The New Immigration Law & Its Impact on Small Business
In today’s economy, it is clearly understood that U.S. businesses face workforce challenges unparalleled in the memories of most company owners and executives. Although current staffing levels are at a record low, owners are expected to provide superior customer service and products at a competitive price. An employer’s challenge is to create a team that can deliver the levels of excellence required by its customers at the least possible cost.
In a service business, the largest cost to an employer is the labor cost. Companies that hire undocumented workers are clearly in an unfair advantage because their labor cost potentially is lower than a company that is following by the rules. Although fines and penalties currently exist to deter unfair hiring practices, rarely are they ever imposed.
Read MorePerils and Perks to Outsourcing Business Functions
Outsourcing offers strategic and financial benefits that are too important to ignore. When it works, companies decrease costs, increase flexibility, enhance expertise, increase core competencies, and are allowed to focus on the core business.
Today’s agile businesses use outsourcing all the time. Commonly outsourced tasks include janitorial, transportation, bookkeeping, payroll processing, telephone answering, IT technical support, printing, insurance, and legal services.
For organizations exploring the pros and cons of outsourcing, the following are the questions to consider: How do you make outsourcing work? And, how can you avoid the pitfalls that can occur in the outsourcing process?
Read MoreKnowledge Share – Boomer to Millennial
Baby Boomers – born between 1946 and 1964 total more than 78 million strong, and account for 26% of the total U.S. population. As Boomers age, their choices about work differ from those of their parents. Today, Boomers want to remain active longer, postposing retirement to work full or part-time or to volunteer.
Yet, 10,000 Boomers retire each day taking with them years of work experience and career knowledge.
Read MoreEmployers Need Excellence; Employees Need Skills – How to Develop a Training Program to Achieve Both
Small and midsize businesses face operating challenges unparalleled in the memories of most owners. With staffing levels pared back as far as they can go, current staffing levels are at a record low. Nonetheless, competitive pressures have increased the demand for superior workforce performance as a means to keep or acquire customers. The business owner’s challenge is to bring the team’s skills up to the required levels of excellence with the least disruptive impact on business operations and cost.
While all this seems obvious, very few companies use the opportunity of ‘on-demand’ skills training to discover opportunities for process improvement.
Read MoreTaking on Goliath – The Stone That Wins the Battle
With 2012 growth goals set at Benjamin Enterprises, I have tasked my team with the responsibility to extend our footprint deeper into government contracting. At first, this may sound as though we are taking on quite the battle, but not unlike the ancient story of David v. Goliath, there is always that one “little stone” that can win the battle and bring success. For small businesses looking into government contracting, that stone is “relationship development”.
For Benjamin Enterprises, building relationships with government agency personnel, industry partners, associate contractors and the end-users provides us insight into the market, the competition and most importantly, the client and their exact needs. On the client side, we provide a clear understanding of our services and training products, fostering trust in our capabilities. As with any relationship, trust is built with face-to-face engagement.
Read MoreComplex Process Problems Require a Fresh Perspective
As my team plans for our participation as an exhibitor at Globalcon 2012, the energy, power generation and facilities management show being held in Atlantic City, NJ (March 7 and 8), I am reminded of the increasing complexity of business issues driven by continuing economic uncertainty, rapidly changing workforce composition with diminishing skills, and technological changes that impact the nature of how work is performed.
Over the years, my company has consistently invested in workforce training and development, coupled with advances in workforce automation technology. This has enabled us to rise above the general population of labor providers that focus solely on simple team assignments or straightforward staffing augmentation. We have grown successfully because we have tackled complex process issues, typically with many moving parts, and have brought a fresh perspective to the problem. Our solutions have been creative and cost-effective.
Read MoreBenjamin Enterprises Launches On-Line Training Courses
As a solutions-driven company, Benjamin Enterprises can offer your business customized training to support your workforce development goals.
Many companies focus on gaining greater levels of performance from their employees without adequately addressing the preparedness of the employee to become accountable for quality results. Benjamin Enterprises’ on-line courses are now available to every employer to support your corporate productivity goals and objectives.
Read MoreBenjamin Enterprises Can Improve your Work Environment with the BEGreenReady™ Process
In keeping with our theme, Employers Need Excellence; Employees Need Skills, let us explore the many ways that a cleaning staff experienced in green techniques can improve your workplace.
What is BEGreenReady™ -Benjamin Enterprises has developed an exclusive green cleaning process that emphasizes the core green concept of “Reuse, Reclaim and Recycle”. We use a holistic approach to both cleaning and maintenance of a facility. Green Seal certified cleaning chemicals and high performance cleaning equipment can be purchased directly through our warehouse and delivered to your facility. Our cleaning methods and products are environmentally-friendly, preserving both the environment and human health.
Read MoreBenjamin Enterprises Can Solve Your Security Guard Training Issues
In keeping with last week’s theme, Employers Need Excellence; Employees Need Skills, Benjamin Enterprises provides recertification courses for employed security guards and certified security guard courses for potential employees.
Training for security guards was mandated by the Security Guard Act of 1992. The Act requires that all security guards complete three training courses. These courses include the 8-hr Pre-Assignment, 16-hr On-The Job, and 8-hr Annual Refresher. All courses must be conducted at approved training schools, by certified instructors. The Division of Criminal Justice Services, Office of Public Safety provides administrative oversight for private security training in New York State.
Read MoreEmployers Need Excellence; Employees Need Skills
As we enter into this New Year, Benjamin Enterprises is launching BE Learning Systems.
This new service will provide another opportunity for Benjamin Enterprises to provide quality solutions to our customers. Our trainings are geared to bridge the gap between employer needs and employee soft and job specific skills with the goal to create a more productive and sustainable workforce.
Our Philosophy is that success will come as a result of a company’s commitment to excellence on all levels, including their workers.
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