The Pacific Northwest building seasons follow a predictable pattern, primarily due to our weather. During these times, you may find yourself in need of some extra skilled tradespeople. But it can be hard to land top talent when everyone else in town competes for the same workers. Skilled trades staffing services may be the solution to keep your teams working at maximum productivity. Let’s dive into what skilled trades recruiters can do for you.
Why Do Businesses in the Pacific Northwest Need Seasonal Skilled Trades Staffing Services?
If you need skilled tradespeople in the Pacific Northwest, a skilled trades staffing company offers quite a few advantages over trying to hire on your own. Here are just a few reasons to use our services.
Adapt to Fluctuating Demand
Even outside of the predictable seasonal patterns, you may experience fluctuations in demand. Maybe you just landed an unexpectedly large contract. Perhaps your construction manager is taking a three-month leave of absence. Or maybe your latest project requires specialized skills. Whatever the reason, fluctuating demand can leave you scrambling to hire team members at the last minute. Yet you don’t want to over-hire full-time tradespeople, since you would then have to figure out to do with them during the slow season. Working with a skilled trades staffing service allows you to quickly adapt to changing demand by bringing on only the talent you need, for however long you need them.
Save Time and Costs
Recruiting and hiring seasonal workers can be challenging, taking time and budget away from your core business. When you partner with a skilled trades staffing service, all you need to do is let us know how many people you need, with which specific skills, for how long. In most cases, we can send highly qualified temporary workers within just a few days. You won’t have to spend your time and money searching for just the right candidates and convincing them to work for you instead of a competitor.
Ensure Compliance and Safety
Construction can be a dangerous business, especially in the Pacific Northwest. Experienced skilled trades staffing companies know the risks, and we are dedicated to the health and safety of your permanent and temporary workers. We can help to ensure that you are in full compliance with local, state, and federal regulations, while also promoting an overall culture of safety in your workplace.
Alleviate the Workload of Core Employees
Your core employees work hard for you, but you can’t expect them to fill in gaps in staffing for too long. If a skilled trades role is left open, your productivity is likely to suffer, despite the best intentions of your permanent workers. They will also be at higher risk for burnout and safety-related issues due to exhaustion and overwork.
Best Practices for Leveraging Seasonal Staffing Solutions
While skilled trades staffing companies bring a great deal of knowledge and experience to the table, you need to do your part to help them succeed. Here are a few best practices for working with your seasonal skilled trades staffing partner.
Collaborate with Skilled Trades Staffing Companies Near You
The first step is to get in touch with a few agencies near you that specialize in the skilled trades. Sit down with them to explain your business, your typical annual staffing plans, and the sorts of workers you generally require. Read reviews, call references, and select the company that seems to be the best fit for your needs.
Once you’ve chosen a partner, the agency you select will likely request an onboarding meeting. This is your chance to get into more specifics about your business and your typical hiring needs. We take pride in getting to know each client so that we can always send you the best talent matches.
Communicate Workforce Needs Clearly
Whenever you need seasonal workers, contact your staffing partner as soon as possible. Be as specific as you can about what you are looking for. Even within a single skilled trade, expertise can vary significantly – do you need an exterior painter or a muralist? Are you looking for someone to frame a house or a finish carpenter to add crown molding? Perhaps you need a few general laborers for site cleanup. How many people do you need with each specific expertise, and for how long? The more information you give us, the better we will be able to meet your needs.
Evaluate Seasonal Workers for Long-Term Potential
If your business is growing and thriving, you may occasionally need to expand your team of full-time skilled tradespeople. Top talent is hard to find, but a temporary contract can serve as a sort of extended working interview. Keep an eye on your seasonal workers to see how they perform. You never know when you might discover that someone on your seasonal staff would be a perfect long-term fit. Not all temporary workers are interested in full-time roles but, if nothing else, they might be willing to prioritize working for you whenever they’re available.
If you know you’ll need a few long-term employees, an alternative to hiring strictly seasonal workers is a temp-to-hire contract. This is just like a standard temporary contract but with an option to extend. At the end of the season, if both you and your temp worker agree that it’s the right fit, we can help you onboard that person into a permanent position. If not, you can simply allow the contract to expire as usual. One benefit to this is that workers who are willing to sign a temp-to-hire contract are open to the possibility of full-time employment in a way that not all temporary staff members are.
Ready to Meet Seasonal Demands with Ease? Partner with a Top Staffing Agency in the Pacific Northwest: Opti Staffing
Opti Staffing Group is a locally owned and operated full-service skilled trades staffing agency in the Pacific Northwest. With six offices across Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, we put people first. We understand the unique challenges that seasonal demand can bring, and we know how to match temp workers with just the right companies. If you’re ready to hire your next temporary or long-term team member, request an employee today.