The honest answer is that nobody knows.  And for the people who work in your organization, that may be the most stressful part.  Uncertainty breeds fear.  And fear breeds discontent.  When people are unsure of their futures, they fill their minds (and waste their time) with irrational fears and “what ifs.”

During hard times, companies rely on their employees to help pull them through.  But unfortunately, that’s precisely when top performers are most likely to quit.  Watching others get laid off, chronic overwork and nagging uncertainty can all drive your best people out the door.

When your staff is worried, it’s up to you to control the outcome.  Now is the time to motivate, retain and even re-recruit your top employees, using the following ideas:

• Be honest. When times are tough, there’s a natural tendency to buckle down, work harder and avoid others.  This is a deadly mistake.  Without good information from you, your employees will draw their own (possible incorrect) conclusions.  In general, it’s far better to be forthcoming – even about bad news – than to withhold information.
• Involve top performers in developing solutions. Talk about the problems facing your organization and challenge your best employees to help create the solutions.  With a vested interest in the company’s success, and control over the ways problems are tackled, your staff will be more likely to stay through difficult times.
• Invest in one-to-one management. Layoffs, customer attrition and other sources of bad news tend to create a turbulent workplace.  Calm the waters by scheduling one-on-ones with each of your key team members.  Review the improvement plans being enacted, as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead.  Outline clear expectations for each employee’s performance and the outcome that will occur if that performance is achieved.  If layoffs are likely, clearly delineate the situation that will trigger the cuts and what must occur to avoid them.
• Offer market pay. While this may not be the ideal time to consider increasing personnel expenses, don’t short-change yourself by under-compensating your staff.  Evaluate your pay and benefits package to ensure it’s competitive.  While money alone typically won’t drive high performance, a compensation package that is perceived as being unfair will create resentment – and drive employees out the door.
• Actively re-recruit top performers. Your company surely invests in marketing to existing clients.  Why?  Because it costs five times more to get a new customer than to retain an existing one.  The same is true of employees.  Top performers are incredibly expensive to replace.  Rather than take chances, be proactive about keeping them satisfied.
  Ask your employees to help keep the team together, by identifying those they feel are at risk of leaving.  Tell your employees how much you value them – regularly.  Find out what frustrates your best employees and develop ways to alleviate the sources.  Help top performers define career paths within your organization.  Bottom line, do whatever you can to keep your best and brightest inspired to continue working for you.

During times of crisis and uncertainty, true leaders emerge.  Get out of your office and go invest in your biggest asset – your people.  Let them know that they are more than just survivors; they are the champions who will create your company’s future success.

Contact Kinsa today to find out how our 8-Step Recruiting Process for food & beverage executives and professionals can deliver the high performers you need to thrive in this tough economy.

According to Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Workforce Benefits Report (published April, 2011):

• 94 percent of 650 C-level executives surveyed recognize the importance of retaining older employees and the knowledge they possess;
• 98 percent point to the need for younger workers.

To attract and retain these key segments of the workforce:

• 50 percent of those surveyed offer customized work schedules;
• 33 percent provide retirement income and health care education programs;
• 32 percent offer continuing education and development opportunities;
• 22 percent give employees the opportunity to work remotely;
• 21 percent offer extended benefits to older employees.

According to Andy Sieg, head of Retirement Services for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, “Longer life expectancies and baby boomers’ desire or need to keep working are leading to an aging population of American employees that will require more age-friendly workplaces and benefit plans designed to meet the unique needs of multiple generations.”

Employers also feel an increased sense of responsibility for the financial well-being of their employees:

• 59 percent of employers feel greater responsibility to help employees meet financial goals;
• 53 percent feel that responsibility includes providing both financial benefit plans as well as access to financial education and advice.

“If there is one silver lining of the recession it’s this increased sense of responsibility,” says Stephen Ulian, head of institutional retirement and benefit solutions at Bank of America.  As a result, employers are offering a broader range of financial education programs and tools, although getting employees to take full advantage of them remains a challenge.

