News & Events

By Patty Hampton, CSP

Nonprofit Staffing Solutions Increases Expert Staff

Firm hires Destiny Kibalama to assist with growing clientele

Washington, DC – August 10, 2011 - Nonprofit Staffing Solutions (NPSS) recently announced the hiring of Destiny Kibalama as an Associate Staffing Consultant. The firm has seen substantial growth in its clientele over the past year, which has permitted the hiring of additional expert staff.

“The work is coming in fast and furious,” said Lisa Brown Morton, President/CEO of NPSS. “Having…Destiny on board will help us to improve our efficiency and give us greater capacity to serve even more clients!”

Destiny Kibalama will joins the NPHRS team with experience in human resources and recruiting with a home healthcare staffing agency, as well as more than 4 years of expertise as a customer service and management professional with a multi-billion dollar car rental organization. Destiny has an MBA from University of Maryland/University College and holds a PHR certificate. Destiny has career success in running an HR operation singlehandedly and has exceptional competencies in recruitment, workforce development, and a passion for global business management.

About Nonprofit Staffing Solutions

Nonprofit Staffing Solutions is a specialty-staffing firm based in Metropolitan Washington, DC. We focus exclusively on providing mission-driven talent and smart staffing solutions to meet the executive search, temporary and direct hire staffing needs of nonprofit organizations across the nation.

Our company was formed in 2003 as a division of Nonprofit HR Solutions, the nation’s only full-service HR consulting firm dedicated solely to the nonprofit community. Like our parent company, we understand and appreciate the unique challenges nonprofit organizations face – and are prepared to help you meet them.

For more information on Nonprofit Staffing Solutions, please call 202.785.2060 or visit www.nonprofitstaffingsolutions.com.

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By Mac Smith, Director of Marketing

Why do clients of staffing firms never think that those firms can, and will, do executive searches? Does it have something to do with organizational hierarchy? Maybe it is just plain snobbery as in, “C-suite executives are not staff.”

After all, executives have offices and staff have cubicles. The same people that find you candidates for the cubicles don’t have the same skills to find candidates for the offices. Right? Maybe this lack of belief in the staffing firm to do executive search is the fault of the staffing firms.

“Hello. What does your company do?”

“Hi. We are a staffing firm that specializes in temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire placement services. Oh, and we also do executive search.”

No! No you don’t. Executive search is direct-hire placement!

Yes. You read it right. Executive search is direct-hire placement. Is executive search so very special it needs its own firms and approaches? I don’t believe so and this sets me apart from some at our firm.

We do it all; direct hire, temporary assignment, temp-to-hire and executive search. The fact that we are a full service firm continues to have issues with our company branding.

I pull my hair out when a client says, “You do all our temps. I did not even think of asking you about completing our search for a CFO.”

Really? Did we do something wrong? We tell you four times a year EVERYTHING we do. Our client relationships continue to convince me that organizations believe: Staffing ? Executive Search. I think the reason they think this is because they think hiring an executive is harder and more important than hiring a mid or entry-level employee.

But we are all HR professionals. We know that the executive wing really carries only slightly more weight in the performance of the organization’s mission, as does the rest of the staff. It is also not harder to hire an executive. It just takes longer because their relative depth of experience requires additional review time than that of an entry-level employee.

The main reason it is treated with such special gloves is because of the cost. The twenty percent fee for hiring an IT manager is not has much as hiring a CEO of a $500 million nonprofit. Everyone understands that part. Does the high cost mean it needs special gloves used by an (wait for it) EXECUTIVE search firm?

Think about it. When the CEO announces retirement what do organizations do? Do they call Dawn, the lady that has filled dozens of temp jobs for them over the past ten years and direct-hires at the mid-management level including that great executive assistant that everyone loves? Do they consult the staffing firm that has provided temps for the front desk after a call at 9:00 P.M. the night before? You know the firm that knows their organization inside and out. The firm that understands their culture and the personality needed to successfully work there.

No. They do not. They can’t do that. This is an EXECUTIVE SEARCH! This person is getting a corner office and car allowance for crying-out-loud.

But wait. What about Dawn? The lady from the staffing firm that has done so well providing solid temporary and full time staff for the organization. She understands the culture of the organization so well that they don’t even really look at the resumes any more. They just send her the job description and a good candidate appears, does the job, supports the mission and gets paid. They even hired some temps full-time because they were so good. Can her firm complete the EXECUTIVE search?

I bet they can.

