The Top 6 Temporary Staffing Challenges and How to Solve Them

Recruiting temporary staff can give your business much-needed help during a busy season or project, but it doesn’t always work the way you hope. Here are some of the most common hurdles that businesses deal with and how you can overcome them.

1. Finding staff quickly

Just because you need workers tomorrow doesn’t mean you’ll be able to get them. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Utah only has 79 available workers for every 100 open jobs. Depending on the job you need to fill, it’s often hard to find someone when you need them.

Solution: Work with a staffing agency. A well-established staffing agency will have a ready pool of pre-screened candidates. They can quickly connect you with available workers who have the skills you need.

2. Finding qualified candidates

When there aren’t enough qualified candidates applying, companies that are desperate for staff often end up settling for whoever is available, even if they’re a poor fit.

Solution: Make the job as attractive as possible. If you’re not offering competitive, livable wages and benefits, don’t be surprised when no one wants the job. You likely need to increase your budget. It might also help to make the job ad more concise and shorten your application process.

3. Candidates who “ghost”

It’s all too common for businesses to find seemingly great candidates, only for them to not show up to the interview or disappear shortly after accepting the job.

Solution: Build up your screening process and check in with candidates early on. A stronger screening process might help you weed out the less reliable candidates. A staffing agency like LG Resources can help with screening. You can also do quick check-ins with candidates after interviews and start days to make sure they’re still committed to the job.

4. Turnover

Temporary jobs inherently mean turnover, but when temps leave halfway through their assignments, turnover happens even faster and your company has to bear the costs of additional recruiting.

Solution: Create incentives for temps to complete their full assignments. Many temps want more job security and better pay. Higher wages will encourage temps to stick around; if there’s a good chance their temp job will turn into a longer-term role with competitive wages and development opportunities, they have even more reason to stay.

5. Legal and Compliance Challenges

OSHA requirements and other labor laws mean your company can end up in legal trouble if you’re not in compliance with federal and state standards.

Solution: Work with an experienced staffing agency and consult a lawyer. Working with a reputable staffing agency and familiarizing yourself with temporary labor laws can help you avoid exposing your business to potential legal troubles. Your temp staffing contract should clearly define who is responsible for what and how the worker is legally classified. Don’t forget to check in with a lawyer to make sure there’s nothing that could come back to bite you later.

6. Too much paperwork

Hiring any kind of temp, seasonal employee, contractor, or freelancer is going to come with some paperwork. If you’re hiring a part-time temp worker, you will likely need Forms W-4 and I-9. You may also want to create a non-disclosure or contractor agreement, depending on the type of work. From there, you’ll need to deal with payroll, invoicing, and taxes. That’s a lot to manage on top of everything your team is already doing.

Solution: Outsource some of the temp paperwork to a staffing agency. If you hire temps through an agency, the agency can likely handle a lot of the paperwork. You may still need to have a lawyer look over the staffing agency’s service agreement, but you won’t have to deal with as much paperwork afterward.

Get Started With an Experienced Utah Staffing Agency

LG Resources has helped over 2,000 business partners find qualified staff over the past decade. Our staffing agency has a large pool of pre-qualified talent, primarily in the light industrial, skilled labor, HR, and clerical fields. 

If you need well-prepared temporary staff to meet your business needs in Utah, get in touch with LG Resources today.