Kinsa Group – Your Food & Beverage Recruiting Partner

Finding the perfect candidates for your organization requires experience, in-depth industry knowledge and state-of-the-art recruiting and assessment technology.  Kinsa Group combines all of these, including a comprehensive 8-Step Recruiting Process to ensure the success of your next hire.  Partner with Kinsa today and connect with the industry’s top food & beverage executives and professionals.

Consider timing issues. When it comes to getting a raise, timing can be everything:

• If your company is struggling financially, it’s probably looking for ways to cut costs – not raise them.  Try to get a feel for your organization’s performance before you ask for more money.
• If you’re new to the company, wait at least a year before asking for a raise.  This is a general rule of thumb.  Possible exceptions include dramatically increased responsibilities or new tasks that cause real hardship, such as extensive travel.
• If you’ve just accomplished something spectacular, strike while the iron is hot.  Use the momentum created by your fantastic performance – and ask while your accomplishment is still fresh in your boss’s mind.

Do your homework. Find out how much food & beverage professionals working in similar positions are earning, using tools like www.salary.com or www.bls.gov.  Additionally, if you belong to a professional association, check their web site to see if they have salary information available.  Use the range of salaries you uncover, combined with your experience level and employment tenure, to determine how much you’re worth.

Quantify the value you provide. Make a list of your notable accomplishments and additional responsibilities you’ve taken on since your last pay review.  Show how your work has helped improved your division or company, in terms of revenues generated, costs saved, increased customer satisfaction, etc.  If you are asking for a raise, make it easy for your boss to say “Yes” by providing the evidence he needs.

Conduct a dress rehearsal. Write down your presentation and practice it at home with a trusted friend.  Try to anticipate the objections you may face and encourage your friend to play the devil’s advocate.  It may sound silly, but rehearsing your presentation will help calm your nerves and boost your confidence when the real time comes.

Schedule appropriate time with your boss. Let your boss know in advance that you’d like to discuss your salary.  He will consider your request for a raise more seriously if you treat it as a business meeting and give him time to prepare.

Be confident and professional. Make sure you always take the high road when asking for a raise.  Don’t act entitled, tell your boss why you need more money or idly threaten to quit.  All of these strategies are much more likely to backfire than get you the increase you deserve.

Have a back-up plan. Know how you’ll respond if your boss turns you down or offers you a much smaller raise.  If you don’t plan to quit your job, have a back-up list of non-monetary perks (e.g., tuition aid, flex time, additional vacation time) you’d accept in lieu of the raise.  Furthermore, find out the specifics of why you’ve been turned down – is it performance related, or just bad timing?  Before you leave the meeting, find out what you can do to improve your chances of getting a raise in the future, and when you two can talk about your salary again.

Get Paid What You’re Worth – Find Your Next Food & Beverage Job Opportunity with Kinsa

If you’re underpaid or just dissatisfied with your current position, Kinsa can help you make a change for the better.  We want to help you achieve your career and financial goals, by matching you with an opportunity that suits your skills, needs and interests.  Contact us today to learn more about executive and management career opportunities in the food & beverage industry.

According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s Retirement Confidence Survey (as reported by Workforce.com):

• about 36 percent of respondents cite the poor economy;
• 16 percent say their lack of faith in Social Security is forcing them to postpone retirement;
• 13 percent claim they simply can’t afford to stop working.

As a result, workers say they are more than twice as likely to work up to age 70 or older – a 25 percent increase from just a decade ago.

Rising numbers of older individuals remaining in the workforce creates both challenges and potential benefits for employers.  On the one hand, workers delaying retirement adds pressure to companies already struggling to reduce payroll as profit dwindles.  A glut of older workers also threatens to clog the talent pipeline for organizations who want to bring in new employees – at lower salary levels.

On the other hand, companies for which knowledge loss is a concern stand to gain a welcome benefit from a more mature workforce – less “brain drain.”  Key managers have more time to plan for the departure of older workers, and therefore can be more strategic in retraining or transferring institutional knowledge.

