic society.

While getting ahead, being a driven personality is a great trait for employers, it’s only good if the employee is getting enough rest regularly.

Overtime hours, project deadlines, and contracts based on weather can wreak havoc on an employee’s sense of equilibrium. An accident is the last thing anyone wants because someone was too tired to react appropriately. Yet, fatigue can be one of the primary downfalls of an achiever’s strength.

Fatigue strikes both the physical and the office worker.

Monotony seems like it could be the easiest culprit, and boredom is always a tough one. Some personalities really like repetitive tasks while others would rather swan dive into a raging river than repeat the same activities or tasks day in and day out. Whether monotonous or boredom, skills can dull and mental agility can wane. These factors can lead to loss of productivity or quality.

However, neither is the “wrong” kind of personality. Each is suited to a needed position. Even someone who is a perfect fit for a job runs into boredom now and again. Inserting a special project on occasion can break the routine. Everyone needs to be given opportunities to develop skills and talent as well as to break from routine now and then. It helps ensure motivation.

Other factors that can cause fatigue.

Employees who stay on a computer all day may be more bothered by eyestrain. Additionally, neck, back, and wrist fatigue from standard desks, chairs, and recurring use of equipment can develop over time. Long-haul drivers, constant mechanic vibration, or the noise of a low buzz from equipment, and cyclical tasks can lull the most reliable person into a less than alert state. One already tired person is a disaster waiting to happen on your company dime.

How do you help an employee when fatigue is the factor?

Did you know eye doctors are prescribing computer glasses now? This prescription is specially made for someone working at specific distance from a computer screen. Ergonomic keyboards, chairs, and mouse pads help alleviate the stress because every day tools create the beating of repetitive use that is dangerous to workplace safety.

An important note: not all ergonomic tools fit every body type. If you’re helping your employees avoid pain and fatigue, be sure the tool fits the person and not just a random sampling of average-sized workers.

Suggest an eye check appointment. Replace old chairs, keyboards, and offer alternatives like tall exercise balls as office chairs. It’s a very inexpensive option to long hospital stays. You might be surprised by the response and up tick of your company’s productivity!

Other creative ideas.

• Offer, when possible, simple solutions like employees earning gym memberships paid or matched by the company, shoulder massages once a week by a therapist with a massage chair, or small exercise bands to use during breaks.
• Encourage all your employees to take part in fund- raising 5K, 10K, and 25K runs for both their health and the example to set for others.
• Build a company rewards system that nurtures success for your team and helps employees overcome one of the worst workplace safety issues—fatigue.

The Lee Group’s areas of expertise are broad and skillfully developed. We strive to maintain exceptional customer service in everything we do. Contact The Lee Group today and let’s talk about your goals.

Starting from day one with workplace safety training sets an expectation for confidence in both the employee and employer.

Orientation is the perfect opportunity to introduce a foundation of trust you can build on in regular training events as well as to meet OSHA standards. But have you ever heard the groans?

People want to be informed and safe, but they don’t want to be put to sleep or waste time. And no employer wants lost time away from profits just to satisfy red tape.

Safety training programs don’t have to be boring.

But they do need to cover some important details like equipment safety, emergency response, employee involvement, and protective equipment, to name a few. By showing employees safety situations specific to their jobs, including mistakes that could occur, through photos and video, trainers can tell a story. Storytelling helps us all internalize the “what if that were me?” question. Storytelling also draws us into finding the happy ending.

Good trainers understand how to lead the audience through the twists and turns to deliver a satisfying punch line the listeners identify in their own lives. Ask for information. Do a little research first on the presentation content to make sure it’s interesting, fun, and appropriate to the real work world of your employees.

Where do you find training programs?

Some training presentations follow a calendar you can plan for in budget and man-hours. Bringing a trainer to your workplace or partnering with regional businesses is another way to manage important safety sessions.

The Lee Group offers a wide selection of services tailored to meet each client’s specific needs. Some of our customized services include: extensive screening and recruiting practices, flexible workforce solutions, on-site employee management, client specific training and testing, and policies/procedures development.

Contact us to assess your company’s safety training program.

No one leaves home and expects to have an accident at work. There’s an expectation that the workplace is a safe place to go, a place that provides for family and lifestyle and a vehicle to reach goals.

