Why Use a Staffing Agency?
Employees keep your business or institution humming. They ensure your IT systems and offices run smoothly. They help meet manufacturing goals. They interact with your customers. Skilled, responsible employees sustain your business through their work, as well as their support of a cooperative and positive company culture.
But finding qualified talent is challenging and time-consuming, and hiccups in hiring can undermine production, service, and business growth. Working with a staffing agency can streamline recruitment and hiring, and guarantee you have skilled employees at the ready when your business needs them. Here’s how staffing and recruitment agencies help companies thrive.
They Save Time and Money
Filling an open job takes approximately 42 days and costs more than $4,000, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Hiring is also labor intensive. It involves creating and placing job postings, deciding on the optimal places to post for your industry, conducting assessments and interviews, and onboarding new hires.
Many human resources personnel are already overextended dealing with the issues of current employees, as well as managing administrative responsibilities. Add a hiring push to their to-do list and other important projects may become derailed, or hiring can take too long. It can also result in rushed decisions and bad hires, which are costly mistakes as well.
Staffing agencies focus exclusively on the hiring process, from sourcing through onboarding, and they have a pool of pre-assessed workers in their talent pipeline. Whereas employers must often begin the hiring process from a standstill when positions open, talent sourcing is ongoing at staffing agencies. The agency also takes on the responsibility of time-consuming background checks, drug screenings, and administrative tasks, such as payroll and benefits. All of this can take the hiring process from 42 days down to just a few days, or even one day.
They Offer Hiring Flexibility
Partnering with a staffing agency lends your organization the flexibility of a contingent workforce. This means you hire the skilled employees you need, only when you need them, in a seamless process. The staffing agency provides employees with relevant experience and certification during an expansion phase for your company or during the busy season. Meanwhile, you save on the cost of a full-time employee when a project is completed or when business slows down.
They Provide Skilled Talent and Industry Expertise
According to a 2017 survey by Glassdoor, 76 percent of hiring managers struggle to find qualified candidates for open roles. Staffing agencies bring value to their clients by providing a pool of pre-assessed and experienced candidates, even on a next-day basis. Agencies take time to get to know their client’s unique needs and company culture so they can match them with employees who are a good fit. They also develop relationships with their employees and only continue staffing those who have shown they are dependable and committed to giving their best to any position.
Finally, staffing agency recruiters bring deep industry knowledge to talent sourcing. This can help you make changes to salaries, benefits, and your employer brand to match the competition and draw the best talent in your sector.
They Improve Employee Satisfaction and Retention
Your best employees are more likely to stay when you improve your overall hiring process and candidate experience. This is true whether they are direct hires, part of your contingent workforce, or temp-to-hire employees. Candidates and employees care about the hiring experience, from online applications to interviews to onboarding. As you assess candidates, they assess you. A cumbersome or unprofessional hiring process can start workers off on the wrong foot. They may immediately begin thinking of their exit strategy, or they may not consider future opportunities within your company.
A strong hiring process also improves the retention and morale of your existing full-time employees. That’s because contingent hires are more likely to be a good fit for their roles, ensuring that current workers don’t have to take on extra responsibilities.
In partnership with a staffing agency, your company can refine its recruiting process, which frees up the time, money, and people needed to take your business to the next level.