Author: MSI

Whenever each generation comes of age, the workplace changes – a shift engendered by differences in values, beliefs, technology, culture, society and an ever-evolving world. Understanding how newer generations differ from their professional predecessors and the impact that these differences have on your business can be confusing, which is why we recently shared insights into Millennials in the Workplace.

With that said, another demographic, Generation Z, is growing up and leaping into the workforce. Born between 1997 and 2012, they are the group that directly follows millennials, and have their own unique ways of being and becoming. Understanding who they are before they become the dominant segment of the workforce is not only beneficial to your business’ future operations, but it’s talent retention as well.

Let’s examine Gen-Z:

Having grown up in a world connected through social apps, websites, smartphones, tablets and smart devices, Generation Z value immediate information and global connections. All their research is conducted online and considered from varied information sources before making decisions about companies, brands and products. They want to be well informed and don’t often make decisions based on feelings or gut. They want to get where they are going quickly and find outdated technologies and systems mundane and frustrating.

According to experts, Generation Z is expected to become the largest consumer group in the US by 2026. They are the most ethnically diverse generation in US history and have idiosyncratic opinions, values and characteristics. Race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and culture does not form the basis of their feelings towards others. They formulate opinions about others based on personality instead.

With changing demographics happening in America, Gen Z will become the most diverse generation in American history and will consist of a population of mixed religions, cultures, languages and races. This diversity will open up new trends in consumer behaviour which will affect the way businesses communicate with its employees and customers.

Generation Z is also very entrepreneurial. Their influences are the likes of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and countless others that started companies from a garage at home at a young age and went on to be among the wealthiest people in US history. Additionally, many of their role models are young, reality stars and social media personalities who diversify into multiple income-generating endeavours. Generation Z isn’t afraid of going after entrepreneurial aspirations and feels empowered to achieve great success at an earlier age.

“At MSI Recruiting we understand the needs of our different generational talent pools and are proud to say that hiring and retention continue to be at a high level amongst our clients who have augmented their workplaces according to the needs to their staff. Our focus on successfully pairing employees and employers whose professional values and expectations align is why we have remained at the forefront of corporate recruitment for over 20 years,” said Jody Moore, MSI Recruiting, Partner.

Currently, most of Generation Z are in high school or college. However, within the next decade, they will take over the workplace. Employers that prepare their businesses to meet the expectations of this group sooner, rather than later, will be those that have a higher chance of securing and retaining them when the future becomes the present.

Creating a workplace that suits the needs of your employees is the solution to retaining any professional assets. Get in touch with us today to find talent from first-time employees to the most experienced staffers in the market.

Sonny’s Direct is the leading manufacturer and producer of car wash systems in the US. The company has a long-standing history, dating back over 60 years, of providing the car wash industry with excellent service and parts.

For Sonny’s Direct, an integral component of its success has been recognizing that the core of any business is its people. Since 2013, MSI has been the go-to provider of exemplary staffing solutions and services for Sonny’s Direct.

Doug Conant, internationally renowned business leader, said it best when he said that, ‘to win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace.’ Sonny’s Direct, together with MSI Recruiting, has been ensuring that the business wins in every respect by securing the best employees, which in so doing, is affording it the best opportunities to succeed in the marketplace.

MSI Recruiting has successfully placed 85 talented individuals at Sonny’s Direct to date in all capacities. Temp, temp to hire, and direct hire. MSI has worked with the finance, operations, human resources, administration, marketing, and information technology departments, delivering skilled and experienced individuals who have continued to add value to the team and organization.

“With our significant growth in the past few years, MSI Recruiting has become an integral part of the Sonny’s Direct HR staffing team. They consistently provide us with quality candidates in several roles, whether permanent or temp to hire. They work assiduously to meet our needs, no matter how unique our requirements are. I have worked with recruiters in the past that would inundate us with candidates that did not meet our requirements, MSI Recruiting is different” said Melanie Marino, HR Director of Sonny’s Direct.

MSI Recruiting has enjoyed this working relationship and the opportunity to add value to Sonny’s Direct. MSI Recruiting always strives to be the leader in staffing and hiring, and to provide its clients with the best service in the industry.

“Sonny’s Direct has grown to be one of the most important clients for our recent growth and success.  The relationship between our two businesses is the perfect example of a recruiting partner and client in alignment and firing on all cylinders. MSI Recruiting has a keen understanding of Sonny’s Direct’s corporate culture and has built personal relationships with most of the department leaders. This has allowed us to be extremely effective at taking a job requisition from them and quickly determining the best candidate for that role.  We look forward to a continued, mutually-beneficial partnership with Sonny’s Direct,” said Kellen Smith, Partner at MSI Recruiting.

When speaking on how his people were instrumental to the success of Virgin Group, Richard Branson once famously said: “Hiring the right people takes time, the right questions and a healthy dose of curiosity. What do you think is the most important factor when building your team? For us, it’s personality.” He was right.

In the fiercely competitive business arena, having the right team cannot be more stressed as a vital factor in the success of any company. People power the bottom line, which means that every hire is crucial. Getting recruitment wrong can have serious consequences on the growth and sustainability of an organization.

