Employer Survival Kit

Hiring Challenges? Meet Them Head On

Your staff is the heart of your business. It defines your company culture and is the foundation of productivity, innovation and development. Whether your business is in growth mode or scaling back, hiring and retaining top quality staff is a critical part of its success.

Of course, economic uncertainty only makes hiring decisions more complicated. Even with a job market characterized by slow and steady growth, regional challenges in Maine and New Hampshire, such as a stagnant population, a dearth of younger workers, and a much-publicized skills gap, can plague local employers. And, when jobs are in demand, hiring can feel like looking for one qualified fish in an ocean of applicants, overwhelming and overburdening human resources departments. How do employers make intelligent hiring decisions and cope with limited HR capacity?

Staffing Companies Lighten the Load

Businesses often turn to support to shore up their HR processes and lessen the pressures of hiring and maintaining staff, whether permanent or temporary. Enlisting a staffing company means creating a new partnership, and choosing the right partner can increase productivity, boost a business’ bottom line, and invigorate an organization over the long haul.

Staffing companies take care of many of the resource-sapping processes, such as screening employees, conducting background checks, verifying references, and interviewing. They also have rich resources for tapping the just right skilled worker for a project. Beyond the hiring process, staffing companies also take care of payroll, invoice employers for payment, and because they serve as the employer of record, are responsible for withholding taxes, providing insurance protection, including worker’s compensation and unemployment benefits. They often provide supervisory services as well, taking additional burden off of company employees.

Employer & HR Local Resources 

• When staffing decisions are being made, HR support is paramount. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is organization of human resource professionals with chapters in Maine and New Hampshire that provide information and support on a variety of HR topics HR strategies, best practices, conferences, legal issues and more. Find Maine chapters or find NH chapters.

• Resources for employers including hiring, unemployment insurance and workers compensation, and safety and training resources can be found at Maine.gov.

• For support with financing and growing a business in the state of New Hampshire, visit the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center. In Maine, get the help you need at the Maine Small Business Development Center.

• Maine Career Center provides employer resources including recruiting, labor market information and hiring support. And, if you are a Maine employer looking to hire quality workers with strong leadership and teamwork skills, find a CareerCenter Veterans' Representative.

Adding Value

In addition to basic hiring services, value-added services and specialized programs offered by staffing companies can mean return on investment that extends beyond just HR relief. For companies with challenging needs due to volume, timeframe, or skill set, staffing companies collaborate to find creative solutions. Top-tier agencies offer a variety of staffing options such as temporary workers, direct-hire workers, and engage in strategic hiring when specific skills are necessary. For example, as part of maintaining a valuable partnership with clients, BONNEY Staffing Center offers employers robust skills and assessment training (a great predictor of worker productivity), insurance protection, 24/7 availability for urgent needs, and employees benefits that translate into better quality recruiting and better retention.

Employers can also tap into the latest hiring technologies. BONNEY also offers the latest in job search technology, with their “Say Something Great” video resumes. The ultimate in streamlining the hiring process, BONNEY’S SSG video interview system allow employers to virtually meet candidates from their desk. Learn more about BONNEY’s Say Something Great Video Resumes.

Whether your goal is to take advantage of specialized programs and services, to boost to your bottom line, or simply to find that one fish in Applicant Ocean, consider a brand new partnership – with a staffing company. It’s an investment that can pay dividends far beyond the HR office.

Staffing Company Checklist

Looking for a HR support for your business? Ask your staffing company if they have these value-added services before you commit:

✓ 24/7 Availability. If you have emergency staffing needs or employ shift workers, 9-5 service from your staffing agency could leave you in the lurch when you most need help.

✓ Complete Insurance Protection. If you employ workers in the field, don’t take risks. Make sure your staffing agency offers insurance that is complete, comprehensive and above industry averages. 

✓ Complementary Skills Training.  Have a project requiring specialized on-the-job training? Ask your agency about charges for orientation and training to make sure they are taken into account. 

✓ Geographic reach. If your company has multiple offices, single-locations agencies can be inefficient when it comes to recruiting. And don’t discount local staffing agencies for nation needs – BONNEY Staffing, for example, is part of collective of independently-owned staffing companies across the country, giving them national reach. 

✓ Onsite Management. Some agencies offer services that include complete project coordination and management of temporary staff so you can focus on other core job duties. 

✓ Employee Performance Tracking. Make sure your agency has a solid track record of performance tracking, evaluations and quality control. 

✓ Benefits for Employees. Robust benefits for employees support an agency’s retention and recruitment efforts, ensuring the best employee for your project.

Questions about how staffing companies work with businesses? View FAQs about hiring, staffing and billing, or see if BONNEY’s specialized programs fit your needs.

BONNEY Blog $50 Cash Card Winner: Christopher Flaherty

We asked for your temp and temp-to-hire stories and we heard from you!

Christopher Flaherty, winner of our $50 Cash Card Contest
at work at his temp-to-hire job at Dunkin' Donuts in Bangor.

The Bonney community shared their experiences about temporary work and job placement in response to our call to comment on a recent post about temp and temp-to-hire jobs. We heard from college students, those who were returning to temporary work after time away, and those who turned to temporary work after a long time engaged in job search. It seems our suspicions were confirmed: employees in Maine and New Hampshire are finding temporary work to be a fit for their lifestyle, a way to gain work experience, and an access point for full-time, permanent positions.

