The first is when the manager does not clearly spell out the worker’s status, which causes the worker to believe he or she may end up with a permanent position, when that is not the case.

The second is when the contingent worker starts to become more attached to the contracting company than the staffing firm and he or she becomes frustrated when not treated like a regular employee.

The third is when the duties of the assignment change from what was originally expected, and the worker feels as if he or she is being taken advantage of.

These pitfalls can be avoided, however, if the proper precautions are taken.

To avoid the misapprehension of permanent employment, both the staffing service and the client company need to be very clear up front about what the relationship is between the worker and the client. Both the staffing firm and client company need to deliver the same message.

Most staffing services have orientation booklets that spell out the duties and responsibilities of the worker, the service and the client company. This can help to head off problems before they arise, and also establish some guidelines for the worker as to what he or she can expect. Staffing officials recommend that the employment arrangements be put in writing to avoid any confusion.

Also, the client company’s human resources department needs to get involved and communicate to managers so that they are aware of the company’s policies and practices relating to hiring and temporary employees.

To avoid confusion about who the temporary staffer is working for, you need to keep in mind that the staffing service needs to address the concerns of the worker, not your managers.

When the worker is at his or her new location within your firm, it is important that you work to make sure connections between the worker and the staffing service are not disturbed. Sometimes, after the worker has started the assignment, he or she no longer hears from the service, and then begins to treat your company as the employer. To help maintain the connection between the staffing service and the temporary worker, make sure your company uses services that make it a point to maintain close ties with their workers.

To avoid a situation where job duties change unexpectedly, leaving the worker frustrated, it is important that you continually reevaluate the worker’s situation and what he or she is doing.

If your firm is looking for reliable and skilled workers in the construction, manufacturing, green scientific, high tech, and managed services arena in the San Francisco area, contact us, Bayside Solutions. We know where to find these tough-to-source professionals. Contact us today?.

Regular workers become dissatisfied for a number of reasons. One is that they often are tasked with training the temporary workers and introducing them to the corporate culture. So, when there are more temporary workers at a company, the job of the full-time employees becomes more involved, because they are then constantly engaged in the training of new people. Regular employees also can become frustrated because they see the time they spend helpin contingent workers as time that is being taken away from their own work.

Another problem arises when the temporary worker is doing the same job as the regular employee. The full-time person looks at this as a lessening of his or her own status.
This feeling is more pronounced at the lower levels of a company, where there may not be a lot of difference between the two types of workers.

Managers, however, can help make the situation better for everyone if they handle things properly. They should try to foster social exchange among all workers. The temporary workers should be part of all company functions, such as departmental lunches, holiday parties, and other gatherings, researchers said.

Forming these social connections is the key to forming an efficient and effective workforce, they added.

Research also showed that temporary workers who came to company with the knowledge that they had a chance to become a regular, full-time employee if they performed well in their temporary assignment, were more satisfied and performed better than contingent workers who did not have such an opportunity.

The researchers said that temporary workers want to work hard and fit in, especially if they see an opportunity to become a full-time worker at a company. As a result, a temp-to-hire arrangement can be a good method for companies to use to find skilled and reliable workers.

If you need great employees on a temporary basis, give Bayside Solutions a call. We can provide talented and reliable temporary workers for your San Francisco-area company. Contact us today!

Call them toxic, call them nuts, call them weird (and sometimes you also call them “boss”), learning how to enjoy your job and do your job well while dealing with difficult coworkers is a great skill to have. However, it’s a skill that usually has to be learned. Here are some tips on how to get along with difficult coworkers.

If your difficult coworker is your boss, you have our sympathy. However since you probably want to keep your job — at least until you can find another one — you’re going to learn how to live with him. Never belittle, confront or yell at your boss. Avoid putting him down with your coworkers when he’s not around because word can and often does leak out.

Troublesome co-workers come in many different forms. There’s the backstabber, taking credit for work you did. There’s the guy who loves to gossip. There’s the drama queen. And let’s not forget the meddler and, possibly the most difficult of co-workers, the take-no-prisoners competitor

In order to alleviate the problem, You should approach a difficult coworker sooner rather than later. Don’t confront and don’t yell. Ask the coworker if the two of you could meet together in private and then bring up your concern. Your conversation might start something like this:

“Steve, I noticed the other day that you told our supervisor that the marketing idea our team came up with was yours. I remember all of us talking about it and brainstorming on it. Perhaps I misheard you. Could you explain your comment to me?”

Or: “Jane, Mary told me that you mentioned to her that my husband and I are having difficulty. Please understand that anything of that nature I tell you is confidential and I hope you won’t do it again May I have your word on that?”

A firm but gentle approach often can work wonders, especially with co-workers who undermine your ideas, authority or privacy. Often, all it takes is a short conversation such as described above for the individual to stop.

In fact, if you can find something — anything — to appreciate or like about a coworker you dislike, comment on it in a positive manner. A little appreciation can go a long way to forging an alliance, allowing the two of you to work together better, even if you never become truly friendly.

Sometimes, though, a heart-to-heart conversation between two professionals doesn’t solve the problem — some people really are petty, self-absorbed, über competitive, etc. If toxic behavior continues, and especially if it starts affecting the quality of your work or even your health, you may have to notify your manager or your company’s human resources department.

If you’re looking for your next terrific position and live in the Bay Area, contact Bayside Solutions. We can help place you in temporary, temp-to-hire and direct placement positions with some of San Francisco’s finest companies.

Here are some key ways you can use contract staffing to reduce costs in your organization:

Convert fixed expenses to variable.
Develop a plan to staff your business strategically. Minimize the number of permanent employees on your staff to the level needed to sustain your core volume of work. Proactively plan to bring in extra help when it’s needed.

Bring in expertise on an as-needed basis.
Temporaries can deliver the experience and skills you need without impacting fixed expenses. As an added benefit, temporary “experts” are often less expensive than consultants.

Lower benefits costs.
Limit benefits expense by using temporary employees. Most temporary employees receive only limited benefits which are paid by the temporary staffing service. Companies with extensive benefits programs may not want to offer full benefits to all employees. Using a temporary staffing, payrolling or employee leasing service may make it possible to offer more limited and cost effective benefits programs to these employees.

Eliminate overtime.
Use temporary employees to reduce the amount of overtime worked by your permanent staff.

Reduce training costs.
Reduce training costs and learning curves by bringing in temporary employees who are trained and have experience using the skills you need.

Streamline recruiting.
Use a permanent placement service to eliminate the cost and time involvement associated with advertising, screening resumes, interviewing, testing and reference checking applicants.

Lower payroll expenses.
Eliminate the costs associated with processing and administering your company’s payroll and benefits by using a payroll or employee leasing service.

Reduce unemployment claims.
Using a temporary in place of a short-term employee prevents an unemployment claim from affecting the client company.  Legally, payrolled or leased employees work for the company providing the payrolling or employee leasing service. All claims affect the staffing service’s unemployment rating, not yours.

Eliminate operating inefficiencies.
Inefficient functions can be outsourced to services that can perform the work more effectively. The outsourcing service should be able to reduce expenses and improve performance while allowing your company to focus on its core competencies.

Develop a Strategic Staffing Plan for Your Organization
At Bayside Solutions, we help clients evaluate their current workforce and develop a strategic staffing model to help lower overall employment costs and access the skilled talent they need.  Discover more about Bayside Solutions contract staffing services.