Who Should Staffing Companies Prioritize: Employees or Clients?

5 Reasons Staffing Companies Should Prioritize Employees Before Clients

Unpopular opinion—Infinity Staffing Solutions prioritizes our external employees over our clients. If you're a current client reading this, please don't cancel our agreement just yet. Let us explain. That's not to say our clients don't matter—of course they do! But for our clients to win, our employees must win first. If we don't set our employees up for success, our employees will inevitably fail during their assignments, which is our responsibility. The more we get to know our associates, the better off they will be in their future endeavors and, in turn, the better off our clients will be. So, how do staffing companies set their employees up for success? Here are some guidelines we practice with our employees.

1. Get to know your employees from the beginning. Our associates are more than a number to us. We take the time to get to know them, so we can find the best possible career and company fit for them. We start by combing through their resumes with them, ensuring we know every detail about their work history. The more information we can find out the better we can help them. The next step is obtaining more information during their interview. This is where we gather crucial details about prior work history, reasons for any gaps in employment, what strengths they possess, and any weaknesses that we can assist with. The interview isn't just a time for gathering information, however. We aren't robots (maybe we leave that to the AI in our office). This is where we get to know our candidates on a more personal level. By building rapport, we show our associates we genuinely value them and are committed to finding the best placement available.

   
   

   By valuing your employees, you create a family-like atmosphere where your associates feel accepted and excited about the placement process. Here are some of the experiences previous job seekers shared with us:

   
   

   " [They make] you feel like family, and not just an employee. They are extremely professional. Outstanding in job placement." -Baron Williams

   
   

   "Infinity Staffing is a very professional staffing [agency. If] you need a job come on out here for a very different experience than other staffing [agencies. They] take the time to get to know you and what you are experienced in to make sure you get in the right job so you can make it your career. Come on out you [won't] be disappointed."

   -Sherri Graham

   
   

   "Willing to listen and help."-Mendjee Pierre

   
   

   We understand that recruiters are susceptible to burnout, due to the stressful nature of the industry. In fact, in a 2023 Recruiter Nation report, 53% of recruiters experienced burnout. Meaningful connections may help with this. "This connection provides emotional support and assists in sharing and solving everyday challenges." (Recruiter Flow, 2024). The more you connect with the people around you including your employees, the better you will feel. This can also change the trajectory of your associate's career. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), an employee's first workday can feel intimidating. Offering a welcoming environment, warm email, or welcome package can help employees feel more valued and excited about their assignments (SHRM, 2024).

   
   

2. Provide full transparency about your employee's assignment. "Secrets, secrets are no fun, secrets secrets hurt someone." Is that a blast from the past or what? This elementary school rhyme could not be more relevant. It is so important to be transparent about the assignment you are about to send your candidates off to. This includes pay, culture, work environment, and other company expectations. Otherwise, guess what? They will eventually find out! Any unmet expectations will result in a dissatisfied employee (and client) and you will lose their trust and your credibility.

   
   

   A Forbes article highlighting the impact of transparency in the workplace found that 87% of job seekers want transparency. Transparency leads to more trust in the company and a higher level of commitment as a result. Forbes mentions how communication is the driving force behind transparency and that "[a] lack of trust can grow from poor or no communication, unclear goals, or a failure to take ownership of mistakes." (Rahaman, 2023).

   
   

3. Offer personalized and consistent communication. Think of us like a Fitbit or Apple watch. We're here to keep our employees on track. We even offer words of encouragement, although maybe not as condescending as "Great job standing up today!" Just me? If they are rejected by a company, find out why. If your employees did not have a good first day, find out why. If your employee had a great day, find out what they liked about it to gain more insight. Communication and valuing your employees do not end with the placement. The ultimate goal in many cases is for that employee to convert to a permanent hire, so following up on their progress will help your employee and client both succeed.

   
   

4. Coach your employees and deliver constructive feedback. Coach them through their resume, interview attire, appropriate hygiene, etc. before they meet with clients or begin their assignment. This allows your candidates to feel fully prepared and confident. Celebrate the strengths of your employees first and share what they do well. According to the Harvard Business Review, the sooner new hires receive support the better. Here are some suggestions to show your support highlighted in the article:

   1. Determine what difficulties they may face starting their new role

   2. Decide what expertise and resources they will need before they begin

   3. Make them feel like part of their team or connect them with individuals who can

   4. Provide direction regarding tasks they will need to accomplish

   5. Continue to coach them (Watkins, 2019)

   
   

   Building rapport fosters trust with your employees, which can serve another purpose. This can be helpful if you need to deliver constructive criticism. If you treat your job seekers like they're just a number, however, odds are they won't listen to your feedback. Whether it be about areas of improvement during interviews, reasons they were not hired for an assignment, professionalism, etc., you are doing a disservice to both your employee and client by neglecting to discuss these things. According to Forbes, this sort of honest dialogue creates a transparent workplace and would not be possible without having those difficult conversations when they arise. It's just as important to discuss failures and lessons learned as it is to talk about your employees' successes (Rahaman, 2023).

   
   

5. Actions speak louder than words. While usually well-intentioned, talk is cheap. I can tell my spouse five times that I will take out the trash, but until I do it my words carry no weight. Be a good figurative spouse to your employees and don't just tell them they're valued, show them. There are numerous ways to go about this. Here are a few ways we show our employees they matter to us:

   • Employee of the month, including gift card award

   • Holiday appreciation gifts

   • Personalized birthday cards and gifts

   • Cold beverages delivered on hot summer days (Gatorade, what were you thinking?)

   • Social media highlights

All of your employees matter, and showing them they are valued will increase motivation and trust in your company. This creates a scenario where everyone wins: your employee, your client, and you.

Interested in playing matchmaker with your open positions and our valuable talent? Reach out to us today at sales@staffindy.com.

Literature Cited

Rahaman, A. (16 June 2023). The Case For Transparency In The Workplace, And Its Impact On Organizational Performance. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/06/16/the-case-for-transparency-in-the-workplace-and-its-impact-on-organizational-performance/

RecruiterFlow (2024). Recruiter Burnout: Signs, Solutions, and Self-Care Tips. Recruiter Flow. https://recruiterflow.com/blog/recruiter-burnout/#:~:text=Recruiter%20Burnout:%20What%20is%20it,handling%20manual%20and%20repeatable%20tasks

SHRM. (14 October 2024). The Power of Onboarding: How to Set Employees Up for Long-Term Success. Society for Human Resource Management. https://www.shrm.org/in/topics-tools/news/blogs/the-power-of-onboarding-employees-success

Watkins, M. (10 May 2019). 7 Ways to Set Up a New Hire for Success. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/05/7-ways-to-set-up-a-new-hire-for-success

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Latest Staffing Industry Trends and Statistics:

2025 Federal Business Changes

Tax policy expirations

Many tax policies from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 are set to expire in 2025, including the 20% deduction for qualified small business income.

Corporate Transparency Act

This act requires certain businesses to file information about their beneficial owners with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

Tax brackets

The IRS has announced new tax brackets for 2025, including:

10%: $0–$11,925

12%: $11,926–$48,475

22%: $48,476–$103,350

24%: $103,351–$197,300

Qualified transportation fringe benefit

The monthly limit for this benefit increases to $325 in 2025, up from $315 in 2024.

Per diem rates

The standard lodging rate for federal travelers increases to $110 in 2025, up from $107 in 2024. The M&IE reimbursement rate tiers are also revised.