Bolt Staffing Blog

The question of whether the changes in the labor market over the past three years are part of a permanent, structural change in the American economy, or whether they’re due to a cycle that’s soon to return to normal isn’t very important to someone looking for a job.

However, for employers, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s testimony on March 26, 2012 leaves more than a little concern.

While the Fed boss had reassuring things to say about the causes of unemployment being  due to cyclical factors, the fact remains that many people are still out of work, many have given up looking for a job. Uncertainty about the economy is much more evident than any signs of real expansion.

For those of us in business, while things have improved over the last year or two, the good old days of 2007 remain a fond memory. Many employers have found themselves caught between the immediate demands of increased business and the nagging doubts about the economy and the numbers coming from Washington.

Remember BOLT exists to buffer you from uncertainty.  While people often think the cost of using an agency is simply too high, too often they overlook the costs of hiring on their own. Those costs remain even if you are perfect in your hiring decisions.  If the economy sours and you are forced into layoffs, you will literally watch your investment walk out your door.

With the latest two step coming out of the Beltway, it’s worth reiterating this article that we featured in December’s newsletter.

The truth is that if every one of your hiring decisions is winner you’re right, an agency will cost you more. However, if you bat less than 1.000, we can save you money. When you add that fact to the possibility that we are not yet out of the economic woods, if you’re thinking of adding staff you owe it to yourself to take a look at the December article and then call BOLT!

BOLT’s recruiting staff completed training in compliance with Assembly Bill 1825.  Although the law mandates training for supervisors in companies with 50 or more employees, it also applies to anyone acting as an agent for companies with 50 or more employees.

We are now in full compliance and if you are interested in training for your company, just give us a call.  We have an HR professional on staff available for you at very reasonable rates.  AB 1825 mandates a minimum of 2 hours’ training.  If you’d like us to schedule a class, just call 707-552-7800.

On Dec. 30, ASA issued an Issue Alert regarding California Labor Code section 2810.5(a), which requires that certain wage and other information be provided to each employee at the time of hire in the language the employer normally uses to communicate employment-related information. On Jan. 23, 2012, the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement issued revised frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding the law, which became effective Jan. 1.

The revised FAQs were issued in response to widespread criticism from employers and employer groups that DLSE had not provided adequate guidance for compliance. ASA was among the first to seek clarification regarding the law’s implementation, particularly with respect to the notice to be provided to temporary employees. In correspondence to DLSE, ASA pointed out that the model DLSE form is problematic for temporary staffing firms because it says a “work site employer” that uses another business, such as a “temporary services agency” or PEO, should provide the wage information “for the other business.” This suggests that temporary staffing firm clients would have to provide the notice to the staffing firm’s employees (and does not rule out the possibility that both the staffing firm and the client must provide the notice).

We further explained that although temporary staffing firm clients may be co-employers for some purposes, they do not hire the firm’s employeesthe staffing firm hires them. Moreover, clients are not the employer of record for the payment of wages to the staffing firm’s employees and would have no way of knowing a temporary job applicant’s potential rate or rates of pay. Nor do they provide workers’ compensation coverage to the staffing firm’s employees.

Accordingly, ASA developed a suggested notice form that reflects the practical realities of the temporary staffing business and addresses the statutory requirement that “employers must notify employees of the rate or rates of pay.” The form was developed in consultation with ASA California employment law counsel Richard Simmons of the law firm Sheppard Mullin in Los Angeles.

Although the revised FAQs do not specifically address temporary staffing, they provide support for use of the ASA notice form. For example, FAQ 16 states, “[a]n employer can modify the DLSE template or attach a sheet to the existing template with a clear reference to the attachment in the space for “Rate(s) of Pay.” The employer should specify multiple rates within a range the worker will be paid by the employer, including the basis for variation that informs the employee when certain rates within a range will apply (based upon stated criteria such as complexity/difficulty of project work).”

Therefore, staffing firms should be able to address the notice requirement by (i) providing applicants with the range of rates they can expect to earn for the type of assignments they are seeking and for which they are qualified; and (ii) providing a basis for such variation in ratesASA is seeking confirmation that a range of rates and general statement that exact wages will depend on the type, location, and length of temporary assignments, as well as the employee’s skill level, should suffice.