By Dawn Taylor, Director of Business Development

In large to midsized organizations, human resource departments perform many integral functions. Yet in small organizations, human resources are more often than not non-existent. These tasks are often passed to administrative or finance staff that aren’t trained in the facets of human resources. Sometimes it works. Other times it can result in inefficiencies, low morale, high turnover and unlawful operations.

Human resource investment, whether internal or external, can save thousands of dollars in the long run. Without professional guidance, organizations can easily make costly yet preventable mistakes. Here are a few examples when poor employment practices can cost you:

Not versed in Employment Law
One legal misstep can cause an entire organization to crumble. Did you know organizations with just one or more employees are subject to a host of labor laws? As your organization grows, the more labor laws your organization could be subjected to. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), individual charge filings increased by ten percent from 2008 to 2009. Ignorance isn’t a defense, so it’s essential to bring in a professional that knows the laws.

Failure to Understand Employment-at-Will
Employment-at-will-doesn’t necessarily mean “fire-at-will.” What would you do if the EEOC called to advise you that an ex-employee filed a wrongful termination complaint? Organizations should have a termination process and record performance feedback showing an employee was given opportunities to improve.

Using Probationary Periods
Some companies use probationary employment periods for the initial days of employment, typically 90 days. By identifying these first 90 days, the organization indicates the new hire is officially off probation as of day 91. The organization must now show cause to terminate employment. If you know an employee isn’t going to work out right away, delaying termination can create a legal liability.

Quick to Hire
When organizations are understaffed, managers may rush through the hiring process and end up regretting it. Poor hires take up time, create tension and cost money.

Poor Documentation and Record-keeping Practices
Accurate documentation is critical. Both incomplete and over documentation can become liabilities in instances like discrimination suits or when protesting an unemployment claim.

Using Another Organization’s Employee Handbook
Using another organization’s handbook is one I hear often. Remember one shoe does not fit all when it comes to handbooks. Each must be tailored to a particular set of values and procedures. Borrowed handbooks may not be current, relevant, or depict employment rights in the employer’s state.

The consideration of building an in-house human resources team or hiring an outside consultant should not just be a idea but implemented. Employees are the most important component of any organization and can help it grow and prosper as well as fail. The investment in effective human resource practices and functions and professional advice is a crucial piece in the healthy growth and development of the organization and the employees who keep the wheels turning.

Have you ever been told by a hiring manager to let a candidate “sit a while” after an offer has been extended?

Two weeks ago, I had to make up a bogus, out of body and inauthentic response to a well qualified candidate about a position that has been open for months. As I was going through my recruitment tracking report this morning, my mind wandered and I caught myself speaking out loud about the organization and the open positions. There were several unedited explicit words that crossed my mind, but a few edited and other miscellaneous thoughts that filtered the air as I took another sip of the morning Joe.

“Seriously? Why the heck is the position open if you have no urgency to make a decision?”

“ Ugh, I hate it when hiring managers act like they need to see 900 people to make up their mind.”

“Let’s see what inauthentic line can I make up today to keep this candidate warm.”

“Great, I’ve got seven more positions to fill and they are dragging their butts about two others. Dang, their killing me!”

“Are you kidding me? Really? They can’t afford to give this guy $2,000 or $3,000 more a year?”

“There is no internal equity issue, this job is unique and this sit and wait approach is costing me time and wasted energy. How about I just share the God’s honest truth about the situation that the salary request is the real issue and, offering more money is just not doable!”

My friends and colleagues will tell you in a heartbeat that I took the road less traveled and went with the authentic response and told the God’s honest truth. My decision was easier knowing that the candidate was still interested in the position and the organization. After more than 20 years as an HR practitioner and recruiting professional, I really don’t have time to play games.

I can hear some of you now,  “You think the hiring manager’s decision was a negotiation tactic?”

No.  I don’t think so. I don’t know what it is, but it has nothing to do with negotiation tactics; it’s just a plan and simple dumb move.

Time and time again I witness candidates that truly invested in an organization’s recruiting and selection process. Not only have they been interviewed by HR, but possibly a team of folks throughout the organization. My goodness, do we really need all these decision makers mudding up processes that we control? And at what point do you step in and do your due diligence and diplomatically let the hiring manager know, this is the best matched candidate and they’ve been blessed by everyone on your team? How can we say we balance the internal process with external factors when we know full well that we are the ones calling the candidates and scheduling them yet again for another freakin’ interview?

This is crazy people. Wake up!

