White Papers & Research

'Tis the Season: Are Managed Services Programs the Solution to Holiday Hiring?

'Tis the Season
Are managed services programs the solution to holiday hiring?
By Katie Kuehner-Hebert

The key to a successful managed service program (MSP) to staff the holiday rush: strategic planning. So say a number of MSP providers, who say that what many retail, light manufacturing, and warehouse distribution clients need most for their busiest season of the year is a plan of attack. MSPs can ensure the process is efficient and delivers enough transparency for the endeavor to pay off.

Anne Osty, vice president of sales and marketing at Staff Management | SMX in Chicago, says that MSPs need to be as nimble as their clients. A "vendor on premise" team has the ability to manage workforce fluctuations on a very granular level using the right workforce management software and onsite staff. Regular communication with the pool of temporary workers will allow for the required headcount to be appropriately deployed on a shift-by-shift basis.

"This hands-on approach is critical in this sort of variable, high-volume environment where shift preference, full- and part-time scheduling, and volume fluctuation must be balanced with the need to get new associates started quickly to meet client orders and to ensure potential new associates aren't lost to other employers," Osty says.

One of Staff Management | SMX's clients commonly scales up 100 new temporary associates a day during the holiday season, in addition to its temporary workforce of several thousand already in place.

But labor scheduling requirements can change as frequently as every hour based on the client's order volume, weather, and new product releases. So a labor plan of 100 new contractors needed for the first shift on a Wednesday in one department can change to 100 new temps for the second shift on a Saturday working in a different department.