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For the Fourth Time Trend Receives Inc. 5000 Award

Rockwall, TX – September 19, 2010 - Trend Personnel Services, Inc., a leading provider of human resource outsourcing, today announced that the company was named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list, a compendium of the most entrepreneurial and fastest growing companies in America.  This is the company’s fourth consecutive year appearing on the list. Trend Personnel is an arm of Trend HR.

TrendHR CEO D.W. Bobst commented on the award: “We are very excited to be chosen for the Inc. 5000 list for the past four consecutive years.  Inc. Magazine is the leading authority on the fastest growing companies. During this challenging economic climate, we were able to achieve the award again based on our team’s outstanding customer service, client referrals and our overall commitment to providing the highest level of quality of services and support.   Our focus is to help business owners be more productive while spending less time on administrative/non-productive tasks, which is critical to businesses in these tough economic conditions.   I would like to express my gratitude to our Trend Personnel Services teammates and our clients who are key to our success. 

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found on Inc.com. 

About TrendHR:

TrendHR is a human resource outsourcing company focused on providing its customers customized solutions to Payroll, Staffing, Workers Compensation, Health Benefits, Risk Management and Human Resource functionality.  Trend operates as an off-site Human Resource Department relieving businesses of hundreds of burdensome details which allows business owners to focus on production and growing their business.  “Do what you do best, let Trend handle the rest!”  

Don’t neglect performance management in tough times

By Laura Raines

For the AJC

When employees are being asked to work longer and harder to keep companies afloat, and budgets are too tight for pay raises, supervisors may be tempted to postpone or suspend annual performance reviews.

That would be a mistake. Not only does it leave employees in the dark about their status, it negates the benefits that companies derive from creating a successful performance management program.

“It’s always better to recognize employees for their work, give them feedback on their performance, and to be upfront about the lack of money for salary increases or bonuses,” said Margaret Hintz, team manager for the Eastern region midmarket division of Administaff in Atlanta. Administaff is a leading professional employer organization that provides human resources services for small and midsize companies.

“Working in chaos is not good for anyone, and if you don’t tell people what is going on, they’ll fill in the blanks themselves,” she said. “When managers tell employees about what is going on in the company, whether it’s good or bad, it builds the level of trust needed to create a good workplace.”

People often equate performance management with the annual performance review that helps companies decide who gets promotions, raises, bonuses or disciplinary actions.

“Effective performance management goes well beyond reviews,” Hintz said. “It’s about the entire life cycle of an employee.”

It starts with a well-written job description with clear performance standards. “The responsibilities should be doable and based on benchmarks that have been achieved in the past,” she said.

For a call center operator, it might include how many calls the person would take in a day, and what percentage of issues should be resolved on the first call, for example. Goals should be defined at the individual level, but linked to the department and overall company goals, so that employees understand how their job fits into the company mission.

Clear job descriptions make the review process more objective, allowing supervisors to assess employees doing the same job with more equity. “Knowing the expected responsibilities also helps employees and supervisors recognize skill gaps, which can be addressed through training and development,” Hintz said.

“When employees hear that management is willing to invest in their development, it sends a clear message that they are valued and have a future with the company,” she said. “It creates a stronger company culture, which minimizes employee dissatisfaction and turnover.”

Using in-house experts as trainers, low-cost Internet classes or Web-inars, or the training resources provided in a professional employer organization package can lower training costs. She encourages her clients to look for low-cost lunch and learn lectures that would appeal to a broad spectrum of workers (such as stress management or wellness initiatives).

There are other ways to reward employees than compensation, as well. A change in title, extra time off, a more flexible schedule, access to a leadership training program or a high-level project can acknowledge value without breaking the budget.

“Companies need to understand what’s important to their employees to be able to reward them when they are successful, and that comes from a performance management program based on communication, collaboration and commitment,” said Hintz.

Bosses should give regular feedback to their employees on what they are doing well and in what areas they need work, rather than waiting for an annual review. “That allows an employee to improve before a formal evaluation,” she said.

With ongoing communication, work progress becomes a more collaborative effort. “The example must come from the top down, with leaders setting high standards for management,” she said.

“The body of human resource knowledge is so vast, that it can be difficult for a small or midsize company to get a handle on creating a performance management system,” said Hintz. Partnering with a professional employer organization can deepen their knowledge of best practices, and add to their resources. Gaining access to more affordable employee benefits at larger group rates can often offset the costs of outsourcing HR services.

“A good performance management system shows employees that you’ve thought through what they need to do; you recognize their contributions; you want to train and develop their skills; and you will reward their success,” said Hintz.

“It’s critical to the overall health of a company, because it strengthens the culture, increases retention and employee satisfaction, and improves a company’s reputation.”

Tips for Organizing Personnel Files – Reward: Limiting Risk!

Did you know it’s important to keep certain personnel records separate? Well it happens to be very important.  Quite simply, you should have at least 2 separate personnel files for each employee.

Why should we have separate files for each employee? 

There are both federal and state laws that require employers to administer and maintain multiple types of personnel records. Due to record sensitivity and subject matter, certain personnel records must be kept separate from the main personnel file. The primary file should house all records directly relating to the employees position with your company. Any non-job related records must be kept separate.

PRIMARY Personnel File (#1) –employees’ personnel related records:

• Completed Job Application (with attached resume, references, certificates etc)
• Signed acknowledgement and receipt of  handbook (policies/guidelines)
• Employee agreement/non-compete (contract)
• Direct Deposit & Payroll authorization forms
• Change forms (pay, title, payroll, address etc)
• Performance reviews
• Counsels / disciplinary actions (completed forms)
• Termination forms / layoffs / LOA
•  Equipment record (assigned items – company phone, vehicle, tools etc)

SECONDARY Personnel File (#2) – confidential, sensitive records:

This file will contain confidential and sensitive personnel information so should be restricted to authorized staff members only:

• Completed Form I-9
• Records of grievances or complaints affecting employment status
• Survey of ethnic, disabled or veteran status
• Workers' compensation claims
• Discrimination claims, charges and related documents filed with EEOC or state agencies, as well as records kept by employer to aid in investigations
• Health and Life information (medical history and status)
• ADA - Work restrictions or accommodation requests
• Harassment claims and/or investigation results
• Wage garnishment records

Keep your employee personnel files separate to protect your company and your employees. Failure to keep certain records separate could lead to large fines should your company ever be audited.