Can a Staffing Agency Help With Staffing Needs During the Great Resignation?

The Great Resignation has made headlines for the past few years. The job market is increasingly competitive, and more people than ever before are choosing to resign from their jobs. This is a major problem for businesses that need to fill positions quickly. One solution is to work with a staffing agency that utilizes its wealth of knowledge and experience to solve difficult hiring challenges. 

In this edition of nSider, Jimmy lannuzzi, Vice President and General Manager at nTech Workforce, answers questions from Kimberly Prescott, President at Prescott HR and Host of the HR & Cocktails Podcast to address the benefits of using a staffing agency to overcome The Great Resignation and your staffing needs.

What is the Great Resignation?

The Great Resignation is when a large number of employees resign from their jobs at the same time. The global pandemic, country-wide lockdowns, and furloughs, among other events, triggered the global workforce to reimagine work alongside wellness, family, location, experiences, philanthropy, and other priorities. And now that companies are starting to recover and emerge into a post-pandemic world, they are facing an ongoing struggle to fulfill a wide range of opportunities and roles. 

The problem is, that candidates are no longer willing to trade hours for wages and the demand for remote opportunities is growing by the day.

Also known as The Great Retirement and The Great Reshuffling, Jimmy describes these two theories are an era in which ”...we are seeing a lot of folks move into retirement and those who are not retiring moving around for roles that better suit their needs.” 

So, what is the solution? Well, one way is to offer more flexible roles and work-from-home opportunities while also reviewing your hiring process.

To get started, Jimmy recommends that those looking to engage with talent ”...take a holistic approach and truly look at the ways [they] are bringing in talent. What once worked, may look different now, so it’s important to ask yourself what is working and what is not to create a better talent pipeline.” 

Why is Hiring Candidates More Challenging Than Before?

Across most industries, hiring the right candidates is now more challenging than ever. Traditional methods of posting jobs online or in a newspaper and conducting interviews are no longer as effective as they once were. Candidates are more selective about the roles and the companies with which they apply to work. They want to be sure that they are happy in their new role and that the company will be a good fit. 

Businesses must work harder than ever to attract top talent. One way to solve this problem is by using a staffing agency.

“Especially right now when talent is in high demand, typical in-house recruiting strategies are not necessarily working. A staffing agency will go above and beyond to look for candidates that align with your needs. [They] reach folks that may not necessarily be looking for a job or be actively applying for jobs, but by speaking to them and reaching them with an opportunity they are more likely to listen,” said Jimmy. 

Compensation and benefits are a hot topic when discussing the attraction of great talent. However, Jimmy believes there is more to it than dollars and cents:

“As an employer, you want to remain competitive with salaries. This does not mean you have to give the stars, the sun, and the moon to everyone, but certainly remaining competitive while also creating a value proposition that shows candidates why your company is a great place to work.” 

More examples of these strategies can be found in the podcast recording. If you’re looking for a consultative approach to determine the ideal strategy for your business, schedule a complimentary meeting with a member of our business solutions team today.

How Will Staffing Agencies Provide Temporary Relief During Busy Times or Projects?

“While talent acquisition is a function of human resources, this area can be quite complex and if your HR team is already spread thinly, a staffing agency can step in and act on your behalf to fill roles and opportunities, whether they’re full-time or involve contingent work. A staffing agency can effectively screen potential candidates before you even interview them to optimize your recruitment process and save precious time and money,” said Jimmy.

Staffing agencies offer a wide range of services to an organization that doesn’t just relate to recruiting temporary employees. A staffing agency can offer staff augmentation. So, rather than fill a position when a permanent member of staff is on leave or becomes unwell, the agency will provide top talent to help expand your existing team and bring in new skill sets for all of your project needs. This evolution of the temporary staffing solution provides temporary top-talent

One of the biggest misconceptions of contingent labor is that people think it’s too expensive; however, according to Jimmy, “there are so many ways that contingent labor can save you money in the long run.” 

Jimmy adds that when working with a staffing agency they “...administer payroll, offer a dedicated HR team to handle benefits and all HR-related matters,  pay state and federal unemployment taxes, and also process unemployment claims to name a few. If you’re using contingent labor, then you have an entire agency to support those efforts.” 

This helps the companies focus on their ongoing growth without having to worry about the management side of their contingent workforce. 

How Do Staffing Companies Screen Candidates?

One way staffing agencies work to find the best candidates is by screening for soft skills. Soft skills are critical to career growth and success across all industries and can aid in optimizing your talent pipeline. A staffing agency will work with your team to define must-have skills and qualities that make a successful candidate. This approach ensures smooth assimilation to productivity and aligns candidates with your company's values and goals. 

Another benefit of using a staffing agency includes screening for technical positions. So, rather than waste any internal time and resources carrying out an extensive interview process, you hand over the responsibility to a staffing agency for candidate outreach screening before the internal interview process even begins. 

Lastly, staffing companies are adept at building and enforcing background checks defined by your Human Resources team. 

“The background and screening processes are dictated by the client,” said Jimmy. “We provide them with a framework of what we believe will find them the ideal candidate, but can also conduct any specific background or screening processes they feel are necessary. 

Payroll Management

If you know the candidate for the job but need to bring them on board as a contractor, a staffing agency can help. A payroll outsourcing solution includes all HR matters – administration of employee agreements, timekeeping, compensation, benefits, performance, tax & legal filing/notices, and payroll – rather than handling this internally. 

If you already have the talent but are looking for assistance managing the employee, a staffing agency can help by ”...administering their benefits and payroll,” said Jimmy. “This often comes with a much lower fee because the staffing agency is not investing resources into finding the candidate.”

How Do Staffing Agencies Promote Employee Development?

The best staffing agencies will contribute to overall company growth by enabling staff development. 

LEVEL-UP in particular is an innovative staffing solution that empowers frontline workers with training to develop and expand their skill set in areas that align with your business goals. This workforce development program enables companies to take on temporary employees who will advance their skills and experience through structured career pathways to reduce turnover, improve productivity, and create a flourishing talent pipeline for hard-to-fill jobs. 

“We can identify candidates for entry-level roles and over a 3-5 year period we work with our client to identify career pathways for each of the workers,” said Jimmy. 

How Will Staffing Agencies Create a More Diverse Workforce?

Staffing agencies help you create a more diverse workforce. This new era has resulted in many businesses losing a large number of employees of all backgrounds all at once. This can often lead to a lack of diversity within the workforce.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a significant decrease in labor force participation by women can be noted as a result of the pandemic. Moreover, although public data does not break down resignations by gender, in 2021, Gusto reported from their platform data, that women were resigning more rapidly than men. 

A staffing agency can help you ensure that your company has a more diverse workforce by providing you with access to a wider pool of candidates.

Why? Staffing agencies rely more on outbound communication to reach passive or overlooked talent. Staffing agencies are active in both common talent marketplaces & social media, as well as with local, community-based organizations that assist underserved populations.

If you are looking for staffing solutions and a true partner to help guide you in your plans for growth contact nTech today. Compassion and community are at the core of everything they do and they are looking to provide you with a consultative approach to staffing.