Future Force Personnel Services

The I-9 is one simple form. And yet, as a temporary staffing agency in Miami, Future Force Personnel knows it can be the source of major hassles for employers. As is true for many other government forms and processes, there are numerous rules, regulations, and potential fines for non-compliance associated with it.

So what can you do to make sure you don’t get into hot water with Uncle Sam over an issue with an I-9? Start by avoiding these common mistakes:

Mistake #1. Using an Old I-9.

The most recent version was released in 2009. So make sure you are using that form. You can check the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s (ICE) website to download it.

Mistake #2. Not Fully Completing the Form.

This may sound like a no-brainer, but many employees and employers fail to fully complete the form, from missing signatures, to incorrect dates, to unchecked boxes. To avoid this, keep a sample copy of a fully completed form and compare it to all new Form I-9s.

Mistake #3. Not Having Employees Complete an I-9 Within Three Days.

ICE requires that Form I-9s be completed within three business days of an employee’s first day at work. And if you fail to meet this deadline, it can result in hefty fines. So request that all new hires bring appropriate identification documents with them on their first day and fully complete the Form I-9.

Mistake #4. Not Having a Uniform Policy in Place for Photocopying.

You don’t have to photocopy your employees’ identification and file it with their I-9s. However, if you do it for one employee, you have to do it for all of them and vice versa.

Mistake #5. Keeping Old I-9s.

You are required to keep I-9s until either one year after the date of termination or three years after the date of hire, whichever is greater. After that, purge old I-9s. Keeping them can result in fines if you are audited by ICE and they find I-9s with incorrect information, even if it’s from a former employee.

Don’t Want to Deal With I-9s?

Then consider hiring temporary employees through a temporary staffing agency in Miami, like Future Force Personnel. Here at Future Force, we have the knowledge, expertise, and network to give you fast access to skilled people on a temporary basis, while also reducing your HR headaches by handling the I-9 paperwork. Contact Future Force today to learn more.

Rushing into a hiring decision is never a good idea, even if you’re simply hiring on a temporary or seasonal basis. So how can you ensure your seasonal hiring process is both efficient and effective? Here’s a look:

1. Start early.

Don’t start to think about hiring for the summer on June 1^st. As one of the leading temporary staffing agencies in Miami, we know the earlier you start, the more access you’ll have access to the best candidates.

2. Forecast your needs.

In order to maintain appropriate staffing levels, it’s important to assess past needs. For instance, look at your sales from last year and your current staffing levels to forecast areas in which you need to ramp up hiring for the summer.

3. Look to existing employees.

Look to your list of part-time employees and ask them if they’d be willing to work more hours in the summer months. By drawing from this pool, you can benefit from the fact that they are already experienced and familiar with your company, so they will likely catch on much quicker to tasks than someone completely new to the company. As a result, they can hit the ground running as soon as the summer-time rush begins.

4. Take the time to evaluate each candidate.

Don’t have a “first come, first serve” attitude toward seasonal hiring. Just because someone applies first, doesn’t mean you should hire him or her. Instead, take the time to evaluate the candidates that do apply and look for people who are eager to learn, flexible when it comes to having a fluctuating schedule, and genuinely interested in working for your company.

5. Offer training.

A customer isn’t going to know whether an employee is seasonal or not. They’re just going to know whether they’ve had a good experience – or a bad one – with your company. So make sure you invest in a program or process to properly train your new, seasonal hires.

6. Get help.

If you don’t have the time it takes to screen resumes and conduct interviews, then consider outsourcing the process to one of the temporary staffing agencies in Miami. A professional staffing agency will have the knowledge, experience, and network to give you fast access to good quality candidates.

If you’d like to learn more about working with a temporary staffing agency in Miami, let us know. Since 1992, Future Force has helped thousands of clients find qualified and reliable talent on a short-term and seasonal basis. Learn more now.

As one of Miami’s top staffing agencies, we know there are lots of articles out there about hiring individuals who are “top performers,” or “star employees.” While it’s always great to have a few of these on staff, not every person you hire is going to be a stand out. That said, you want every single person you do hire to be a hard worker, regardless of the position or department they’re in.

So when you’re interviewing, what kinds of questions should you ask to evaluate work ethic – regardless of if you’re hiring for a C-level position or the mail-room clerk?

Here’s a look at 8 possibilities:

1. What’s your definition of work ethic?
2. How would you describe your work ethic?
3. Tell me about a time you went above and beyond in a job.
4. Tell me about a time when you had to work as a member of a team to complete a task.
5. What would your past boss or supervisor say about your work ethic?
6. What would your past co-workers say about your work ethic?
7. What excites you about this position or this company?
8. Why do you think you will be successful in this position?

