Temporary Employment: The Differences Between Staffing and Recruitment
Keeping costs low for any business is essential right now in South Africa. Simply put, the country’s current economic state doesn’t lend itself to being overly optimistic on the back of the COVID19 pandemic and recent weather events.
As a business, multiple factors come into play when adding temporary staff to your workforce, and you may ask yourself several questions before taking this on. Employers face a big question: “what is better, easier and quicker for my business – going the recruiting route or finding a suitable staffing solution?”
In this article, we hope to outline the answer to such questions and help you understand the difference between staffing and recruiting when it comes to temporary employment.
Alternatively, you can contact MASA today if you would like to speak to an experienced consultant on this issue or anything related to temporary and permanent staffing.
Understanding the difference between recruitment and staffing
First, we need to understand the difference between recruiting and staffing. Essentially, recruiting is acquiring talent to work as full-time employees, while staffing entails hiring an agency to provide your company with temporary workers.
This point creates a significant difference between staffing and recruitment, which is essential to understand when approaching any staffing or recruitment services.
Staffing solutions are usually more advantageous for organisations since they can help reduce costs and improve efficiency. Here are the main differences between the two:
- Recruitment is all about finding suitable candidates for a specific job, while staffing is about filling a position with an available candidate, which helps to ensure continuity for your business.
- Recruitment is often done by HR professionals, while staffing is usually handled by managers or supervisors, lessening your total costs in the process.
- Recruitment can be a lengthy process, while staffing is usually much quicker. It also gives you the security of knowing the candidate’s background, allowing you to accelerate your hiring.
- Recruitment usually requires advertising and other forms of marketing, while companies can often do staffing through word-of-mouth, existing networks, or an agency like MASA.
- Companies often recruit for permanent roles, while staffing is usually for temporary or contract positions. It all depends on what you are looking for as a business.
- Recruitment can be expensive, while staffing is usually much more cost-effective.
- Recruitment can be very time-consuming, while companies can often do staffing relatively quickly.
- Recruitment often requires a lot of paperwork, while staffing solutions are usually much more straightforward. Agencies also handle that headache for you.
- Recruitment can be stressful, while staffing is often much less so. You are not actively looking for a candidate, and agencies like MASA have on-demand vetted candidates.
- Recruitment can be risky, as there is no guarantee that the candidate will accept the job offer, while staffing solutions offer organisations more flexibility and control. You put forward your applicable requirements, allowing you to decide on a candidate that you know in detail.
As you can see, there are many differences between staffing and recruitment. Staffing solutions are usually more advantageous for organisations, as they can help reduce costs, improve efficiency, and reduce hiring stress.
Staffing solutions can also cut back on time spent on admin and paperwork, and by partnering with the right agency, you can access the most optimal talent for your business. If you are looking to fill a temporary or contract position, staffing is likely the better option.
The Hiring Process of a Staffing Agency
A staffing agency puts up many job ads to attract top talent. The agency then vets applicants and selects the most exemplary employee to fill a client company’s opening, taking the hassle out of it for you. Depending on demand, agencies often have many workers at their disposal, with an extensive database of candidates seeking work.
Hiring a Staffing Agency
When hiring a staffing agency, you must first assess your needs and expectations. Do you require highly-trained specialists? Are 80 people required tomorrow or just two? Most staffing agencies focus on specific industries, so it’s vital for you to partner with the right one to assist you.
Advantages of Hiring Through a Staffing Agency
Some advantages of hiring through a staffing agency include seeing a potential employee in action before committing to hiring them. Companies can also offset hiring costs to the staffing agency – essentially stretching their rands. Additionally, companies can get several employees quickly, bypassing the weeks hiring usually takes.
The truth of it all is that staffing and recruiting cannot exist without the other, but they are not the same.
The most important asset of your company is skilled, qualified and dedicated employees. Employees play a critical role in the efficiency and success of your organisation. It’s important to consistently incorporate new and talented employees and retain your existing employees. Both staffing and recruiting are vital to ensuring the most suitable employees are selected for your openings.
Need help with your staffing and recruiting strategies? Call us or visit our website. MASA provides immediate and lasting value to your talent delivery and workers through advanced tools and world-class customer service. We’re more affordable than the industry standard, with guaranteed delivery and access to great talent.
Visit our other services on our website as well, or set up a meeting with us to find the best solution for your company.