We cannot allow hiring managers to control HR processes when we have a responsibility to drive change in our organizations. We are the change agents, right? When you know a candidate has been interviewed by a team of people and there is no definitive reason to bring them back again, then don’t. Force the hiring team or hiring manager to make a decision. There is no such thing as a “no risk” hire.

We have got to force our hiring managers to be better decision makers in the hiring and selection process. We have got to drive the process from the very beginning and that starts with us. Set up expectations of the recruitment and selection process. Balance out this so called power they think they have by injecting their preferences into the process. Don’t let hiring managers drag their feet when all the lights are green. Yellow means proceed slowly and I agree that we need to move forward with caution. But for God’s sake, we are in the business of  changing lives. When you know you are impacting someone’s life by extending them an opportunity because they are one or two mortgage payments away from being homeless, trust me, you will respond differently. Especially when there are no red flags that hinder the process.

All I’m saying is, if you’re supposed to be the catalyst for HR processes in your organization and it’s your turn to take a swing at the plate, then by golly hit a home run.

I’m took a stand this morning and told a candidate the truth. The next move is yours. What are you going to do?

By Benjamin Freedman, Staffing Consultant

There is a saying, “even the sun shines on a dog’s…” (You know the rest.)   Well, this is particularly true in the case of my dog Edison. To give a little background, I recently moved into a house with a big bay window in the living room. Edison has discovered that he can sit in the window and it will allow him to both sun himself and enjoy one of his favorite activities – barking at the mailman.

It is important to understand that I do NOT want Edison sitting in the window; primarily because I am scared he will break it during one of his barking sessions. In order to prevent him from getting on the window ledge, I have relocated furniture, put boxes in front of it, and sprayed it with dog deterrent. The initial results have been a sore back from moving furniture, broken boxes and a smelly window. Edison still always ended up sitting in the window.

I tell this story for two reasons. First, if you have any ideas on how to keep him down, please share. Secondly, this is a perfect example of self-motivation and achievement.

In the work place, we at times face barriers to success. These barriers can take many different shapes, but the question generally becomes whether or not they are going to impede us from our goal or if we are going to find a way to achieve what we want. In the case of Edison, his goal is to get on the window ledge and enjoy the sun while barking at the mailman. I can be considered a supervisor or colleague who is working very hard to make Edison fail.

Edison however will not accept failure as an option – he is motivated and determined to achieve his goal. He has figured out that he can break the empty boxes to get past them. He has discovered that without having furniture to climb on to get to the window, he can just jump. And the smell of the dog deterrent? Well, he is unfazed by that useless product. His example is the same for us. What success boils down to is how bad do we want to achieve whatever goal we have set?

The motivation for success is an internal one and therefore the external barriers should provide us the opportunity to think creatively about getting where we want to go. If it is a new job we want or to take on a new project, understand that it is always possible for us to do it or get it if we apply the correct motivation. There may be many things in our way, but it is up to us to figure out how to work around or through the obstacles that prevent success. In the end, if we want to feel the joy and success of the sun shining on our rear-ends like Edison, WE are the ones that have to remove excuses and figure out how to do what needs to be done.

Firm hires Benjamin Freedman to assist with growing clientele

Washington, DC – March 8, 2011 – Nonprofit Staffing Solutions (NPSS) today announced the hiring of Benjamin Freedman as Staffing Consultant. The firm has seen historic growth over the past 18 months allowing for the hiring of additional expert staff.

“Our client base has exploded over the past months,” said Lisa Brown Morton, President/CEO of Nonprofit HR Solutions, sister organization of NPSS. “Benjamin expands our talented pool of staffing experts allowing us to continue to maintain our high level of client service.”

Freedman possesses more than ten years of nonprofit and staffing experience. He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate from Long Island University with a degree in Special Education and a Certificate in Human Resources from Cornell University. Professionally, Freedman has many years of nonprofit experience with organizations that have concentrated on youth development and education. Approximately five years ago, after working his way to management level positions, he made the decision to join the staffing industry. After working three years in staffing, primarily for law firms, Freedman briefly combined his skills in staffing and his experience working in training to a DC nonprofit, Byte Back. He worked as their Employment Specialist working to assist graduates of their program in employment.

“The idea of working for a company whose solitary purpose is matching passionate, mission driven professionals with nonprofit organizations could not be more attractive,” stated Freedman. “I am very impressed by the approach of NPSS to care for their clients and candidates the way a nonprofit would care for the people they are servicing. The firm is not about sales for sales sake, but rather developing relationships and partnerships.”