Studies have shown that companies spend over $40,000 on training, screening, background checking, interviewing, re-interviewing and more when they need to hire an employee, then repeat the process every time the demand to hire a new employee arises.

This process costs companies time, money and important resources without much guarantee of success. In some instances, it has to be repeated when during the employment probation period, it is discovered that the probationary employee isn’t a great fit and has to be replaced.

MSI reduces this risk and ensures that the best and brightest people are recruited first time round. For us, ‘fit’ is everything. We find the perfect fit by taking the time to figure out exactly what that means, for the candidate and client alike. Our staff conduct an in-depth, detailed and vetted search process to select the best candidates for your job opening. Thereafter, we conduct a minimum of two interviews with each candidate to determine a fit for culture, motivation and skill set match.

During this process, MSI Recruiting also manages both client and candidate expectations, before presenting four to five candidates for your position and schedule them for back-to-back interviews with your hiring authority, for an immediate compare and contrast review. This allows you to quickly select your top candidates for final interviews.

“MSI Recruiting is a highly skilled team of recruiting professionals well versed in the practice of search and placement employing all the latest technologies. Our service alleviates a majority of the time and cost our clients would normally spend during an employee search-and-interview process if they were to conduct a search-and-hire on their own. Our candidate network and continuous search efforts reflects the very best pool of talent in South Florida. Clients of ours that are looking to build their A-team of corporate management can rely on us to recruit and present candidates that weren’t responding to job postings but rather candidates that are at the top of their careers who can make an objective decision about a career move as opposed to a desperate response just to gain employment. This pinpoint recruiting approach gives confidence to our clients that the career minded candidates we put forward are relevant and aligned with the company leaders’ aspirations. By managing the search, recruitment and hiring process on our clients’ behalves, we present them candidates they can’t get anywhere else as well as we save them time and money, two commodities that are better served when invested towards the development of business and efficiency,” said Jody Moore, Partner.

No matter how much you spend on various aspects of your company or keep up with the latest technology and trends, your business will only be as good as the people you hire. Let MSI Recruiting help you select those that will make your business soar.

Previous feature: Millennials in the Workplace

The future is here: millennials have taken over the workforce. But unlike their professional predecessors, they have a different set of values, expectations and requirements from their places of employment. Successful businesses of the future will be those that recognize the need for incremental, and in some cases, radical changes to their existing company practices and culture, to meet the needs of this demographic.

It’s been said that millennials change jobs more frequently than any other generation. However, happy employees don’t leave companies, no matter their age. This means that understanding millennials is key to their retention. It is also essential for developing millennials into the future leaders you need them to be for your business.

Unlike previous generations like Baby Boomers and Generation X who typically valued structure, millennials prefer flexibility in the workforce – with office hours, schedules and workplace locations. This is due to a life tethered to technology and the internet, which enable working remotely from the comfort of home, the coffee shop, the beach and so forth. Employees are able to achieve the same professional expectations and deliverables as expected of them in the office, all while improving their work-life balance, which they place high value upon.

The tech-savvy nature of millennials also means that they are more than equipped to improve upon workplace processes set by those before them.  They are the ‘work smarter, not harder’ generation. If a company is set in its ways and unwilling to learn from them, the likelihood of retaining this talent pool is low. Listening to, and implementing, plausible changes driven by technology that they put forward not only makes them feel valued, but can also improve operations, all while keeping your business on the cusp of modernity.

Millennials are fuelled by collaboration with their co-workers and don’t necessarily feel in competition with them. They seek environments that allow them to have fun doing what they love, all while being led by superiors who help them grow through trust, constructive criticism and mutual respect.

Investing in their skills and performance development is critical. A study found that 69% of millennial employees believed that the review process at their places of employment were flawed, as they did not receive frequent feedback on their job performance consistently throughout the year. It would be advised for companies to ensure they are regularly providing their young employees with regular training and performance reviews so that their staff feel like they are growing, improving and bringing greater value to a company than they did before.

The rise of social, environmental and civil rights injustices being brought to the forefront of global consciousness means that millennials have grown up with concern over these issues. They want to feel that they are contributing to a better world for everyone. Corporate social responsibility is thus an important initiative to millennials, and they want to work for companies who share this same value.

“To attract the best millennial talent, trends have shown that companies will have to change their policies according to the expectations of the market. Greater autonomy, transparent communication and company culture promise put into real practice will be among the greatest drawcards for tomorrow’s workforce leaders,” said Jody Moore, MSI Recruiting, Partner.

“At MSI Recruiting we understand the needs of our millennial talent and are proud to say that hiring and retention continues to be at a high level amongst our clients who have augmented their workspaces and cultures according to the needs to their staff. Our focus on successfully pairing employees and employers whose professional values and expectations align is why we have remained at the forefront of corporate recruitment.”

The job market is not the same. The time for change is now. Creating a workplace where millennials long to be is the solution to retaining these professional assets. Get in touch with us today to find the best millennial talent who are in sync with you and your business.