Have you been wondering if utilizing professional occupational health and safety staffing save your organization money? Can it bring more qualified talent to your business than you could identify and hire on your own? The answer to the two questions is a resounding yes.
How can utilizing safety staffing deliver more qualified talent?
Speaking in general terms, a firm who specializes in a field is better equipped to deliver more qualified, competent talent than a company who only needs to hire 1 or 2 employees to take on that specialty role. For example, a company specializing in comprehensive occupational safety and health services can better recruit, vet and hire the right safety expert than a company who specializes in manufacturing for many reasons detailed below.
A safety and health professionals firm knows what to look for in candidates.
When seeking new talent, it helps to know the safety industry and regulations through-and-through. If you don’t know the right questions to ask or how to interpret the answers can you be sure you’re getting the right fit? Experts in the field can read between the lines of a resume or listen to what’s said in an interview to ascertain job seekers’ true skill set and abilities.
In most cases, organizations specializing in safety training and staffing have established relationships with companies and supervisors listed on a candidates resume or as reference. Because they specialize in the industry, an expert staffing agency can often provide more information on past work history, performance or day-to-day working style than you would be able to uncover on your own.
They know where to look for qualified, well-trained talent.
Every industry knows where you should go to find the most highly qualified talent – and areas you should avoid. This includes knowing which localities, private companies and universities produce competent, skilled talent vs. those who turn out substandard employees.
For example, a NC university had a nursing program eventually deemed subpar and suspended due to fraud, grade-padding, mismanagement and poor instruction. Employers and organizations who specialize in the industry and follow industry news would be more likely aware of the situation. They could avoid liability and risk by taking take extra precautions when considering candidates who graduated from this institution. However, a large corporation or school looking to hire a staff nurse would be less likely to uncover the education history and ask additional questions to determine the candidate’s true experience and education.
This is another example of how an expert staffing agency inside the industry has a deeper, insider knowledge that can keep your company from making a costly mistake due to lack of industry knowledge.
A safety and health professionals firm focuses on continuous employee improvement.
It is necessary for professionals to stay abreast of new developments in research and innovation. Occupational health and safety is no different. If anything, so many advances and discoveries are being made that employees must be involved in continuous professional development. It’s unrealistic to expect a company that doesn’t focus on occupational health and safety to stay on top of the professional development of the workers in that field. However, a specialized staffing agency does just that – so you don’t have to.
A health and safety firm can supply the elusive high-quality, short-term worker.
In any industry when you need temporary staff or a contractor, you risk getting unskilled, poor quality talent. Temporary workers are, well temporary, and it can be extremely difficult to locate the qualified, expert professionals looking for short-term or contract positions. But a company who specializes in a field is continually building relationships with well-trained and certified professionals and will know who to contact for temporary assignments and often find the right person in days, not weeks. In a field such health and safety field it is critical to get the right talent for the job without spending months of interviewing and recruiting.
In many cases the temporary or contract working identified has worked with the health and safety firm’s organization for a long time, and may even be considered a full-time employee. Yes, they may move from assignment to assignment, but their overall quality and expertise are present.
How does a staffing firm save you money?
The following are just a handful of ways they can save your money.
Recruiting, Vetting and Hiring New Employees
It costs time and money for companies to recruit, vet and hire new employees. Research shows that the average cost-per-hire for obtaining a new worker is $4,129. Further, the average amount of time it takes to fill a vacancy is 42 days. With a staffing firm, your company doesn’t have this expense nor is there an extended vacancy. This is money that goes back to your company.
Professional Development
The need for relevant, quality professional development in the health and safety field is imperative. You need a company that takes care of this and knows what it’s doing so you get the quality you need. Training and professional development for an employee requires an investment of 10 to 20% of that employee’s salary. This doesn’t have to be an expense your company absorbs.
Health and Safety Demands in the Workplace
Navigating the rigorous demands of occupational health and safety is often costly, not to mention nerve-wracking, time-consuming and confusing. Whether it’s ensuring your organization’s policies and procedures are in line with state and federal mandates or developing policies to comply with these mandates, you need professionals who know what they’re doing. An audit violation can hurt your organization’s bottom line or even threaten a plant or factory closing.
Providing Employee Benefits
Most workplace offers some form of employee benefits. Workers today expect health insurance, dental and vision plans, and professional liability insurance. But offering these benefits can be expensive, adding up to a staggering 25% of your overall payroll expenditures. When working with a safety staffing company you aren’t responsible for employee benefits and high cost that comes with them. Your staffing agency takes care of all these details and they don’t take away from your bottom line. This can add up to a tidy sum you can allocate to other resources.
Opting for health and safety professional staffing is well worth it.
Turning to a company like Circle Safety & Health Consultants can add to your organization’s bottom line. We ensure you get the highest-quality staff to implement or manage your health and safety initiatives, adhere to safety regulations and keep your employees safe.
Contact us for more information about our staffing services.
