Agency: Temp Agency? How-To Choose A Temp Agency

Deserving or not, the temporary work force is sometimes the unfortunate butt of corporate jokes. For whatever reason, they seem to generate more around-the-water-cooler "what's up with that guy?" commentary than last night's Seinfeld repeat. But in reality, they make up a large percentage of the work force, often the unsung heroes of last minute project fixes, understaffed departments and flu-battered offices.

So where do you find these saviors? Find a good Temporary Agency.

How Temp Agencies Work

Temps don't actually work for you, but are employees of the agency. The agency takes out their taxes, manages their time cards and provides them with certain benefits. All you need to do is occasionally sign a time card.

Most agencies make their money by marking up the workers' wages by a certain percentage and charging it to their clients (that's you). Agencies usually charge between 15% and 25% over the worker's rate. So if the employee gets $14 an hour, you will pay the agency about $18 an hour.

Finding The Right Temp Agency

Woman with Computer Consulting the yellow pages and doing an Internet search will give you a solid list of agencies to choose from. To find the right one, do your homework.

Go For Specialty. A lot of agencies focus on a specific line of work, such as temporary paralegals or the entertainment industry. If you see an agency that caters to your business, try them first.

Request a Client List. Find out what types of companies are using the agency and for how long. If possible, talk to their clients' HR departments to find out how the agency has worked for them. Find out how they are at processing requests, if they can respond to a last-minute emergency, and if their temps represent the agency well.

Compare Rates. Ask for the average hourly wage temporary employees receive, and what their markup percentage rate is, then compare with other agencies on your list.

Find Out if Employees are Insured. If anything were to happen to a temporary employee on your company's time or premises, you want to make sure they are protected and you won't be liable.

Get References. Request recommendations or client testimonials.

Interview the Agency. Ask:

- How many temporary employees do you have?

- How do you decide if an employee is qualified to work at your agency?

- Do you train employees?

- What tasks and technologies are they trained on? (i.e., spreadsheets, typing)

- How fast can you get an employee to my office?

- How often do temporary employees become permanent with clients?

These are basic answers that you may need to know, so get the information you need.

Throw Them a Scenario. Along with the basic questions, make the agencies earn your trust. Think about a situation that might really arise in your company, and find out what they can do for you:

"It's 9:30. I need four temps by 11:00, and all of them need to speak Cantonese and know sign language. Can you handle it?"

Ok, slightly overboard. But the key is not what they answer (if they are any bit of a representative, they'll say "yes"), but how. If an agency representative says, "Um, sure?", while another says, "We have 20 temps who are bilingual and type at least 60 words a minute," then you know which horse to bet on.

Test Them Out. Try and get a trial run with the agency. Have an agency give you a few weeks with their service and see if the situation runs smoothly. If you feel comfortable with them, then you have a match. If the agency gives you too many headaches, try another. Like any service, feel free to shop around for the one that best suits you.