Veritude Research Reveals Appropriate Selection and Placement of Temporary Workers Enhances Profitability and Long-Term Business Success

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - October 20, 2008) - According to a new research report released today by Veritude, a leading staffing services provider, correctly deploying a temporary workforce is a powerful means of directly impacting the health of a business as well as delivering more value with fewer resources. In its report, "A Temp's Eye View: Optimizing Your Temporary Workforce," Veritude underscores how temporary workers are a powerful component of a well-balanced workforce; however, to truly maximize their value and achieve business objectives, HR leaders and hiring managers must "manage to" the particular needs of temporary workers.

"Despite what some companies think, temporary workers are far from monolithic. They come to their work with widely varied goals, expectations, and needs," explained Jim McCoy, senior vice president, Veritude. "When deployed correctly, temporary workers are a major contributor to enhanced profitability and long-term business success. The key is to first understand what drives temp workers to seek temporary assignments and match their needs with those of the business."

Veritude conducted this research to help companies gain a deep understanding of how temps see the world, their reasons for temping, expectations, pain points and drivers of engagement. An analysis of the research data revealed two notable trends:

--  Scalability of Commitment -- Temps actively scale their engagement and
    commitment based on the "match" that the job provides to their goals and
    needs. The same temporary worker can perform with very different levels of
    effectiveness at different jobs, and the quality of the outcome depends
    primarily on how well the organization can meet their individual needs.
    For a temporary worker, this is also one of the advantages of temping. On
    the other hand, for HR leaders this can be a daunting obstacle but one that
    can be avoided if the right temp is matched with the right job by working
    closely with the staffing services provider.
--  Diversity of Desires -- What works for one temporary worker may not
    work for another. What temps look for in a job is surprisingly diverse; but
    at the same time, all temps universally expect organizations to match the
    job, work environment, and goal with the temp's own experiences.  For
    example, the recent college graduate with great Web design skills will
    rapidly seek another assignment if relegated to a project team supporting a
    company's legacy systems.
    

Matching the Right Position to the Right Temp

As a result of the data collected during this research project, Veritude developed a powerful tool called "Temp Personas" to help HR leaders and hiring managers align business needs and worker goals. Recognizing that not all temps are the same, Veritude developed three Temp Personas to provide deep insight into a temp's perspective to help HR leaders and hiring managers match the right position to the right temporary worker.

Temp Personas are distinct profiles based on psychographic characteristics such as personality, values, attitudes, interests or lifestyles. Each profile represents a different temp worker group and includes their motivations, challenges, and pain points. The profiles also provide insight into how each group evaluates job offers and staffing agencies, and makes decisions.

McCoy noted, "The more information that staffing professionals have, the higher the probability of positive outcomes. At Veritude, we know that HR leaders are increasingly challenged to support business needs, drive growth and provide strategic support. That's why we help our HR partners meet their recruiting and staffing needs with tools such as Temp Personas."

In addition to outlining the demographics and expectations of each Temp Persona, Veritude's report offers HR leaders and hiring managers recommendations on how to optimize each persona within three "Keys to Maximizing Value" sections. This deep dive into the motivations and attitudes of temp workers enables HR leaders and hiring managers to make well-informed decisions on deploying their temp workforces.

Research Methodology

This research was conducted by Attitude Measurement Corporation on behalf of Veritude in 2008. Four focus groups were held with candidates who have (in the past 12 months) looked for, accepted or declined a temporary job, are men and women aged 18 or older and sought an IT, professional or administrative type of temp job.

To learn more about Veritude's Temp Personas or to download a copy of Veritude's research report, "A Temp's Eye View: Optimizing Your Temporary Workforce," visit www.veritude.com.

About Veritude

Veritude offers a full suite of temporary and permanent staffing services. It partners with a wide range of clients in a variety of industries to develop and deliver workforce solutions that adapt to changing business and demographic realities. Veritude's unrelenting commitment to outstanding customer support and candidate quality offers competitive advantages to clients and rewarding career opportunities to associates. Visit www.veritude.com or call 1-800-597-5537 for more information.