Company: Roth Staffing Companies, L.P., Orange, CA
Company Description: Roth Staffing Companies is the preeminent staffing services company, recognized as a creative industry leader. The organization has six specialty divisions including Ultimate Staffing Services, Ledgent, and Adams & Martin Group, that provide temporary, temporary-to-hire and direct hire services to an array of industries. Ultimate Locum Tenens and About Talent are also subsidiaries.
Nomination Category: Human Resources Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Human Resources Executive of the Year

Nomination Title: Jennifer Jech Simonson Tackles Both Sr. VP of Human Resources and General Counsel Roles Seamlessly

Tell the story about what this nominee has achieved since January 1, 2014 (up to 650 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms.

Roth Staffing Companies is one of the largest staffing firms in the United States where Jennifer Jech Simonson fills a dual role as both Sr. Vice President of Human Resources and General Counsel. Her expertise in employment law and her stellar track record in workplace litigation are critical to the success she has brought to her organization which recruits and hires for other companies.

Jennifer has not only implemented programs and processes to ensure that her more than 500 internal coworkers are appropriately hired and managed according to the laws in each of the 22 states where the company has its 118 offices, but likewise, that each of these coworkers can recruit, hire, onboard and manage the 40,000 temporary employees (Ambassadors) who represent the company out on assignment. In 2014 alone, Jennifer implemented 12 critical process changes in accordance with new laws in various states. Jennifer also works closely with both the VP of Sales and VP of Marketing to help all coworkers in the organization become specialists in human resources so they can share that expertise to the 5,000 customers the company partners with for staffing and hiring services. The average coworker spends 12 hours a month in training and mentorship programs.

In 2014, the Affordable Care Act consumed the thoughts of human resource executives throughout the staffing industry. Implementation was a puzzle that required accurate predictions, swift execution, and abundant communication. Jennifer was one of the first executives in the industry to resolve the problem with a strategy where both customers and the company would benefit, but most importantly, one that provided the best benefits options for temporary employees. Most competitors passed-through steep add-on rates to customers to cover the potential cost of ACA compliant benefits and some chose to simply pay penalty fees and not offer benefits. Jennifer created a formula that allowed the company to absorb much of the burden (taking advantage of the nationwide network of branches and the size of the company) and one that did not require an additional line item on invoices unless mandated by the customer – her plan included flexibility for customer modifications. After only three short months with the ACA in full effect, Roth Staffing Companies has already seen an average increase in Gross Margin of 2% indicating that Jennifer’s strategy not only worked, but it resulted in business success!

Jennifer successfully rolled out a 9/80 Flex Schedule for internal coworkers, the first of its kind among large staffing firms. The program allows coworkers to opt for a schedule that fits 80 hours into nine days (M-F, then M-Th) and receiving every other Friday off. The Flex Schedule has been adopted by 83% of branch offices in the company.

Jennifer and her human resources department also helped launch 15 new initiatives in 2015 as part of the company’s “From The Heart” coworker engagement program. These include 5x5 Sabbaticals (5-day sabbaticals every 5 years), Community Giving Day where teams take 4 hours during the work day to volunteer together, which is in addition to the company’s Volunteer Program offering individual coworkers 4 hours per quarter to support their favorite charity during the workday, and a Roth Heroes program that honored a company coworker each week for their community endeavors awarding a $1,000 contribution.

Jennifer’s success is not only evident in the financial achievements of the company but also the accolades earned such as 2015 Best Staffing Firms to Work For a 5th consecutive year (only 5 large staffing firms are named by Staffing Industry Analysts each year out of the 17,000 firms in the U.S.), 2014 Best in Biz “Best Place to Work” Award, Achiever’s 50 Most Engaged Workplaces in the U.S., and several workplace honors in local markets such as Orange County Business Journal, L.A. Business Journal and Washington D.C Business Journal’s “Best Place to Work” program.

In bullet-list form, briefly summarize up to ten (10) accomplishments of the nominee since the beginning of 2014 (up to 150 words).

• 54 internal promotions
• 76% growth in number of employees
• 2% increase in Gross Margin despite Affordable Care Act implementation
• 14% year over year growth in net income
• 2015 Best Staffing Firms to Work For
• 2014 Best in Biz Award – “Best Place to Work” Gold Award
• 2014 “When Work Works” Award – Top Ten Employers in the U.S.
• Orange County Business Journal, L.A. Business Journal, Washington DC Business Journal “Best Place to Work”
• Southern Nevada Human Resources Association Best Place to Work in Southern Nevada
• Oregon’s 100 Best Companies to Work For