“I am thankful we are a legal company”… “Great location”… “Democratic, very easy to give ideas, very fast procedures, nothing held up, a very productive company”.
The Company and its office do matter. While there are always ways to cut corners, there are also risks associated with such, and if a company really wants to find a solution, then it will find one. At Staffwell, we do things on the up-and-up; for example, we pay full legal salaries and keep promises according to our compensation plan. This is appreciated by our staff and sets us apart from other competitors and companies.
We are housed in an old office in a historical building that I think is in a great location. Our team members, many of whom are nostalgic, love the office as much as I do. Of course, no office is ever completely perfect, but this one has worked for us as it is within our budget, is centrally located, carries good leasing terms and has an agreeable layout for us. We have tried our best to make it the best it can be.
Employees want:
• To work for a company that fully adheres to the law, especially with regard to their employee contracts and salaries;
• To work in a great location;
• To work in a non-regimented, easy-going office environment, where there are stream-lined procedures, little bureaucracy and it is easy and rewarding for them to express their ideas; and
• To work for a productive company.
“I was formerly a PA [personal assistant] but wanted to be more, but nobody gave me a chance until we met her. Age discrimination is huge in Russia but Staffwell still allowed her through”…”It is the first time she is her own boss and can be creative”.
The recruitment industry in Russia has matured over the years, as have hiring companies and their Human Resource (HR) executives. It is no longer acceptable in the market to be interviewed, or be pitched business-to-business services, by a 20-year old.
Companies and job seekers with prior work experience want to know that the people to whom they are speaking have sufficient business and life experience themselves, so as to understand them and their needs on a more equal level.
At Staffwell, we do not look at age or other discriminatory factors when hiring. We look for work experience, communication skills, language skills, professionalism, good manners, positive attitude, ability, and desire to join us and succeed. Everything else, and in-between, we train and develop on. This has worked for us and is another thing that, I feel, sets us apart from our competitors.
Employees want:
• To be given a chance, on occasion, to succeed by trying a new role or responsibility;
• To not be discriminated against due to age; and
• To be treated fairly.
Chapter 2
What Has Been Good/Enjoyable/Satisfying For You At Staffwell?
I felt this was a good question in order to find out more about what we were good at, and to induce people to be more forthcoming – if they were not already so when answering the first question. It also confirmed what we knew we were good at, while shedding more light on what our team liked about our company and what they felt our strengths were.
“Seeing how the company has grown from zero”…”Success, want my team to be successful”…”Have really enjoyed the success that has been achieved”…”Revenues, frankly speaking, the first enjoyable thing was my first revenue, I never knew I could earn such sums due to hard work”…”The results of placing – very inspiring”…”Making placements”…”Big placements”…”Making my first placement”…
I am, and have always been, a salesperson myself and, as this a sales organization, this was music to my ears.
As mentioned in Chapter 1, recruitment can be a “feel-good” business if you do it well. Clients appreciate your finding them the employees they needed; candidates appreciate your finding them new employment; and, if you are with the right recruitment firm, you will appreciate being thanked, congratulated, and compensated appropriately for your successful efforts.
Achieving success has always been very important to me and I constantly strive to achieve it in everything we do at Staffwell. It comes a lot easier when you love what you do, and I do love our business – and it is apparent here that many of our team members also love our business.
Employees want:
• To see the company growing and developing;
• Personal, team and company success;
• To bring money to the company and to earn money; and
• To achieve success.
“Team-building in the woods has always been good”…”The team-building event when I joined was super and I got to know a lot of people”…”Team-buildings and parties”…”The number of social events –it really brings people together –helps people to get to know each other better”…”Team-buildings with Moscow and President’s club trips”…”Birthday party of Teri’s at her Taganskaya apartment, all team-building events”…”Very impressed by the team-building”…”Nice team – they go to parties and spend weekends together, and took a trip to the Moscow office last year”…”Best was team-building in September”…
I found it interesting that the team-building events that were mentioned here were the simple, local ones: a party at my apartment; a day in the woods together playing adventure games; our day creating theater skits; or just spending time at another office. No one specifically mentioned our big trips to the beach in Turkey, climbing Chamonix in France, whitewater rafting in Croatia, or sailing in Montenegro. Perhaps, simple and local is more convenient and provides more quality time in a lower stress, closer-to-home environment.
I am a big fan of team-building and we have always had good experiences, whether it was very low budget or on the higher end. The important thing was that we were together, having fun, became stronger and knew more of each other afterward.
It can be really beneficial to periodically spend quality time with your colleagues outside of the routine office environment. It allows you to see a different side of the people you work with and can give you a better understanding of who they are on and off the job, in casual settings.
Employees want:
• To spend informal, organized time together with colleagues outside of the office;
• Social opportunities to get to know their management, colleagues, and staff better;
• Team-building opportunities to get to know people in the company’s other offices better; and
• Informal occasions to celebrate and have fun.
“Now a very professional, very specialized team of people”…”I enjoy the team”…”All people working for the company are well-measured, intelligent, all on the same level – highly interesting and intelligent”…”The people!”…”Good people, strong team”…”Enjoys working with a highly professional team”…”Team is #1”…”Support from the team and company, everyone is friendly and close”…”The team make coming to work great and very helpful”…”Warm team and great skilled specialists”…
I cannot over-stress that it is definitely all about the team you have.
Again, hiring good people, and retaining good people, is the biggest key to the success of any company. To perfect that for Staffwell has become my focus over the years.