Freedman will provide staffing support and consultation to our NPSS’s diverse staffing and HR outsourcing clients. He will handle both temporary and direct hire staffing.

About Nonprofit Staffing Solutions

Nonprofit Staffing Solutions is a specialty-staffing firm based in Metropolitan Washington, DC. We focus exclusively on providing mission-driven talent and smart staffing solutions to meet the executive search, temporary and direct hire staffing needs of nonprofit organizations across the nation.

Our company was formed in 2003 as a division of Nonprofit HR Solutions, the nation’s only full-service HR consulting firm dedicated solely to the nonprofit community. Like our parent company, we understand and appreciate the unique challenges nonprofit organizations face – and are prepared to help you meet them.

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By Dawn Taylor, Director of Business Development

A few days ago, I received a copy of an email from a nonprofit organization that was sent its employees and was for the most part threatening in nature. It basically said, “Stay home if you are sick!” For me, and probably you, this is the scenario for the beginning of any workday.

You rise from a fitful night’s sleep with a sore throat and headache. Your temperature is slightly over 100 degrees. Judging by how awful you feel, you wonder if it will spike to 103 degrees by day’s end. So the questions begin. Should you drag yourself to work and risk infecting coworkers? Or should you phone in sick, even though your boss desperately needs you to pitch in during a stressful week?

“People are concerned about calling in sick, but if you’re really feeling unwell and especially if you have a fever, you need to stay home,” said Catherine Cummins, MD, MSN, a health sciences assistant clinical professor at the University of California-Irvine School of Medicine in a recent article on MedicineNet.com. “A little bit of common sense goes a long way.”

What should you take into account when deciding whether you’re too sick to work? The article has a few suggestions:

• How well can you carry out your work duties? If you’re feeling quite sick, “you’re going to have a hard time functioning and performing at your normal level,” Cummins says.
• Are you contagious? If you have a viral or bacterial illness, you’ll expose your coworkers and they in turn will infect others. Staying home when you’re sick helps to curb germs in the community. “It’s to contain the illness,” Cummins says.
• Will resting at home help your body to overcome the illness? “We see a lot of worsening symptoms because people will just not stop and rest. They want to go; they want to be able to do everything that they normally do,” Cummins says. “What they don’t understand is that they’re pushing themselves to the point where they’re actually a lot sicker at the end of two to four days than they would have been if they had just taken that first day off and let their body fight the infection.”
• Are you taking medications that could impair your ability to think, work, operate machinery, or drive? Let’s say, for example, that you’ve been prescribed Vicodin for back pain and it’s causing fuzzy thinking. “If you’re so sick that you’re using opiates or any controlled substance to control pain, you really need to stay home,” Cummins says. “You shouldn’t be driving, and you could have your performance impaired or it could even be dangerous.”

Lastly, use the golden rule, Cummins says. “Treat others as you would like to be treated. Think about if you would like it if someone came to work and coughed on you all day.”

by Patty Hampton, CSP, Managing Director Staffing Services/Executive Search Consultant

More than ten years ago, I was given an amazing gift from a consultant. The consultant offered me pro bono executive coaching. To my surprise, I was steered through a powerful journey that forced me to examine my intentions of leading and the legacy I would want to leave behind. The authenticity of several breakthrough moments not only inspired me but opened up a world of possibilities. In that moment I was awed by my own vision for my life direction and purpose for living. It was as if I had stumbled into a very familiar place.

During my quest to build upon what the consultant shared and my insatiable appetite for knowledge on a variety of subject matters, I began reading and researching several books and articles on authentic leadership. Through my research, I came to the conclusion that almost everything that I read about being an authentic leader was nothing more than propaganda. Dang, I felt like I’ve been hoodwinked for years!

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that books on leadership do not offer some invaluable tips and advice on how to operate and be a great leader, but many of them fell short of defining authentic leadership. Then one day I came across a book that spoke to my heart and shared many of the same teachings that the consultant shared. The book is titled True North by Bill George and Peter Sims. This book is rich in its definition of authentic leadership. For me it’s about leading from the place we all know as the human spirit.

George cleverly unfolds five elements of “authentic leadership” in his book that is all too familiar. They are: “(1) pursuing purpose with passion: authentic leaders must first understand themselves and their passions, (2) practicing solid values: values are personal, however integrity is the one value required of every authentic leader, (3) leading with heart: its about having passion for your work, compassion for the people you serve, empathy for the people you work with, and the courage to make difficult decisions and navigate through unpredictable terrain, (4) establishing enduring relationships: people demand access to their leaders, as trust and commitment are built on the openness and depth of the relationship, (5) demonstrating self-discipline: authentic leaders set high standards for themselves and expect the same from others and this requires accepting full responsibility for outcomes and holding others accountable for their performance.”

