Are you ready to leap forward into a successful 2015? As 2014 draws to a close, you’re probably working hard to map out your goals for the upcoming year, including your staffing plan. But what if you still have questions about the best way to forecast your staffing needs, manage your staffing budget or work with a temporary staffing service? Here’s what you can do.
Develop a smart staffing plan
Your staffing plan will help you maintain an appropriate volume of qualified employees. To do this, you’ll need to analyze your current staffing level and respond to employment gaps. Ask yourself these questions:
- How many workers do you need for each position in your company? It’s best to forecast 1–3 years into the future. Consider how much turnover your company usually experiences based on competition with other employers, and staff retirement.
- Can you reduce the number of new workers you’ll need? You may be able to do this through:
- Improving retention—through incentives, corporate culture enhancements and employee engagement.
- Reorganizing departments—by consolidating roles and reducing the number of required staff.
- Redesigning work processes—by streamlining methods and procedures to improve efficiency and reduce the number of required staff.
- Improving productivity—and therefore increasing the amount of work your current staff can produce.
- If you need them, how will you find new staff? You can:
- Find, hire and train new employees—post externally on job boards, social media, industry journals, etc.
- Modify job requirements—broaden the pool of potential candidates by considering a wider range of qualifications for open positions.
- Promote internally—post for open jobs within your company. Offer training and apprenticeship programs to prepare your current employees for positions that you forecast will become available.
- Work with a staffing partner—save time and money by hiring a recruiter to find well-qualified new staff.
How to work effectively with your recruiting firm
Once you’ve devised your staffing plan, you may decide the assistance of a recruiter is the way to go. When you work with a staffing partner, you can take steps to help maximize this valuable relationship:
- First, choose a firm that specializes in your industry. Plain and simple, they’ll understand your needs the best and will be able to provide you with qualified staff more easily.
- Give your recruiter the time and information they need. Staffing firms are experts at turning your staffing requests around quickly. However, give your recruiter the benefit of sufficient lead time to review potential candidates, meet with them and provide you with adequate feedback. This will help you select the most appropriate new Also, the more specific you are about the candidates you need, the better equipped your recruiter will be to find perfect matches for you.
- Choose a staffing firm you work well with. Since you’ll be working closely with its recruiters, find a staffing firm you like. Search the internet and view websites, ask colleagues for recommendations, and call to talk with a representation from the firm before you reach your final decision.
The future is looking bright!
With a little planning, you can reach your staffing goals in the new year. Take the time you need to develop your staffing plan. Then launch your company forward into a successful 2015.
Are you in need of staff supplementation?
Contemporary Staffing Solutions can help. We work with employers to fill your staff with best-matched temporary, temp-to-hire or direct hire employees. To learn more about how we can help you reach your staffing goals, contact Contemporary Staffing Solutions today.