Find Great People Align HR FGP Technology

by Rhiannon Poore, Marketing and Communications Manager

FGP is a great place to work. Of course, I may be just a little biased, but so many times when I hear my friends talk about their jobs or their workplace culture, I think about how blessed I am to work at a place that...

- has trips to TCBY on a monthly basis to celebrate employees' birthdays...

- brings a monthly ice cream truck to visit us in the summer (here's a picture of three of our employees , Caroline Callison, Shannon Wheatley, and Aaron Mishler enjoying ice cream)

- sponsors a 5K in which your race time correlates to extra days off (of course, running a 5K in 95 degree weather does not always present the best conditions for a good race time!)

- participates as a United Way Pacesetter Company. We love to give back to the Greenville community, and what better way than to help an organization that can carefully select great charities to support?

- has leadership who is truly invested in each person in the company. We all get busy, and we all forget to "listen" sometimes. No one can escape the blame on that count. But one of our values is to "build authentic relationships through respect for and honest communication with each other." I've seen nearly every person in this company step up to the plate in that regard, whether it be providing meals for one of our team members who has just had a baby or house-sitting for another team member who's on vacation.

Most importantly, though, what we do every day matters. We get to connect great companies with great people. We have the awesome responsibility and privilege of finding people jobs. We have the opportunity to actually participate and help great companies grow--whether they need diversity training or an HR assessment.

Sure, there are days when everyone would rather be relaxing by the pool, cold drink in hand. There are days when we do things wrong. But as workplaces go, I have to say - it's a privilege to call FGP my work home. I'd love to hear about how you create great culture at your workplace.

FGP was featured on WYFF 4 last night (Monday, July 19th). Click on this link to see the story and watch the video!

http://www.wyff4.com/news/24308290/detail.html

by Betsy Anthony, Staffing Operations & Training Coordinator

Every employer has a different view on how to manage their employees’ socialization. Some keep it to a minimum as much as possible, positing that it interferes with employees’ productivity.  “Ken Siegel, a psychologist and president of the Impact Group, a psychologists' group that consults with business management, says he doesn't believe workplace friendships are real. True friendships, he says, can't exist when there are issues such as money and status at play.” In addition, the article goes on to say, friendships at work can harm productivity.

by Caroline Callison

As HR consultants, one of our primary goals when we enter into a partnership with a client is to reduce the stress and strain on the person who is handling HR needs. One of the most common dilemmas we see relates to the use of technology within HR.  HRIS systems are so comprehensive that many companies will actually use them in place of an HR professional. Many of our clients are concerned if this is the best way to go, and we understand that concern. When the most important resource is your workforce, you want to manage it with care and efficiency. For most of our clients, the most efficient and accurate way to manage your “human capital” is by allowing technology to help.

Contrary to many preconceived objections, technology doesn’t have to take the place of human interaction in the workplace. It can actually provide more time for face-to-face communication and individual attention if used correctly. We typically recommend a thorough evaluation of the available technology in order to determine which technological application will work best for your company.

Steve Hall, Vice President of Business Development at FGP International, has been selected to participate in Leadership South Carolina as a member of the Class of 2011. Steve commented, “I am very excited about continuing this journey of learning how to serve others throughout our state!  Given the challenges we face as a community and as a state, I am hopeful that Leadership SC will showcase how other communities throughout SC are rising above those challenges. It is an honor to be selected and I look forward with great expectation toward bringing some of those ideas back to the Upstate!””

In addition, Steve was recently a breakout speaker at the Palm Beach County HR Association’s Annual Conference in Boca Raton, Florida. His presentation was called 3rd Party Conflict Resolution, which provides a step by step approach to intervening and resolving conflicts between two parties. Steve’s session equipped HR professionals to improve relationships between two individuals (groups) where conflict is apparent and increase their confidence to prevent or resolve future conflict between individuals and/or groups.

by Rhiannon Poore, Marketing & Communications Manager

The BP Oil Spill has turned into an economic, ecological and political disaster. Americans across the country are frustrated and upset that the leak cannot be stopped and oil is ravaging our coastline. We all hope a solution to the leak will come quickly, for the sake of all involved. However, as we’ve observed the growing crisis, a few thoughts have come to mind as to what anyone managing people can learn from the crisis.

Don’t create false expectations.

It has been easy to suggest that the leak will be fixed by this tool or that process. As of today, none of these efforts have proved successful. Not being able to stop the leak is not necessarily anyone’s fault—we undoubtedly have the best minds in the country working on it. Nonetheless, the lesson for any manager is if you promise or communicate an expectation of something being accomplished--you need to be very sure you can fulfill that expectation.

Don’t promise a raise you won’t be able to give. Or when you are bringing a new person on board, don’t lure them to the table with ideas of an eventual management position unless you are sure that position will exist down the road. Not only can you create hard feelings between you and your team members, but you can also be faced with an applicant who files suit for fraud or misrepresentation.