Leave it to the professionals: is outsourcing right for your company?

• Author: Little, Candace M.
• Position: Workforce Staffing

Outsourcing has been part of some companies' strategy to survive the recession, while other companies make it part of their regular business functionality. Hiring temporary employees or outsourcing IT and HR departments is an option open to every business, but there are pros and cons to consider.

Temporary Employees

Gary Larson, owner and CEO of Quest Staffing, has been placing temporary employees for 17 years. He says almost every company will find a need for a temporary employee. "I feel that everybody will use a temporary employee at one time or another due to vacation time, sick time, an over abundance of work load or if they have a decline and they don't want to hire permanently."

Larson says temporary employees often get a bad rap because they're thought of as workers who jump from job to job and from place to place. But most temporary workers are affiliated with a single staffing agency. Good staffing agencies know their workers' skills and strengths, and are generally able to match workers with companies successfully. Quest Staffing uses a "GAP process" that rates each employee on grooming, appearance and personality. Quest also works to fit the best individual according to the client's company culture.

Before selecting a staffing agency, Larson advises executives to do a little bit of research. "Look at the make up of your company and see if [the staffing agency] is going to fit the style of your company," says Larson. "Then look at the company you're looking to bring on--either a staffing company or outsourcing professional. Look at their years in business, make sure they have a valid workers compensation policy, make sure the company has the ability to recruit, the ability to place the ads, and to communicate and reach the people you need. Find out how fast they can respond to your problems and how quickly they can resolve them."

Outsourcing HR

Mary Crafts, owner of Culinary Crafts, outsources her HR needs to Lindon-based A Plus Benefits. She says working with the company did more than allow her to better focus on her work--it gave her peace of mind, especially in the areas of social security taxes, FICA and workers compensation claims. "Through A Plus, I was able to offer my employees a lot more health insurance choices and better rates than I could have found on my own," says Crafts.

Kathleen Jolly, owner of HR Factor, Inc, has more than 20 years of HR experience. Her Midway-based business focuses on taking some of the HR...