'If Everyone Thinks the Same, Someone Isn't Thinking'

Card Check is not what we need right now (or ever) to turn things around. I can't for the life of me understand why we want to create more reasons for business to move manufacturing jobs out of the country.

Did you know that the end result of the proposed Card Check legislation is to allow an arbitrator to force the terms of a contract on a business. . . whether they can afford it or not?

So, get ready to rally the troops and prepare for another battle just like Ohio Healthy Families. If you're not familiar with "card check" visit check the Source Watch wiki and get informed.

The ASA Staffing Index decreased slightly for the week ending May 17, 2009 and stood at a value of 72. This is 28 points lower than a year ago. The index measures temporary and contract employee demand.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

"Pressure Makes Diamonds"
"If Everyone Thinks the Same Someone Isn't Thinking"
- General George Patten

We Need Jobs and Diversification!

Any job when you don't have a job is a good job. Can anyone really argue with that?

Now I don't know if Casino Gambling in Ohio would be a good thing or not but you have to think it's worth a try.

My latest rant to the Youngstown Vindicator, questions why a local leader is working so hard to stop the issue from being placed on the November ballot.

Oh by the way, did you see that Sands just opened the $743 million Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem? The Resort was built on the former Bethlehem Steel Mill in Pennsylvania. Sands Bethlehem hired 1000 full time employees about 90 locally. In 2008, PA
Casino's produced $1.6 billion in gaming revenue.

Tip of the Month: How Staffing Can Save Headaches

We hear it all the time.... From temps and from clients. "You're paying the temp $8.00/ hour and billing the client $11.20/hour." You would think we are making a killing with this, but that is not the case.

So let's take a moment and look at what that "spread" provides to both the temp and the client beyond the hourly cost of the labor alone.

The client receives the benefit of the following:

1. Avoids the cost of recruiting qualified personnel. This includes such things as advertising, interviewing time, checking references, background checks, testing etc.

2. Administrative tasks are handled by the Staffing Company. Payroll processing, UC claim forms, child support orders, loan papers, welfare paperwork, garnishments etc. are processed by the supplier.

3. Certain insurance costs beyond Workers Compensation are packaged in the client's bill rate. General liability, errors and omissions, employee dishonesty are a few of the coverage's provided.

4. The cost of risk is absorbed by the Staffing Company. The best example these days is the charging of UC benefits to the supplier's state account and not the clients. This serves to lower the clients UC rate paid against its own staff. The same goes for Workers Comp claims that are absorbed by the staffing company and stay off the client's risk.

5. The client benefits from the interest free funding the service carries while paying the employees working at the client's facility, depending on the credit terms offered by your service. Depending on volume this can be significant.

6. The "spread" most obviously includes payment of all payroll taxes and with-holdings to the proper source. These include such tings as FICA, FUTA, State Unemployment, Workers Compensation as well as Federal, State, Local Income Tax withholding and School District taxes. You might not realize it, but your service has to withhold local taxes and pay corporate income tax to hundreds of different taxing authorities as well as collecting sales tax in each county it operates. . . all with different rates.

7. Legal costs to defend against bogus Workers Compensation claims, Sexual Harassment/EEOC litigation, General Liability lawsuits, Bankruptcy/Collection matters and General Counsel are all paid by your Staffing Service.

8. The cost of technology must be factored into the end cost of your contingent labor force. Employee records, payroll records, applications etc. are all stored via electronic media. Networks are established to link offices and to proved clients with state of the art customer service. And as you can imagine, with technology comes the cost of hardware, software and the IT experts that make it all work.

9. Your provider maintains a fully trained professional full time staff in order to manage all these items. About 75% of the Ryan Alternative Staffing, Inc. full time staff have four year degrees.


Above and beyond a paycheck the temp receives:

* The opportunity to showcase their talents to a perspective employer that might consider them for full time employment.
* Unemployment, Workers Compensation, Old Age Survivors and Disability Income Benefits to provide compensation during periods of recession, job related accidents and in retirement.
* Training to improve job skills.
* Flexibility to arrange a work schedule around their personal life and geographically located close to where they live.


So, what does this all add up to? A heck of a deal, if you ask us. In effect, a professionally run Staffing Service is providing you a staff of experts in:

* Human Resource Management
* Labor Law
* Insurance and Risk Management
* Payroll and Tax Management (CPA's)
* Managed Care (MCO)
* Third Party Professionals (TPA)
* Information Technology (IT)

And all of this is in addition to the cost savings you realize via workforce flexibility and benefit savings!

