May 19, 2021 Seeing Double (Or More)?

When companies are having trouble filling jobs, they may turn to staffing firms. But adding more firms is not always the answer.

by Jerry Wimer, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Staff Management | SMX

Finding people to fill open roles is always a challenge, and one that the pandemic has made worse. Despite surging unemployment, concerns about health, safety and childcare have made many people stay home.

But essential businesses still need people to fill jobs. And to do so, many companies turn to staffing firms to help them with hard-to-fill roles. Too often, when those firms also have challenges finding workers, their default response is to add another agency to help.

That’s not always the best solution, because as the saying goes, too many cooks spoil the broth. Partnering with many agencies can result in a maddening mix of regulations, expectations and procedures.

Instead of building a multi-workforce staffing model within their buildings, manufacturers should consider partnering with one agency who can simplify the staffing strategy, which reduces costs, builds consistency in operations and regulations and increases employee engagement. And best of all, it gives the manufacturer time to focus on their business.

There are two ways to reduce the number of touchpoints with staffing partners in your business: reduce the number of partners or reduce the number of conversations.  

One Provider, One Set of Rules

Having a single point of contact gives you the funnel you need for all job requests and needs and more accurately report on workforce data. And because employees know where to go with questions and that they have one set of procedures to follow, engagement will go up.

Working with one provider can also reduce administrative burden so you can focus on core business aspects that add value for your organization.

And when that provider has advanced data and analytic capabilities, the client will be better able to see where they need people and how to properly schedule.

Take the example of a manufacturer who switched from several suppliers to a single onsite solution with Staff Management | SMX. The staffing partner implemented new recruiting tactics and engagement and retention programs that increased referrals and raised the overall fill rate by 115 percent. In return, due to the increase in fill rates, the manufacturer’s overtime costs fell by 55 percent.

It’s not just about headcount. A single solution can also save you headaches and costs associated with regulatory compliance, risk management and safety. When all of those are following one set of rules, adherence is much easier. Whether it’s Six Sigma experts using lean processes to improve efficiency and ROI or dedicated recruiters focused solely on your business, using one workforce solution helps save you time and money.

One Team to Manage Them All

Concerned about cutting down from many suppliers to one? A great way to start is to trust a single provider to manage your entire workforce. This offers insight into supplier performance, personnel management and productivity data, while allowing you to focus on your business.

Choosing one provider to manage multiple workforces in your business means that you only worry about one point of contact, while the partner’s team manages other suppliers and employees through a single point of contact.

That provider can wear all of the hats – managing supplier performance, onboarding new workers, analyzing data on recruiting, hiring and scheduling, running compliance audits, supervising all workers and consolidating billing so the manufacturer has only one bill to pay.

Reducing complexity in your workforce management can help improve productivity and engagement while reducing the risk and the worry for the company. Whichever way you choose to consolidate your workforce needs, getting started will put you on the path to success.

Subscribe to Industry Today