| "Temps fill big need
in Broward"
By Andrew Curry
The Miami Herald
Broward News section, Saturday, October 3, 1998
It could bring a business to its knees: a sick secretary,
a vital staff
member on vacation, a seasonal project that demands more hands than
an office has.
The solution? Call in the temps.As the costs attached to
hiring workers rise, temporary staffing agencies have become a vital resource
for businesses in a pinch or those simply reluctant to commit to a full-time
hire.
Temp agencies are capable of filling staffing needs --
from receptionists to forklift operators -- on short notice, with no long-term
obligations to the hiring company.
These firms fill the needs of employers and employees.
Reputable temp firms cover benefits and insurance for workers,
relieving companies of yet another hiring headache, and the nature
of the work fits some employees' style or goals
perfectly.
"I found it to be easier finding a job that way,'' said
Trecia Ellis, who is a temp with Olsten Staffing Services, a South Florida
temp agency. ``When you get an assignment, you don't have to go through
the interview process. When you sign up with an agency, they interview
you and give you different tests there. Ittakes out the multiple interviews.''
For workers looking for a long-term position, temp jobs
can often resemble auditions. The hiring company has no obligations and
the employee can always move on afterward.
"Instead of going straight to company XYZ's payroll and
training program, they're on our payroll,'' explained Barbara Davis, a
senior vice president at David Wood Personnel, a South Florida
staffing agency. ``Companies utilize them when they're not sure they
want to make a hire. It's a good opportunity for them to evaluate performance,
and a good opportunity for candidates to evaluate where they're being placed."
Most temp agencies -- there are several dozen in Broward
-- maintain a pool of workers who have already been screened for prior
experience, good references and appropriate job qualifications. When an
employer calls with a request, the agency looks for a match in their pool
and sends out anTemp agencies control the amount their workers are paid,
treating them as
employees. ``The temporary employee fills out a time card, signed by
the supervisor [at the job site] and turns it over to us. We generate their
pay, and the company gets a weekly invoice,'' says Davis.
Agencies make their profit on the difference between what
they charge companies and what they pay their employees. Part of the difference
also goes pay for insurance and benefits. Since temps
are paid by the agency and not the company they are working at, hiring
companies are not liable if something happens on the job.
Juan Carlos "J.C.'' Castilla, Broward County general manager
of Labor Finders, a temp agency that specializes in placing employees in
skilled and unskilled labor positions, said employers
hiring temps can put themselves at risk if they aren't careful.
Fly-by-night companies might operate without an occupational
license or insurance, and may be using illegal people, he
said: "People like that charge less because they don't pay workman's
comp. If I've got no insurance when I put someone
out [the employer is liable]. You don't want to be in that situation
-- that's what you're paying the agency for.''
The arrangement can have advantages for employees as well.
"If they're registered with a service and kept busy, they
have a cleaner résumé because it doesn't look like they're
job
hopping,'' said Davis, who places mostly clerical and administrative
temps.
Some employees value the flexibility. ``If they are looking
either to make a career change or are recent graduates and take a temporary
position, companies are watching their performance. It gives them a foot
in the door.''
Other workers value a different sort of flexibility. ``There's
a lot of people who need money right there and then, and it's not obligatory
to be here every day,'' Castilla said. "Plus, they don't have to deal with
the same person every day. Some people don't like that.''
TEMP TIPS
While most staffing services are reputable businesses,
employers looking to fill vacancies through temporary agencies need to
be on the lookout for companies that promise more than they can deliver
or advertise too-low rates. Some tips:
* Check for the basics: an occupational license and, most important,
an insurance certification. You may be liable if a
temp hired from an uninsured agency is injured while on the job at
your company.
* Ask for references. Other companies the agency has worked with may
be able to give you an idea of the quality of the workers the company places,
and the Better Business Bureau or a local
chamber of commerce will be able to tell you if they have a record
of complaints.
* If your company is looking for specific needs or skills -- accounting
or legal temps, for example -- ask tough questions
that will give you an idea of how much experience the agency has placing
employees in that area.
* Ask how well the agency screens and trains its employees. Do they
come in with references and prior experience?
* Find out what sort of provisions are made to protect you if a temporary
employee doesn't meet your performance expectations. |
