10 Holiday Video Clips to Get You in the Mood

I promised a holiday video clip blow out and that's what you are all going to get. Ideally you'll watch this right before you walk out of the office either today or tomorrow, and these will get you ready for the ensuing events.

This is my holiday gift to all of you whether you prefer to hear Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah (or is it spelled Hanukkah?), Happy Kwanzaa, Merry Festivus or simply Darn, It's Cold Out.

So, without further ado, here are my 10 video clips, in no order of importance:



If you are prone to everything going wrong during the holidays, use Clark W. Griswold as a worst case scenario example. If he can survive, so can you!



Check this clip out even if you don't watch The Office. I would also recommend watching any of the show's Christmas episodes because their office parties have to be the most entertaining office parties ever. Roadkill goose? Sounds delicious to me!



This clip is great because it's several scenes explaining the holiday phenomenon that is festivus. Plus, I'm a little bit of a Seinfeld fanatic, so this clip holds a special place in my heart.



If I ever get on the show Cash Cab and get a Red Light Challenge where I need to spout out Jewish celebrity names, I will reference this song.



Is Lee Majors a great action star? Maybe I'm too young for Lee Majors. This clip is funny though.



Okay, so that was just a song, but the ladies love Michael Buble, so I'm sure they won't mind. (I had to change the song because the first one was taken off YouTube. Enjoy "My Grownup Christmas List".)



I couldn't find a good clip from that classic Rudolph cartoon, except the one I posted earlier. But Frosty the Snowman is a good cartoon as well, even though he doesn't hold a candle to Yukon Cornelius.



I learned those lyrics from this version, which is why I included it.



A clip from this Ohio classic needed to be here or no one would have forgiven me. Sorry if I ruined it for those ready to watch any of the 12 Christmas Day showings on TBS.

And last but not least...



Take this last clip as a warning. Don't be a grinch! Lighten up, it's the holidays.

Are You Paying Liquidation Fees With Your Temporary Service? We Hope Not

What the Holidays Are All About

Thanks to all of you that shared your kind comments and actions in response to the story we shared concerning our sales rep Heather Kutsch and her husband's battle with Huntington's Disease.

Sometimes we really forget how lucky we have it.

No Bailout Here

Ryan Staffing was recently pleased to receive its annual renewal of its self-insured workers' compensation status.

This might not sound like much to most, but to receive this annual renewal we must go through a detailed audit and financial review by the self-insured department of the BWC.

As part of the process, Ryan Staffing must pass a certified audit every year and prove to the BWC that we have the financial stability to self pay and manage our workers' compensation risk.

This is our 11th year of self-insurance. While we utilize CareWorks as our MCO we administer our own claims internally without assistance of a TPA.

Knowing that your staffing company is financially solid should be an important factor in your selection of service. Keep in mind that your company can be held liable for certain payroll tax and workers' compensation liabilities your staffing provider defaults on.

Staffing Tip of the Month - Avoid Liquidation Fees

You should be careful to avoid having to pay placement fees to your staffing supplier, should you decide to transfer a temp on to your payroll.

Many staffing companies use the "temp to perm" service to add revenue to their bottom line. More often than not, liquidation charges are waived only if the temp first complete a fixed number of hours worked at your facility.

The number of hours can vary...the important part is that it's negotiable and should be addressed in advance to avoid surprises.

"Temp to perm" fees can be as high as $1500.00 or more depending on the position.

At Ryan Staffing, we don't believe in liquidation fees, period. We understand that sometimes our client's needs dictate a quick "temp to perm" conversion. We encourage our clients to keep in mind all those money saving reasons for using temps before hiring to fill a full time position.

The emphasis at Ryan Staffing is on long term relationships and charging liquidation fees does not fit the model. The ultimate compliment to our staff is when a client hires one of our temporary employees because we know we have done our job well.

Time to Sharpen Those Skills

Do you know about our online training program? Do you know we offer online clerical training programs to all of our clients and their employees?