Employees who feel protected at work feel confident in their abilities and their employers.

To protect employees, it’s important to build a safety program that’s clear, instructive, and effective. Some accidents are not really accidents at all, but a series of events that lead to an unfortunate result.

OSHA, the Occupational and Safety Health Administration helps companies be prepared instead of surprised. Teaching everyone how to spot a simple fix before the incident is a powerful solution to stop trouble. People appreciate being told how to avoid a problem. Surprises are only fun when they enhance life, not steal it.

How do you protect employees in basic workplace safety?

• Get educated on both occupational and health risks.
• Get organized with a safety program and regular training sessions.
• Get a communication plan in place for all employees starting with new hire orientation.
• Learn how to recognize safety issues specific to your company’s environment and remove the danger.

Setting you up for success.

The Lee Group provides a full orientation customized to cover each client’s pertinent information. We have found that the orientation can be a very critical component to having you begin work successfully. Whether it is safety, time keeping, absenteeism, contact information or any of the daily activities you might face, we’ll review it all and then follow up as needed. Give us a call and let us help you.

Speaker training is available from Toastmasters International at incredibly affordable costs. One of the best practices for employers is to encourage Toastmaster club participation. Many employers find the professional and personal development a spectacular investment. Beyond the businesses investment, the training pays off in many ways both internal and external.

Directly from the Toastmasters International website: At $36 every six months, it is also one of the most cost-effective skill-building tools available anywhere.

National Speaker Association

Another well-known organization for speaker training is the National Speaker Association. This group is an awesome investment for your company’s marketing and executive development teams. Additionally, if you have students or interns working for you, there’s a special opportunity those positions can experience. Sometimes the right person comes along, and you’ll want to invest in him/her regardless of general company policy. Don’t be afraid to help someone you believe in to build a long career in your business.

Speaker coaches

But there are other opportunities for speaker training in one-on-one and group coaching. Speaker coaches can hone specific messages. They can work on mannerisms, word choices, and stage skills to fine tune presentations specific to your company. (Think of the recent movie, The King’s Speech.)

Employees can attend speaker-training conferences, local groups, or join a club set up at your premises. The NSA has special interest groups they’ve recently expanded and called community interest groups. Toastmasters International has local chapters, student chapters, and business sponsored opportunities.

The Lee Group supports human capital development

At the Lee Group, we want to understand and align with your company’s unique human capital needs to identify professionals that will immediately add value and contribute to your organizations business objectives. Contact us to discuss ideas and discover the perfect way to train your employees in the art of public speaking and leadership.

While every company wants great employees, not every company recognizes the brilliance of employees being trained for public speaking. Leading a committee meeting doesn’t seem that daunting to some but to others could be quite difficult. Small to large companies benefit from speaker-trained employees as confidence soars in the workplace. But here are a few more reasons to consider…

People who have been trained in speaking skills understand how to communicate clearly and how to garner participation of their audience—even an audience in an office setting. The confidence gained in learning to facilitate a meeting also imbues confidence in team members. Organizations like Toastmasters International run regular meetings by an agenda and often use Robert’s Rules of Order.

Leadership skills are enhanced in speaker-trained employees because they learn proper eye contact, professional greetings, and even how to accept an award in a professional manner. Voice modulation, interpersonal skills, and logical progression are all skills a leader needs that a speaker uses. Handling negative comments and debate are interpersonal skills speakers learn and are a must for corporations to maintain a positive public standing.

Speaking events build business and credibility

Marketing programs are less costly when employees who understand your business can be sent out into the community or business world to speak on topics of interest. These employees become ambassadors of goodwill, information, and credibility.

Training your employees to speak builds a team of experts that creates a foundational strength of trust, likeability, and belief in your people. When employees believe they’re being supported and trained to develop into better individuals, the entire company profits from the loyalty formed within the person and throughout his/her network both inside the company and in the business world.

As your trained speakers interact with your customers, business networks, and the media, the credibility and an admirable company reputation expands. Training your employees from ground level through executive level  and in between to be public speakers  is just plain good business, financially brilliant, and some of the least expensive personnel development available.

Commitment to those we serve

Our vision and mission here at The Lee Group creates opportunities allowing personal and professional growth through our commitment to family, industry, strength and success. We will strive to be a good corporate citizen by increasing employment opportunities and by giving back to our community. The Lee Group will share both its resources and the time and talents of its employees to better the lives of those we serve.

