A lot of ‘myth debunking’ articles exist from the employee side, helping potential temporary job candidates to navigate the confusing world of the ‘getting hired’ process. But what about from the employer side? A lot of myths floating around out there, too, affecting the possible benefits that employers can glean from working with staffing firms. Therefore, here are our Top Five Misconceptions about Temporary Staffing:
1. Temp staffing is for people who can’t get a job anywhere else.
More and more individuals are using temporary and flexible employment in today’s market. According to Staffing Industry Analysts, at the end of 2013, the U.S. temporary penetration rate — the measure of temp jobs as a percent of total employment — reached 2.06%, an all-time high.
2. Even if I end up liking a candidate, I can’t hire them.
Not true! Lots of staffing firms (especially socially-conscious ones) have end goals in which their associates get permanent jobs in the end. Often they’ll charge a fee and/or a certain number of minimum hours worked by the temporary employee first, in order for the staffing firm to recoup its efforts. But you’re absolutely allowed to poach candidates and make offers beyond this agreement. And the ‘trial periods’ in staffing agencies’ contracts often end up filling in for a standard 90-day evaluation period, anyway.
3. ‘Temporary staff’ is just that: Only for jobs I have that are temporary.
Many staffing agencies do some form of permanent recruitment, and/or offer ‘try before you buy’ programs. They help you to fill permanent positions by making sure that you have the right person for the job first.
4. I can only hire temp staff in seasonal, low-level positions.
An infinite variety of temporary staffing agencies work with all kinds of candidates, industries, and job types. In fact, a list of the top ten most in-demand flexible jobs in January 2014 included Nursing, Editor, Project Manager, Java Developer, and Accounting.
5. It’s too expensive to pay an agency to do my hiring for me.
Yes, there will be a fee associated with hiring someone to do a great deal of HR management for your business. But it’s in your best interest to make sure the job gets done well — especially if it’s not your core competency. According to Undercover Recruiter, the true cost of onboarding a bad employee is $240,000. That’s not even factoring in other investment costs once they’ve stuck around for a while. It’s probably why 90% of companies use a staffing agency in some form or another. These companies recognize that their time is inherently valuable. And that in creating a solid outsourcing plan, they can actually make money on a lot of their temporary job placements.