4 Reasons to Staff First, Hire Later

AJ Brustein

Running a business is no easy feat, especially in today’s business climate. One of the big questions every owner, CEO, business manager or HR professional needs to address is talent acquisition as your business grows. When we think of talent acquisition we often think about permanent hires – part- or full-time. But, a smart way to begin this process is one that may not have thought of – it’s to start with staffing. Here’s why:

1. Business Is Unpredictable. No matter how good your business is at forecasting, it always seems like supply (your workforce) is never the right match for demand (your customers). The reality is that while you have some control over your supply, you have little control over your demand – and this is a constant battle all businesses face. Technology has only made demand even more volatile, which makes ensuring you have the right amount of talent for the job a difficult predicament. If your workforce is stable but your demand is not, you’ll either be overstaffed or understaffed most of the time. Leveraging staffing solutions gives you the opportunity to manage the peaks and valleys without dealing with layoffs or overworked employees.
   
2. On-Demand Is On The Rise. The sharing economy has been around for a few years now and there is an increased use of on-demand staffing options for businesses. Upwork has reimagined how we tap into a global workforce of freelancers. Mechanical Turk has reimagined how repetitive data based tasks can be farmed out and completed. These options are surfacing because users appreciate the flexibility of picking up a job when they want without compromising their personal passions, and companies have the ability of only hiring when they have a true need.
   
3. Job Performance Is Paramount. Companies try to predict candidates’ performance based on their findings during the recruitment process. Think job boards, resume screens, interviews and tests – all this time and money spent to find the “right’ hire, but research shows the recruitment process has a very low correlation to actual performance on the job. In fact, you may be better off just flipping a coin for candidates rather than going through the recruitment process. However, staffing gives you the option to take on new people on a temporary basis, leaving it up to them to prove themselves on the job. If they work hard, perform well and have the right cultural fit, that’s all that matters. Hire those people.
   
4. Hire To The Valleys, Not To The Peaks. By keeping your workforce engaged and fulfilled, you’ll not only have a more productive labor pool, but they’ll be happier too. Cutting hours, keeping workers on-call or sending people home early are all sure-fire ways alienate your employees. By balancing between your permanent staff and augmenting with temporary staff as needed, you’ll keep your staff happy and loyal, improve your bottom line by spending less on labor, and always have a warm talent pool to hire from when turnover strikes. Whether your tap into on-demand staffing solutions for unpredictable needs or traditional staffing solutions for predictable needs, always ensure you have staffing agencies who have proven themselves to be reliable so you can focus on growing your business.

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