Berks & Beyond Blog

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!

Overcoming Obstacles in Recruiting and Talent Management

In an earlier post, I mentioned the importance of continual talent management as part of your company’s plan for the next economic upturn. But while the concept of continually recruiting, developing, and managing exceptional talent is straightforward, the actual process can be quite complex.

To help you meet this critical challenge, click on this link to a great article on overcoming talent management obstacles:

Need a little more help? Berks and Beyond’s team of experts is ready to help meet your talent acquisition needs. We can help you identify your upcoming recruiting requirements and find the top performers you need to “explode out of the box” when our economy starts to recover.

Times are tough. If your company is like most, your staff is stretched to its limits. Layoffs, employee burnout and drastic cost-cutting measures are part of your business vernacular.

So what’s that old saying? When the going gets tough, the tough use staffing. Well, that’s not it exactly, but staffing services can be a real life-saver during a recession. They can help your company save money, reduce risks and capitalize on the current talent pool surge.

Here are five practical staffing strategies to help you match the ups and downs of our unpredictable economy:

1. Run leaner. If you think of contingent labor management as an unnecessary expense, it’s time to change your thinking. Using staffing and contract labor can actually help your business lower overhead costs while augmenting your talent acquisition process. You can reduce your “permanent” headcount to match the low end of your business cycles, and then supplement your staff with temporary employees to handle production surges, special projects, or initiatives that require specialized expertise.
2. Offload employment-related expenses. Staffing companies provide expensive and time-consuming services like recruitment advertising, screening, interviewing, skills testing, employment verification and drug testing. Additionally most staffing firms now offer their employees benefits like vacation/sick/holiday pay, health insurance and 401(k) plans. You pay only for productive work hours, while the staffing service covers all additional employment-related expenses.
3. Avoid costly hiring mistakes. The temp-to-direct hiring option allows you to “test drive” new hires – you can see how candidates perform on-the-job before extending an offer for direct employment. If the candidate does not meet your needs, the staffing firm will typically provide a replacement at no additional fee.
4. Enhance and upgrade your team. Plan for the upturn now and get a jump on your competitors. Business may be slow at present, but highly qualified candidates are abundant. A staffing service can help you capitalize on this unique opportunity to upgrade your staff with top-notch performers. They can help you analyze your post-recession staffing needs (i.e., new types of positions/skills that will be needed post-recession) and create a team that’s prepared to “explode out of the box” when the upturn hits.
5. Reduce employee burnout. When your team’s resources are stretched, burnout becomes a real issue. Using temporary employees can relieve some of the burden. They can help reduce overtime hours, lower absenteeism, minimize turnover and even lower worker’s compensation claims – all without increasing your permanent employee headcount.

Looking to add more flexibility to your workforce?