By design, temporary staffing provides workforce flexibility–allowing you to match your workforce to your work flow.  But many employers think of “temps” as unskilled labor or fill-ins.  But in fact, many highly experienced professionals (ranging from CPA’s to Operations Specialists to Executives) are available on a contract basis.

Whether you’re interested in improving organization wide productivity, handling spikes in your workload or bringing on talent with specific skill sets, temporary staffing is a great option.  To help you get the most from a flexible, temporary workforce, be sure to follow these key steps:

Step #1: Determine the type of person you need and define required skills.
Meet with managers and those who will be working with the temporary employee to determine which skills are ideal for the position you are trying to fill.  Examine top performers you already have on staff to determine what skills have made them successful.  And finally, work closely with your staffing agency and provide as much detail as possible.

Step #2: Work with an experienced staffing agency.
Find an agency that has experience in your industry.  Not only will an experienced staffing agency know where to look to find the right person, but they will also be able to help you determine things like an appropriate pay rate for a particular position.

Step #3: Provide a solid orientation and training program.
Include information such as working hours, breaks and lunch schedules, any safety regulations or company rules, and contact information for direct supervisors. You may also want to assign a core staff member or supervisor to help orient the temporary employee.  Also, find out what type of training and orientation your staffing agency can provide.  Good staffing agencies will offer guidance on how to best bring temporary employees up to speed so they can hit the ground running–and they may even conduct initial training and orientation for you.

Step #4: Communicate clearly and openly.
Make sure your temporary employees understand what’s expected from them.  Encourage employees to ask questions and make sure they know who to direct those questions to.

Step #5: Check in regularly.
Be sure to take a minute or two at several points throughout the first day to check in and gauge progress.  Set specific days/times you plan to check in throughout the week to answer any questions and monitor progress.

Bringing a temporary employee on board at your company can offer a host of benefits – as long as that employee is managed properly. And from our experience at C.R. Fletcher, hard-working and properly managed temporary employees often become leading candidates for full-time openings.

If you’re interested in hiring temporary employees or just want to learn more about how temporary employees can help your company, contact C.R. Fletcher today. As Syracuse’s leading recruiting staffing agency, we can deliver the flexible staff you need without increasing your overhead.

Looking to enjoy a nice fireworks display this weekend?  Here is a list of several opportunities throughout the Syracuse area:

Friday, July 2, 2010

FAIR HAVEN INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION: Friday to Sunday. Village Park, Fair Haven. Arts and crafts, a carnival, chicken barbecue and live entertainment all three days; mile-long parade, 7 p.m. Friday. 315-947-5974, www.fairhavenny.com.

BREWERTON SPEEDWAY: 7:30 p.m. Brewerton Speedway, Route 11, Brewerton. Holiday spectacular featuring big-block modifieds 45 laps, IMCA, late models, mod lites, four cylinders and a fireworks display. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. 315-668-6906, www.brewertonspeedway.com.

SYRACUSE FIREWORKS:Inner Harbor, Syracuse. The Syracuse Department of Parks, Recreation & Youth Program’s All-Star Band performs at 6 p.m., and the Stan Colella Orchestra directed by Len Colella from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Also children’s activities. Fireworks follow. Free admission.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

BREWERTON FIREWORKS: Oneida River, Between Route 11 and Route 81 bridges. Fireworks display may be viewed from Waterfront Restaurant, Castaways, Rt. 11 bridge and along Front Street. Dusk. Free. 315-668-3408.

BREWERTON CRUISES: Seaway Navigation & Tours, 9700 Walnut St., Brewerton. Dinner cruise at 6 p.m.; fireworks cruise at 9 p.m. with Movin 100.3 DJ Skip Clark. $45 and $20. 315-934-4157, www.seawaynavigationandtours.com.

OSWEGO COUNTY FAIR FIREWORKS: Oswego County Fairgrounds, county Route 22A, Sandy Creek. Dusk. Free. 387-3834, www.oswegocountyfair.com.

MANLIUS INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION: Stickley Drive, Manlius. Parade at 10 a.m., vendors, games, food, the Stickley chair race, live music and fireworks. Free admission. 315-682-7887, www.manliusvillage.org.

