Writing job descriptions, posting job openings, reading resumes, and interviewing and vetting candidates must all be done before an employee is selected from a small pool of peers and hired. Staffing services are useful to companies because they cut out the work, supplying suitable employees for temporary or long-term hire. The following are a few of the many reasons companies use staffing services:

• Save time. When a company uses staffing agencies to fill open positions, it saves time by cutting a number of tasks related to filling the job independently. Even a single position requires advertising on job boards, waiting for a pool of job seekers to apply, evaluating resumes, scheduling interviews, choosing the right worker, setting up employee benefits, signing contracts, and more. The time spent handling these tasks can be devoted to other goals and projects if a company chooses to work with a staffing agency.

• “Test-drive” an employee. When recruiters hire a new employee, they put a lot of thought into the appointment and do everything they can to choose the applicant they believe will bring them the most success. If they make the wrong choice, they are left with a decision to either terminate the worker’s employment or make the best of a less than ideal situation. Both of these options represent a loss of time, effort, and productivity. When workers are provided by staffing services, they usually begin work on a temporary basis. This allows the new hire to get to know the position and the company as the employer observes and evaluates the worker. Instead of interviewing and hoping the placement will be a good match, the company gets to “test-drive” the worker, and if he or she isn’t a good fit, the temporary placement can be ended with no harm to either party and a minimal waste of energy.

• Save money. Hiring new employees costs money, not just in salary. but in benefits, office supplies, computer programs and hardware, and more. With a temporary employee, the company typically pays a lower salary and does not have to provide insurance or benefits. Any supplies can be given to the worker on an as-needed basis, but can easily be returned to a new employee if the temporary agent leaves for any reason. Companies also save money on recruiting costs when they hire from staffing services.

• Handle higher workloads. Some companies experience “busy seasons” in which they need a far greater number of employees to handle increased workloads. Instead of hiring permanent employees who will not be needed after the busy season, a company can hire temporary workers to help during the busy season who can be dismissed after the workload returns to normal.

• Create flexibility in staffing. When a company hires from a temporary staffing service, it can choose either to keep the workers as temporary employees or to hire them from the staffing agency to become permanent staff. The latter means paying for health insurance and benefits, but leads to a higher level of dependency on the worker. The former is less expensive, but contains the risk of the temporary worker leaving without explanation or warning.

To find out more about temporary staffing and how companies can benefit from staffing services, contact Symphony Placements today.