October 2012 – Trillium Staffing

Developing a Strong Solar Construction Workforce

Jenna Mathieu — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 20:15:59 +0000

Did you know that every hour, the sun produces enough energy to meet the global energy needs for an entire year? Solar energy is a relatively low risk fuel source that is most often free of pollution and noise as well as being almost in endless supply. Sounds like a simple solution to our energy needs right? While the technology and fuel supply are readily available, a trained solar workforce is in high demand. It is essential that solar construction personnel maintain a high level of expertise and safe practices, which makes locating experienced talent a difficult task.

Recently the U.S. Department of Energy announced that they were supporting the PVOT or Photovoltaic Online Training program. The program is a free web-based training program that was created for code officials who grant permits and perform field inspections for residential solar installations. The program includes training on everything from electrical requirements to ways to decrease the time span of the permitting processes. Currently the training program is compliant with the National Electrical Code requirements. You can learn more about the training program and curriculum here.

While training is essential, the demand for experienced talent will remain high. Experienced solar workforce personnel are hard to find and most times even harder to entice away from their current employer. Trillium has an excellent team of industry trained professionals in solar power construction staffing with thousands of candidates that are subject to Trillium’s industry leading screening process. Our skilled tradespeople are interviewed, referenced, and screened to ensure that your project is staffed with the best tradespeople available. Trillium’s mobilized national workforce is designed to make the best tradespeople available for your Solar projects anytime, anywhere. If you are looking for tradespeople experienced in solar and renewable energy, contact our solar staffing team today!

Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of experienced solar construction workers? Contact us today! If you are a stand out solar construction worker seeking short or long term career opportunities, visit our job seekers section for more information!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

Could Retirees Be The Answer To Your Workforce Gap?

Jenna Mathieu — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:54:16 +0000

While hiring contingent or temporary staff has been a common practice among hiring managers for decades, the skill sets needed for many of these contingent positions has continued to escalate. While unemployment increased with the downturn of the economy in 2009, most organizations held on to many of their top performers leaving a shortage of skilled workers and professionals included in the unemployment figures. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has ranked contingent work in their top five industries of employment growth. There is a unique talent pool that has become a growing part of the contingent workforce, have you incorporated them in to your workforce yet?

Retired professionals have a strong and exciting new role in the contingent and contract workforce. Their experience level, skill set, and proven ability to create results make them a valuable asset to organizations seeking a strong caliber of contract or temporary employee. Many retirees are not seeking full time careers and may be more likely to quickly step into a contingent or contract position with less likelihood of seeking other opportunities, making the turnover for their roles decreased over traditional candidates. Often these employees are seeking positions that offer flexibility, opportunity to utilize their skills and experience, and positions that are aligned with their current lifestyles.

While there are proven benefits to adding any type contingent or temporary staff to your workforce, compliance rules and regulations tend to be more stringent for this type of staff. If you feel that additional staff and expertise could benefit your organization be sure to become familiar with the regulations involved or contact a trusted provider of contingent or temporary staff.

Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of professional contingent workers? Contact us today! If you are a stand out professional seeking contingent or long term career opportunities, visit our job seekers section for more information!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

What does MAP-21 mean for your fleet?

Jenna Mathieu — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:06:59 +0000

Have you changed your procedures to accomodate the passing of MAP-21 this past July? Do you know what these changes mean to you? Here are a few of the highlights!

“Moving Ahead for Progress in the Twenty-First Century Act” or MAP-21 brought with it many changes for commercial fleets including:

EOBR’s are mandated- The FMCSA will be issuing a new EOBR regulation set to replace the former 395.16.
Hours of Service- The FMCSA will complete a field study the end of March 2013 on the 34-hour restart provision to include changes to the restart provision for implementation in July of 2013.
Hazardous Materials- The maximum civil penalties for violations of the Hazardous Materials Regulartions are being increase to $75,000 and $175,000 where the violation results in death, serious injury, or substantial property damage.
New Entrants and Driver Qualifications- The FMCSA has one year to issue a rule that establishes new entry-level training requirements for all commercial drivers seeking a CDL or upgrading from one CDL class to another. MAP-21 also requires states to be able to accept a driver’s medical certificates electronically within the next five years. The FMCSA has up to two years to create a database of CDL drivers who have refused or failed a DOT drug or alcohol screening. Employers will be prohibited from hiring any driver listed in the database and employers will be required to search the database annually for each CDL driver that they are employing. Within the next 18 months the FMCSA will write a new rule requiring a written proficiency exam for all new motor carriers to ensure their knowledge of application safety regulations. The DOT has two years to create a plan to implement a national driver record notification system which would allow state licensing agencies to automatically notify motor carrier employers of any changes to the CDL drivers’ records.

These are just a few of the highlights that may affect the way you are doing business. The majority of these changes affect the hiring and monitoring of CDL employees. Did you know that Trillium offers a Dedicated Drivers Services package that would take a large portion of these responsibilities off of your to do list? Contact us today for more information! Click here for more detailed information on the MAP-21 changes.

Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of professional drivers? Contact us today! Are you a safe and professional driver who is seeking a rewarding career? Visit us at www.trilliumstaffing.com/jobs to locate a driving career in your area!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

Are You Protecting Your Organization From the Second Most Cited OSHA Violation?