FAIR HAVEN INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION: Friday to Sunday. Village Park, Fair Haven. Arts and crafts, a carnival, chicken barbecue and live entertainment all three days; Bayside Cruisers Classic Car Show, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; children’s parade (starting at the fire department), 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Sponsored by the Fair Haven Area Chamber of Commerce. 315-947-5974, www.fairhavenny.com.

AUBURN FIREWORKS AND SSO: 8 p.m. Emerson Park, 6914 E. Lake Road, Owasco. Syracuse Symphony Orchestra performance, followed by fireworks. Rain location: Auburn High School. Free. syracusesymphony.org.

2 KOOL 4 SKOOL AND PICTURE THIS: 8 p.m. Paper Mill Island, 24 Lock St., Baldwinsville. Contemporary rhythm and blues band, followed by a Huey Lewis and the News tribute band. Fireworks after the music. Bring a chair or blanket. Gates open at 5 p.m. $4; 12 and younger, free; $2 discount coupons available on website. 315-425-5940, papermillisland.net.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

HONORING OUR HERITAGE: 1 p.m. East 7th Street, Oswego. Oswego County’s Independence parade will move down Bridge Street. The Oswego High School Jazz Band and Mexico Brass will hold a concert at 8 p.m. in Breitbeck Park. Fireworks will follow at 9:45 p.m. Bring a chair. www.oswegofultonchamber.com.

FAIR HAVEN INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION: Friday to Sunday. Village Park, Fair Haven. Arts and crafts, a carnival, chicken barbecue and live entertainment all three days; boat parade on Little Sodus Bay, noon Sunday; fireworks over the bay, 10 p.m. Sunday. Sponsored by the Fair Haven Area Chamber of Commerce. 315-947-5974, www.fairhavenny.com.

CONCERT IN THE PARK: 3 to 9:30 p.m. Lakeland Park, Albany Street, Cazenovia. Featuring Cazenovia Idol finals, Route 66, The Cross-Creek Band and the FabCats. Bring a chair. Food and beverages will be available. Fireworks over the lake, sponsored by the Lions Club, will follow. Free. 315-655-9243, www.cazenoviachamber.com.

FAIRGROUNDS FIREWORKS AND SSO: 8 p.m. Empire Expo Center, New York State Fairgrounds, 581 State Fair Blvd., Geddes. Syracuse Symphony Orchestra performance, followed by fireworks. Rain location: Center of Progress Building. Free. syracusesymphony.org.

AUBURN DOUBLEDAYS VS. STATEN ISLAND YANKEES: 6:05 p.m. Falcon Park, 108 N. Division St., Auburn. Time Warner Cable fireworks night. Adult box seats, $7; children and senior box seats, $6.50; adult general admission, $5; children and senior general admission, $4.50. 315-255-2489, auburndoubledays.com.

SYRACUSE CHIEFS VS. BUFFALO BISONS: 6:30 p.m. Alliance Bank Stadium, 1 Tex Simone Drive, Syracuse. Fireworks follow game. $8 and $11; 12 and younger, $4 and $8. 315-474-7833, syracusechiefs.com.

FULTON SPEEDWAY: Fulton Speedway, 1603 county Route 57, Fulton. Holiday spectacular with a fireworks display. Gates open at 5 p.m. with races at 7 p.m.. 315-593-6531 or315-668-7223, fultonspeedway.com.

Please be sure to confirm all dates and times as they may be subject to change.

What business isn’t looking to control expenses? Staffing firms offer many effective solutions for reducing overhead, managing operating costs and improving organizational performance. Used effectively, staffing services can save you more than they cost.

Here are some key ways you can use staffing to reduce costs in your organization:

Convert fixed expenses to variable.
Develop a plan to staff your business strategically. Minimize the number of permanent employees on your staff to the level needed to sustain your core volume of work. Proactively plan to bring in extra help when it’s needed.

Bring in expertise on an as-needed basis.
Temporaries can deliver the experience and skills you need without impacting fixed expenses. As an added benefit, temporary “experts” are often less expensive than consultants.