As older workers continue to delay retirement, HR needs to respond by reevaluating the way they manage human capital.  Instead of paying older workers to retire, HR should look for creative ways to take advantage of the shift in workforce demographics:

• Create cross-mentoring relationships. In a traditional mentor relationship, older, more experienced workers share knowledge with their less experienced counterparts.  When it comes to technology, however, younger employees are often more savvy.  Organizations can foster reverse mentorships, in which younger workers share their knowledge in areas like online social networking.
• Find new ways to attract younger workers. In a time when career advancement is likely to become more difficult, organizations should focus on new ways to bring top performers on board.  When HR can’t necessarily offer rapid upward mobility to new talent, they can offer lateral movement.  Lateral moves can help younger employees broaden their knowledge bases, become more valuable to the employer (increasing job security) and become more marketable overall.

Kinsa Group can help your organization proactively manage its professional and executive human capital needs as our workforce changes.  We provide recruiting and professional placement services with a specific focus on the food & beverage industry.  Serving companies throughout the United States since 1985, we are able to recruit and assess candidates for positions in:

• Executive Management
• General Management
• Sales
• Marketing
• Operations & Plant Production Management
• Research & Development
• Food Science
• Quality Assurance
• Food Safety
• Human Resources
• Engineering
• Maintenance
• Supply Chain and Purchasing
• Warehouse Management
• Finance & Accounting

How will your food & beverage organization address the shifts in workforce demographics?  We at Kinsa would like to know.  Please leave your comments below.

Trying to work around a hiring freeze?

Have an immediate need for a high-level professional during a transitional period?

These are just a few of the reasons food & beverage organizations use contract staffing.  In a time when budgets are tight, the economy is uncertain and resources are stretched thin, contract professionals and executives can provide a number of benefits for your company.  Here are just a few:

• Fill an immediate, short-term need. Take the pressure off of your hiring process by bringing in an interim replacement.  The Kinsa Group maintains a robust database of highly qualified food & beverage executives and professionals who can step in during a period of transition.  Our contract staffing option allows you to rapidly fill a vacancy in an essential position, while you search for a full-time replacement.
• Test a new concept. Have you ever had to table a great idea, simply because your organization didn’t have the resources to work on it?  From specialized food technologists to senior executives, highly qualified contract employees can be brought in to either manage the execution of a new concept, or support your internal team while they develop new opportunities.
• Do more with less. Not sure if you need a permanent employee?  Trying to work around a hiring freeze?  Contract staffing is a flexible, cost-effective way to get more work done, without the commitment and risks associated with full-time hires.
• Meet tight deadlines. Contract staff can supplement your core workforce, accelerate the pace at which projects are completed and ease the stress of tight deadlines and peak demand periods.
• Access specialized project expertise. Contract professionals are an ideal choice when you want to tackle a new initiative or test a new business concept – without adding to your permanent headcount.  Additionally, you can bring in contract staff to teach your employees new skills without the cost of a permanent hire.  Bringing in someone with specific expertise can save you time and money by shortening learning curves.
• Evaluate talent on-the-job. If you need a full-time employee, contract staffing allows you to see how an individual performs in your organization and fits into your culture.  Should you want to hire the candidate, you can arrange to convert him to a direct employee.

Kinsa’s Contract Staffing – A Smart Alternative for Your Food & Beverage Organization

Kinsa Group contracts with proven professionals who treat your position as if it were their full-time job.  Because these individuals come from the regular, full-time workforce, their dedication, reliability and motivation are exceptional.

Our contract staffing services allow you to access the highest caliber talent, previously available only through a permanent placement arrangement.  Whether you need to address unique staffing challenges, meet interim staffing requirements or complete critical projects, Kinsa Group contract staffing is a great choice.  Contact us today to learn more.

–Harold S. Geneen

If you’ve ever managed a single person, then you know that employees make excuses.  They procrastinate, miss deadlines and blame others when they fail.

So how do you get them to consistently perform to the best of their abilities?

