As economic cycles go, the last 18 months have been a time of change for any company doing business with the federal government. Budgets have been cut across the board, and it often feels like the government is trying to get the same services for a fraction of the cost. For those of us working in Talent Acquisition or Human Resources, the pressure to do more with less has never been more tremendous.

Performance reviews often get such a bad rap – and yet, we HR Professionals know how critical they are in terms of managing organizational effectiveness. At Helios, we work with many of our clients to revise their performance review process and we’ve learned many lessons along the way. With these 3 easy adjustments, you can start improving your performance review process today.

It’s that time of year again… the Helios Apollo Awards nominations and applications are OPEN! If you aren’t already familiar with the Apollo Awards, Helios HR founded the program in 2007 to recognize organizations in Greater Washington who demonstrate exceptional employee development and engagement programs.

Congratulations, you received a call from a recruiter to set up a phone interview! Maybe it was even from me or another one of my colleagues who recruit for clients around the Washington area. Preparing for a phone interview seems like it should be a pretty simple task, right? There is no need to get a haircut, or a Brazilian blow-out. You don’t need to get dressed in your best blue, black, or gray interview suit, and there is no gassing up the car to sit in traffic on the inner or the outer-loop during morning rush-hour. Instead, you are able to have a relaxed conversation from the comfort of your own home in whatever attire you deem appropriate for a telephone call. However, the actual act of the phone interview is just as important as an in-person interview, and the same preparation etiquette applies. In fact, because many employers use telephone interviews as a way to identify a narrow pool of applicants who will be selected for an in-person interview, it is in the best interest of the interviewee to prepare with as much thought as they would for an in-person interview.

If you’ve ever had a conversation with an HR professional, you’ve likely heard us go into detail about how important a positive onboarding experience is for your new hires. This is your organization’s chance to not only validate for the employee that they chose the right position/organization to join but to also energize them to help create an engaged and effective member of your team down the road.

Companies that have a culture that incorporates gratitude, appreciation, and recognition have more engaged, self-motivated employees. And every client I work with wants that!