Berks & Beyond Blog

Temporary employees can do so much for your business.  They can help you:

• meet critical deadlines;
• lower employment expense and risk;
• and free your staff to focus on core competencies, to name just a few.

But while using staffing services is clearly a smart business strategy, the ways you use them can be an equally important consideration.  Here are a few best practices to help you get the highest return from your contingent staff, while minimizing co-employment concerns.

1. Set clear performance expectations.  Determine what you want temporary employees to accomplish and provide those requirements to the staffing firm.  Document tasks to be performed, required skills, and expected standards of performance.
2. Benchmark your staff.  Ask your staffing provider to test one or two of your staff members using their skills assessment software.  This will help you determine which tests your temporaries should take, as well as minimum acceptable scores.
3. Do not tolerate poor performance.  Track each temporary employee’s job performance.  If any of them fail to meet your standards, ask the staffing firm to replace the employee(s) immediately.
4. Prepare your staff.  Foster a  positive work environment by clearly explaining where and why you are using temporary employees.  Open communication will encourage cooperation and keep your staff from viewing contingent workers as a threat to their own job security.
5. Provide a job site orientation.  Provide a facilities and resources tour for new temporaries.  Be sure to introduce them to co-workers and onsite supervisors who can answer questions and provide direction.
6. Do not train contingent workers.  If training is required, ask your staffing vendor to handle the training.  You want the employer of record to be responsible for training of its employees.
7. Do not negotiate the pay rate of your temporary workers.  While it’s fine to negotiate bill rates, all discussions regarding pay, benefits, and raises should be between the staffing service and its employees.
8. Do not coach a temporary on job performance.  Provide all feedback to the staffing firm’s service coordinator and request that they, in turn, coach the employee.
9. Train your service coordinator.  Bring the service representative on-site to inspect your work environment and develop a thorough description of job duties and performance expectations.
10. Do not terminate a temporary employee directly or discuss future job opportunities.  All changes in job status should only be discussed with the staffing firm.  You may refer temporary employees to publicly available job openings.

Achieve More With Staffing

Berks and Beyond wants you to achieve even better results with staffing.  Contact us today to learn more about how our services can help you save time, money, and headaches.

In my last post, I promised more tips for improving your staffing results by strengthening your provider relationship.  Here are a few additional ways to “take it to the next level”:

Set clear expectations.

Establish mutually agreed-upon guidelines for interacting with your supplier.  If you haven’t already, create processes for placing orders, conducting quality control checks, measuring results, and keeping in touch.  Setting these expectations up-front can prevent communication breakdown and ensure expedient service.

Provide feedback.

Once you’ve set expectations, it’s important to maintain an ongoing dialogue with your staffing service.  Keep them abreast of changes in your company.  Give your staffing rep useful, honest feedback on his company’s service and the performance of employees placed – unless he’s aware of a concern or problem you’re experiencing, your rep can’t do anything about it.  So make sure you regularly discuss what you can do, together, to improve quality of service and placements.

Take advantage of all your staffing provider can do for you.

Good relationships have fringe benefits.  Many staffing services offer valuable “extras,” at little or no cost, which could be beneficial to you, such as:

• computer software training for applicants
• detailed reports on your staffing usage
• applicant drug screening
• productivity analysis of your work processes
• assistance in developing position descriptions
• customized orientation and training for contingent workers and new hires
• paycheck drop-off for contingent workers

Ask your staffing rep what value-added services his company offers.  Then take advantage of the ones that make sense for your company.

Berks & Beyond is committed to developing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with client companies.  We want to help you save time and money, while making it easier for you to find the qualified people you need.  Contact us today to take your staffing relationship to the next level – we’ll show you how better staffing can make your company even more successful.

How would you describe your relationship with your staffing service?

1. Playing the field – you’re still shopping around for “The One” – that perfect staffing service.
2. Getting to know you – you hire the occasional temp, but don’t know too much about your current supplier.
3. Going steady – you regularly use staffing and have a preferred supplier.

No matter what phase you are in, this two-part post will help you take your staffing relationship “to the next level” by working more effectively together.  And if you have a fear of commitment, consider this:  a more successful relationship with your staffing supplier means better results for your company.  Here are some ways to achieve them:

Plan ahead.

It’s never too soon to discuss an anticipated need with your staffing service.  By giving your provider adequate lead-time, you optimize your chances of finding an ideal candidate for the assignment – especially if the position is difficult to fill.

Be thorough when ordering.

A well-placed order will yield a better quality fill.  So before you pick up the phone, consider the following criteria:

1. Type of need – if the position is temporary or permanent.
2. Quantity – how many individuals you require.
3. Job description – define and prioritize specifics for each position about required skills and experience, job responsibilities, expectations, and performance goals and standards.
4. Personality traits – the types of behavioral traits that will best fit your corporate culture.

Get to know one another better.

1. Learn more about your staffing provider’s full range of capabilities.  Beyond merely filling orders, your provider can: show you ways to save money; increase your flexibility; and provide valuable employment-related expertise.  Request a facilities tour or capabilities demonstration to learn all your staffing provider can do for you.
2. Help them get to know you better.  Invite your staffing rep in to tour your location, meet your employees, and see first-hand how your organization operates.

Berks & Beyond would like to learn more about your company’s goals and needs.  We’d also welcome the opportunity to show you what we can do for your organization.  To schedule a tour or capabilities demonstration, contact us today.

Later this week, I’ll post a few more tips for taking your staffing relationship to the next level.  Stay tuned!