Use these smart suggestions to get better results – and fewer excuses – from your staff every day:

Make performance management a daily activity. Annual and quarterly reviews definitely play their part in gauging performance, but nothing replaces the day-to-day guidance you give to your staff.  So talk to them regularly, leveraging every opportunity to improve employee’s efforts:

• give them honest feedback about what they’re doing right – and what they need to improve;
• discuss new projects and the opportunities they present for employee development and growth;
• talk about overdue assignments or project difficulties and how to resolve them;
• reinforce the importance of consistently doing a great job.

Limit excuses. Eliminate the external factors on which employees often blame their poor performance by:

• Ensuring employees have the resources they need to do their jobs;
• Ensuring employees are adequately trained to do their jobs;
• Setting clear, mutually agreed-upon performance expectations for each employee.

Ask the right questions when problems arise. Uncovering the cause of poor performance is the first step in creating a plan to remedy it.  So when an employee is failing at work, ask the following types of questions to diagnose the reasons why:

• What about the work system (e.g., tools, time, training, support) is causing the employee to fail?
• Does the employee know exactly what you want him/her to do, as well as the expected outcome?
• Does the employee practice effective work management?
• Does the employee feel valued, recognized and fairly compensated for his/her contributions?

Make performance goals SMART goals. This goal-setting acronym is still widely used for one simple reason:  Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound goals are more likely to be achieved.  So as you work with your employees to set higher standards for the next quarter or year, teach them how to create SMART performance goals that will get them there.

Create a “performance mentality” among team members. Football players won’t play their hardest in a game where nobody keeps score.  Likewise, your employees won’t deliver superior results when they merely see themselves as “doing a job” everyday.  Foster a “performance mentality” by showing your team why their efforts matter – and what’s at stake.  Make sure employees understand your mission, how their jobs fit into the “big picture,” and what they need to do to help your company win.

Fuel Performance with Kinsa’s Search and Assessment Services

The best way to ensure top performance is by hiring top talent.  Kinsa Group Consultants evaluate candidates’ performance in the specialty skills of the available position, results achieved in past positions, and overall predictors of success.  Kinsa has the resources to fuel exceptional performance in your food & beverage organization.  Contact us today to learn more.

It would be easy (and logical) to use this question as a launching pad for a sales pitch.  The true answer, however, is more complex.  What’s right for one employer, under a certain set of hiring, employment and market conditions, is not necessarily right for another.

So how do you decide if you should hire on your own, or partner with a recruiter?  Here are a few critical questions to consider:

Evaluate Your Current Hiring Practices

• How do you typically hire personnel?  Have you always done it yourself, or do you have a good working relationship with a recruitment firm?
• How much do you really spend hiring staff on your own? Be sure to consider HR time, legal costs, management interview time, opportunity costs, vacancy costs and the cost of a bad hire – in addition to the cost of advertising.
• Do your DIY recruiting methods yield enough qualified candidates?

Conduct a Needs Analysis

• Do you have the time and resources available to properly recruit, screen, interview, assess, reference check and follow-up with candidates on your own?
• How much would it cost you to replace a bad hire in this position (i.e., do you need a guarantee)?
• Does your hiring situation require confidentiality or anonymity?
• How quickly do you need the available position filled?

Consider Current Market and Employment Conditions

• What is the current unemployment rate – not just in general, but specifically for the level/type of professional you need?
• How desirable is your location?  Have you had difficulty attracting candidates to work there in the past?
• What are the emerging industry trends which could impact your ability to hire the talent you need?

Consider the Advantages Recruiters Offer

With budget constraints remaining a key concern, you may lean toward a DIY approach for recruiting.  But before you start posting to job boards, remember these key advantages Kinsa can provide:

1. Improved focus. We free you to focus on your key priorities.
2. Specialization. We know how and where to find the high-caliber talent you require.
3. Contract labor. If your needs are short-term or project-oriented, we can provide access to the skilled professionals you need without adding to your headcount.
4. Access. We maintain robust candidate databases and relationships with passive job seekers.
5. Simplification. We save you considerable time and stress, while ensuring that correct selection and screening procedures are utilized.
6. Guarantees. We reduce the stress, expense and risk involved with hiring and/or replacing a new employee.

