The key to every successful corporation is the same: have the right people, in the right place, at the right time. This principle holds true in just about every profession and workplace imaginable.
This sounds pretty simple—but as you know it’s not! You have to deal with budgets, rising healthcare costs, retention concerns…the list can go on and on. Developing the ideal workforce plan is a lot harder than it sounds!
So where should you start? The American Staffing Association’s recent “Staffing Smarts Intelligence Report” provides some suggestions:
- Break away from the traditional staffing and recruiting model.
You can no longer afford to spend weeks or months searching for the right person to fill one position. Not only will you miss the candidate you really want, the cost of that job vacancy can be astounding. - Become more flexible.
Not every position in your company warrants a full-time employee. Take a hard look at workloads, seasonal fluctuations, demand changes and match your workforce to your workload. This will help maintain budgets and ensure extra capacity isn’t going to waste. A report from the U.S. Department of Labor supports this notion: “Employers that have flexibility in adjusting labor requirements to meet product and service demands have a competitive edge over those with less flexible human resources policies.” - Consider the “free agent” workforce.
Some people still have the misconception that “temps” are low-level, unskilled workers. The truth of the matter is that many highly skilled professionals are becoming free agents–turning to temporary assignments as a career path. From engineers, to accountants, to physicians, to attorneys, the talent pool of temporary employees runs deep. When hiring or staffing a special project, consider the free agent labor pool as a tool for getting the highly skilled talent you need without the additional full-time overhead.
At Peoplelink Staffing, we focus on helping HR professionals and hiring managers uncover the talent they need to fulfill their ideal workforce model. If you have any questions or would like to speak with someone about your workforce strategy, please contact us today!
