Putting the “Strategy” Back in Strategic Staffing

You’ve probably heard the term “strategic staffing” tossed around and you’ve probably been contacted by companies that claim to do “strategic staffing.” However, not every plan is truly strategic. It’s important to understand what strategic staffing should look like, so you can determine whether a staffing firm is truly able to deliver a plan that will help you reduce open roles, maintain productivity, and achieve your organizational goals.

What is Strategic Staffing?

According to the book Strategic Staffing: A Comprehensive System for Effective Workforce Planning, Second Edition by Thomas P. Bechet, strategic staffing is “the process that organizations use to identify and address the staffing implications of their business strategy and plans.”

This means your staffing plan must align with your overall business strategy. A truly “strategic” plan takes past staffing patterns into account and examines where the business is today, and where it is going in the future. From there, the plan should identify the skills required of your team to achieve your goals, and based on previous staffing data, determine the number of full-time employees and contingent employees you’ll need today, and in the future, to drive your organizational strategy.

A Solution to the “Problem” of Staffing

For most companies, staffing is a problem that can prevent goal achievement. Strategic staffing turns staffing into a business solution. Salaries are expensive, and most companies employ far too many people. That’s why layoffs are one of the first lines of defense when a company struggles financially. Strategic staffing allows you to determine exactly how many full-time employees you need, and develops a plan to help you ramp up and down quickly with temporary employees, based on changing conditions.

A strategic staffing plan also addresses recruiting costs: Lost time in a disorganized search is often what makes recruiting so expensive. A staffing firm takes over all the legwork and only recommends truly aligned candidates, so you can keep your internal HR team focused on other initiatives. Over the long term, a strategic plan will also reduce turnover because it will reduce hiring risk and improve retention, keeping costs in line.

Are You Looking for a Strategic Staffing Partner?

If you are ready to partner with a Boston staffing firm that truly practices strategic staffing, work with the experts at Contemporaries, Inc. We work closely with our clients to truly understand their needs, and we can develop a plan that addresses immediate, short-term and long-term talent needs. Our clients trust us to make strategic recommendations for their business that improve the quality of new hires, control costs and facilitate organizational goals.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you leverage strategic staffing for success.