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Weekly UpdatesIt's 7:32 a.m. and your receptionist hasn't shown up. Finally, five minutes before the office opens, she calls in sick. What can you do?
Many Alaska employers call a temporary agency to bridge the gap during both unexpected and expected absences. Saving time and money and sustaining morale, temp agencies can make managing human resources a little easier.
Some employers rely upon temp agencies to help them fill a longterm position as well. Temp agencies also help increase the labor pool more quickly by helping newcomers to the state get working right away. Here's how temp agencies operate.
As an employer, it only makes sense to tell the agency you use everything you can to make their search for qualified applicants more successful.
"We really go in and know who our employers are," said Anne Bulmer, co-owner of Alaska Executive Search in Anchorage. "We make them tell us what they're looking for and if they have problems or issues with that position."
Alaska Executive Search has been in business for 30 years and typically has about 125 individuals working in temporary assignments daily in 110 different offices.
A THOROUGH CHECK
Employment agencies also check out the applicants who come to their offices seeking work. Depending upon the position, background checks can include employment history, credit, references, criminal and driving record, educational achievements and licensure.
Thorough background checks earmark a good temp agency. "We have a reputation of sending people who are qualified," said Bob Bulmer, coowner of Alaska Executive Search. "We don't throw a lot of resumes at our clients."
Most employment agencies evaluate applicants' skills and personality to decide if any of their clients' needs may be met. For most agencies, all applicants must complete a basic test to assess their reading, writing and comprehension skills. Depending upon their desired employment, other tests may be required, such as data entry, using specific software or filing.
Many employment agencies work with the same temps over and over, which helps ensure quality staff. "We have a performance track record; employers may not get that going to the Internet (to find employees)," said Bill Zavatchin, vice president of marketing for SOS Staffing, which owns Adams & Associates in Anchorage.
Whether it's for a temporary position or a long-term employment, screening helps ensure that your new staffer will represent your company well. Remember, people unfamiliar with your company will assume that the temp is a regular employee and therefore his or her behavior and work ethic will give an impression of your company, whether favorable or otherwise. That's why working with an agency can help ensure a better hiring outcome.
Although most employment agencies help applicants with their resumes, you don't need to worry about them unduly influencing the results.
"We encourage them to write their own resume so it's a reflection of them and not us," Anne Bulmer said.
It's in the agencies' best interest to send applicants who are qualified, not ones working under false pretenses. The latter will quickly make their deficiencies and incompatibilities apparent and at least strain, if not sever, your company's relationship with the employment agency.
AVERAGE CHARGES
Applicants usually don't pay for the service; that's where you as an employer come in. Most agencies charge 7 percent to 25 percent of the salary, depending up on the type of position it is. The higher-end percentage is for top-level executives. Most agencies charge up to 12 percent for typical industrial and office work placements.
Employment agencies also help companies in less direct ways. Many newcomers to the state use employment agencies to find work.
"It helps them get familiar with new territory," said Cindy Schebler, owner and president of Personnel Plus in Anchorage.
OUT-OF-STATE RECRUITMENTS
Personnel Plus, among other employment agencies, has been recruiting out of state to enlarge the labor pool. Instead of plunging outsiders into regular placements, Schebler sometimes recommends that they temp for awhile. Some people move to Alaska and find that they don't like the cold (weather) as much as they thought, for example. Temping provides a getting-to-know-you phase for both employees and employers with no commitments and no hard feelings for parting ways for any reason.
"Working as a temp helps them know how that company treats their employees instead of taking a regular job and getting turnover in their history," Schebler said.
Avoiding unwanted turnover also helps employers maintain morale and cut costs for training.
Agencies can help pave the way for successful, long-term employment, if that's what you're trying to build with that position. In some cases, temporary employees eventually come onboard as regular staff, making a smoother transition than hiring someone with no prior experience with the company.
Some employers discover "all of a sudden, we've had them for a few weeks and we discover we like them!" said Gloria Kron, founder and owner of Elite Employment Services in Anchorage.
Despite how hard an agency works to find and screen qualified, honest and dependable applicants, if the agency itself proves unresponsive, they won't be much help to you as an employer with an emergency staff shortage.
"We check our phone messages before e-mail because if someone's in a panic, they call on the phone, like 911," Kron said.
CROSS-TRAINING IMPORTANT
Even the best temporary agency is incapable of immediately supplying staff every single time the need arises.
"Depending upon the candidates available and the type of position open, it could be within four hours or the next day to get a staffer there," Zavatchin said.
The ever-shrinking candidate pool complicates the problem for both employers and staffing agencies. The best way to avoid disaster is to cross-train employees. Not only does it avert catastrophes, but cross-training also "keeps people stimulated and they can avoid being bored," Kron said.
Some mid-level managers avoid offering cross-training for the fear that they will be deemed unnecessary; however, with a sufficient workload for each employee, this scenario is unlikely. Others, as Kron relates, avoid sharing with underlings how to do their jobs out of pride.
"I hope I got rid of part of my ego a long time ago and if I can do (a particular job), you can do it in a pinch."
THE WRITTEN WORD
You only need to cross-train in the most vital areas of your company's operation; everything else can usually wait. In addition to the formal job description ascribed to each position, it helps to provide brief, specific instructions about employees' most important daily tasks. Require employees to record a cheat sheet so someone else could function in their places.
For example, a receptionist could tack up a few notes near the phone as to how to put callers on hold, use the public address system, and how to forward callers to voice mail. A list of company extensions also is helpful to novice receptionists.
Written instructions can also help temporary staff to easily pick up where your absent staff left off, but don't rely upon them as the sole source of training for temporary employees. They should be "welcomed into the workplace and shown how the work is done no differently than regular payroll employees," Zavatchin said.
SELECTING AN AGENCY
Before selecting an agency to help you fill a present or future opening, analyze your company's needs. What kinds of positions do you typically need help in filling? Some agencies specialize in manual labor openings, others in accounting, human resources or secretarial jobs, and still others are best at filling even narrower niches. Some agencies focus on long-term assignments, some are strictly temp agencies and others hire for both situations. Ask up front what the company's specialty is or ask colleagues in the industry about the agency their company uses and if they're happy with them.
Check the agency's longevity. Of course, new agencies are capable of providing good service and everyone started out new at one time, but chances are if an agency has been around a long time, they're doing something right.
Once you've narrowed the options, closely examine the agencies' policies before you make any commitments.
* Do you want the agency to handle benefits?
* Is the fee fair to you?
* How quickly will the agency respond to your company's temp needs?
* Does the agency conduct all of the background checks and tests required for employment with your company?
EARLY WARNINGS
Zavatchin advises employers to "develop a relationship with more than one staffing firm" because some firms recruit only certain kinds of employees and each firm has connections with different sources of potential employees.
But regardless of which firms you contact, "the time to develop the relationship is not when you're in an emergency," Zavatchin said. "It's good to get to know them before the needs comes up."
That way, the agencies will know your requirements and how to better meet them. Even as you're placing your call, they may have a few applicants in mind that would make a good match for your company.
Just like preparing ahead of time with smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, being prepared with a staffing agency can help minimize the damages of an employment emergency.
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