How to improve your business practices
Table of Contents:
To streamline operations, reduce risk, and control costs, many businesses are turning to workforce solutions providers for help with complex, labor-intensive back-office tasks like staffing, payroll, compliance, and benefits administration. These functions are essential to the health of any company, but often strain an organization’s human and financial resources. By outsourcing these tasks to specialists, businesses can boost efficiency and compliance while freeing internal teams to concentrate on what they do best: driving the company forward.
Workforce solutions providers have the technology, expertise, processes, and professional networks to streamline staffing, including recruitment, hiring, onboarding, training, and retention. Their services help businesses reduce costs while making these processes more effective. As processes are optimized, businesses become leaner, reduce their risk exposure, and cultivate a happier, more productive workforce.
With access to extensive talent databases, workforce solutions providers are uniquely positioned to identify qualified candidates. They have developed processes to efficiently and effectively screen job seekers and match their knowledge, skills, and experience to open positions, saving time by eliminating unqualified candidates from applicant pools. At the same time, they are well-versed in employment law, so they can ensure recruitment and hiring efforts comply with all applicable regulations, including privacy, immigration, and antidiscrimination laws.
Because of these advantages, businesses that partner with workforce solutions providers can fill vacancies faster and with greater confidence that their new hires have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in their positions. Optimized recruitment and hiring translate into more satisfied employees who are great at their jobs and stay with the company longer, reducing the need for future recruitment efforts.
Workforce solutions providers can design and implement comprehensive onboarding and training programs to fit the specific needs of individual companies and their employees. They can ensure training complies with current industry regulations, educates new hires about both necessary skills and company culture and policies, and gives them the information they need to get quickly up and running in their new positions.
For existing employees, a workforce solutions provider can conduct skill gap analyses to determine where additional training is needed. They can also track and analyze the performance of onboarding and training programs to continuously improve these processes.
Workforce solutions providers use technology to automate many processes, such as collecting employment documents and delivering training materials, reducing errors and eliminating the need for time-consuming manual work. By leveraging online training platforms, they can give employees 24/7 access to materials so they can complete tasks from anywhere, on their own schedule, and at their own pace. The e-learning platforms automatically track individuals’ progress and can send reminders as needed to ensure all tasks are completed in a timely manner.
This optimization of recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and training processes helps improve retention by setting employees up for success from the beginning. A workforce solutions provider can also help implement employee engagement and recognition and reward programs to support greater job satisfaction. As workers mature in their positions, the provider can further aid retention by developing clear career pathways for employees, so they can easily see how they can grow within the organization.
Additionally, workforce solutions providers provide access to the great benefit plans that are often out of reach for smaller companies. Companies with fewer than 500 employees lack the power of numbers necessary to get the best rates on highly sought employment benefits. A workforce solutions provider has the power of numbers, and they pass it on to their partner businesses. When great benefits are more affordable, smaller companies can offer employees more and keep more of them on board for the long haul.
Administering payroll and benefits, answering employee questions, and ensuring compliance with labor laws are critically important tasks that take a significant amount of time and specialized knowledge to do right. Workforce solutions providers save time and money while reducing noncompliance risk by handling these duties expertly and efficiently.
Workforce solutions providers can efficiently process payroll, ensuring timely and correct payment and accurate tax withholding. By centralizing and streamlining these processes, businesses can prevent errors and penalties that can arise from noncompliance and avoid the understandable frustration that arises when employees experience errors or delays in their pay.
Human resources departments can easily be overburdened by administering and answering employee questions about benefits, policies, pay, and more. A workforce solutions provider can automate many of these time-consuming tasks, providing a central resource for information, assistance, and enrollment in insurance, retirement, and other benefit plans. Centralization and standardization of these processes ensure consistency and minimize the risk of errors and omissions.
Automated systems can provide employees 24/7 access to information portals, where they can view and download documents like pay stubs, tax forms, and benefit plans. Employees can also directly access representatives from the provider’s team to get answers to their questions. This combination of anytime access and personalized service helps keep employees happy while reducing internal workloads and overhead costs.
With regulatory requirements in constant flux, remaining compliant can be a challenging task. Businesses that go it alone must dedicate numerous labor hours to keeping up with legal changes, shopping for insurance coverage, and administering plans. Partnering with a workforce solutions provider takes these duties off the human resources department’s plate and assigns them to a team of experts who are dedicated to protecting the business and its employees while delivering the best possible value.
A workforce solutions provider can mitigate the risk of noncompliance by providing workers’ compensation, unemployment, and other required insurance policies. They cover large pools of employees and regularly shop for the best deals, empowering them to pass substantial savings on to their partner businesses. They can also conduct workplace safety assessments to reduce risk to employees and avoid unnecessary workers’ compensation claims.
The provider will ensure all plans remain in effect, avoiding fines that can result from lapsed policies. They can even handle unemployment claims, relieving internal staff from the need to attend hearings. In case of a dispute, they can implement conflict resolution procedures to mitigate the risk of escalation. With a workforce solutions provider administering workers’ compensation, unemployment, and other required insurance plans, businesses can redirect resources to activities that help grow the business.
Workforce solutions providers maintain meticulous, well-organized records, ensuring all employee documentation is readily accessible and tracking employees’ hours, pay, vacation, sick leave, and other data that may be needed in case compliance is called into question. If the company finds itself in a legal dispute, the provider will produce the documentation needed to effectively defend the business in court, saving time and minimizing potential losses.
Further, a workforce solutions provider will ensure workers are properly classified for tax purposes, have undergone any necessary background checks, and are appropriately trained to follow all regulatory requirements that apply to their positions. Their expertise in compliance and recordkeeping protects businesses from legal risks and frees internal staff from the tedious work of managing these minute but critically important details.
Workforce solutions are not one-size-fits-all. Before choosing a provider, take a look at their specific offerings, areas of expertise, technological resources, reputation, and costs to find the best fit for your business. Identify your goals for a new workforce solution, and then assess the ability of various providers to help you meet them. Consider factors like the following:
Workforce solutions providers can streamline back-office employment tasks and reduce their associated costs, significantly boosting their partners’ bottom lines. They empower businesses to mitigate risk associated with noncompliance, claims, and lawsuits while alleviating the burden on internal staff.
With employees freed from time-consuming HR, payroll, and other tasks, the company can focus more of its resources on refining its core strengths and becoming a stronger, healthier organization. By putting HR tasks in expert hands, businesses can also enjoy a more competent, inspired, and satisfied workforce.
Employer Solutions Staffing Group is your trusted partner in workforce management solutions for staffing agencies and small businesses with big potential. Founded in 2005 by a former labor law attorney, a financial banker, and a business development expert, we’ve drawn on these combined strengths to develop and continually improve our innovative, end-to-end solution to solve the most persistent workforce management problems. Our groundbreaking model provides a lifeline for employers who are struggling with the costs and time-consuming tasks that effective workforce management demands.
As your strategic partner in growth, we’re here to help remove barriers so you can start saying “yes” to bigger, better business opportunities. From payroll funding to compliance, HR management and more, we’ve got you covered. To learn more about how we can support your business, view our solutions or reach out to us today to start a conversation.