Congratulations go, however, to our $50 cash card winner Christopher Flaherty. He shared his experience about working with Bonney in temporary positions that eventually led to full-time work. When we reached out to Christopher, he told us he found Bonney through the Maine Job Bank in Bangor and Central Maine and they provided contacts for businesses that were hiring in the area. That led to him being hired full time by CPL Dunkin' Donuts in Bangor through a temp-to-hire opportunity.

Christopher said he appreciated Bonney for their seamless hiring process and for their simple payment processing. He said he also took advantage of the placement agency’s wealth of information about interviewing and job success, found on the Bonney Staffing Center website and blog and through his staffing supervisor. He reminded us of an excellent point: signing on with a placement agency provides valuable resources that can help employees get and keep a job – something job searchers just don’t have when they go it alone in the job market.

Christopher’s best advice for those starting out with temporary work? “Patience, remaining honest and reliability,” he said.  “When you get hired, remain dedicated and reliable and show you can do the work. It will help you keep the job in the long term.”

Thanks, Christopher, for being a part of the Bonney community! And thanks to all our blog post commenters for participating in the contest. You are all valued members of our local work force.

Congratulations to Runner-Up Tori Russell, winner of a $25 cash card. 

Temp-to-Hire Emerges As Today’s Career Launch Pad

There is no disputing that today’s employers are keen on temporary workers. New enthusiasm for this longstanding job segment has taken temp work, specifically Temp-to-Hire positions, from the fringes of the labor force and moved it front and center.  “More employers, for example, are laying down the mandate,” quotes a June article about the role of temporary jobs in the job market in the New York Post. “Job candidates must work temporary assignments before they will be considered for full-time jobs,” declares the piece.

Temp-to-Hire, unlike standard temp work, which usually ends when the work is completed (though temp jobs sometimes can lead to permanent hires) is an agreement between a staffing company and a hiring company that a field employee work as part of a trial period before being hired permanently. Once relegated to lower level positions, Temp-to-Hire has become the launch pad to permanent positions across industries and at every skill level. Job seekers can find Temp-to-Hire jobs in almost every field, from administrative and executive to general labor.  A requisite temp period before being hired, reports the Post, is not just for entry-level jobs. And the advantages of this “try before you buy” approach, as it is often referred to, can provide real advantages for employers and employees in a recovering economy.

Blazing a Trail to the Permanent Job

Ask someone you know how they landed their current job, and don’t be surprised of they say they found it through a Temp-to-Hire opportunity.  Temporary workers are hired full time 50% of the time according to some reports, and if the job is specifically Temp-to-Hire, chances escalate.

During a Temp-to-Hire trial period, both the employee and the employer determine whether the jobs is the “right fit” and they consider establishing an employment relationship. When the time frame ends, the company can hire the employee without further obligations to the staffing company. According to Bonney Staffing Center, in a Temp-to-Hire situation, a company's decision to hire a field employee can range from one day to several months or even longer. Bonney, an agency that fills Temporary, Temp-to-Hire, and Direct-Hire jobs throughout Northern New England, places Temp-to-Hire positions regularly, and has established relationships with local companies that have come to depend on them for good candidates who can round out their permanent staff.

There’s no question that Temp-to-Hire employees have an advantage when vying for a permanent position. They don’t just have a foot in the door, they are on the job day in and day out proving their worth. Temp-to-Hire employees also benefit by being able to get a feel for a company or a position before signing on permanently.  A job that seems perfect can often end up being a poor fit, and if that’s the case, employee and employer can part ways with no hard feelings. Temp-to-Hire jobs also have all of the advantages of temporary jobs, including the chance to build skills and fill work history voids, all while on the permanent job track.

Of course, Temp-to-Hire is work on contingency – there is no guarantee that a worker will be deemed fit for a company’s permanent position. Employees are encouraged to keep an open mind about the future opportunities – some may even find a permanent position in the interim (don’t forget to give proper notice if that occurs). If you are considering a Temp-to-Hire job, it can be helpful to ask your staffing specialist what the track record is for hires at the company you are considering.

In a Temp-to-Hire Job? Here’s How To Make It Permanent

Not all temp positions end in a hire, but if the job description states “Temp-to-Hire,” permanent employment is a possible outcome. If you love your new job, make sure the feeling is mutual. Here’s how to make the transition to permanent employee at the end of your temp tenure.

• Show your best self. Temp-to-Hire jobs are auditions for both employer and the employee, and employers want you to prove yourself. Be reliable, stay late or come in early if need be, and make your case for being a stellar employee. Your commitment is an investment in your future job, and if you’re giving it your all, employers will want you on their team.

• Don’t treat it like a temp job. Don’t adopt “it’s just temporary” attitude. Not investing in the long term is a sure fire reason for an employer to show you the door when the time comes. Find out what it takes to be a permanent employee, show your investment, and express interest in being hired permanently. Act like you are part of the company, and you might be. 

• Do something great. Temp-to-Hire jobs are great motivators for workers to make their mark. Even if you can’t change the world, take note of the value you’ve added during your term –processes you’ve made better, goals you’ve achieved, or relationships you’ve cultivated – it’s all ammunition for the permanent interview.

• Fit in. Don’t underestimate the importance of fitting in. The truth is, an employee with the best permanent prospects isn’t just a sales wiz or the first to pull in the parking lot in the morning – they’re somebody who fits in with the company culture. They get along with co-workers, they pay attention to dress codes and behavior, and they do their best to blend in before they stand out. 

Looking for Temp-to-Hire positions? Ask your local staffing specialist at Bonney about temp-to-hire jobs, or search current temporary jobs.