How to Successfully Work with a Contingent Staffing Company

Catherine A. Dombrow, Kelly Scientific Resources

The use of a contingent workforce is a growing trend. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the staffing industry will grow faster and add more new jobs than just about any other over the next decade.

Businesses opt to use this labor resource for a variety of reasons, such as to supplement their workforce during peak seasons, to control costs, to assist with project-based initiatives, to recruit candidates with specialized skills, to hire for multiple positions, etc. 

When working with a staffing agency, understanding how and when to communicate can maximize the contingent workforce experience for all parties involved. A lack of communication between a company and its contingency staffing agency can diminish the effective use of this flexible and easily accessible labor resource.

There are three areas where good communication is essential. First, when requesting candidates, set expectations, have defined boundaries and evaluate the results. Secondly, when providing feedback about contract employees, recognize positive performance and identify actionable issues. Finally, when interacting with on-site contract workers, set expectations, explain the science and anticipate questions.

Communicating Requests

The speed at which qualified candidates can be identified depends on how well a company communicates its needs to the staffing agency. When submitting requests for candidates, set expectations, have defined boundaries and then evaluate the results.

Set expectations – Be precise in your description of the type of candidate you are seeking. Include information about what you expect your ideal candidate’s qualifications should be, such as level of education, number of years working with certain instruments/equipment or programs, soft skills you desire the candidate to be strong in, etc.

Prioritize your wish list of skills and experiences from “must have” to “desirable.” For example, certain soft skills may be valued over actual experience. A candidate who picks up on new tasks quickly and has a lot of initiative can always be trained.

Other items to include in your request should be information about the particular work environment the candidate will be exposed to, such as extreme temperatures, machinery or instruments with open moving parts, fumes, noise, allergens and/or pathogens.

Have defined boundaries – To begin the candidate selection process, decide whether your company will be conducting final interviews, or if the agency will facilitate the entire process. If you prefer to interview candidates and make the final selection, indicate how many resumes you expect to see and how many interviews you expect to have. Also, indicate a date by which you expect to receive resumes, when you plan to hold interviews, and by what date you will make your final selection.

As you receive resumes, provide feedback to the staffing agency about how the candidate meets your set expectations. After completing an interview with a candidate, provide immediate feedback to the staffing agency, whether the candidate is being considered for the position or not. Keeping the lines of communication open expedites the hiring process.

Evaluate the results – Timely communication during the interview process is essential to keep the selection process moving. It is important in today’s sellers’ market to move as quickly as possible on a decision for filling open job positions. Candidates generally have interviews with more than one company and accept a new assignment in a matter of days.

After the interviews for your position have been completed, rank each candidate from most to least suitable. Then, let your staffing agency know your top two to three choices immediately. A delay in communicating this information may cost you being able to get your number one choice in candidates. If the top candidate turns down the offer, or has accepted another position, the agency can immediately contact the other candidates you are considering.

Communicating Feedback

Once the contract worker is on assignment, maintaining a quality level of communication with the staffing agency is essential. Timely and regular communication about the contractor’s performance, whether good or bad, helps to keep all parties on track with the depth and scope of the overall assignment.

Recognize positive performance – When the contingent worker is exceeding expectations in productivity, performance, quality of work, etc., let the staffing agency know. They will relay this feedback to their contract employee. Many staffing firms have employee reward systems in place to tangibly thank their employees for jobs well done. Help keep the positive performance momentum going by reporting the desirable behaviors and performances.

Identify actionable issues – It is also critical to immediately report all performance or behavior issues to the staffing agent. Do not assume the situation will improve over time. Inform the staffing agency of the situation and let it take the necessary steps to remediate the issue.

Temporary employees come with a management team standing behind them to handle everything from work related injuries/illnesses to rewarding outstanding performance. Take advantage of the many services the staffing agency offers by staying in touch.

Communicating with Contract Workers

Since a contingent workforce is managed overall by the staffing agency, what kind of communication should the customer have with its assigned contractors? Communication should be centered on information such as roles and responsibilities, how to perform assigned tasks, how to operate instruments/equipment, etc.

When communicating directly with on-site contract workers, it’s best to set expectations, explain the science and anticipate questions.

Set expectations – When temporary employees first join your group or start a new task, let them know the level of productivity that is expected and how the productivity is measured. Those who thrive on competition will be challenged to meet or exceed set goals.

Explain the science – Take five minutes to explain the science behind their tasks and provide an overview of the bigger picture. Tell them what generated the need for this task and where is it going next. Let them know who is depending on this task being completed and how the level of quality affects the next step in the process. Those who thrive on being key players in a process will be motivated to do their best.

Anticipate questions – Work that is stimulating and has perceived importance and value will generate questions from the workers. Anticipate these questions and receive them as a gauge of how well you are motivating and stimulating their thinking and interest in the work. The higher the interest and motivation, the more likely a higher quality and quantity of output will be.

A Rewarding Partnership

Opting to use a contingent workforce has advantages including ready access to specialty skills and talent for short- or long-term projects, increased productivity through freeing permanent employees for higher end tasks, savings in benefits and taxes, and other long-term savings in compensation or retirement plans. Ultimately, effective communication with both the contingent staffing agency and your temporary workforce will go a long way and can result in a truly rewarding partnership.

Catherine Dombrow is an on-site manager for Kelly Scientific Resources, a world leader in clinical and scientific staffing solutions. For more information, visit www.kellyscientific.com.

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