Operational simplification and improved efficiency are ideas commonly suggested by internal workers to improve their staffing firm, according to research recently released by Staffing Industry Analysts. Internal workers also recommend better communication and better technology.

Staffing firms’ internal employees were asked the open-ended question, “If you were running the staffing firm you currently work for, what would you change?” SIA’s analysis of the responses revealed nine areas of potential improvement, including the following four:

• Changes to operational policies/tactics: These varied a great deal, but a common theme was a desire to clarify and simplify.
• Recommended new hires: Most commonly, staff wanted IT support hires and help with mundane tasks.
• More organized and open communication: Addressing deficiencies in interdepartmental communication was the top suggestion.
• Streamline operational structure: Staff often thought company integration and efficiency could be improved.

“Some recommendations — more training, communication and better technology — echoed and underscored results from other questions in this survey; other answers related to streamlining were more specific to individual firms,” said Jon Osborne, SIA’s VP of strategic research and the author of the report.  “The underlying theme I get out of this is that staffing managers really should have a mechanism for inviting staff ideas because these boots on the ground are pretty in tune with current needs.”

The full report includes all nine areas of potential improvement and sample quotes from internal staff detailing their thoughts on these suggestions. It is available to SIA corporate members online.

SIA’s 2019 North America Internal Staff Survey was conducted in late 2018 and reflects the opinions of 16,867 internal staff respondents from 228 staffing firms; more than 9,000 suggested ideas to improve their staffing firm.