PPB April 2018

GROW by Jen Alexander Human Resour ces G ood employees are the lifeblood of a company, and it takes experience and finesse to find the right candidate for the job. This is where staffing firms and human resources professionals shine. With their expertise, the right promotional products can make recruiting, hiring and retention even more effective. According to the American Staffing Association, in the U.S. there are about 20,000 staffing and recruiting companies that operate a combined 39,000 offices. More than three million temporary and contract employees work for staffing companies in an average week, and during the course of a year, staffing companies hire nearly 15 million temporary and contract employees. Most of these—76 percent—work full time, and one third were offered a permanent job after filling the role as temporary workers. Two thirds of employees who received offers accepted permanent positions. A study released in 2016 found that, from2005 to 2015, the percentage of workers in alternative work arrangements—temporary agency workers, on-call workers, contract workers, and independent contractors or freelancers— rose from10.1 percent to 15.8 percent. The study, produced by researchers fromHarvard University and Princeton University, also found that workers hired through contract companies increased from .6 percent to 3.1 percent over the same time period. Once employees are hired, the next challenge is to keep them on board. Retention programs are ripe for promotional opportunities as a means of keeping staff engaged and enthusiastic about their places of employment. Studies have shown that employment anniversaries are the most likely time for staff to leave their positions, and voluntary turnover numbers rise with each successive anniversary. Recognizing employees on their work anniversaries with unique gifts and incentives can help minimize the likelihood of that turnover. Excellence For Hire Recruiting and retention efforts make a bigger impact when they incorporate promotional products. 40 | APRIL 2018 |