By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Despite a challenging economy and job losses across industry sectors, Grand Rapids-based Staffing, Inc. is in growth mode. The company has added four management positions and continues to place temporary and permanent workers in manufacturing, event staffing, skilled labor positions and quality inspection placements.
“Our greatest specialty is sourcing, screening and providing the most qualified candidates to fill job positions,” says J.P. Sypniewski, president of the staffing division. “We have expanded our offerings to address needs from temporary staffing to much more complex needs.”
One service the company provides is participation in the WorkKeys job skills assessment, a part of the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) program piloted through Grand Rapids Community College.
“We pretest all of our temporary staff when we hire them so we have an understanding of their cognitive abilities,” Sypniewski says. “That helps us find better matches for employers.”
Industrywide, an acceptable rate of turnover of employees placed by staffing agencies is 25 to 35 percent. For the past three years, Staffing Inc’s turnover for placements has been just 15 percent. Sypniewski says using the WorkKeys assessment for matching workers’ skills with job requirements accounts for much of that success.
“We support the program and are helping to grow it and create awareness among the incumbent workforce to have them get their workers tested to see what our cognitive possibilities are in West Michigan,” Sypniewski says. “It’s also a good way for businesses to understand what additional skills and training employers need in employees to fulfill jobs coming in the future.”
Source: J.P. Sypniewski, Staffing Inc.; Kim Bode, 834 Design
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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