Berks & Beyond Blog

To solve our clients’ complex staffing challenges, we at Berks & Beyond often have to think outside the box.  Here’s a creative solution we developed for a valued client that benefitted all parties involved:

The Problem:

To meet the staffing needs of their multiple locations, a Pennsylvania manufacturer’s corporate office decided to require all their locations to switch to a single national staffing service.  We had been serving this company’s Allentown location for years.  But because the national staffing service had more offices, the manufacturer assumed they’d get better results by working with one provider.

When the HR manager for the manufacturer’s Allentown office heard the news, she contacted us immediately.  She did not want to switch to the national staffing service, because Berks & Beyond had provided great service for so many years.  Unfortunately, she thought her hands were tied.

The Solution:

When we heard the news, we didn’t jump to conclusions – we got creative with our thinking.  Our team immediately began gathering information and quickly learned that the national service didn’t actually have an office near our client’s Allentown location.  We let the client know that if they were interested, we could explore ways to work together with the national service to best meet the client’s recruiting needs in the Allentown market.  Our client was excited at the prospect of continuing to work with us.

We were a little surprised when the national staffing firm reached out to us, after our client “went to bat” and stated that they wanted to keep doing business with Berks & Beyond.  Together, we created a unique partnership in which we supply the national service with candidates they in turn present to our client.

The Results:

Out-of-the-box thinking helped us develop a creative staffing solution in which everyone wins.  Our client is extremely pleased to continue working with us through the national service.  Instead of competing, we found a mutually beneficial way to partner with a national staffing service.  And most importantly, our local recruiting advantage ensures our client continues to receive the best candidates available.

Write Your Own Staffing Success Story

Contact Berks & Beyond today to find out how we can deliver real Results at Work for your organization.

The Problem:

Like many manufacturers, York Imperial Plastics works on a production needs basis.  Constantly changing production schedules often make them unable to anticipate labor needs until the day they are working on an order.  In the past, they were often forced to work short-handed, or required employees to work extended shifts, to meet production deadlines.

This manufacturer needed immediate access to a flexible, trained and pre-oriented workforce to supplement their core staff when demand suddenly surged.

The Solution:

Berks & Beyond developed and implemented a just-in-time staffing solution, maintaining a reserve pool of employees who were ready to work at a moment’s notice.  The employees were pre-screened, pre-tested and given an advance tour of York Imperial Plastic’s facility, so they could hit the ground running when called to work.

The Results:

Now when the manufacturing firm has a sudden surge in demand, they have on-demand access to a flexible and immediately productive workforce to handle the extra capacity – without adding to their permanent headcount.  With one phone call to Berks & Beyond in the morning, the Director of Operations can have additional workers by that afternoon. 

Core staff members experience less stress and job burnout during busy times; and when production slows down again, the temporary employees simply end their assignments.

“Over the last three years, Berks & Beyond has been a tremendous asset to our organization.  On a daily basis, they have been instrumental in helping us successfully flex our workforce with qualified and energetic individuals.  Berks & Beyond has an extremely talented and responsive staff, always ready and willing to find solutions to all problems and issues.”

–Chris Leh, Director of Operations

Write Your Own Staffing Success Story

Contact Berks & Beyond today to find out how we can deliver real Results at Work for your organization.

When used strategically, temporary staffing can improve productivity, increase capacity to handle spikes in workload, and provide access to specialized skill sets – all without increasing your fixed expenses.

To help ensure your temporary staff is as efficient and productive as possible, be sure to follow these 5 key steps:

Step #1: Determine the type of person you need and define required skills.
Meet with managers and those who will be working with the temporary employee to determine which skills are ideal for the position you are trying to fill.  Examine top performers you already have on staff to determine what skills have made them successful.  And finally, work closely with your staffing agency and provide as much detail as possible.

Step #2: Work with an experienced staffing agency.
Find an agency that has experience in your industry.  Not only will an experienced staffing agency know where to look to find the right person, but they will also be able to help you determine things like an appropriate pay rate for a particular position.

Step #3: Provide a solid orientation and training program.
Include information such as working hours, breaks and lunch schedules, any safety regulations or company rules, and contact information for direct supervisors.  You may also want to assign a core staff member or supervisor to help orient the temporary employee.  Also, find out what type of training and orientation your staffing agency can provide.  Good staffing agencies will offer guidance on how to best bring temporary employees up to speed so they can hit the ground running–and they may even conduct initial training and orientation for you.

Step #4: Communicate clearly and openly.
Make sure your temporary employees understand what’s expected from them.  Encourage employees to ask questions and make sure they know to whom those questions should be directed.

Step #5: Check in regularly.
Be sure to take a minute or two at several points throughout the first day to check in and gauge progress.  Set specific days/times you plan to check in throughout the week to answer any questions and monitor progress.

Bringing a temporary employee on board at your company can offer a host of benefits – as long as that employee is managed properly.  And from our experience, hard-working and properly managed temporary employees often become leading candidates for full-time openings.

If you’re interested in hiring temporary employees or just want to learn more about how temporary employees can help your company, contact Berks & Beyond today.  As a leading Central and Southern Pennsylvania staffing firm, we can deliver the flexible staff you need without increasing your permanent workforce.

Temporary employees can do so much for your business.  They can help you:

• meet critical deadlines;
• lower employment expense and risk;
• and free your staff to focus on core competencies, to name just a few.

But while using staffing services is clearly a smart business strategy, the ways you use them can be an equally important consideration.  Here are a few best practices to help you get the highest return from your contingent staff, while minimizing co-employment concerns.

1. Set clear performance expectations.  Determine what you want temporary employees to accomplish and provide those requirements to the staffing firm.  Document tasks to be performed, required skills, and expected standards of performance.
2. Benchmark your staff.  Ask your staffing provider to test one or two of your staff members using their skills assessment software.  This will help you determine which tests your temporaries should take, as well as minimum acceptable scores.
3. Do not tolerate poor performance.  Track each temporary employee’s job performance.  If any of them fail to meet your standards, ask the staffing firm to replace the employee(s) immediately.
4. Prepare your staff.  Foster a  positive work environment by clearly explaining where and why you are using temporary employees.  Open communication will encourage cooperation and keep your staff from viewing contingent workers as a threat to their own job security.
5. Provide a job site orientation.  Provide a facilities and resources tour for new temporaries.  Be sure to introduce them to co-workers and onsite supervisors who can answer questions and provide direction.
6. Do not train contingent workers.  If training is required, ask your staffing vendor to handle the training.  You want the employer of record to be responsible for training of its employees.
7. Do not negotiate the pay rate of your temporary workers.  While it’s fine to negotiate bill rates, all discussions regarding pay, benefits, and raises should be between the staffing service and its employees.
8. Do not coach a temporary on job performance.  Provide all feedback to the staffing firm’s service coordinator and request that they, in turn, coach the employee.
9. Train your service coordinator.  Bring the service representative on-site to inspect your work environment and develop a thorough description of job duties and performance expectations.
10. Do not terminate a temporary employee directly or discuss future job opportunities.  All changes in job status should only be discussed with the staffing firm.  You may refer temporary employees to publicly available job openings.

Achieve More With Staffing

Berks and Beyond wants you to achieve even better results with staffing.  Contact us today to learn more about how our services can help you save time, money, and headaches.