Employer
Watch the Humane Society bring kittens to the office
It’s a heartbreaking story.
On Sunday night four kittens were put into a duffel bag and tossed into a pond in Dayton. A passerby witnessed the bag being thrown from a car and promptly called the Humane Society of Greater Dayton. The kittens were rescued and — despite all odds — are getting stronger every day.
The person who witnessed the crime was unable to get a license plate number. The kittens are only three weeks old.
Click the video below to watch what happened when the kittens visited our office.
Employee Spotlight: Catherine Harlamert of Gapi USA Inc.
Learning curves are intimidating. No doubt about it.
“I’ll have someone call up and need a three-eighths inch rod that specs to an ASTM D-1710,” says Catherine Harlamert of Gapi USA Inc. in Clayton.
“I basically moved from jacket sales to high-molecular plastic and it’s a totally different world,” she said.
Indeed it is, but Harlamert caught on. Now her responsibilities are increasing and she may start traveling with a sales rep to meet distributors face-to-face. A trip to Italy may be in the works.
BarryStaff placed Harlamert at Gapi after she approached the company looking for a change. She knew she could do the job … if she kept the faith.
“It’s really been one of the smoothest transitions I could have asked for,” said the former salesperson of school jewelry and athletic wear.
Gapi is a manufacturer of custom molded polyurethane products. The company has a presence in many countries around the world.
In spite of its global status, what’s impressed Harlamert the most has been the family atmosphere in Clayton. When new decor was needed for the walls, management took employees to Hobby Lobby to pick out pictures for decorating. Then they were treated to dinner.
“It’s nice to see a company include the staff in these types of changes, it really shows how much the management respects the employees and wants to make sure they are happy and involved at work on all levels” she said.
The road ahead is bright for Harlamert. And she credits BarryStaff with giving her a nudge in a new direction.
“BarryStaff has been awesome,” she said. “If I have any questions, my emails are always answered quickly.
“I wouldn’t be here if not for Barrystaff,” she said.
Click here to watch a short video featuring Catherine Harlamert.
13 signs you’re a stellar employee — even if it doesn’t feel like it
By Áine Cain
Are you killing it at work, or are you barely scraping by?
It’s not always obvious.
Sometimes, certain bosses or office environments just aren’t that big on feedback.
These subtle signs can help you determine if you are, in fact, an exemplary employee:
1. You get along great with your colleagues
Not only are you a delight to be around in the office, you’re an awesome team player. Plus, this probably means that you’re a great fit for the culture of your organization.
2. You’re honest
Good bosses love workers with integrity. You’re forthright with your boss and colleagues. You speak frankly and candidly. Most importantly, you don’t stoop to using nefarious means to get ahead.
In organizations with toxic cultures, honesty may be overlooked — it might even get you in trouble. But when you’re in a company with a strong, ethical grounding, honesty tends to pay off in the long run.
3. You’re restless
In Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash Broadway hit “Hamilton,” the titular Founding Father ascends to great heights by virtue of never being satisfied. (This drive also gets him into a bit of trouble, but let’s just ignore that for now.)
At a certain point, most of us settle for good enough. Truly stellar employees are never quite content. They’re constantly learning new things, trying new approaches, and striving to work smarter. They’re a bit restless and always seeking to improve themselves.
4. You hold yourself accountable
Again, in a workplace without integrity, doing this might be a bit of a disadvantage. But if you’ve got a decent boss, holding yourself accountable and taking on responsibility will likely go over well.
5. You’re dependable
You’re not flashy. You’re like clockwork. You say you’re going to do something, and you do it right every time. You’re trustworthy and dependable, which makes you invaluable on important projects.
6. You rise above office politics
In corporate America, no one is 100% immune to office politics. Learning to navigate your workplace is an important part of succeeding at your job. (Unfortunately, too often this takes precedence over actually being good at your job.)
However, if you’re one of those people who can successfully sail through potentially contentious workplace situations without ever getting mired in the drama, that’s a good sign.
7. You mentor others
If others are looking to you for guidance, you can rest assured that they already see you as an excellent worker. You’re so good at your job that not only are you successful on your own, but you’re able to reach out and help others succeed as well.
8. You do things without being asked
You don’t sit around waiting to be told what to do. You go out, find problems, and then work to discover solutions. This allows you to seize each and every day.
9. You speak up
Effective communicators make for dream employees. You don’t bottle things up, and you express yourself clearly. That’s an important skill.
10. You finish what you start
Ambition and imagination are nothing without perseverance. You might have plenty of great ideas and plans, but if you don’t finish any projects, you’ll never be a standout worker.
