STAFFING RESOURCE CENTER

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Don't Be an Ostrich

Use these staffing strategies to help your business weather the pandemic-induced recession.

Tens of millions are unemployed. The future of several industries hangs in the balance. People are afraid to go to work, but plenty of industries need workers now.

2020 has been a rollercoaster ride, and it's easy to feel discouraged.

But, if you want your business to survive and emerge strong, you can't just bury your head in the sand and wait for things to get better. No one knows what the remainder of the year will hold, but your business must do everything it can to weather this continuing storm.

So, don't be an ostrich. Pull your head out of the sand and face the recession head-on. Use these practical staffing strategies to save money, reduce risks, and focus on bringing more business in the door:

  • Lower your fixed labor costs. Labor is a huge expense and anything you can do to reduce that expense, without sacrificing quality or productivity, will improve your ability to survive the recession.

    Planned staffing is a great way to lower labor costs. First, you minimize your staff to levels necessary to maintain your core volume of work. Then, you partner with a qualified staffing service to supplement your staff with trained temporary personnel during peak periods.

    This will ensure access to qualified personnel when you need them and reduce payroll when you don't.
  • Minimize the need for layoffs. During a recession, you may be forced to furlough employees or conduct layoffs; then rehire them when your business picks back up.

    No business owner wants to do this to their employees. You can break the cycle with temporary staffing. With proper planning, these services can reduce, or even eliminate, your need to lay off employees during slow periods, while providing adequate coverage during your busier times.
  • Reduce overtime. Overtime can feel like your only option if you've had to let some staff go, but it is an expensive way to get work done.

    Your company doesn't have to work this way. You can bring in temporary employees to handle the extra hours and reduce your labor costs by 20% or more.
  • Free your core staff to focus on revenue-generating activities. Give your staff more time to focus on activities that make money. You can offload administrative activities to temporary employees or outsource noncritical departments to a company that specializes in that function.

    The extra time your employees gain can be spent on activities that bring more business in the door.
  • Work around a hiring freeze. Have economic conditions forced your company into a hiring freeze? If so, consider using payrolling services to retain a qualified worker until you can hire them directly.
  • Limit benefits expenses. On average, benefits cost 20% - 25% above and beyond payroll expenses. So where appropriate (i.e., project or short-term work), use temporary employees to eliminate benefits expense - even when not in the midst of a pandemic!
  • Test new ideas. Many organizations diversify to survive a recession. There are opportunities in our “new normal” to expand into new lines of business, modify services or move into new markets. If your company is implementing a new idea to take advantage of the economic downturn, consider bringing in temporary employees to test the concept first.

    The temporaries may be directly involved in the test (remember, staffing services provide professionals and specialists of all types). Alternately, you can use temporaries to fill in for your direct staff members who are working on the new concept.
  • Build your employer brand. When the upturn happens - and it will happen - applicants and candidates will want to know how you kept your employees safe during the pandemic. Safety should be a priority for any employees you have working on-site.

    Make sure to follow all CDC, state and local guidelines for safety, create (and enforce) clear protocols for working together safely, and provide adequate resources for employees to access COVID-related information and support.
  • Be ready for call-offs. Even if COVID-19 hadn't impacted your staff, the possibility looms that one or more people could be out for an extended period. Have a plan in place to be able to access temporary employees to fill in for sick employees on demand so operations don't falter if one or more key players fall ill.
  • Plan for the upturn now. Get a jump on your competitors. Don't wait for the tide to turn before you define your post-recession staffing needs (consider new types of positions/skills that will be needed post-recession). Things may be slow now, but it's still a good idea to prepare for the eventual upswing before it hits - those who don't will be left in the wake of companies like yours that are ready to move ahead.

Trust the Right Partner: Your Staffing Company

Strategizing and implementing a staffing game plan under such uncertain conditions can be a challenge, especially when you have to focus so closely on keeping new business coming in.

That's where a seasoned staffing company can help. Our experts will work closely with you to help you:

  • Acquire just-in-time staff for employees who come to work ill or call in sick.
  • Access trained, qualified staff to support your employees' health and safety.
  • Build protocols to ensure your employees and our associates work safely together.
  • Create a strategic, flexible workforce plan that:
    • controls overhead and risk.
    • seamlessly scales your team to handle surges in demand or meet tight deadlines.
    • frees your core team to capitalize on new opportunities.
  • Keep your business adequately staffed to reduce stress and overwork.
  • Improve hiring speed and success:
    • Top-grade your team by capitalizing on the short-term availability of great talent.
    • Interview only qualified candidates with the necessary skills and attributes.
  • Forecast your long-term hiring needs and close skills gaps.
  • Test new ideas, fast-track new initiatives, adopt new service models - with no loss of focus.
  • Recover quickly as our economy rebounds.

So, pull your head out of the sand and face the rest of the year with confidence. When an expert staffing team has your back, you can keep looking forward.