If you’ve had your company long enough, you know that any business that’s not ahead is already falling behind. After all, the industry – regardless of what specific niche you may fall under – has become increasingly competitive. Year after year, it keeps steadily ramping up, making finding talent (and retaining talent) a rather tricky proposition. This has never been truer than during this era of COVID-19.
Luckily, things are starting to look up. Companies are positioned to finally get ahead again. According to a survey conducted on behalf of Express Employment Officials, employee counts are expected to increase up to 59 percent for mid-sized businesses, and predictions foretell that even the smallest of ventures can expect to see a 21 percent employee increase.
Those are significant stats, and you’re going to want to make the most of them. The best way to do this? Outsource human resources and partner with a staffing agency rather than go it alone. Unconvinced why you should opt for this rather than taking care of everything in-house? Here are a few significant benefits that might convince you to take the figurative plunge.
Hiring – But Make It Efficient
One of the biggest growing pains of an emerging or any rapidly growing business is the hiring process. Frankly, it tends to be rather clunky and inefficient. Because there’s already a large amount of energy expended elsewhere, vetting, interviewing, hiring, and training new employees takes a considerable amount of time, and we all know that there’s never enough of that to go around as is.
Not only is that inefficient and ineffective in the hiring department, but it’s also bad news for the other aspects of your business that need to stay afloat, too. After all, everything mentioned pulls focus away from the essential day-to-day operations that can’t just stop because they’re inconvenient and can stretch already taut resources to their breaking point.
Everything goes downhill once that happens and simply becomes too fragile handle properly. Outsourcing human resources can go a long way to preventing this, though, pre-screening and sifting through potential working candidates and streamlining the bits of the employee process you deal with on your end. This results in both faster and more appropriate hiring, keeping your business healthy and thriving rather than merely getting by. Better for you and better for your employees, partnering with a staffing agency is the no-nonsense approach to building a strong workforce.
Better Flexibility for Leaner Times
As mentioned prior, the current global pandemic has put a severe strain on all of us – as people and as business owners. It’s forced many of us to reduce operations to fit with safety precautions (and hopefully curb the virus’ spread), dramatically decreasing output and generated profit. Some have even had to shutter their companies for good, unable to balance the prescribed measures needed to keep us safe and the work needed to keep food on their tables.
In other words, it’s created significantly leaner times for us eeking our way through the last year or so. Not exactly conducive to managing overhead costs or guaranteeing our hardworking employees will have a paycheck waiting on them at the end of the week, is it? That’s all part of it, though. Changing workflow, expensive bills, unfortunate circumstances – they’re constant issues any business will need to face. COVID just exacerbates them.
Working with a staffing agency can make a world of difference here. They can make navigating changing employment and operations needs a cinch, providing temporary workers to pick up any slack or fill in the gaps left by more permanent members you’ve been forced to let go of during these trying times.
That means increased flexibility, but also reduced costs. Since these temps are employed through the agency rather than you, benefits and taxes are not resting on your shoulders. Costs are then seriously slashed, and your wallet can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Or, at least, a slight one. Those company cards are never really safe from yet another swipe – but hey. Any savings is good savings.
Built-In Risk Reduction
So, staffing agencies and generally outsourcing your HR is good for hiring, flexibility, and for your pocketbook. Anything else you’re missing out on by not embracing these services? Actually, yes, and that’s a lower risk level.
As a company and an employer, whether that’s to five employees or five hundred, you assume a lot of legal responsibilities. You’ve got to provide insurance, follow all of your local and federal workers’ laws, offer a certain number of protections, and generally look out for your employees’ wellbeing as long as they’re on your supply line, working at your desks, etcetera. There are also several risks aimed your way, like financial problems arising from spur-of-the-moment hires and fires, changing work standards, and more.
You’ve got to manage all of it, which can get overwhelming for even the most seasoned of bosses or higher-ups. Staffing agencies pick up the slack and offer a certain amount of built-in risk reduction. They can assume certain liabilities, offer replacements, and maintain responsibility for those employed by them, so you don’t have to take the majority of the hit. Does it absolve you from everything? Of course not – and it shouldn’t. But does it take some of these risks off your shoulders and share the load? Absolutely, and it’s one of the best benefits of outsourcing your HR.
Picking the Right Agency
Generally beneficial to your hiring process, business flexibility, your expenses, and risk management, there are few aspects of your venture that can’t be improved by a good staffing agency. Notice the operative word there: good. Unfortunately, not all agencies are created equal. As with any other outsourced partnership, you’ll need to do your homework to find the right fit for you and ensure the whole thing won’t automatically go up in flames.
Easier said than done but treat it much as you’d treat hiring any prospective employee. Inquire into the company’s experience and do a little digging into their quality. What kinds of employees do they hire? What’s their retention rate, and do the companies using their service recommend them? Keep price in mind and evaluate their terms. Be thorough but be fair and engage in an open conversation. Share what you’re looking for and what you expect in who you work with. If they can’t meet those requirements or make you jump through hoops, move onto the next one. You’ll eventually find it.
And if you’re on the search for a Wisconsin staffing agency? SITE is here to help. With over 25 years of expertise and pages of satisfied clients, we know a thing or two about staffing. We thoroughly understand the law, the market, and how to manage the resources our clients need, and we’ve leveraged this to help countless ventures thrive in even the most turbulent of conditions. Since we act as an extension of your HR department, we put your needs at the forefront and find you the absolute best employees for the job. It’s staffing as it should be and we’re endlessly devoted to making that happen for everyone.
Want to find out for yourself? Reach out to our offices here at SITE Staffing and discover what we can do for you. Still looking to learn more? Click here to learn more about our commitment to excellence, or follow us on social media to see it in action!