Managers love people who communicate what they intend to do — and then actually go out and do it.
11. You’re conscientious — not nice
As Business Insider previously reported, being nice is good, but it won’t always get you ahead in the workplace. Employees who get noticed tend to be conscientious — characterized by being hardworking, persevering, orderly, and hungry for achievement.
Coming into work every day with a positive, conscientious attitude will allow you to establish yourself as a model employee.
12. You don’t overdo it
The best employees work hard without burning themselves out. This means taking care of your mental, physical, and emotional well being. You shouldn’t have to become a work martyr in order to do your job well — in fact, in the long run, burnout will leave you ineffective and drained.
13. You know your weaknesses
The top workers are confident without being arrogant. You’re probably in a good place if you know of a few areas where you could use some improvement. But you don’t beat yourself about your weaknesses — you acknowledge them and work to correct them going forward.
This piece was originally posted by Business Insider.
New Website
BarryStaff unveils our new website. Take a look and let us know your thoughts. www.barrystaff.com
Tech Town sees Growth from Private Investments
Turning a brownfield site into a sparkling technology-focused business park hasn’t been easy, quick or even cheap. But city of Dayton officials say they’ve more than turned the corner on the $30 million Tech Town business park along the city’s Monument Avenue river corridor.
After more than a dozen years, the three-building development is filling up and branching out, with private companies putting their own money into relocating near the campus, which counts as its neighbors Fifth Third Field and the emerging Water Street commercial project.
The Tech Town business park is slowly gaining momentum. In September 2012, Tech Town’s building 3 stood empty, nearly a year.
Tech Town’s newest building, which took more than two years to find its first tenant, is now more than half occupied and emerging as a health care industry cluster, said Steve Nutt, senior vice president for CityWide Development Corp.
New development around Tech Town includes the $1.5 million BarryStaff headquarters construction project, GoHypersonic Inc.’s $500,000 wind tunnel lab, and Proto BuildBar, a creative and technology experience center on East First Street.
The later phases of the $33.5 million mixed-use Water Street development will abut the Tech Town campus on Webster Street.
The Tech Town business park is slowly gaining momentum. In September 2012, Tech Town’s building 3 stood empty, nearly a year.
“I would argue that because we’ve cleaned the site up and because we’ve got good, high-paying jobs on campus, other folks want to be close to us,” Nutt said.
Dayton Assistant City Manager Shelley Dickstein said the activity validates the city’s strategy when it sought Clean Ohio Fund dollars to redevelop a blighted industrial site “and make the area more attractive to receive investment.”
The 30-acre Tech Town site is located where the former General Motors and Harrison Radiator plants once stood. Nutt said the$30 million cost for the park included acquisition, demolition, environmental remediation, infrastructure and construction.
The first building, the Entrepreneurs Center at 714 E. Monument Ave, opened in September 2000. Building II at 711 E. Monument Ave. opened in the spring of 2009, and Building III at 241 N. Taylor St. opened in October 2011.
The three buildings total about 110,000 square feet of space and are home to 45 companies with a combined 375 employees.
Buildings I and II are nearly 100 percent occupied; Building III is now 52 percent occupied, Nutt said.
Opening Building III in the wake of the economic recession “made things really difficult” in terms of leasing, Dickstein said.
In recent months, automotive dealership software company Autosoft and the Mathile Institute for the Advancement of Human Nutrition both relocated to Building III. In early 2014, Dayton Children’s Hospital relocated its information technology department and about 100 employees to Building III.
Nutt said there are other prospective tenants for Building III, but declined to name them.
“We are working with a very strong potential economic engine for Tech Town that would be a large user,” Nutt said. He anticipates Building III being close to full occupancy by mid-2016, if not sooner.
Aerospace and defense technology companies were an early focus for Tech Town. However, CityWide has expanded its focus to include medical technology because of federal defense spending cuts and the strength of the region’s health care industry.
“Listening to the marketplace, there is a lot of opportunity for taking the technologies that have evolved out of Wright-Patt and out of the defense sector and making applications in the medical space. That is what we are pursuing right now,” Nutt said.
Tech Town’s mission limits tenants to technology-related businesses to create a collaborative environment that leads to innovation and the commercialization of new products and technologies.
The approach allows researchers to share ideas with counterparts from different technology focus areas, said Jeff Hughes, president of Tenet3 LLC, a cyber security analytics company with four full-time workers and one intern at Building II.
“Being in close proximity to collections of startups, where folks are excited and energized about the work they are doing, you naturally get a chance to talk shop, and compare and contrast ideas. That helps you refine things in your own business practices,” Hughes said.