And if you’d like some additional assistance with the hiring process – beyond ideas for interview questions – let us know. As one of Miami’s top staffing agencies, we’ve helped thousands of clients find qualified, reliable, and hard working talent on a short-term, seasonal, and full-time basis. Contact us today to learn more.

While some say email is dead, most managers and employees still use it as a primary mode of communication with their bosses and colleagues. And it’s no wonder, considering all of its benefits. For instance, email is a fast and easy way to disseminate information. It offers recipients the opportunity to think about their response, unlike with a phone call. And it leaves a paper trail, which can come in handy in a variety of situations.

That said, as one of the top employment agencies in Miami, we know there’s also a dark side to communicating via email. It can become a source of misinformation, confusion, and frustration. In addition, it can also lead to conflict because without the benefit of being able to read someone’s body language, you might take a comment meant as humorous as an insult instead. And finally, it can make you look less-than-professional when you get too casual with this mode of communication.

To help ensure you use email to its fullest potential, while navigating its downside, here are some etiquette tips to keep in mind:

• Be as specific as possible with the subject line. For instance, rather than using “website project” as the subject, use “issue with website launch date.”
• Be concise. Email is meant to be a short and sweet way to communicate. With some email systems, the recipient can see the first few lines of the email without having to open it up, so make those lines count.
• Always spell check. Don’t rely on automatic spell check; read through each email before sending it to ensure it is accurate. With auto fill, it can be easy to send an email to the wrong person, so double check the “to” field before hitting the “send” button.
• Be professional. That means no LOLs or OMGs. That’s fine for personal emails, but not for work. So spell out words properly, use correct grammar and punctuation, and make sure you have an email signature. Also insert a privacy statement at the end of your emails, which can help protect the spread of misinformation.
• Be careful. Being professional also means being careful about your word choice, formatting, and punctuation. Lots of “?!?!!” or words in ALL CAPS could send the message that you’re angry or irritated, which might not sit well with the recipient.

Also a few don’ts to keep in mind when it comes to workplace email etiquette:

• Don’t share intimate thoughts or comments that could be construed as offensive via email.
• Don’t send large attachments without confirming the recipient can receive and open the file.
• Don’t use emoticons or fancy fonts or colors.
• Don’t address sensitive issues, such as performance problems, via email; as one of the top employment agencies in Miami, we know those types of conversations are better left face to face.
• Don’t type the recipient’s name into the “to” field until you’ve proofread the email (just in case you hit “send” by accident.)

As one of South Florida’s top staffing agencies, we know that informal gambling in the office is as standard a part of work culture as chatting around the water cooler. In fact, according to a recent survey by Career Builder, one in five U.S. employees have participated in March Madness pools and more than one third of workers admitted to entering Super Bowl pools in the past.

So is this all good-natured fun, or could it become an HR nightmare?

Well, first of all, as you probably know, betting on sports teams is illegal in most states – including Florida. However, there are states where you can have office pools as long as they are small and the person organizing it doesn’t benefit monetarily.

If you’re in a state, like Florida, where it’s illegal, it’s unlikely the feds are staked outside your business, monitoring the betting activities of your employees. However, if you get caught, understand that the penalties can range from small fines to felony charges to imprisonment, depending on the situation.

If you see the office pool as “all in good fun” and choose to look the other way, then make sure your employees only bet small amounts. When pools start getting into the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, that’s when you can begin to draw unwanted attention.

Also, be sure to avoid involving multiple offices in different states in the pool if, for instance, you operate in one state where office pools are legal, but also do business in another state where they’re not. In fact, sending emails or making calls across state lines regarding gambling activities could invoke federal statutes, along with gambling-related state statutes.

And if you don’t have a gambling policy in place, as most employers don’t, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, then you might want to consider developing one. If you do have such a policy in place, then now could be a good time to review it and make sure it’s up to date.

Whether it’s the receptionist who wears low cut tops or the IT guy who wears jeans with holes in them, we’ve all worked with someone who dresses…well…less than stellar. But, as one of the leading staffing agencies in Miami, we know that how people dress can actually have a big impact – either positive or negative – on their careers.

So if you a work with someone who dresses inappropriately, should you say something – or just keep your mouth shut?

The simple answer is: it depends.