When working with a recruiter makes the most sense for your organization, Kinsa is the ideal choice for your professional search and assessment needs. With over 25 years of experience, a dynamic, team-oriented staff and a focus on the food and beverage industry, we are uniquely qualified to deliver the A-level talent you need.

We’d love the opportunity to help you analyze your recruiting needs and determine if our services could help you hire more quickly, accurately and at a greater cost savings.  Please contact Kinsa today.

To decide whether or not you can thrive in an organization long-term, you need to learn about more than the basics (e.g., salary, job responsibilities and organizational structure).  During the interview, you must also determine if the company is a “good fit” for you – if their values, beliefs, ethics and rules of behavior align with your own.

But how do you ascertain if an employer’s corporate culture is right for you?

Before the Interview

Learn as much as you can about an employer before the formal interview starts:

• Research the company before the interview. Search online for clues about the employer’s culture.  Review their annual report, website and what others write or say about the organization.  Plenty of resources are available online to guide you in your research.
• Arrive a few minutes early. Observe how current employees are dressed, how they interact with one another and how courteous and professional they seem – before they know who you are.  Pay attention to what’s on the walls, how clean the space is and how much room employees are given to work.  All these details will provide a clearer picture of the company’s personality.

During the Interview

Use this list of sample questions to dig deeper in your next interview and uncover important information about an employer’s culture:

• What does it take to succeed here long-term? The traits an employer encourages and rewards speak to its corporate culture.  Ask this question early in the interview and incorporate those sought-after characteristics into your subsequent answers.
• If you could describe your company’s culture in just three words, what would you say? This question accomplishes two things.  First, it helps you learn about the salient aspects of an organization’s culture.   Second, it positions you as a thinker, setting you apart from the crowd.
• Does this company have a written corporate values statement? A progressive organization (i.e., one that has put the effort into developing a formal values statement) understands the importance of corporate culture and is just as concerned about making a values match as you are.  If the company has no written cultural values, their mission statement may provide insight for you.
• What are the best and worst parts about your work environment, that I wouldn’t understand unless I’d been working here for several months? Some workplaces are quite different once the “honeymoon” phase has passed.  This question may help elicit some candor from your interviewer and get him to share the realities of the work environment – both good and bad.  Beware of the interviewer who has nothing negative to say.  The fact is, all cultures have their positive and negative aspects.
• What are your favorite aspects of this company’s culture? This question tells you what brings the interviewer back to work each and every day.  Because it’s personal, ask this question at the end of the interview – after you’ve had a chance to establish rapport with the interviewer.  You can end the interview on a positive note and leave a great final impression.

As you ask all these questions, pay attention to the interviewer’s nonverbal cues.  Sometimes the words an interviewer says aren’t as important as how he says them.  Body language, eye contact, facial expressions and posture don’t lie.  Compare the interviewer’s actions with his words to decide if he is really telling the truth, or just trying to present the company in the best possible light.

Looking for your next food & beverage position?

Kinsa Group has the inside track with leading food & beverage employers and can help you make smarter employment decisions.  We provide you with invaluable details about corporate culture, interviewers’ personality styles and other intangibles to ensure you thrive in your next position.  Contact a Kinsa recruiter today or search available food & beverage professional and executive positions.

MyPlate Replaces Food Pyramid

Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled MyPlate.  Government officials say the new icon will be a part of a healthy-eating initiative that emphasizes the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and dairy food groups.  The symbol replaces the 2005 Food Pyramid, which was widely criticized widely for being difficult to read.

The U.S.D.A. said MyPlate will convey seven key messages, including:

1. enjoy food but eat less;
2. avoid oversized portions;
3. make half your plate fruits and vegetables;
4. switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk;
5. make at least half your grains whole grains;
6. drink water instead of sugary drinks;
7. and compare sodium (salt) in foods like soup, bread and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower numbers.