Jenna Mathieu — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:22:23 +0000

For even the most experienced employee, regular updates on safety procedures are a must in today’s workplace. Employees face potential on the job injuries daily and prevention is the key to having a safe and productive workforce. According to OSHA, fall protection violations are rated second among their most frequently cited OSHA standards violations. Here are some great tips on Tarping Safety Awareness:

Video compliments of COTruckCo
Always have three points of contact when climbing up or down a ladder.

– Always have a 4 to 1 ratio with the ladder (for every four feet up you have 1 foot out at the bottom).

– If possible make sure the ladder stretches 3 feet above the top of the load.

– Check for trip hazards & holes that could cause you to trip on the load.

– Never expose your back to any open side of the truck.

– Bend or lie down when having to reach over the edge of the load.

– Wear safety glasses and gloves at all times.

– Work from the ground when possible.

– Be aware of slippery surfaces during inclement weather conditions.

A partnership with Trillium not only opens you up to the nation’s top talent for a wide range of positions, but also an unsurpassed protection and risk management program to help protect you from undue risks and liabilities. Contact us today to learn more about the advantages that over 5,000 companies nationwide are already experiencing from their partnership with Trillium!

**The information on this blog is considered by Trillium to be general safety information and not a substitute for specific safety training based on the hazards of a particular job or task. Please refer to your supervising company’s safety policies and procedures. Always check first with your supervisor if you are unsure of any safety procedure or if you have any reason to believe a job cannot be done safely.**

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

National Boss Day – A Day For Employee Recognition!

Jenna Mathieu — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 20:16:15 +0000

Was National Boss Day just another day on your calendar? Have you ever considered utilizing the day as an opportunity to recognize your staff and how their accomplishments have contributed to the success of your organization, regardless of their title? Start today!

Most experienced managers would agree that their success is dependent on having the right team and talent in place to excel in their industry. With today’s shortage of top level talent in several industries, it is essential to recognize and retain the top performers on your team. According to a recent survey by Jobvite upwards of 69% of employed Americans are actively seeking or open to new career opportunities. (Click here for more information on their survey)

What are you doing to retain your top performers? Do you have an employee recognition system? Do you regularly let your team members know how valuable they are to you and your organization? Here are some quick ways to recognize your top performers on a regular basis:

A personal note, email, or conversation thanking them for specific accomplishments or achievements they have had recently.
Send an email announcement as appropriate to your staff, recognizing specific contributions made by a team or team member.
Provide them with a gift card to one of their favorite places.
Treat them to lunch with their department or direct supervisor.
Take time to discuss their career ambitions and see if there are opportunities within your organization to achieve them.
Provide ongoing education or training to assist them with their professional growth within your organization.
Give positive feedback regularly.
Be sure to give top performers the attention that they deserve, they often don’t receive the same attention as some more difficult employees.

Take an active interest in your employees and their career ambitions on a daily basis. Employee recognition is a key factor in retaining the talent that makes you shine as a manager and as an organization!

If you find yourself struggling to locate top talent, contact Trillium for additional assistance! Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Are you seeking your next career? Register with us today at www.trilliumstaffing.com/jobs! Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

Are You Doing Your Part to Reduce the $576B Lost Annually?

Jenna Mathieu — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:48:25 +0000

As the fall cold and flu seasons are upon us we brace for the inevitable, sick employees. The overall impact of an unhealthy workforce on your bottom line can be very damaging to your organization. According to the Integrated Benefits Institute, poor health amongst our workforce costs our economy $576B annually! (Read more here on their findings.) While we cannot eliminate illness in the workplace there are proven methods to help reduce the risks of spreading illness.

Whether or not your organization has a formal wellness program, there are some simple and inexpensive ways to promote a healthy workforce including:

Encourage employees to practice a healthy lifestyle.
Encourage ill employees to stay home when contagious and make sure to sanitize their workstations quickly.
Provide hand sanitizer in convenient areas of the workplace and encourage employees to be conscious of the spread of illness.
Provide employees with information that can assist them in leading a healthy lifestyle. (Free Wellness Newsletters provides newsletters on a wide variety of topics here.)
Provide healthy food options in vending machines.
Have water cooler facilities readily available to employees.
Promote a smoke free facility.
Track illnesses and alert employees as well as provide prevention tips.

While it’s nearly impossible to eliminate illness these tips are a great starting point to reduce the spread of illness and the costly effects to your bottom line!

Attention Drivers! Are You Up To Date?

Jenna Mathieu — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 20:48:08 +0000

In an effort to eliminate drivers’ having to carry their medical cards with them at all times while driving, FMCSA has passed a ruling where CDL licenses are tied to the drivers physicals.

Beginning January, 2012, drivers are required to get a copy of their long form physicals to their home state licensing agency. Although the ruling says you can fax it to your state licensing agency, we recommend our employees hand deliver it to your local office so you know it was received. This document is then tied to the CDL and whenever the physical expires, if a new one is not received by the appropriate state licensing agency the CDL is suspended until they receive the long form physical.

From this point forward, whenever a driver receives a new physical, the long form must be faxed to the appropriate state agency to insure their CDL does not get suspended. Although this new rule may not have been widely publicized, it has been implemented and is being enforced in all states.

If you need further information here’s the web site link on this topic:

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.aspx?reg=383.73

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.