If you’re not used to reading in-depth test reports from applicants, they might appear daunting. But a quick glance through the results reveals some very useful information. The Lee Group has experts that can help not only test the applicants, but also help you interpret how those results benefit your company.

Reading the results

Each test comes with results that may span several pages, but each candidate must pass a 12-step assessment that includes testing. Each section shows a score. Some of those scores also have comments that may include additional information concerning where the test was taken, the time it took to perform, the skills it measured, and more.

Personality and interpersonal skills testing will also include tips on the style of management the person responds best with in the workplace. Knowing the style of management the new hire will experience is also helpful.

Getting to know the person behind the scores

Personality testing using psychometrics helps give a more comprehensive look into an individual. How well they’ll fit into not only the position, but also the office or corporate environment is a crucial piece of information.

Putting an extrovert into a solo office with little interaction sets them up for low job satisfaction and your company would experience a slump in productive work hours. Put that same person in a busy office, or interacting with a lot of people, and their job satisfaction soars. Knowing the person behind the scores helps your company consistently succeed from the inside out.

Understanding how to manage based on the results

Knowing whether your employee is an extrovert or introvert isn’t enough. Some introverts love privacy and hold personal achievement high though they don’t want to stand in front of a crowd to receive their award. Others love a quiet office environment yet want to be announced from stage to celebrate an achievement. Some people are team oriented and others are aggressive competitors.

Knowing which person is which helps you know how to motivate them toward success. Dangle the challenge of sales numbers in front of Mr. Competitor and watch him push to the finish line with a grin on his face. But when you need to solve the mystery of missing numbers, the right fit for the job is the one whose tests results show a love of puzzles.

Partner with The Lee Group and we’ll help you assess the employee’s attitude, ability, and fit with your company’s culture before bringing them on your payroll!

Are there simple standards in testing for job placement? Yes! When the standardized test comes from an objective third party, like the Lee Group, the tests can be administered and scored so you can trust the results. The type of test can be matched to the actual skills needed for the position you’re hiring rather than a general business evaluation.

General evaluations are great to set a base foundation and weed out those without basic knowledge. You can decide whether the top few candidates test or every applicant. Some positions require the basics while others are so specialized only the top two or three applicants need to test.

A tiebreaker, when you’re faced with choosing between two fully qualified individuals, is another great reason for standardized testing. But working with an expert recruiter helps prepare your company for the very best opportunity for each position.

 Using the results for proper job placement

Once you’ve received the results, take a deeper look into who the applicants are and how they might fit best into your organization. Often the tests show some surprises in abilities not evident in interviews because the focus is on one specific job. But sometimes crossover into another position might be a better fit because of personality, past experience, or aptitude where skills complement the tasks.

The applicant may not be aware of other opportunities within your company. Follow up appointments are a great chance to share how the test results revealed the unexpected prospect. Many companies have benefited from surprising test results and the discovery of creative solutions. Testing allows you to know how creative and how much of a risk taker you’re choosing. Are you looking for status quo or a complete renovation?

What if the applicant is low in an area, but high in another?

Sometimes a person tests well in an area, but poorly in another because of their top strengths. Before tossing aside the applicant, read through the recommendations and details on the report. You may have the chance to snap up a high achiever that needs some training.

Investing in a high achiever, then feeding their desire to achieve through training and challenge cements a success cycle you’ll see pay off exponentially. Be on the look out for people who are enthusiastic, love to learn, and love the sense of personal achievement.

When these areas appear high on test results, they point to a person who can become a positive force within your company challenging those around them in “iron sharpens iron” relationships. They seem to lift the level of energy and that radiates into the corporate atmosphere.

Weighing the results

Fear of hiring mistakes can stress even the most diligent soul when searching for the right person for the job. Add in the time it takes to sift through resumes, interview, and test candidates. Hiring becomes the focus while important projects get pushed aside.

The Lee Group experts can help you weigh the benefits and risks of potential employees by freeing you from the time drain. We will weigh personality, talent, skills, education, ethics, and experience to present a well-researched list of screened candidates to help you choose the right person.

Save time and stress while you focus on what you do best—making your company run well without distractions. Call us today and start experiencing The Lee Group difference.  Phone 757.873.0792