“Why use a staffing agency?” It’s a common question small business owners often have when trying to decide the best course of action for filling open positions. There are many reasons why it’s an idea worth considering. While we can’t speak to what all staffing agencies do for their clients, this article will talk about what it means to use an agency like Blue Arbor to address your staffing needs.
We do more than just filling job vacancies.
A lot of folks don’t realize that a staffing agency goes well above and beyond sending potential workers your way.
Have you ever seen the lengthy application that those seeking employment through Blue Arbor have to complete? The amount of information we collect about any employee we send your way is far more extensive than a garden variety job application.
In addition, those folks who are hoping to get a job with you have to go through our Screening Process, which involves:
- A personal interview
- Verification of previous work history
- References from previous places of employment
- Statewide and/or Nationwide criminal background check, as applicable to job placement
- Credential and/or license verification
- Credit Report (if applicable to placement)
- Motor Vehicle Report (if applicable to placement)
- Personal references (if applicable to placement)
- Drug testing
- Skills testing (typing, clerical, accounting, dexterity, etc.)
If they are seeking office work, they also have to bring in a professional resume.
Payroll, Taxes, Insurance, and more… We’ve got it all covered!
When you use a staffing agency like Blue Arbor, you don’t have to worry about all of the payroll headaches for an employee who may only be filling a temporary or contract position. We handle everything.
Here’s how it works: You pay a very small markup on the hourly wage for an employee that Blue Arbor sends your way, and in return, here’s what we handle on your behalf:
Personnel Expenses (This is that screening part we talked about above.)
- Recruiting
- Advertising
- Interviewing
- Processing applicants
- Reference checks
- Criminal background checks
- Drug testing
- Employee benefits
Taxes
- FICA
- FICA Med
- SUTA
- FUTA
- Weekly tax filing
Insurance
- Worker’s Compensation
- General Liability Insurance
- Professional Liability Insurance
- Bonding
- Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
Administrative
- Supplying timecards
- Processing timecards
- Direct Deposit of payroll (or issuing Pay Cards)
- Filing Quarterly Federal and State Reports (assuming the deadlines and any penalties)
- Handling all wage and employment verification inquiries
- Handling unemployment hearings
- E-Verify (electronic verification of social security numbers)
- Issuing W-2 forms
- Storing and maintaining all personnel records (at least 3 years past last date of employment)
What happens if we want to make a Blue Arbor-staffed employee a regular hire?
Often times, a company that seeks staffing services through an agency like Blue Arbor is so happy with an employee that they want to make them a regular employee. So what happens in those cases?
It’s fairly simple, actually. When you contract staffing services with Blue Arbor, we agree upon a minimum number of hours for the employee(s) we provide to fill. If you find one of our Blue Arbor-staffed employee is a perfect fit for your company, you can either just hang tight until the minimum number of hours have been fulfilled, or if you prefer, you can pay to buy out the contract.
So it’s a win-win all the way around! We help you find the best possible employees for the positions you need to fill. You don’t have the pressure of worrying about screening, payroll, and administrative headaches, but if you end up finding that an employee is worth making the commitment, we can help make that transition from Blue Arbor staffer to a member of your company family.