Temporary Help for Drained Staffs
A combination of Persian Gulf War jitters and a shaky economy is making America’s small-business owners more nervous than ever. Business owners, already unsettled about the future, have been further jangled by the Pentagon’s recent announcement that up to 1 million reservists may be called to active duty for up to two years.
Replacing valued employees is a problem, whether or not they are shipped overseas. One excellent way to solve your labor problems is to bring in skilled temporary help. In fact, on most workdays, about 1 million temporary workers are on the job across America.
Many business owners still think temps should be used only when someone is away on vacation or takes time off for a family emergency.
But many businesses rely on temporary workers to handle special projects, fill new orders or take up the slack until permanent workers can be found. Many temps are highly skilled professionals who can not only answer your phone and manage your office but do your accounting, run complex computer programs or assemble your products.
“The obvious advantage to using a temp is that you don’t pay payroll taxes and you don’t have to worry about benefits, insurance or Social Security,” said Marc Spilo, president of Charles Spilo Co., a national beauty supply distribution company in downtown Los Angeles.
Spilo, who frequently uses temporary workers to supplement his 40 regular employees, recently brought in a temp to update the firm’s mailing list.
“You can maintain your staff fairly lean and mean in these times, but still get the work done without a tremendous overhead,” Spilo said.
Although the employer doesn’t have to pay benefits directly, that cost is built in, so the hourly rates charged by temporary services are higher than for ordinary employees.
A temporary mail room clerk would cost about $10 an hour, for example, and a highly skilled legal typist $20 an hour.
“No business has 52 identical weeks a year,” said John Fanning, president of Uniforce Temporary Services in New Hyde Park, N.Y.
“The beauty of using a temporary worker is you can turn on a dime,” Fanning said.
In recent years, more temporary service firms have recruited temps with technical and mechanical skills. General Industrial Technologies Inc., based in Valley Stream, N.Y., specializes in placing technical workers in a variety of businesses across the country.
“One client, a medical instrumentation company, has seen its business increase tenfold since the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War,” said Jeff Pickett, West Coast sales manager for General Industrial Technologies.
Pickett said he has also received requests for temporary workers from companies making parachutes, radar jamming devices, calculators and military clothing.
“We billed more in December than in the first two quarters of 1990,” said Pickett.
He said many aerospace and engineering firms, forced to lay off skilled workers, have encouraged their former employees to sign up with temporary service companies. This way, they can bring them back on a short-term basis.
As the economy tightens, Fanning said, business owners have become much more cautious about hiring new, full-time workers. By using a temporary worker, a business owner can not only evaluate the person’s skills but decide whether he or she really needs to create a new, full- or part-time position.
Bonnie Nash, president of Irvine-based Thomas Temporaries, said temporary workers are an excellent resource for new business owners who are not ready to take on the responsibility of full-time employees.
Patty De Dominic, president of PDQ Personnel Services in Los Angeles, said software manufacturers are keeping her temps very busy.
“When times are lean, companies look for computer solutions to their manpower problems,” said De Dominic.
Irwin Much, president of Human Resources Inc. in Nashville, Tenn., said he wanted to help companies cope with the loss of valuable employees called to active duty.
In late August, Much announced that his firm would provide temporary workers at a discount to any company that needed to replace reservists.
In recent weeks, dozens of temporary service companies around the country have made the same offer.
“I was just looking for something we could do,” said Much, who has provided about 30 temporary workers through the program.
But there was one job request he could not fill: “One company called and wanted a Class C explosives truck driver.”
FDIC-RTC Seminar for Minorities
Minority lawyers and legal professionals interested in working with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Resolution Trust Corp. are invited to attend a breakfast seminar Feb. 7.
The RTC is responsible for disposing of assets resulting from the failure of troubled savings and loan institutions.
The session will take place at the Hyatt Wilshire Hotel, 3515 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, from 7:45 a.m. to 10 a.m.
It is sponsored by the Langston Bar Assn. and the Mexican-American Bar Assn.
The pre-registration fee is $40. Registration at the door will be $50.
For further information and reservations, please call: 213-295-9791 or send a check to the Langston Bar Assn., 1055 W. 7th St., suite 2700, Los Angeles, Calif. 90017.
HOW TO BRING ABOARD A TEMPORARY WORKER Don’t be afraid to ask what you will be charged for a temporary worker. Reputable firms will quote you a rate within a dollar or so. Rates are based on worker skills, with the highest wages paid to temps in Los Angeles and New York City. Other ideas:
Determine exactly what you need the temp to do.
Estimate the length of the project or time you will need the worker.
Make sure you have a place for temps to work and the proper equipment when they arrive.
Know exactly what hours you want them to work and where they should park their cars.
Designate one person to supervise temps.
Ask fellow business owners to recommend their favorite temporary service companies.
Ask for references and call companies in a similar industry to see whether they were pleased with the workers provided.
Ask the companies how they test and screen their workers.
Ask for an estimate of the total cost of bringing the worker aboard.
Determine whether the company will guarantee your satisfaction and replace a worker who isn’t meeting your expectations.
Try to call a day or two before you need someone, although most companies can fill requests on short notice.
The National Assn. of Temporary Services in Alexandria, Va., has a free booklet called “How To Buy Temporary Help Services.” For a copy, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to NATS, 119 S. St. Asaph St., Alexandria, Va. 22314.
Los Angeles Times
