How does a staffing agency reach its workers about open shifts?
Ask which channels the agency uses to offer open shifts, who sends them, how quickly workers answer and what happens when a shift stays unfilled. Then watch it happen on a busy day. A good system gets answers fast and keeps a record of who was asked.
Begin with the channels. Agencies may use calls, texts, an app, email or a mix. Ask which one gets the fastest replies and whether workers have a choice. Check whether any are personal accounts of dispatchers, since those leave with the person. Ask how the agency keeps contact details current.
Next, watch a real shift filling. Sit with the dispatcher on a busy morning and see who gets asked first and how. Is there a rule, such as reliability, seniority or proximity, or is it who the dispatcher happens to remember? Fairness affects whether good workers stay. Ask what happens when nobody replies, and how the agency escalates.
Finally, look at the record. Can the agency show who was offered each shift, who accepted and how long it took? That log reveals both the size of the active pool and the agency’s dependence on a few responsive people. Ask your lawyer about consent for messaging workers, and your accountant about any costs tied to the system. Ask also how workers opt out or pause messages, because a system that ignores such requests can lose good people quickly.
Key takeaways
- Find out which channel gets the fastest replies and whether any sit on personal accounts.
- Watch a busy morning to see how workers are chosen and asked.
- Ask for a log of offers and replies for each shift.
- Ask how workers pause or stop messages, and whether the agency honours that.
Related reading
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
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