How to Implement a Managed Staffing Approach

As we noted in the previous post, that while having a qualified, engaged and productive workforce is critical to the success of any business, recent changes in the employment marketplace have profoundly affected the process of finding, hiring and maintaining such a workforce. The new paradigm that has evolved to meet these challenges successfully is called Managed Staffing Services.

We also addressed the complex challenges of finding sufficiently qualified candidates as the job environment has become increasingly competitive.

Managed Staffing Services, however, successfully maintains a qualified workforce by expanding the hiring process on separate distinct levels:

1. Finding candidates
2. Screening candidates
3. Determining the “soft” fit of candidates
4. Onboarding candidates
5. Maintaining candidates

The first level, that of finding candidates, is what recruiters typically do, namely attract candidates through job sites, database searches and networking. It is really the next several levels of Managed Staffing Services which, when properly executed, ensure a qualified, engaged and productive workforce.

The second level, that of screening candidates, is conducted by a senior person, who performs testing in order to determine the level of skills each candidate possesses, then engages one-on-one with each candidate through an interview. The interview results in a preliminary assessment of the candidate’s skills but also personality and dedication.

This second level has become absolutely essential because, as we previously noted, candidates tailor their resumes so that each opportunity seems like a perfect fit for each and every candidate.

In the third level of Managed Staffing Services, a one-on-one meeting takes place between the candidate and a senior member of the Relationship Management team who is familiar with both the client and the position requirements, and who will engage with each candidate to confirm their capabilities, validate the previous steps, and determine the cultural “soft” fit with the client.

Determining the “soft” fit with the client is a more sophisticated analysis of relative elements like a candidate’s personality, their attitude toward the work and their ability to collaborate with others on the team. It even takes into account such things as the distance of their daily commute. A good “soft” fit helps ensure that each team member will transition smoothly onto the team and, once there, will find the position a satisfying challenge. The goal is to assess the long term fit of the candidate to the client’s environment, and vice versa thereby promoting resource retention. Over time, this analysis can significantly reduce the high cost of hiring for the client.

Once a candidate is deemed a good fit for the position, the next task is Onboarding. Onboarding, however, is more than just the administrative support needed to get the new employee into their seat. A Managed Staffing Services approach instead takes a long view to cultivate a relationship with each resource that will ultimately ensure a productive workforce that continually brings value to the client.

A senior person on the Relationship Management team who visits the client on a regular basis oversees the new member’s transition and, in the process, ensures that the team’s productivity is uninterrupted. By maintaining a relationship with individual team members, the senior person also keeps a finger on the pulse of the client’s cultural “soft” fit to ensure the ability to “read” future candidates.

Maintaining new candidates on the team is the final level. Helping to integrate them into the team through lunches and other regular events of meaning to both the company and to the individuals of the team are designed to build and maintain a positive team spirit over time.

By taking a long view of the workforce and devoting attention to the individuals who contribute to the success of the company, Managed Staffing Services ensures that the right individuals are not only hired, but remain engaged and productive in the workplace.