Great staffing results don’t happen by accident. They occur when smart people, like you, invest in creating the best possible relationship with a quality staffing solutions firm.
If you’d like to hear more praise and excitement about the temporaries your company uses, consider these 10 ideas for achieving GREAT staffing results!
- Temps Need Job Descriptions Too!
Job descriptions should be well-defined, prioritized and current and submitted in writing to your staffing firm. They should include your expectations in terms of candidate abilities and experience along with specific performance goals and standards. - More Lead Time Equals Better Candidates
Give as much lead time as possible when placing orders with your staffing provider. This will optimize your chances of finding an ideal candidate for the assignment and may give you more than one suitable candidate to choose from. And when lead time isn’t an option, let your staffing vendor know which skills and traits are most critical for the assignment. - Be Mindful of Cut-rate Deals
People are your organization’s most important asset. And that should include temporary employees. Treat temporary staffing as an investment, not an expense. Cheaper is not better. The last thing you want is the cut-rate service that typically accompanies cut-rate pricing. Go with a staffing firm that takes the time to fill your needs correctly. - Train Your Service Rep
Educate your staffing service representatives on your organization’s mission statement, goals, culture, history and current performance. Tell them what types of work styles or personalities will fit best in your organization. Familiarizing your representatives with your company’s needs and preferences helps the staffing firm to become a more knowledgeable extension of your human resources department. - Take Full Advantage of Your Staffing Vendor’s Resources
Invest a little time to learn about your staffing vendor’s full range of capabilities, so you can take maximum advantage of their resources. A good vendor can not only provide qualified candidates, staffing flexibility and cost savings, but can also offer a great deal of staffing expertise and employee relations support. To get a complete picture, request a tour of their facility or a capabilities demonstration. - Set Clear Expectations
Establish mutually agreed upon expectations for interaction with your staffing supplier at the beginning of your relationship. This can include development of an order-placing procedure, appropriate quality control checks and feedback methods. Setting expectations can ensure clear communication and expedient service. - Benchmark Performance
Find out what type of tests candidates are required to take at your staffing firm. When candidates are referred to you, ask what their test scores are. Establish preferred scoring levels for placements within your company (you might even ask to have one of your internal employees tested to give you a benchmark for performance). In addition, encourage your temporary employees to take advantage of training available at the staffing firm. - Provide Feedback
Maintain an ongoing dialogue and honest relationship with your staffing contacts. Keep them abreast of changes in your company. Give them useful feedback on their service and the performance of employees placed. Meet regularly to obtain their input on what you can do to enhance interaction with them and ultimately improve quality service and placements. - Create a Partner in Your Success
Consider involving a staffing firm in your company’s business planning. For example, you might include your staffing representatives in an annual meeting to plan staffing strategies. They can offer insight regarding the possible uses of strategic staffing to meet your needs for workload variations, new hires, and managing attrition. They can also offer valuable market data to help with employee retention. - Reward Results
High quality staffing firms focus on more than filling orders. They want to help you save time, save money, and make it easier to find the qualified people you need to get work done. While all staffing firms are not created equally, the good ones can be worth their weight in gold. When you find a vendor who does a great job, look for opportunities to enhance the relationship. Invite them in. Challenge them to help you solve problems. And see what you can do to reward their good results. Not only will you make your top vendor happy, you’ll increase their commitment to your success.
Better Results, Right Now!
With a 10%+ unemployment rate and a slowly recovering economy, your company may be feeling the pinch. There’s more work to be done, yet continued pressure to control costs. Now may be an ideal time to look at strategic approaches to staffing. Through the creative use of temporary help, you may be able to get more done and reduce your personnel costs.
Want to take a look at your options? Give Cutting Edge a call (561-910-8000). We can support you by:
Identifying inefficiencies where work could be performed at a lower cost.
Providing access to qualified and diverse candidates seeking temporary employment. Outsourcing candidate screening and follow-up on new hires—two functions that become overwhelming when an abundance of applicants exists.
