Hello Mighty HR Professionals! I was hoping to get some feedback on your overall professional opinion in regards to staffing services. (Use of temporary employees)

- Is anyone currently using temporary employees? If so, how is this working for you?

- Is anyone considering using temporary employees? If so, how is the search going?  If not, what are your oppositions?

As an industry professionaly myself, I am interested in hearing your feedback (as HR Professionals) just in general about the industry or perhaps sharing your personal experiences. (GOOD & BAD!)

Over the years I have used staffing services, but for the most part I do everything I can to not have to use them.  In the long run, I think it is more of a headache. 

Some of the good things - depending on the agreement/contract you sign, most of staffing services I have worked with will do all the initial paperwork/screening for you (interview them, drug test, background check, tax forms, I-9, etc.).  Depending on the nature of the job you are trying to fill will depend on if you meet them before hand to interview them or just have them show up on the first day you need them to work.  The staffing service is paying the temp employees so you just get a bill from them for the service.  If you don't think they are doing a good job you just tell the staffing service and they will find someone else for you.  If you really like the person, you can work out a deal to put them through your normal hiring process. 

Bad things - in most of the cases I have rarely found someone that I wanted to keep long term in the job or make a full time employee for my company. Don't get me wrong - there are some good people that work as temps, but for the most part I have had more trouble with these temp employees then good experiences.  Also it can be a lot more expensive, in the long run, to put a temp worker in a position then to go out and find and hire a permanent employee.  Temp labor is not cheap.

We're a rather unique situation.  All of our permanent hourly workers start as temp workers placed by a staffing service.  After 90 days, temp workers are eligible to become permanent employees depending on their 30-60-90 day review and our need to fill positions.  The staffing service rep is an on-site rep, so he knows our operation, what we need, and the people who work here fairly well.  All-in-all it's a great situation (and has prevented us from having to have any layoffs while the rest of the businesses around us have lost 100-300 employees), but I usually don't care for staffing services.

I've had bad experiences, in general (with one notable exception) with temporary employees.  However, I've had tood luck in general with using agencies to source candidates for full time "permanent" positions.

Thank you for your interesting and honest feedback.  This issue in general, seems to be touch-and-go among HR professionals.  I'm trying to get a good idea of what type of mind-set is out there regarding the use of temporary employees.

I think some HR professionals feel threatened by the use of a recruitment or staffing service.  I would be curious to see if anyone can relate to this feeling.

Thanks again for your comments!

Although we don't use a lot of temporary staffing, I am not opposed to it.  The way I see it, my goal is to get the hiring manager's position filled with a quality candidate as quickly as possible.  If temporary, temp-to-hire, or direct staffing agencies can help me do that, then it is all good. 

I have met with probably 50 different staffing agencies over the course of a few years.  They are all pretty much the same, although they sure try to differentiate themselves.  My biggest gripe (aside from agencies that pay no attention to the requirements you send them) is that there is so much turnover in the staffing agencies themselves that you almost never deal with the same person twice.  This means I'm having to re-explain my business and my needs over and over again.  Huge waste of time.

My personal preference is to have an agency representative email me their staffing specialty (do they focus on accounting positions? admin? tech?), their conversion terms, their markup rates, and who my contact would be.  Then when I have a need, I can review that information to find the most appropriate agency for the position I'm seeking to fill.

kdunlap510:

I think some HR professionals feel threatened by the use of a recruitment or staffing service.  I would be curious to see if anyone can relate to this feeling.

Not me -- bring 'em on so I don't have to do it.

How do I feel?

HATE 'EM!

My reason?  Not because of the service they offer, but now, (I'm unemployed-company closed) that is all any other recruiter thinks I am able to do.  (I've worked in staffing for 15 years.)