With the economy slow and the holidays around the corner, online training can be a productive tool for your staff to use. Check out our blog post for more information.

You Should Check Out Mr. Cheap Stuff

Last week I began my weekly venture of scouring the Web for various money saving tips. This week, I uncovered a new consumer blog that is perfect to profile this far into the holiday season.

I know there are a lot of people who finish their holiday shopping before December 1. But a lot of us thrive under deadline pressure to find that perfect gift.

Luckily for those working on a smaller holiday shopping budget, Mr. Cheap Stuff is here.

15 Ways to Spend Less On Holiday Shopping is a great blog post.

Sure, the list features the normal money saving tips such as making a gift and giving services like a coupon for a free house cleaning.

But the more creative ideas such as using mall Web sites to sign up for promotion newsletters and monitoring prices after purchase (because many stores will provide a refund if the cost of an item you bought there drops within a specific time period, according to the blog)make this list a must read.

The tip of signing up for mall promotion e-newsletters led me to a few mall Web sites where I also found coupons that can be printed straight off the site. Here are some links to local malls:

• Eastwood Mall in Niles
• Southern Park Mall in Boardman
• Summit Mall in Akron
• Aurora Farms Premium Outlets (this is to join their free VIP shoppers club, which is to sign up to get coupons and promotional information)
• Chapel Hill Mall in Akron
• Beachwood Place in Beachwood
• Westfield Mall in Strongsville (there were no coupons, but you can join their mailing list)

And now I'm malled out.

I always like to recommend a visit to The Wallet to treat the personal finance blues. This post gives a bunch of links to financial tips.

Here's a post I found (via The Wallet) about how to escape living from paycheck to paycheck.

The blogger chronicles his transformation from being a paycheck to paycheck survivor with only $500 in savings into a stable father of three. He breaks it down into 10 steps that he took to beat the bad habit.

With all the problems with the economy stemming from people and businesses borrowing too much money, saving seems like a legitimate action for a turnaround.

My final link is to a post on Bizbox, a blog on Slate.com for small businesses.

Chicago Workers Fight For Bank Loans! isn't a post that will save you any money, but it is an interesting story that may all to familiar to local business owners.

A group of 200 laid off workers at a Windows and Doors factory staged a sit in protesting Bank of America's refusal to lend their company money.

This all stems back to the $700 billion government bailout of the financial institutions that was meant so those institutions could continue to lend money (though it is really being used to create even bigger financial institutions).

It's definitely something to think about if you're also having trouble getting a loan to keep your head above water. Remember this next November when several Congressmen who voted for the bailout come-up for reelection.

Here's a classic holiday movie clip to end this post on a happy note. The week of Christmas I'll come back on and post a bunch of holiday clips for everyone to enjoy. Until then, I wish you a happy holiday season.

Beef Up Your Resume With Ryan's Training

Now is the time to improve your job skills and Ryan Alternative Staffing can help.

I posted about Previsor training last week, but I didn't fully explain the advantages of the system to our applicants and current employees.

To get access to our Previsor training, all you need to do is register with Ryan Staffing.

The program offers basic computer literacy training and courses on Microsoft applications Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook. Training programs are at beginner and advanced levels.

Plus, there are specialized training programs. For instance, you can take a program specifically on creating tables and charts in Excel.

There's also training available for Windows Vista, which is sure to creep into every office soon.

We will have all the training features available by January 1 so mark your calendar.

You can register with Ryan Staffing online or at any Ryan Staffing office. If you're interested in the training, you would then need to contact a Ryan Staffing representative after registering.

After letting us know you're interested, we'll send you a link to your training session. You can do the training online from your home.

If you don't want to wait until the first of the year to improve your skills, we are offering our application testing services by appointment.

At our offices, we offer testing on:

• Audio Transcription
• Basic Computer Literacy
• Business Communication, Business Letter Writing and Editing
• Data Entry - Alphanumeric, Numeric and Ten Key
• English Language Comprehension
  
• General Clerical Grammar and Spelling
• Internet Explorer
• Lotus and Access
• Microsoft Programs - Excel, Outlook, Power Point, Word, Windows XP
• Reading Comprehension
• Shorthand
• Four Different Typing Tests
• Word Pro
• Word Perfect

Retaking the tests is a great way to make yourself a better applicant when a clerical opening becomes available. Just call one of our offices to set up an appointment to come into today.