Lower benefits costs.
Limit benefits expense by using temporary employees. Most temporary employees receive only limited benefits which are paid by the temporary staffing service. Companies with extensive benefits programs may not want to offer full benefits to all employees. Using a temporary staffing, payrolling or employee leasing service may make it possible to offer more limited and cost effective benefits programs to these employees.

Eliminate overtime.
Use temporary employees to reduce the amount of overtime worked by your permanent staff.

Reduce training costs.
Reduce training costs and learning curves by bringing in temporary employees who are trained and have experience using the skills you need.

Streamline recruiting.
Use a permanent placement service to eliminate the cost and time involvement associated with advertising, screening resumes, interviewing, testing and reference checking applicants.

Lower payroll expenses.
Eliminate the costs associated with processing and administering your company’s payroll and benefits by using a payroll or employee leasing service.

Reduce unemployment claims.
Using a temporary in place of a short-term employee prevents an unemployment claim from affecting the client company.  Legally, payrolled or leased employees work for the company providing the payrolling or employee leasing service. All claims affect the staffing service’s unemployment rating, not yours.

Eliminate operating inefficiencies.
Inefficient functions can be outsourced to services that can perform the work more effectively. The outsourcing service should be able to reduce expenses and improve performance while allowing your company to focus on its core competencies.

Develop a Strategic Staffing Plan for Your Organization
At CR Fletcher, we help clients evaluate their current workforce and develop a strategic staffing model to help lower overall employment costs and access the skilled talent they need.  Discover more about CR Fletcher’s staffing solutions.

Right now is a great time to be a hiring manager when it comes to getting to pick and choose from the wealth of talent looking for work. With so many great people out of work as a result of cutbacks, many job postings are flooded with qualified candidates. The real challenge is finding time to screen through all the applications.

But, believe it or not, there is a talent shortage coming! And it’s coming sooner than you may think.

Talent Management reported in March the results of a survey conducted by StepStone Solutions. In the article, Talent Management stated that “companies must put their people first in the recovery or risk experiencing deep talent erosion and sustained underperformance, StepStone Solutions warns businesses in a new report, titled Companies at the Crossroads.”

The article continues:
“According to a worldwide survey of senior managers, sponsored by StepStone, two years of cutbacks have undermined workplace trust. Combined with increasing demand for executive talent and a sharp drop in graduate recruitment, the survey found that companies without the right talent strategies risk developing a major skills shortage just when they need employees’ energy and commitment the most. The survey, undertaken in December 2009, covered more than 400 senior managers primarily in major corporations in the US, Europe and Asia- Pacific.

“Matthew Parker, group managing director at StepStone Solutions, said: ‘Right now, businesses are at a crossroads when it comes to their talent. They can either take steps to create, maintain and develop global talent pools, or ignore the warning signs from this survey and suffer a gradual talent erosion at all levels that will inevitably lead to underperformance.”

So what can and should a business owner/HR manager do now to avoid a dearth of talent in the coming years? Here are some tips:

• Be prepared to pony up in increased salaries to attract and retain the best and the brightest. Know this going in, increase payrates quickly and you can keep and find the best first. If you wait to increase wages too long, you run the risk of having your candidate pool be filled with less-than-stellar candidates.
• Create a brand around your organization. A company that has the reputation of a great organization — think Microsoft, Google, Southwest Airlines, etc. — will have a much easier job attracting and keeping top talent.
• Think about improving other aspects of your employees’ day-to-day working lives. Can you automate the tedious, hard or dangerous tasks on the job. Can you increase fringe benefits (go from two weeks of vacation a year to three or even four weeks). Make sure you offer employees great learning opportunities, whether it’s tuition reimbursement for college, on-site classes in net technology, or even management training for promising colleagues. Can you offer telecommuting options or become more flexible in your scheduling (worried less that employees clock in at certain hours and instead letting them do the work as they see fit, on their own schedule, so long as the work gets done by deadline)?

Finally, if you’re looking to source exceptional employees, C.R. Fletcher can help. As one of the leading recruiting and staffing agencies in Syracuse, we know how to source and screen top employees for your firm. Contact us today; we look forward to serving you.