Industrial Staffing Frequently Asked Questions for Staffing Clients

Companies of all sizes—from small, start-up organizations to Fortune 500 corporations—use industrial staffing services to grow their businesses and to obtain the flexibility they need to keep fully staffed during busy times—such as during the winter holiday season.

Staffing companies employed an average of 3.3 million temporary and contract workers per week in 2015, and over the course of the year, staffing firms hired a total of 15.9 million temporary and contract employees. Approximately 37% of U.S. temporary and contract employees work in the industrial sector—the largest of all staffing industry sectors.

Companies of all sizes—from small, start-up organizations to Fortune 500 corporations—use industrial staffing services to grow their businesses and to obtain the flexibility they need to keep fully staffed during busy times.

Businesses say that workforce flexibility as an important reason to work with staffing companies, as it allows them to remain fully staffed during busy times. Whether it's a temporary job lasting a few months or several years—or a temp-to-hire placement—staffing companies allow businesses to adjust their workforces to meet their changing needs.

Partnering with a staffing firm can be a powerful business strategy for a company. Businesses can “try before they buy” to ensure that employees are perfect fits for positions. Staffing firms also are experts at recruiting. Many companies in the industrial sector decide to utilize the services of staffing firms for all of their entry-level recruitment needs. Staffing firms build strong professional relationships with their clients so that they can predict—and fulfill—staffing needs before their customers anticipate them.

Staffing firms serve as true business partners with their clients and provide pertinent industry information and updates—particularly related to worker safety and employment law—as the economic, legal, and regulatory landscape continues to evolve.

Industrial sector staffing firms provide a spectrum of services—from temporary to temporary-to-hire to direct-hire placements—to their clients. Positions are available for both the skilled and unskilled trades in manufacturing, factory work, construction, transportation, logistics and distribution, shipping and receiving, materials handling, retail, hospitality, and more.

Day-to-day oversight is typically provided by the client’s on-site supervisor. Responsibilities managed by the staffing firm include payroll, insurance and other benefits, and workers’ compensation—alleviating human resource-related paperwork challenges for the client and allowing the company to concentrate on other aspects of its business.

Yes, many staffing firms also allow you to hire a temporary or contract employee as a permanent member of your team. This process varies by staffing firm, but typically a placement fee is negotiated with a staffing firm to complete the hiring process.

Safety is a top priority for staffing firms and their employees. Staffing firms work with their clients to ensure that temporary employees receive the training they need to work safely during their assignments. Most staffing firms provide general staffing training, and site-specific training typically is provided by clients.

On-the-job worker safety is critically important to ASA staffing firm members. In fact, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and ASA recently entered into an alliance to help provide association members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources to help protect the health and safety of temporary workers. ASA also dedicates a whole section of its website—americanstaffing.net/safetymatters—to educate staffing firms and clients about critical worker safety considerations.

ASA members pledge to adhere to a code of ethics and best practices—most of which deal with employee and employer relations. Moreover, because ASA promotes legal, ethical, and professional practices for the staffing industry, its members are kept abreast of the latest developments in labor and employment laws and human resource best practices. One of the principal missions of ASA is to encourage high standards of ethical conduct in dealings with employees, clients, and competitors.

To find a staffing firm that specializes in the industrial sector, visit the ASA member staffing firm directory on americanstaffing.net.

Three words: flexible labor force. Companies are tapping into the flexible workforce to keep fully staffed during busy times.