A Smart Approach to Staffing as the Economy Starts to Improve

As the dark cloud of the economy starts to slowly move away, a glimmer of hope can be heard across companies nationwide.  Although it may be too soon to celebrate, it’s not too late to start planning now on how you will fill the voids in your workforce as the economy starts to rev up again. 

Companies basically need to rethink the way work gets done; making hiring mistakes now can end up costing a significant amount of money in the long run.  Utilizing a contingent or temporary workforce is a great way to add to staff while ensuring the flexibility needed to deliver quality products and services to retain customers and attract new ones. 

The benefits of using a temporary workforce out weigh the costs. Staffing companies handle all of the employment background checks, drug screening, skill assessment, payroll, workers compensation, child support and tax administration which allows companies time to focus on building the business.  You can ramp up or scale back on the use of temporary employees based on your business growth. 

Temporary staffing is not just for lower skilled level jobs either.  Professional skilled engineers, health care workers, accounting and finance specialists, information technology professionals and other higher skilled workers have turned to staffing companies for employment.  Now is a great time to integrate and expand the use of these professional skilled temporary workers back into your workforce.  If you want to take the position to full-time, often the temporary employee is a first, likely candidate for the position. This cuts down on training costs and productivity is high immediately.

To find a quality staffing company, shop around, get a sense of how well run the staffing organization is and see if they have a solid base of qualified workers.  Ask how they recruit, screen and test their applicants. Get a sense of whether the staffing company is going to take the time to understand your business so they can help provide quality staff that supports you during this challenging time.
Good staffing companies focus on short-term challenges and long-term strategies. It is essential to stay on top of market demands, especially today, while setting the stage for a competitive advantage during a recovery.

Companies that having a temporary staffing plan in place remain agile and gain competitive advantages by scaling up or down without the burden of excessive head count, legal exposure and fixed costs.

And remember, the temporary workers you place today may very well become your future leaders of tomorrow.

Tom Olsen (tolsen@neotalentalliance.com; 440-241-9687)

Source: North East Ohio Talent Alliance (NEOTA) is a collaboration between Staffing Solutions Enterprises and Integrity Staffing to help business leaders forge ahead and re-think opportunities and risks in the current environment as it relates to talent management.