In a world where it’s sometimes easier to take shortcuts or look the other way to save time, energy or a buck, it’s important to work with professionals that know the importance of putting your best interests first. Sometimes this can rub you the wrong way because you expect your staffing supplier to have that “customer is always right” or “do whatever it takes to make you happy” mentality.
But sometimes it is just as important to have a supplier that shoots straight and isn’t afraid to lose your business if it means doing business the right way. Consider these “semi-hypothetical” examples:
1. A food processing company that processes chickens for consumption wants to bring on 50 temporaries for their busy season. They have a need for conventional staffing, but they also have a group of workers that they want to payroll. They are in a hurry, and they put people to work before their staffing supplier has had the chance to process the paperwork.
As it turns out the people to be payrolled are in the country with less than the required documentation to work legally.
Do you want your supplier to:
A. Tell you it is ok and guarantee that those employees with be signed up within a week without the required I-9 document.
B. Suggest that you start off by using conventional temporaries that have been properly oriented with all the proper documentation. That way, we both avoid the I-9 police down the road.
2. A steel processing company requests the services of an individual to do production work that involves working around dangerous machinery. The person that starts the job is placed on the job with little training and no safety orientation.
Personal protective equipment that includes wearing safety glasses, hearing protection and gloves with long sleeve shirts are required by the company’s full time staff, but the requirements are not enforced for the temps.
Sure enough, the temp experiences a serious laceration to the hand and is to be off work for a month. The company has a bonus program that includes penalties for people that get hurt on the job and is anxious to keep the temps injury off its record. To this end they have asked their staffing supplier to “work” with them to make this happen.
What approach would you want your supplier to take?
A. Suggest that you end the temporary’s assignment right away for lack of work or poor job performance so that in theory the accident won’t be lost time and impact the bonus program.
B. Tell you that injuries involving temporaries really should not go on your record because they are not your employees and therefore do not need to be recorded on your OSHA log.
C. Explain to you that the injury should be investigated in detail to avoid problems down the road with OSHA and other workers compensation co-employment issues. Then, you’re suppliers works with you to develop a “return to work” strategy that includes providing restricted duty work to avoid the injury becoming lost time and gets the injured worker released to full duty in a timely manner. The supplier then strongly encourages you to return the temp to work and not end the assignment for any reason to avoid this discriminatory practice and the potential legal problems it brings.
3. A HR rep in a large manufacturing company has been assigned the task of calling the staffing supplier to place orders for help. The individual uses more than one service so as to not put all the company’s eggs in one basket. It would seem that most of the business has started to shift to one supplier in particular that has a reputation for “wining and dining” clients to get their business.
Who do you want to get most of your staffing business?
A. The supplier that puts together the best package of goodies but provides lousy service and higher bill rates.
B. The staffing company that does everything it can to provide superior service at the lowest possible cost without trying to buy your love yet shows appreciation with an occasional working business lunch or hand delivered pumpkin roll at Thanksgiving time for your staff to share….whew!
4. Consider the company that processes medical records and billings. Due to ObamaCare, they have an immediate need for skilled clerical help that have all the latest bells and whistles when it comes to office technology….and they need the person yesterday!
The order is placed with two staffing companies at the same time. Which staffing supplier would you prefer to work with on this request:
A. The first one responds by filling the order within an hour with a person that has a questionable work history and educational skills that really only match about half of what you need. The staffing company knew that this person will not cut it, but they want to get the order filled to buy time for them to find the qualified candidate which could take a week or so. You will end up ending the assignment and all the time training this temp after a few days and requesting a replacement.
B. The other staffing supplier checks its database and informs you that they don’t currently have a qualified person to fill the position and that they will have to utilize all their recruiting sources to find a person that will do a great job but that it might take a week or so. They give you the option of accepting a lesser skilled person or waiting for the ideal candidate as well as providing resumes for you to review and getting you involved in the selection process. They even go so far as to offer free training time for an applicant that has potential.
Do you want a staffing supplier that looks out for their own best interest first or one that is willing to sacrifice your business by refusing to take shortcuts and is always looking out for your best interests….no matter how painful?