More than ten years ago I discovered my authentic leadership because I was forced to examine my own self-awareness and who I was being in the workplace, in my home, and in the world. The self-examination and the coaching from the consultant who I consider a dear friend, has left a lasting impression and imprint on my life as a person and HR professional.

My journey in defining authentic leadership for me is a gift that keeps on giving. Each day I see new and inspiring ways in how I respond to both positive and negative life experiences. The journey of authentic leadership is never over and that is what makes this gift so amazing. As I digress for a moment, another breakthrough emerged – déjà vu – lead authentically in your organization; the desire to do so has always been within.

By Patty Hampton, CSP, Managing Director, Staffing Services/Executive Search Consultant

Civility is my new favorite word for 2011. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, its means in the archaic: training in the humanities and the second definition is a: civilized conduct; especially: courtesy, politeness and b: a polite act or expression.

While defining the word can be easy, I was thrilled when I ran across a book that cleverly examines and makes life and workplace references by offering a realistic approach that is not often popular with most people. The author that took an unpopular path to examine and give true authentic meaning and thought to the word civility is P.M. Forni, an award-winning professor at Johns Hopkins University who wrote Choosing Civility – The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct. The book is a testament of sorts of how we all should live. Not only was I moved by the author’s inspiration to write about civility, but the many meanings of this word are not as simply as one would believe. The complexity of the word drives me to look at everything I do and say in this realm of authentic living and who I am in the workplace, with family and friends or who I am being publicly.

While each rule can easily be practiced and attributed to the workplace and to life, I was inspired by all of the Rules of Considerate Conduct that the author writes about, however two of them touched me the most. The one that is the most intriguing is number 15, Respect Other People’s Space. With this rule, the author talks about the quality of our relationships with our coworkers and promoting a culture of civility in the workplace.

I have been an HR practitioner for over 18 years. I cannot tell you how many employee relation issues I have handled related to work related stress either from a coworker or supervisor. Today, even as an executive staffing consultant, I am often asked if an organization values and promotes a work/life balance culture. After all these years, I am still in awe by this question because it is still top of mind for so many applicants. People want to know if a workplace is stress-free or is more stressful than the one they plan to leave. I am a firm believer that people seek out and want a stress-free work environment. They not only crave one, but demand one.

The drama that sometimes ensues from angry supervisors, coworkers and executives is no longer acceptable in the workplace. People get the fact that they may have to work longer because of the downturn of the economy, but they’ll be damned if they have to work in an environment that dishes out drama eight hours a day. I am convinced that people will continue to evaluate their own tolerance for work-related stress that at times seems to invade our space. Today’s employees will also want to work for employers that actively promote a less stressful or stress-free work environment.

I think we all can agree that “civility makes for better relationships among coworkers” as the author states in his book. I also agree with him that this is going to be one of the most attractive and appealing incentives for organizations to attract and retain top talent. People are not looking to be coddled, but they are examining their passion for the work that they do, contentment in promoting a mission of an organization they believe in, and a workplace that promotes and authentically values healthy workplace culture. Saying you promote it is no longer enough. Give the person who asks the question examples of how you practice “civility” in your organization.

My second favorite point is number 22: Refrain from Idle Complaints. In this rule, Forni talks about his experience with service excellence and the civil workplace. “I value good service”, he writes. As employees in the workplace we are all customers of each other and the constituents we serve. The author talks about a civil workplace. He says it is about improving the customer’s experience. Without disclosing too much since I know you plan to read the book, can you equate the quality of service to the quality of one’s life? He states that a stressed, over-burdened, fatigued, harassed, or underpaid employee is not likely to provide the best service. I agree. I’ve seen it in action. He is not saying give all your employees raises so they provide good customer service. However, it does make sense that if employees are energized and engaged in a reasonable workload there is a positive effect on the customer’s experience.

Work/life balance is not just some policy statement. As HR professionals we have to practice what we preach. We have to make it a way of being in the workplace and we have to be the leaders that make it happen. Workplace civility has to be part of our culture and who we are.

I applaud Forni for devoting an entire book to the word civility. Not only is this book a guide for promoting and teaching civility in the workplace, but should be a must read for every HR practitioner who has a vested interest promoting this type of culture and a goal to attract and retain the best talent for your organization.