"Gain a competitive edge by putting the right people in the right positions at the right price"
Business is bouncing back. You’re exploring new initiatives. Your technical department is ready to launch a new project and resurrect one that went on hold last year. It’s too soon to commit to a wave of permanent new hires, but you need help to get these projects rolling.
The people who work for you are the single most important factor in the success or failure of your organization. You need the right mix of skills in the right place at the right time at the right cost to achieve your business goals and stay competitive. So how do you obtain the skills and experience that you need right now while staying flexible in the face of a dynamic economy without locking into a long term commitment?
Take a Strategic Approach to Staffing
Forward-looking companies have learned that staff augmentation is a simple and cost-efficient way to satisfy fluctuating skill requirements and meet aggressive project timelines, particularly in uncertain times. Staff augmentation has been around for decades but is soaring in popularity because of today's fast paced and radically changing business world. This sourcing strategy uses experienced workers on a temporary basis to augment existing personnel, allowing companies to access expert resources and skill sets without the loaded cost of a permanent employee. Staff Augmentation offers a wide range of benefits, from cost containment to risk mitigation and is being used increasingly by managers who need to deploy resources when and where they need them in order to meet program and business objectives.
Tangible Benefits
It is not surprising that staff augmentation is enjoying a boom market. According to an American Management Association survey, 91% of human resource managers rate flexibility in staffing issues as important, and 95% use temporary and contract employees to achieve that flexibility. In fact, on an average day, 3 million temporary and contract employees go to work for American businesses. 1
Under a staff augmentation model, the cost of hiring a temporary worker and disengaging once a project concludes, can more than offset the higher cost of hiring more permanent resources. Staff augmentation requires minimal internal recruiting effort, it can scale up or down quickly, and can be structured to have minimal impact on an organization’s existing staff. It is an efficient way to fill skill gaps and access specific industry and technical experience while avoiding the cost and time required for internal training and skill development.
In addition, many resources will work with you on-site or remotely. When you’re wondering how you’ll ever meet the next deadline or get that all-important project up and running, consider a contractor or temporary employee as your next hire.
Reduce Risk with Temp-to-hire
Most staffing companies offer a temp-to-hire option so you can test the waters before making a permanent commitment to a candidate. By augmenting your staff with temporary employees you can get to know candidates before you hire and make wiser, more informed hiring decisions. This works well in both directions, as candidates can evaluate your company, its people and the work environment before deciding to make a commitment that extends beyond their temporary contract period.
When you’re wondering how you’ll ever meet the next deadline or get that all-important project up and running, consider a contractor or temporary employee as your next hire.
1 American Staffing Association, “Employment and Sales Survey Report, Fourth Quarter 2005,” February 27, 2006.
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