The city’s plan for Tech Town includes 10 to 12 buildings with 2,000 jobs, built mostly with private money.
Buildings II and III were built on spec, meaning tenants were not identified prior to their construction.
Dickstein said there are no plans for additional spec development at Tech Town, which was done to “seed” the market. “We are looking to build on the private investment,” she said.
CityWide is starting to market campus outlots, primarily along Monument Avenue, to developers or businesses, provided the users are technology-oriented, Nutt said.
BarryStaff’s new facility next to The Entrepreneurs Center will give that company access to Tech Town’s small business incubators, which might benefit from Barry’s staffing or human resources services, said Doug Barry, company president.
“There is an energy over there now, there is an excitement that there are new things going on and it’s getting attention across the region. I think that is going to help draw more businesses and more people down to that area and to downtown,” Barry said.
The Proto BuildBar that opened in October complements Tech Town with its 3-D printing lab and electronic maker space, providing workers with a creative space for meetings or brainstorming sessions, said owner Chris Wire, president of the adjacent Real Art Design Group on East First Street.
The Tech Town area “is turning into a magnet or a catalyst for creativity and innovation in the region. Once that ball gets moving, I think it will attract more and more people in that space and then it becomes an unstoppable thing,” Wire said.
BarryStaff’s Donation Makes Sale of Building Possible
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Miami Valley has purchased the building at 22 S. Jefferson in downtown Dayton, to serve as its new headquarters. Staff will move in during the summer of 2015.
Board Chair Matt DiCicco remarked, “This is a huge step forward for Big Brothers Big Sisters. We have grown significantly in recent years and now we have a location which is highly visible and fitting for our vital mission to serve youth in need. We are particularly pleased to be moving into downtown Dayton at a time where there are so many signs of investment, building, and vibrant city life.”
The building has served as headquarters for Barry Staff. Doug Barry, CEO of Barry Staff, contributed a generous donation which helped make the sale possible. Barry Staff is in the process of building a new headquarters in downtown that will accommodate their significant growth. Doug Barry said, “It is a pleasure to be supporting such an outstanding organization as Big Brothers Big Sisters. 22 S. Jefferson has been a great home for us and we couldn’t be more pleased that Big Brothers Big Sisters will be the new owners. We wish them all the best.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Miami Valley is a United Way agency founded in 1958 and covers Montgomery, Miami, Green and Preble Counties. After 15% growth in 2013, the agency is ending 2014 with a further 10% growth in the number of youth it serves through one-to-one mentoring. CEO Joe Radelet is retiring this summer and the search for the new CEO is underway. Joe remarked, “With the new building and with a new CEO coming in, there is certainly great cause for excitement for Big Brothers Big Sisters in 2015.”
10 Ways to Lose a Great Employee
If you’re a good (or even just halfway decent) manager or leader then you probably already know most of this, but it is worthwhile to remind ourselves of them now and again. Enough with the preliminaries; here’s my list – what would you add or remove to this?
1. Be dishonest.
Yes, #1 on the list is dishonesty. I don’t need a scientific study or a survey to tell me this so you will not see one cited by me, though I suspect it is out there somewhere. Integrity matters. Most good employees – and all great ones – have integrity. So, lying to them, to their coworkers, or to customers / suppliers is sure to turn them off. Over-billing a client, ripping off a supplier, bending the rules, cooking the books, and even just “little white lies” are all sure to catch the private ire of those employees who can best help you and your organization succeed. Don’t think they don’t notice; they DO.
2. Don’t say “Thank you.”
It’s a small thing, but it really does make a difference. Even small gestures of appreciation, complements on good work, acknowledging that someone stayed late / came in early / went the extra mile help keep talented people motivated and engaged. A small gift card, permission to leave early for the day or work from home the day before a holiday (if work is getting completed), a kind word, an email, all of these things cost very little but go a long way. I suggest making a point of doing them. People care if someone notices when they are doing a good job. I occasionally cook a special hot lunch, personally, for my team when the team has achieved something significant or completed an important project; other folks around the office are jealous and my team seems to love it. They have even started asking what they will get for lunch when they finish an important team goal. (My team: If you read this, feel free to comment on this point especially.)
3. Forget the values that made your organization a success.
I’ve been part of organizations that truly lived their core values (and even years later can recite them by heart, because they were so prominent). We all knew what they were.We all agreed they were important, or at least accepted them as such. The leadership talked about them, and everything we did as a company HAD to align to them. I left an organization once after it forgot its values and stopped talking about them because it wasn’t long before the entity had lost its way. I have also been in companies that barely even mention their values – and really, what that says is, “Our core value is to make more money for our owners, whatever it takes.” Not exactly compelling, but that’s what is being conveyed.If that’s what you’re really all about, you may as well admit it, there is nothing wrong with making money. When I build a team, I am very explicit about my expectations and the team culture, and then we review the key elements of that together from time to time.
