Questions You Should Be Asking Before Relocating for a Job

If you’re thinking about relocating for a job, planning and preparation can reduce much of the stress that naturally comes with moving. What questions should you ask before making a move?

How Will Relocation Affect My Family?

If you have young children, ill family members, or aging parents, the location of a new job matters. Climate, culture and distance can affect the well-being of your family. Check the new location for the availability and quality of services or facilities your family will need, including:

• Day care centers

• Healthcare facilities

• Recreation options

• Schools

• Senior care services

Is the Company Financially Stable?

Before you apply for a job, check the financial stability of the company. Some of the questions you should ask include:

• How long has the company been in business?

• Have there been any recent layoffs?

• If the company has recently been part of a merger or acquisition, what was the reason?

• What do online reports show about the company’s financial status?

What's the Cost of Living in the New City?

Will family expenses be more affordable or more expensive if you move? Consider all aspects of the cost of living compared with your potential pay rate, and decide if the move is right for you. Remember to consider the following costs in your review:

• Groceries

• Health care

• Housing

• Insurance

• Taxes

• Transportation

• Utilities

How Will the Pay Affect Your Quality of Life?

Research the pay range for careers similar to yours. At times, a job with lower pay can have a positive effect on your quality of life. Perhaps the new job will allow you to spend more time with your family or on personal interests. On the other hand, higher pay might make it easier to provide for your family and care for necessary expenses.

Will the Company Pay Relocation Expenses?

Moving can be expensive. Before you relocate, find out if the company offers relocation assistance. Out-of-pocket costs can influence when and where to move. Make sure you know everything a relocation package offers, including:

• Full packing at your current location

• Full unpacking at your new location

• Housing assistance

• Storage

• Transferring your cars to the new location

How Will Job Relocation Affect Your Career?

Is relocating for a job a wise move for your career? Will you be given opportunities that challenge your skills or help you acquire new ones? Carefully consider how a new job will help or hurt your career goals.

Interested in Job Relocation?

Relocating for a new job can be exciting and rewarding. WSi can accelerate the process. Apply today. Our recruiting team will help you find opportunities that match your location preferences and career goals.

Interviewing Candidates for Reliability

Reliability in the workplace is important for every business. How can you interview job candidates for reliability and learn about their work ethic before you make an offer? Below are five questions to ask every candidate.

Questions to Determine Reliability        

The examples below provide a basis for interview questions that help determine a candidate’s reliability. You can adapt the questions or create new ones to match your business needs. Beneath each question is types of responses that can reveal a positive, or a problematic, work ethic.

What convinced you to leave your last job or look for a new one?

Positive Responses

• Provide examples of successes and accomplishments

• Include expressions of satisfaction from completing projects and readiness for a new challenge

• Provide details about what the candidate liked about the position

Problematic Responses

• Include complaints of low pay

• Express boredom at work

• Complain about management

Give an example of a time when you went out of your way to resolve an issue at work. What were the results, and who benefited from them?

Positive Responses

• Provide details

• Clearly state results

• Relate tangible benefits

Problematic Responses

• Avoid giving an example

• Are generic

• Include complaints about management

Describe a time when you missed a deadline or failed to follow through. Who was affected? How did you correct the situation? What did you do to help prevent it from happening in the future?

Positive Responses

• Provide details of a missed deadline

• Acknowledge how the candidate was at fault

• Give a clear indication of what the candidate learned and how they worked toward improvement

Problematic Responses

• “I always leave on time. I can only do so much in a day.”

• Place the blame on someone else

Before you say your work is finished, what do you do to ensure you’ve done your best?

Positive Responses

• Reveal the candidate has a system to review work and catch errors

• Express willingness to spend extra time to ensure work is correct

• Indicate willingness to ask for assistance when needed

Problematic Responses

• Include complaints about processes and the inability, or lack of time, to check work

• Express over-confidence

• Reveal a “nobody else cares, so I don’t care” attitude

Tell me about a time you had to follow directions or guidelines that you didn’t agree with.

Positive Responses

• Show directions were followed

• Indicate suggestions for improvement were offered later

• Reveal a positive attitude was maintained

Problematic Responses

• Imply directions were ignored or bypassed

• Give evidence of anger or frustration

• Include negative comments about guidelines or the management team

Experts at Finding Reliable Staff

Screening and interviewing job candidates—and asking the right questions to reveal a person’s reliability—take a lot of effort. At WSi, we understand the details that matter in finding top talent to meet your business requirements and respect your work culture. Contact us today for expert assistance in finding the right staff.

Why You Should Invest in an Employee Wellness Program

Does your business have an employee wellness program? Seventy-five percent of healthcare spending is related to chronic disease. Many chronic diseases can be delayed, alleviated, or prevented with lifestyle changes. An effective program can help you retain healthy, productive employees. Consider the facts.

