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Jul2013
Staff Augmentation – An Emerging Best Practice
Many organizations experience fluctuations in their staffing requirements due to changes in workload attributable to: market conditions, rapid growth, project implementation, facility maintenance and turn around, employee attrition, regulatory requirements and a variety of other factors. Staff Augmentation is an effective strategy which can address these fluctuations in 6 key areas.
Time– The time saved by not having to recruit, screen, interview, hire and then train additional highly skilled and specialized resources can be substantial
Cost–There are significant savings realized by contracting at hourly rates for specified periods of time. Included in these savings are the avoidance of costs associated with having to provide a competitive full-time benefits package and training for a traditional full-time employee.
Risk– Targeted staff augmentation helps reduce the likelihood of costly project over-runs by having the right resources in the right places for critical time periods.
Flexibility– Agility is critical to any organizations success in responding effectively to market conditions and regulatory changes. Staff augmentation provides additional flexibility in prioritizing resource and workload challenges by quickly addressing unanticipated staffing needs.
Control– One of the trade-offs for outsourcing certain functions can be a loss of control. Staff augmentation enables you to maintain more organizational control and oversight of your projects and initiatives
Expertise– The best staffing providers have access to many highly skilled and specialized candidates for particular and unique needs. These candidates will enhance the “tribal knowledge” of your organization stepping in to fill leadership and supervisory roles and train your staff in the process. Often these individuals are open to staying on as full- time staff when there is an especially good fit.
These are some of the reasons why many organizations are turning to staff augmentation providers for expert and timely support in response to fluctuating conditions. Many of you may have had experiences as contractors or clients which will shed light on staff augmentation as a viable solution. We would welcome your comments and experiences.
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