How's Your Wallet Looking? Financial Tips From Around the Web

What a mess this holiday season is.

Tis the season to spend money, but all this talk about recessions and bailouts. Who has time to think of new ideas on how to manage money?

Actually, I have some time.

I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I have all (or any) of the answers when it comes to personal finances. But I do know a lot resources on the Web where you can go and get knowledgeable advice and tips.

There's so much information out there, and I just want to make your life a little easier.

Why will I be doing this regularly on a staffing service's Web site? Because hopefully it will be a useful regular feature to this blog and it'll keep you coming back.

So, sit back from the computer and digest some links and quick tips I picked up surfing the Web. Then get back to doing something that takes your mind off the cruddy economy.

I recommend watching the area's only enjoyable professional sports team, the Cavs (the photo to the right is from cleveland.com).

So, without further ado, here are some links:

Financial Tips from Across the Web

-- Gas prices are down. There supposed to stay that way until the end of the month.

But you can always save money, even if it's only a few bucks. Gasbuddy lets you compare gas prices from your computer chair.

Just enter your zip code or county/city name and a list appears. There's even a feature to get a map if you're unsure where the gas station is.

--Heating your home can be expensive, and it may only get more expensive.

eHow.com puts together a nice eight step list of how to lower heating costs.

I also found the video posted below about zone heating, the idea focusing heat on where you spend the most time in your home. It seems pretty obvious to me and the video is only 90 seconds long.



--There was a lot in the news from Black Friday (mostly bad unfortunately). To avoid the stampedes and chaos, you may want to consider shopping online this holiday season. A lot of retailers are throwing free shipping and exclusive online deals.

Plus, there are sites that let you compare prices fr various retailers (Pricegrabber , Bizrate and Shopzilla to name a few).

Here's a blog on how to become a good shopper.

--My final link is to a Wall Street Journal blog.

I know, when you hear Wall Street Journal, you probably think corporate, big money men who have all day to read the newspaper. But there blogs (and Web site in general) are pretty user friendly.

The Wallet is a roll of personal financial tips. It's regularly updated and I suggest giving it a try.

That's all for now. Let me know if anything looked good on here or if you'd like more information on a topic. Any feedback is encouraged.

Enjoy the beginning of the holidays and if you're a basketball fan, enjoy the Cavs winning streak! (I hope I didn't just jinx them).

Disease Touches Our Sales Representative Heather

photo from The Vindicator/Lisa-Ann Ishihara Mon. November 24, 2008

You may have noticed a story in last Monday's Vindicator about a community rallying around a family coping with illness. That's Heather Kutsch, one of our sales representatives (pictured above) and her family (from left to right Hunter, 9, Mike, and Maddison, 7).

To read the story, you can click here. Three years ago, Mike was diagnosed with Huntington's disease, and the story detailed a fundraiser put on at the Girard First United Methodist Church last Sunday to raise money for for the Kutsch family.

Huntington Disease is a progressively degenerative brain disorder that often results in a person's loss of mental facilities and physical control.

About 30,000 Americans suffer from the disease that develops between the ages of 30 and 50. There is no cure for Huntington's but support services often improve the quality of life.

We understand that times are tough. But if you or your company would like to help support those inflicted with Huntington's Disease, donations can be made online at the Huntington's Disease Society of America's Web site. Click here to go directly to the donation page. Donations can be made through the site, via mail or by fax. You can call HDSA directly at 800-345-HDSA.

Through the Ryan Bunch Foundation, the giving arm of Ryan Alternative Staffing, we recently donated $500 to support the organization.

If you would like to send a message to Heather, she can be reached via e-mail at hkutsch@ryanstaffing.com

Thanks for your time and God Bless.