Companies that sell things have the ability to control every step of the manufacturing process. From the sourcing of materials to the production of parts and even to the assembly and delivery of their final products, they can determine how their cars, computers, or whatever it is they produce turn out. But what about a company that doesn’t make things? This is a question of particular interest to staffing firms, whose product is people. At first, one might assume that staffing firms have very little control over the quality of their “products.” But a closer examination reveals that people-related factors aren’t completely out of companies’ control.
Thanks to tremendous advancements in the field of psychology as well as new and improved understandings of human behavior, it’s possible to make some predictions about employees’ actions. Through pre-employment assessments, staffing firms can get a surprisingly accurate picture of how candidates are likely to act as employees and then, with this knowledge in hand, send only the best and most reliable talent to their clients. Pre-employment assessment tools, which are often referred to as “integrity tests” can provide extremely reliable predictions about someone’s behavior. These predictions can help organizations identify candidates who exhibit desired traits, such as honesty, strong work ethic, flexibility, and good communication skills. By taking that data into account when making hiring decisions, companies can improve the performance of their workforce—and their bottom lines. For example, since one of our staffing clients started using our integrity testing services to screen its 70,000+ light industrial, skilled trades, and clerical applicants, their annual workers’ compensation claims declined by 28.5% and won them numerous awards.
For staffing companies, the increased use of pre-employment testing points to a bigger picture. When this industry started, these companies originally functioned merely as providers of temporary help. Over the years, though, many staffing firms have evolved beyond that limited function. Now they often serve as key partners who help shape their clients’ workforce strategies. Integrity testing is one valuable tool that staffing firms can bring to their relationships with their clients. By providing employees who are identified by integrity testing as less likely to file false workers’ compensation claims, steal from the company, and engage in generally unethical behaviors, staffing firms can make positive, direct contributions to their clients’ bottom-line results. This is a very important data point that staffing firms should highlight in their communications with clients and in other marketing and sales efforts. Integrity testing works.
Insight Worldwide’s validated testing services yield clear, deep, and reliable insights into employee behavior. By drawing on our expertise and experience in this area, staffing companies can gain a distinct advantage over their competitors.