FAQ 17 provides further support for this approach, stating that, “[f]or a worker in a public works project, the applicable prevailing rate is dependent on the location and project work performed by the worker. Accordingly, the employer must include in the notice all rates applicable to such work that are known or can be determined at the time the notice is to be provided.” Because exact wage rates cannot be known at the time the form is provided, staffing firms should be able to specify the applicable range of rates.

Last, FAQ 19 suggests that staffing firms should list the applicable overtime rate using the lowest regular rate of pay the temporary employee can be expected to earn, and also state that this overtime rate is subject to upward adjustment depending upon the pay rate for each temporary assignment: “When providing information regarding applicable overtime rates, only rates known and determinable must be specifically provided to the employee . . . In such cases, it is sufficient that an employer provide the minimal overtime rate based upon a multiplier of 1 or double times the hourly rate and also indicate that such specified overtime rate is subject to upward adjustment when other specified forms of wages are earned during the applicable pay period.”

ASA continues to be in communication with DLSE and will provide additional information and any clarifications that become available.

Source:  American Staffing Association Issue Alert, 2/6/2012

If you have the ability to welcome well-heeled visitors to our world class destination, we have an opportunity for you!  An nationally recognized service is looking for a bright, people-person to open the gateway to the Napa Valley experience for their clients.  You must be service oriented and ready to welcome people who expect the best of everything. Your attitude and local knowledge will be the first face of Napa Wine Country for them.

Hours will vary with shifts starting between 6 AM and 9 PM.  You will need to be available to work Monday through Sunday.

If you’re interested in helping important people find a special Wine Country experience, call today!

707-552-7800

We’ve been a little quiet with our correspondence lately and this will give you an idea why.  It’s been wonderfully busy, and it’s great to match good people with good solid companies!

If you’ve clicked in to check out what we can do for your staffing needs in Northern California, you’ve come to the right place!  Below is our job listing page, so you can see what employment opportunities we currently have.

If you’d like to see some jobs we’ve recently filled along with the salaries accepted, click here.  If you’d like to see what we’re seeing and thinking about the current employment market and business climate, click here.  We produce a Constant Contact email periodically so if you would like to be on our mailing list send an email request to recruiter@boltstaffing.com or just click on the title of this post and leave us a reply on the next page!

If you’d like to learn more about BOLT Staffing, click here.

In any event we hope you have a successful visit to Sacramento, and a great year!

Last weekend our sales guy, Anthony, celebrated his birthday.   I decided we could celebrate with a cake at our weekly meeting.  A full blown layer cake would have been over-the-top on a Monday morning especially on the heels of the holidays.  So I made a coffee cake and here is the recipe.  We even put a candle in it and staff sang Happy Birthday….I should have taken a picture!  As my family awoke to that wonderful aroma, I must admit they were disappointed to learn the cake was headed to the office.

I’m a big fan of buttermilk in cake recipes so I searched and found this one in the trusty Betty Crocker checkerboard cookbook.

1 ¼ cups flour

¾ cups brown sugar

¼ t. salt

1/3 c. shortening

1 t. baking powder

¼ t. baking soda

¼ t. each cinnamon and nutmeg (I recommend 1/8 of nutmeg, up to your taste)

2/3 c. buttermilk

1 beaten egg

¼ c. chopped nuts

Combine the first three ingredients. Cut in shortening setting aside ¼ cup of the crumb mixture for the topping.  Add to remaining crumb mixture the baking powder, soda and spices and mix well.  Add buttermilk and egg, mix well

Spread batter into a 8x8x2 inch GREASED metal baking pan (I used a cake pan for the birthday effect).  Stir together remaining crumb mixture with nuts (I used both walnuts and pecans). Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean. Serve warm.

BOLT Staffing President and Sonoma Mayor Joanne Sanders will be speaking at the group’s 2012 kickoff meeting January 10, at Sally Tomatoes Restaurant, 1100 Valley House Dr.,  Rohnert Park.  The event begins at 6:00 PM.

Joanne will be talking about best practices to find  job or business opportunities in the North Bay.