Anyone use a temp agency as an employer?

rabstbmom

I accidentally just posted this to the Parenting board but intended to post it here. I tend to lurk more than post/comment, but I thought this board might be the most likely to have some insight into this...

I work as the fundraiser for a small-ish nonprofit and we're getting ready to hire, for the first time ever, a part-time admin support person. The position would be 24-hours/week at $14/hour. Obviously, we'd have to pay payroll taxes, bringing the real cost of the position to $16/hour. We have approval to bring someone on through March 2013, and assuming we are able to maintain the revenue, the position would become permanent in April.

Our Board President is fairly adamant that we should hire the person through a temp agency, which would bring the cost of the position up to $17/hour. Her logic is that "it would take some of the risk" off us. Neither our ED nor myself understand what "risk" we'd be reducing, since we'd be hiring the person we recruit and decide to hire, not one of the temp agency's employees. The person would just have their personnel/payroll processed through the temp agency. We're not seeing the benefit of paying an additional $1200/year to use the temp agency when we could issue a letter with the offer of employment that outlines how long the position is approved for and other parameters related to that.

So, I'm just wondering, what are we missing, because the Board President doesn't seem to be explaining it?

I should also point out that, due to some other "politics" going on, we're wondering if the real issue is more one of control and the Board President's desire to have an easy way to eliminate the position at the end of March or sometime shortly thereafter. (Long story short, not every person on our board is convinced that we need admin support, though if you spent even one day in our office seeing how my ED and I spend our time, it would become obvious this position is long overdue.)

Any insight anyone can offer will be much appreciated! Thanks!

Brit's Luna154

rabstbmom:

I should also point out that, due to some other "politics" going on, we're wondering if the real issue is more one of control and the Board President's desire to have an easy way to eliminate the position at the end of March or sometime shortly thereafter.

I think this might be it. My company uses a lot of temp employees so that the workforce can be flexed quickly and at low cost as business ebbs and flows.

lvnbraves

I am in a nonprofit and have my first temp.  I've got some tremendous staffing issues going on, so we have a temp. 

Based on my first experience, this is a stopgap measure at best.  The person is very nice, but the quality of work leaves a little to be desired.  In talking with others, I've found that this isn't uncommon for these types of positions.  She's doing mostly data entry, running letters, admin type support. 

For example, today she brought me a letter to sign that didn't have an address on it.  A week or so ago she brought me a stack of letters printed on plain paper, not on letterhead...little things that are easily corrected, but she doesn't seem to understand to correct them before they come to me.

If the temp is giving you & the ED admin support, I'd be very concerned with a temp interacting with board members, donors, clients, etc.  Just do a set time for hire with potential for extension, that way if there isn't money, then they don't stay, as opposed to paying more.

Believe me, as soon as I find someone who can do the work we need, we'll hire full-time.  She's very nice, but she can't do the full job.

reb562

It cost a company an average of $1200-$1500 to hire a new employee --anything from putting an add to the paper, training, insurance fee's on new enrollment, etc.

I prefer to go through an agency for that reason.  If the person doesn't work out, doesn't mesh with the staff, doesn't have the skills they claim they have, it's so much easier for me to just ask for a new potential.  

You have every right to ask for a quality employee(s), since they are being screened at thier agency, this is my preffered route