The Cost of Chronic Illness

Chronic illness among U.S. workers costs employers more than $200 billion each year. It manifests itself in the workplace in different ways, including:

• Absenteeism

• Decreased productivity

• Increased healthcare costs

• Injury

• Tardiness

What’s Making Your Employees Sick?

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce report, Winning with Wellness, obesity, and depression are the top two chronic conditions that escalate healthcare costs for employers. And anxiety disorders closely follow. The figures below show why employers should be concerned and proactive about implementing an employee wellness program.

• 68.8 percent of adults are overweight or obese.

• 6.7 percent of the U.S. population experiences depression that lasts at least two years.

• 18 percent of the population is affected by anxiety disorders—the most common mental disorder in the U.S.

How an Employee Wellness Program Can Help

The program encourages physical activity, a healthy diet, and healthy lifestyle choices. If your employees stick with it, they can improve their well-being in many ways. Both you and your employees will benefit. Here’s how:

Employees

• Decreased levels of stress

• Improved physical fitness

• Increased self-confidence, self-esteem, and well-being

• Increased stamina

• Weight loss

Employers

• Reduce absenteeism

• Increase productivity

• Improve recruitment/retention

• Reduce healthcare costs

Where Do You Start?

If you want to implement an employee wellness program, but don’t know where to start, there are plenty of resources for ideas and guidance. Visit the websites of the organizations listed below to learn the dos and don’ts for developing a program that’s tailored for your business.

• Center for Disease Control

• Department of Labor

• Society for Human Resource Management

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Attracting the Right Talent

Although an employee wellness program can help your business attract and retain top talent, there is no substitute for effective recruitment processes. At WSi, we’ve provided staffing services since 1988. Each year, more than 1,200 employers trust us to find the right professionals to help their businesses thrive. Contact us today, or visit our website to learn more about our staffing solutions.

24 People Who Applied for the World's Toughest Job Were In for Quite a Surprise

The World's Toughest Job

A brand's great gotcha videos

Here's a pretty cool project from Mullen for a client we won't immediately reveal, lest we spoil the surprise.
(Scroll down to the bottom of credits, or watch the video to find out.)

The Boston agency posted this job listing online for a "director of operations" position at a company called Rehtom Inc. The requirements sounded nothing short of brutal:

• Standing up almost all the time
• Constantly exerting yourself
• Working from 135 to unlimited hours per week
• Degrees in medicine, finance, and culinary arts necessary
• No vacations
• The workload goes up on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and other holidays
• No time to sleep
• Salary = $0

The job ad got 2.7 million impressions from paid ad placements. Only 24 people inquired. They interviewed via webcam, and their real-time reactions were captured on video.  Check out what happened below. It's worth watching to the end.

Source >>

Spreading the Holiday Cheer

WSi Adopted a Family in need this holiday season and our Head Elf - Ms. Celeste coordinated the buying, wrapping, and delivery of gifts to this great family this year.   Thanks to everyone that contributed this year to help make this Holiday a little brighter for this family in need this year. 

Halloween Health and Safety Tips

For many people, autumn events like Halloween and Harvest Day are fun times to dress up in costumes, go trick-or-treating, attend parties, and eat yummy treats. These events are also opportunities to provide nutritious snacks, get physical activity, and focus on safety.

Check out these tips to help make the festivities fun and safe for trick-or-treaters and party guests.

Going trick-or-treating?

Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible.

Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.

Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.

Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat.

Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you. Always WALK and don't run from house to house.

Always

test make-up

in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent possible skin and eye irritation.

Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible.

Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing

decorative contact lenses.

Only walk on sidewalks whenever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.

Wear well-fitting masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls.

Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats made by strangers.

Enter homes only if you're with a trusted adult. Only visit well-lit houses. Don't stop at dark houses. Never accept rides from strangers.

Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.

Expecting trick-or-treaters or party guests?

• Provide healthier treats for trick-or-treaters such as low-calorie treats and drinks. For party guests, offer a variety of fruits, vegetables, and cheeses.

• Use party games and trick-or-treat time as an opportunity for kids to get their daily dose of 60 minutes of physical activity.

• Be sure walking areas and stairs are well-lit and free of obstacles that could result in falls.

• Keep candle-lit jack o'lanterns and luminaries away from doorsteps, walkways, landings, and curtains. Place them on sturdy tables, keep them out of the reach of pets and small children, and never leave them unattended.

• Remind drivers to watch out for trick-or-treaters and to drive safely.

Sugar: The toxic truth

Did you see this story? What are your thoughts on this?  

This week on 60 Minutes, Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on new research coming out of some of America's most respected institutions, which find that sugar-- the way it's being consumed by Americans today-- is a toxin. And it could be the driving force behind some of this country's leading killers, including heart disease.

Watch the segment >>