Berks & Beyond Blog

The staffing industry is not what it used to be.  In decades past, employers typically viewed staffing services as a “necessary evil” – a last resort when a low-level employee called in sick.

But not anymore.

Today’s staffing industry is comprised of diverse, robust organizations whose services can greatly enhance your company’s productivity and profitability – even in a tough economy.  Still, a significant portion of the business community doesn’t really understand what we do, or how we do it.

So if you think that staffing services are too expensive, or that you can’t find an ideal candidate through an employment agency, take a read through this quick post.  It debunks five common staffing myths:

Myth #1: Staffing firms are too expensive.

Fact: If you focus solely on bill rates and placement fees, you may conclude that staffing services are more expensive than a DIY staffing approach.  In reality, staffing firms can actually save you money.  You can leverage their recruiting expertise and economies of scale to quickly and cost-effectively access the talented candidates you need.

You can also reduce overtime, training and payroll administration expenses by using temporary employees to handle your extra workload.  Additionally, staffing experts can show you how to lower your labor costs by reducing your core staff to meet the low end of your production cycle, and then bringing in supplemental help for busier times.

Myth#2: Temps are all secretaries.

Fact: Temporary employees now work in virtually every industry and increasingly include highly skilled professionals.  In additional to administrative and industrial workers, staffing firms now regularly supply medical, technical, legal and executive-level professionals to tackle mission-critical projects.

Myth #3: You can’t hire a good employee through a staffing firm.

Fact: Staffing firms use rigorous screening, interviewing, skills testing and background / reference check processes to ensure the quality of talent they supply.  And unlike an individual you recruit on your own, a staffing service’s candidate comes with a guarantee.

Myth #4: Staffing firms only provide “temps.”

Fact:  Today’s staffing suppliers offer a wide variety of services that can be customized to suit your workforce needs, including:  temporary help, direct hire, temp-to-hire, contract staffing and payrolling services.

Myth #5: Temps are only good for “fill-ins.”

Fact: Beyond filling in for vacations or illnesses, employers regularly use temporary and contract employees to: provide extra support during busy times; staff special short-term projects; access specialized talent; evaluate talent for permanent positions.

The Truth about Berks & Beyond Employment Services

The truth is, Berks & Beyond can certainly fill your last-minute staffing needs.  But we can do so much more for your business!  With years of experience serving employers throughout central and southern Pennsylvania, we can help you use staffing to reduce overhead, complete critical projects and improve productivity.

What can  Berks & Beyond do for you?  Contact us today.

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.

Ever feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information coming at you each day?

With the barrage of data pouring in from newspapers, TV, the internet, social media, RSS feeds, e-mails, voicemails and good-old-fashioned face-to-face meetings, finding the critical information you need amidst all the “white noise” can be exhausting.

Take the BLS Monthly Employment Situation, for example.  It contains monthly employment estimates for over 1,000 industries from its Current Employment Statistics program.  However, the changes in these overall employment levels tend to be delayed in the monthly labor reports – making it a lagging indicator of economic trends.

Sound like a lot of white noise?

Not entirely.  Temporary help employment numbers, which are part of the monthly BLS report, are generally considered to be a coincident indicator for overall employment.  This means that changes in temporary help employment tend to forecast subsequent changes in overall employment and coincide with changes in economic activity.  Why?  Many companies use temporary staffing as a means to quickly adjust their operations to meet fluctuating demands for their products and services.

Here’s how to get current data for temporary help services in the BLS report:

1. Go to the BLS Current Employment Statistics home page.
2. Then select either the HTML or PDF version of the “Employment Situation Summary.”
3. Data for temporary help services can be found in Table B-1 (page 30 of the report’s PDF version).

 Effectively manage the economy’s highs and lows with Berks & Beyond Employment Services.

Our full spectrum of staffing services for Central and Southern Pennsylvania employers can help you run lean – while providing on-demand access to the talent you need to meet surges in demand.

It’s coming – your busiest time of year.

Like climbing the first hill of a roller coaster, staffing up for your high season can bring on real anxiety.  Placing want ads, recruiting, screening, interviewing, hiring and training a large number of employees – all for a few months of work – can be overwhelming.  And once you get over the peak, you’re sent screaming down the other side…

If you’d rather not “white knuckle” your way through another busy season, a staffing service can help.  Here’s what a provider can do to help even out the highs and lows of your business:

Get the flexibility you need.  Use seasonal temporaries to handle surges in demand without impacting fixed expenses.  When things slow down, let the contingent staff go – it’s that simple.

Gain instant access to talent.  Instead of competing with other businesses to attract the limited number of candidates looking for seasonal employment, leverage the continual recruiting efforts of your staffing provider.  Whenever your busy season hits, they will have qualified candidates ready to go to work for you.

Shorten the learning curve.  A good staffing service will recruit workers with the specific skills and experience you require.  At your request, they’ll even develop customized orientation materials for the employees they provide you.  You’ll reduce training costs and get seasonal workers up-to-speed more quickly.

Eliminate administrative burdens.  When a staffing service provides your seasonal help, the agency – not you – is the employer.  You don’t have to deal with the social security, payroll, and other tax and legal burdens associated with seasonal employees.

Cut back on overtime.  Temporary employees help you avoid paying higher overtime rates and eliminate the employee burn-out it causes.

Call Berks & Beyond to Plan Your Needs

Remember, it’s never too early to discuss your upcoming needs with us.  The sooner we know about an upcoming surge in your business, the better prepared we’ll be to save you time, money, and headaches.  By working together, Berks & Beyond can turn your seasonal roller coaster into a mere speed bump.