How do I measure how often a staffing agency’s temps skip their shifts?

Start by asking how the agency records a missed shift. A no-show, a late cancellation and a day that was simply reassigned are different events, and many systems blur them. Ask for a recent period of shift data with the worker, client, date and outcome. Count the categories yourself rather than accepting a summary.

Then cut the data. Look at no-shows by client, by type of work, by day of the week and by how the worker was booked. Patterns are useful. If problems cluster at one site or with one dispatcher, the fix differs from a general reliability issue. Ask what the agency does after a no-show, such as a call, a warning or removal from the pool.

Finally, cross-check. Compare the records with client complaints, credits issued and what the clients say. A very clean record next to many complaints suggests that no-shows are going unrecorded. Ask your accountant to compare the shift data with the billing, and talk to a couple of clients with the seller’s consent. Ask how the agency tells clients when a worker does not arrive, because the speed of that message often matters as much as the absence.

Key takeaways

• Find out whether no-shows, late cancellations and reassignments are recorded separately.
• Cut the data by client, site, day and how the worker was booked.
• Cross-check against complaints and credits to catch missing records.
• Ask how quickly clients are told when a worker does not arrive.