4. Don’t take time to listen (to their concerns).
Good people almost always actually want what is best for the organization. They may have differing opinions on what that is, but they can be passionate, even fiery about it.If you’re dismissive of their concerns, when raised, you’re headed down the road to losing top performing people. Even if you can’t change a policy or a decision, you may be able to adjust how it is implemented to optimize the situation based on the concerns that your talented people raise. Just what kind of weak, arrogant, incompetent, narcissistic leader doesn’t want to hear this, anyhow?
5. Ignore their personal and professional development.
Note that there are two dimensions to this – professional development (technical skills, industry knowledge, expertise, professional certifications, formal training, etc.) and personal development. I would include leadership skills, street-smarts, maturity, self-awareness, EQ, general health and well being all as part of this.Leaders only follow stronger leaders, so if you want to keep current or future leaders, be sure you are mentoring them. Let them learn from your own life experience; telling good stories from your experience can be a great way to do this. Help them become better professionals – and better people. They will appreciate this beyond measure. Additionally, don’t delude yourself into thinking that their career growth is their problem. It isn’t; it is your problem so make a point of investing in it and top notch people will likely repay you for this with good work.
6. Don’t be selective who you hire in the first place.
We all know that hiring people who really fit and are highly talented is tough. We know that the repercussions of a bad hire are awful for everyone. Make sure people really will fit into your organization. I have found that the recruiting process is often commensurate with the organization and role. The better (and more prestigious) the entity and higher profile the role, the tougher the recruiting process often seems – and it should be. Let’s face it, a half hour “get to know you”, or even an hour isn’t really enough to get to know a prospective employee well enough to make a truly informed decision. I am privileged to be part of a company that does a very thorough job of screening people before they get in the door, and it shows. Talented people often don’t mind a tough (within reason) selection process because they are usually competitive people who thrive on challenge. Invest the time needed to really explore what makes a person tick before you hire them. Oh, and by the way, talented people want to be around other talented people.
7. Micromanage.
Do I really need to go here? Yes, unfortunately. Though we all know better than this, don’t we? Sadly, I’ve seen way too much of it. It’s not just classical micromanagement either. I’ve seen truly exceptional people who excelled in their role end up with their jobs “dumbed-down” to cater to the lowest common denominator, and to the point they were no longer challenged or motivated. Needless to say, it wasn’t long before they were looking for an opportunity somewhere else.
8. Set the bar low.
Great people will get discouraged and either leave or adapt to mediocrity if that is what they perceive is deemed acceptable. I’ve seen mediocrity accepted, rewarded, applauded, and even promoted! The impact of this on team morale (and on the highest performing team members) was palpable. Set the bar high and then become a cheerleader – even if people don’t make it over the high bar, point out how high the bar was set and how high people did get, and celebrate the success they did have at the right level. They may just make it over that high bar the next time.
9. Be cold and uncaring (to them and to their coworkers).
People are human. Why do we seem to forget this so often? They have personal struggles, ambitions, families, crises, etc. One of my favorite bosses from the past was a gentleman who knew my wife’s name, my son’s name, my dog’s name, and more. I met both of his kids and I had met his wife before started working for him (they took my family out for dinner and I still remember the place). He didn’t go beyond appropriate boundaries, but I really knew he cared about me as an employee and as a person (note #5, above).He was personable and when I needed a friend, a true mentor, someone I could go to with a problem, a “dad” type figure. I knew I could talk to him and he’d help me out however he could. He got a lot of loyalty from me in return. I should also point out that talented people watch how you treat other people, not just themselves, and they take note of it.
10. The “usual” things (under-pay them, intrude into their personal lives, harassment, etc.)
Yes, the “usual” things will usually get a good person out of your organization as fast as they can possibly find an opportunity elsewhere. Incredibly, I’ve seen organizations under-pay very good people. One executive even said to me, in private, “Well, just what are they going to do? Leave? They have no place to go. The (job) market is poor.” This was his way of rationalizing, those many years ago, reduced bonuses for a group of people who really had earned them – and who were contractually entitled. (I had this happened to me one time, too, many years ago.) This was disappointing to say the least, and I lost a lot of sleep over it at the time, even though my own bonus was good that year. Plus, it wasn’t long before people actually did have someplace else to go, and go they did.