What is a Staffing Agency?

Tags: agency, contractor, employees, employer, hire, hiring, staffing
By: Dan
January 3, 2018

A staffing agency is an entity that has employees that can be hired out for temporary or long term work. A staffing agency is also referred to as an employment agency. It provides temporary workers. Some agencies are industry focused or specialized. For example, The Strategic CFO’s staffing line focuses on accounting and financial positions including NearSourcing accounting or outsourced accounting.

Staffing agencies are different from placement agencies or retained search services. Placement agencies collect a fee to recruit a full-time employee. Those employees belong to the client company – not the agency.

How Do Staffing Agencies Work?

Staffing agencies conduct both the hiring and firing of employees. They also pay for the employment taxes, Medicare, Social Security, etc. The client company specifies the amount of temporary workers needed and the hourly rate. Frequently, the agency specifies the hourly rate for each worker, but it is negotiable.

Why Hire a Staffing Agency

One would hire a staffing agency if they need employees now and they want to offset employment costs (benefits, employment taxes, etc.). There is either a time constraint or a resource contract. Some of the benefits include getting a number of employees quickly and knowing that they are qualified for the position.
Oftentimes, agencies have run credit reports, criminal background checks, and drug tests on those employees so the client never has to worry.

Difference Between Hiring and Working For a Staffing Agency

Whether you are seeking to work for an agency or hiring an agency, there are several things that you need to know.

Working for a Staffing Agency

When you work for an agency, you can expect to work with companies for anywhere from a couple of months to a couple of years. You are technically an employee of the agent and working with the client. However during your time at a client’s office, you act as a regular employee of the company. In some cases, companies will hire the employee from the staffing agency. This is a great opportunity for those employees as they get exposed to different industries and company cultures. Temporary work also allows you for you choose your own schedule. Only want to work a couple days a week? Or have the summer off? Some agencies will work around their staff.
The Strategic CFO’s staffing line brings each staffer in every quarter to review their work and to further their financial leadership skills. If an bookkeeper wants to become a staff accountant, then there is opportunity to get the training needed to make that leap.

Hiring a Staffing Agency

When you hire an employment agency, you need to choose the right agency. Are you looking for positions that anyone can do or are you seeking for a more specialized trade? There are staffing agencies that supply manufacturing workers, domestic workers, and/or professional employees.
It is important the client company is communicating often with the agency to get the most out of the relationship. If a particular employee doesn’t fit, then the agency needs to know in order to replace that employee. Agencies have access to a variety of staff and make it their goal to pair the right employee with the client company.