Join SHRM for SURVIOVR....HR presented by Tim Mobley on Friday July 17

What a Ruff Week...TGIF

Need a little push to get through the week's last hours? Check out NBC The Office's Michael Scottisms for a little late week pick-me-up.




This week's MVP (Most Valuable Pup) is Kricket, wearing the blue tie.

Want to see if your pup has what it takes to be next week's MVP? E-mail your pooch's picture to newseditor@ryanstaffing.com to get him or her in the next mailer.

Safety Starts at the Top

"All injuries and occupational illnesses can be prevented. Safety is everyone's responsibility. All operating exposures can be safeguarded. Management has a responsibility to train all employees to work safely. Working safely is a condition of employment."
- Safety philosophy of Ryan Staffing, Tim Ryan, President

A staffing partner with a genuine interest in the safety and well being of its employees is a practice worthy of your attention.

Aside from a moral obligation to provide a safe work environment, the cost benefits and legal ramifications surrounding industrial accidents involving temp workers is out there for both the staffing provider and its client.

The medical and indemnity costs of a worker's compensation claim are the responsibility of the staffing provider. But those costs are often passed along in the form of higher bill rates. From a legal standpoint, several co-employment issues present themselves. In Ohio, violation of specific safety requirement (VSSR) claims resulting from an accident involving a temp are the responsibility of the client company (Ind. Comm. Of Ohio Resolution R97-1-01). OSHA record-keeping and resulting fines are directed at the client company. Providing safety training and supplying personal protective equipment have been found to be joint responsibilities.

Another big expense can be damage done that may not result in a worker's compensation claim, referred to as "accident-no injury" cases. Those causes can be related to the staffing company providing an unqualified person, the client providing insufficient training, or the placement of a temp on a job that they were not initially sent to perform. (You know, like when the temp drives a fork truck through a wall.)

The point is that all of these actions can have costly consequences and having a staffing partner that actively manages its safety risk should be an important consideration in your selection of a temp help supplier.

What should you expect from your staffing provider?

1. In most situations your staffing provider does not directly control the work environment of where the temp is working...you do. Such things as safety training, rule enforcement, providing personal protective equipment, etc, are the client's responsibility.

What you can expect from your provider is to provide a basic safety orientation prior to the temp starting work and to cover rules and requirements specific to your operation. If you don't already, ask your service to provide you a copy of their orientation. Make sure your service maintains a checklist signed by the temp acknowledging the safety orientation training.

2. Make sure your provider aggressively investigates all reported injuries and accidents. Small scratches can have a way of becoming infected lawsuits if left to heal on their own. At the very least your service should:

• Have their own detailed accident investigation form for the injured worker to complete. This should include detailed descriptions of how the accident happened, the names of witnesses, the type of injury and body parts impacted and prior related physical problems.
• Get appropriate medical releases signed by the injured worker to get ALL appropriate medical records past and present.
• Utilize a post accident drug testing program that is both timely and reviewed by an approved medical review officer.
• Obtain detailed statements from all witnesses in writing and when necessary get pictures of accident scene. DOCUMENTATION IS VITAL!
• Have a physician available with an industrial hygiene background that can review medical reports and provide independent medical opinions concerning claim allowance issues. Also your provider should have a strong working relationship with their managed care organization and have competent legal representation available to challenge contested claims.

3. Your staffing provider should have a progressive disciplinary program as it pertains to violations of safety policies and rules. Working safely must be a condition of employment. Violating this policy should result in termination of employment both for the protection of the temporary and those they are working alongside.

4. To make all of this work it is incumbent of the client to provide timely notification of all accidents to the provider, preferably no later than 24 hours after the accident happens. While it is the injured worker's responsibility to report all accidents right away it doesn't always happen. The more time that lapses in reporting makes all of the above more difficult to accomplish.

5. Include your temps in all your safety meetings. This reinforces the importance of safety to both your own staff as well as the temps that work alongside them.

6. It can be beneficial to both client and provider to have a transitional work program available for certified claims involving lost work days. In most cases Ryan Staffing provides "light duty" work to those claimants with restrictions. We also offer our clients 50 percent off their bill rate for providing transitional work to Ryan employees injured at their facilities.

These suggestions are not all inclusive. The most important thing to remember is that the safety and well being of personnel provided by your supplier is a joint responsibility.