There are a few things to consider before deciding on the proper course of action, including what your relationship is with the employee. For instance, if the employee in question is your subordinate, and they are regularly violating company dress code, then consider saying something, particularly if their clothing choices are distracting or offensive to other employees. Also, as one of Miami’s top staffing agencies, we can tell you that having an employee handbook with a clear dress code policy is always helpful in this kind of situation.

In addition, if the person is a co-worker whom you consider a friend, then you might want to say something, as well. If they’re a hard worker, but constantly getting passed over for promotions, it could be due to their bad wardrobe choices.

If you do decide to say something, be careful about your word choice. Remember, you want to help this person, not humiliate them. So don’t use words like “slob” or “cheap,” or you’ll risk offending the other person. Just try to be as diplomatic as possible.

On the other hand, if the employee who dresses inappropriately is nothing more than a co-worker whom you have a casual relationship with, then consider keeping your mouth shut. There’s no point in taking the risk that you’ll offend them and create negative feelings in the process.

As one of Dade County’s leading staffing agencies, we know that the decision to hire doesn’t come lightly these days. Having too many employees on board can be a big drain on your bottom line, while not having enough can certainly impact your ability to get orders out the door and meet customer demand.

So before making a firm decision about whether or not to hire, ask yourself a few questions:

1. How well are you meeting customer demand? 

In other words, are customers satisfied? Or have you had a recent uptick in complaints due to bad service or slow orders?

2. Can current employees do more? 

For instance, can you offer them overtime pay for working more? Or are there ways to re-organize your teams to make them more productive?

3. Do you have the cash flow to justify hiring? 

You not only have to look at your cash flow now, but you also need to try and anticipate what it will be in the near future in order to justify hiring someone new. Compensation is a big fixed expense and the last thing you want to do is put someone on the payroll, only to realize a few months later that you can’t afford your new recruit.

4. Do you have the workload to justify hiring? 

Similarly to the previous question, do you have the workload now and in the near future to justify bringing a new employee on board? People want to be busy and feel like they’re needed. And if there’s not enough work for them to do, they won’t be happy on the job. So if your need for extra help is stemming from a seasonal demand or short-term increase, then consider using temporary staffing instead.

5. Do you have the time and resources to train a new hire?  

When employees aren’t properly trained, then they won’t be successful on the job. So training – and also spending the time to manage them during those first few weeks and months – is critically important. And you need to ensure you have the time and resources to do so before committing to hiring.

6. Will a new hire pay for themselves? 

In other words, will hiring help save time, save money, win new clients, or offer some other important advantage to your company that is greater than the total cost of a new hire’s compensation?

If you’ve answered these questions and feel confident you’re ready to hire, let us know. As one of Dade County’s leading staffing agencies, we can give you access to full-time talent, as well as temporary help, to meet all your staffing needs. Contact us today to learn more.

Many small business owners start off as sole proprietors, running a one-man or -woman show. But if you’re one of them – and would like to expand your business by hiring, you may be feeling uncertain where to start.

As one of the top staffing firms in South Florida, we know that hiring is a complicated undertaking in today’s world. There are many factors to consider when you’re in the market to hire – from interviewing techniques, to whether you should conduct background checks, to how to avoid the risk of a hiring mistake. On top of all that, today’s high unemployment rate means that there are a lot of people out there looking for jobs. And the result of that is you could wind up being inundated with resumes from unqualified people.

While you can never eliminate all the challenges associated with hiring and staffing, you can certainly help minimize some of them by taking the right approach. Here’s how:

Think about your needs.

Before doing anything, take some time to think through what it is you really need from the new hire. For example, what areas do you need help with the most? Do you want to hire someone full- or part-time? What kinds of duties do you need a new hire to perform? What kinds of goals will they be expected to meet? By spending some time thinking about what you really need, you’ll be able to write a more concise and clear job description that hopefully attracts the right person.

Ask around.

The easiest and most cost-effective way to source good candidates is to ask for referrals. So ask your colleagues and other people you trust in your network for referrals to top candidates.

Write your job posting.

Job postings have a tendency to be too long-winded and overwhelming; or they’re simply fluff and not in-depth enough. But remember, the more targeted and clear your posting is, the better candidates you’ll be able to attract. So limit you posting to the title, important responsibilities, qualifications (including those that are absolutely required and those you’d simply like to have), and directions for applying.

Place your posting in the right place.

If you work in a niche industry, consider posting your ad in a trade publication or on an industry website. That way, the general public won’t be applying; instead, you’ll be advertising in front of an audience that is already in your industry.