More information about MyPlate can be found at www.choosemyplate.gov.

Men’s & Women’s Health Ingredient Trends

Wild Flavors, Inc.’s whitepapers detail the ingredients food & beverage companies should incorporate now to capitalize on changing health trends for both men and women:

Men’s Health Ingredient Trends

Men are more concerned than ever about their own well-being.  They want to prevent disease and improve the quality of their lives through joint health, strong immune systems, proper sleep patterns and strong brain function.  Openness about health concerns and changes in social attitudes have made men more receptive than ever to new and innovative nutritious options.

Food and beverage companies have a prime opportunity to capitalize on men’s health trends, by creating products with ingredients that address men’s key concerns:

Heart Health: Omega-3s, Phytosterols, Coenzyme Q10, Tea Polyphenols, Citrus Bioflavonoids.

Bone & Joint Health: Hyaluronic Acid, Grapeseed Extract.

Immunity: Pomegranate Extract, Citrus Bioflavonoids, Grapeseed Extract.

Cognitive Health: Omega-3s, Coenzyme Q10, Phosphatidylserine.

Holistic Sleep: Melatonin, L-Theanine, Gamma Amino Butryic Acid (GABA).

Women’s Health Ingredient Trends

According to Wild Flavor’s “Women: Trends & Health Ingredients” whitepaper, women account for the vast majority of household spending decisions and consumer purchases.  Furthermore, many women put family needs ahead of their own.

To capitalize on these consumer behaviors, food & beverage organizations should create products with ingredients that address the following top concerns for women:

Hearth Health: Omega-3s, Phytosterols, Coenzyme Q10, Tea Polyphenols, Citrus Bioflavonoids.

Bone & Joint Health: Hyaluronic Acid, Soy Isoflavones.

Immunity: Cranberry Extract, Citrus Bioflavonoids, Grapeseed Extract.

Beauty: Coenzyme Q10, Hyaluronic Acid, Tea Polyphenols, Citrus Bioflavonoids.

Holistic Sleep: L-Theanine, Passionflower Extract, Chamomile Extract.

Weight Management: Conjugated Linoleic Acid, Green Coffee Extract, Green Tea Catechins.

This is one of the questions posed in a poll by the Society for Human Resource Management titled “Challenges Facing Organizations and HR in the Next 10 Years.” The survey responses, gathered from 449 HR professionals, show that:

Getting and Making the Most of Human Capital is a Key Priority

• Nearly half of the respondents (47 percent) cite obtaining human capital and optimizing human capital investments as the top investment challenge for businesses over the next 10 years.
• 29 percent of the respondents list obtaining financial capital and optimizing financial capital investments as the top challenge.
• Obtaining intellectual capital and optimizing intellectual capital investments comes in third at 12 percent.

To Attract, Retain and Reward the Best Talent, Organizations Should:

• Allow flexible work arrangements. According to 58 percent of HR managers surveyed, providing flexibility for employees to balance their life and work responsibilities is the most effective way to attract, reward and retain top performers.
• Cultivate a culture of trust and fairness. 47 percent of respondents say that creating an organizational culture where trust, open communications and fairness are emphasized and demonstrated by leaders is a key priority.
• Provide meaningful work opportunities. 40 percent of HR managers say that designing jobs to provide employees with meaningful work that has a clear purpose in meeting the organization’s objectives optimizes the organization’s ability to engage and keep top talent.
• Demonstrate a commitment to employee development (29 percent).
• Offer a higher total compensation and benefits package than organizations that compete for the same talent (23 percent).

While these survey results aren’t earth-shaking, they do serve to underscore an important point.  As businesses like your food & beverage organization emerge from the recession, they should get ready to compete for talent.

Kinsa Group can help you prepare.  We’ll develop and execute a proactive strategy to recruit the top professionals and senior-to-executive level management candidates – from warehouse and supply chain managers to C-suite executives – you need to succeed.  Contact Kinsa today to learn more about our recruiting and assessment services for food & beverage organizations.