December 26, 2003—Just as it’s important to train full-time employees on safety procedures, protective equipment, and potential hazards in the workplace, so it is to design specific training standards for its flexible workforce, says Spherion Corporation, a recruitment, technology, and outsourcing services firm.
The safety process, according to Spherion, begins with hiring the right temporary workers who have the skills and experience necessary to succeed. Rigorous testing and screening should be considered a necessity for hiring any flexible worker because it can quickly assess skills and eliminate less qualified candidates that are greater safety risks. There are also specific needs of workers that may not be on-site every day and have less time to get acclimated to the work environment than their full-time counterparts.
To assist facility managers trying to manage a flexible workforce in addition to their full-time workforce, Spherion has developed an Industrial Advantage staffing solution. Industrial Advantage is designed to address the unique challenges faced at industrial facilities by linking five critical areas: skills, training, safety, productivity, and managing the diverse workforce. Before flexible workers are deployed on-site, they are assessed through a variety of skill tests directly related to the intended position and given an in-depth orientation including safety training, which is developed by Spherion experts and the industrial facility manager. On-going performance monitoring, compliance audits, and regular safety tips are also provided to ensure the overall safety of the flexible workforce.