Don’t wing the interview.

The interview is your chance to see if a candidate is really the right fit for you. So take the time to prepare thoughtful questions so you can get the information you need and make the right hiring decisions. Also, during interviews, ask all the candidates the same questions so you can compare them more easily during your decision-making process.

Check references.

Lying on a resume or during an interview is more common than you think. And checking references of a candidate you’re interested in hiring is really the easiest way to ensure their background matches what they’ve been telling you.

And if you’d like to outsource the hiring process to one of the top staffing firms in South Florida, give us a call. At Future Force, we are experts in sourcing, screening, interviewing, testing, and verifying – all so you get a candidate that’s a great fit for your needs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.

As one of the top staffing firms in Dade County, we know that during times of slow growth and ever-tightening budgets managers need to think very carefully before hiring new full-time staff. The risk of a hiring mistake, or realizing you actually don’t need the new hire on a full-time basis a month after they start, can have a hugely negative impact on your bottom line.

But if you know you need more manpower to get projects completed, what can you do? Here’s a look at 18 alternatives:

1. Allow existing employees to work overtime in order to increase productivity.
2. Ask employees to come into work a ½ hour early to get more done during the day.
3. Ask for and reward suggestions from your employees for increasing productivity and/or efficiency.
4. Offer incentives to your team if they’re able to increase productivity.
5. Offer incentives for individuals to increase their own productivity.
6. Offer incentives for below average performers to improve performance; if they can’t, consider terminating them and replacing them with average or top performers.
7. Reduce paid time off, such as sick days or vacation time, to increase the number of hours worked.
8. Change team compositions or sizes in order to enhance their effectiveness.
9. Re-train employees to enhance their skill set and improve overall effectiveness.
10. Train managers on the latest productivity tools and techniques.
11. Educate your employees on where you are now in terms of output and where you need to be.
12. Invest in new technology that allows you to increase output and/or reduces your dependency on people.
13. Outsource tasks to vendors.
14. Assess every process and procedure and eliminate low-value work.
15. Cut the number of meetings and allow employees to work remotely.
16. Bring in consultants or project specialists to meet short-term needs.
17. Bring in temporary workers to get more done without increasing your overhead.
18. Hire employees on a part-time basis who are willing to work only during peak periods.

If you’d like some additional help getting more done – without adding to your fixed expenses – give us a call. As one of the top staffing firms in Dade County, Future Force has helped thousands of clients find qualified and reliable talent on a short-term, seasonal, and part-time basis. And we can help you too! Contact us today to learn more.

According to the American Staffing Association, businesses are reporting that audits by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are on the rise. This increase in ICE Notices of Inspection (NOIs) reflects a crackdown on employers hiring illegal immigrants, rather than on the illegal immigrants themselves.

In an NOI, ICE will request hiring and payroll records, as well as other pertinent documentation to determine compliance with employment eligibility verification laws. Typically, all documentation must be produced within 3 business days.

As one of South Florida’s top staffing agencies, we know it is critical that you have a consistent and error-free process in place for complying with form I-9 regulations. Companies that don’t can get hit with big fines, criminal penalties, negative media attention, and disruptions in productivity.

To avoid compliance troubles, here are some guidelines to keep in mind:

• All employees hired after November 6, 1986 must complete 1-9 forms, even if they only worked at your company for a week. This form is not for independent contractors, or temp workers; it’s for employees only.
• While the law states that an employee has three days to complete the I-9 form after hire, get it done on their first day. Be sure to remind them to bring an acceptable form(s) of ID with them on their first day. Remember, ID must be an original, not a photocopy.
• The law doesn’t require you to photocopy an employee’s documentation, but it does require that you have consistent policies in place. That means if you photocopy one employee’s ID, then you must do the same for all employees to avoid any appearance of discrimination.
• Keep each employee’s I-9 in a file separate from their personnel file; you can store them in paper files, or electronically.
• If you rehire an employee within three years of their original employment date, you can re-use the original I-9 form by completing section 3.
• If you terminate an employee, then you must retain their 1-9 form for three years after the date of hire or one year after the date their employment was terminated – whichever comes later.
• Periodically review your employee I-9 files and destroy those that you are no longer required to keep. That way, you’ll reduce your potential for liability in the case of an audit.

Also, keep in mind that when you bring on temporary workers, with the the help of a South Florida temp staffing agency, the agency will handle all the paperwork – including 1-9 forms – so you can focus on running your business.

If you’re interested in learning more about the many benefits of temp staffing, please contact Future Force today.