Professional Outlook, Inc. Recruiting Specialists

Professional Outlook, Inc. would like to announce the successful completion of the following searches in the last 30 days:

·     PSM Coordinator, Koch Mineral Services, LLC.
·     Reliability Engineer, Arsenal Steel
·     Technical Authority – Safety Instrumented Systems, BP Refining
·     Process/Project Engineer, Countrymark Cooperative Refinery

The completion of these searches once again solidifies Professional Outlook, Inc. as the premier search firm in the United States specializing in the placement of Engineers for the Refining, Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Food, Beverage and related industries, as well as Environmental, Health, Safety, and HR Professionals in the Manufacturing and Chemical Industries. 
 

Our firm’s mission statement is to be exceptionally competitive and to achieve retainer-style results on a contingency fee basis by making a thorough evaluation of our clients’ corporate culture and maintaining long-term relationships with a deep and highly qualified candidate pool.  If we can add value to you or your firm in any way, simply respond to this e-mail and I will schedule a conference call within 48 hours to discuss your needs. 
 

What people are saying about us…

“Our experience with Professional Outlook has been wonderful.  We particularly like the professionalism and the high level of service they provide.  The recruiters always take the time to learn about our needs, our challenges, and our culture before embarking on a search in order to provide us with top quality candidates.  Their responsiveness has been tremendous.  We are very pleased with their results and our partnership.”                                                                           Selina Hoflund,  Frontier Refining, Inc.

 Herman Trend Alert: Protecting Perks in a Downturn
 In spite of the drastic effects of the economy on the labor market with announced workforce reductions up 30 percent, a surprising majority of companies (66.7 percent) have chosen to preserve their employee perks. Ten percent of those employers said they had considered trimming perks, but decided to leave them at current levels.

Despite their need to reduce their expenses, almost 55 percent still plan to distribute year-end bonus checks this year (2008). Only 20 percent of the companies surveyed said they had cut or eliminated perks to contain costs. At the same time, 35 percent reported they had to cut these extras to save jobs.

These findings were part of a recent survey of employers, conducted by one of the leading global outplacement firms, Challenger, Gray & Christmas last month.

According to the Challenger survey, 50 percent of companies reported having awarded year-end bonuses last year (2007). A mere 4 percent said they planned to decrease the levels of bonus checks, while 23 percent said bonuses will be approximately the same as 2007. One could also conclude from these data that a surprising 22 precent of employers actually plan to increase their bonuses.

The destabilized economy has led to major reductions in force. According to Challenger’s estimates, through September 2008, employers have announced plans to cut a total of over 750,000 jobs. Yet in spite of the softer economy, another survey conducted by a business research firm in Arlington, Virginia and ADP, the payroll provider, found that 34 percent of their respondents reported “recruitment and retention” as their top priority.

Looking at the findings from both of these studies, we can infer that a large percentage of employers understand the value talented workers provide to the organization. They know that if they do not take care of their employees during this difficult time, when the economy improves, those employees might leave.

Wise employers will hunker down and engage their associates to help them streamline processes, market smarter, and cut expenses. They will continue to resist reducing bonuses and perks, because they know the future dangers and choose to think long-term.
 
                                 Herman Trend Alerts are written by Joyce Gioia-Herman, a strategic business futurist, Certified Management Consultant, author, and professional speaker. Archived editions are posted at   Copyright 1998-2007 by The Herman Group of Companies, Inc., all rights reserved. Reproduction for publication is allowed by permission of The Herman Group, Inc., and must include the following attribution: “From ‘The Herman Trend Alert,’ by Joyce Gioia-Herman, Strategic Business Futurists.