What is Staffing Process? Definition, Types and Stages

Staffing is the 3^rd function in the management process of an organization. Management is the way businesses plan and organize their resources and activities to achieve their business goals in the most effective way possible. The management functions in order are- Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing and Controlling.

What is Staffing Process?

The staffing process is a managerial function that involves acquiring, engaging, and retaining qualified, talented candidates to fill job positions in an organization to help achieve a company’s objectives. In simpler terms, staffing involves placing of the right person at the right job.

Staffing in management encompasses various functions like recruiting, selecting, promoting. To obtain, develop and retain, skilled and motivated employees who can work efficiently for the goals of the organization is considered as an immanent part of the manager’s job and responsibility.

Having said that, most organizations fail at the particular task as it is quite time consuming and needs a lot of resources, which is why they seek the help of a third-party staffing provider who can do the job, a better job, if we may say, on their behalf.

Let us take a look at the importance of a staffing process, that is well implemented and can help organizations thrive better.

What are the Types of Staffing?

There are several types of staffing processes that organizations can employ based on their specific business needs and dynamics. Some of the common examples of staffing processes are-

Internal Staffing:

Internal staffing is filling job vacancies with existing employees within the organization. It does not necessarily mean filling in a new position, it could even be promotions, transfers, or lateral moves. This type of staffing process focusses on identifying and developing talent from within the organization, boosting employee morale, retention, and career development opportunities.

External Staffing:

As the name suggests External staffing is the recruitment and hiring of candidates from outside the organization. Organizations engage in external staffing when there is a need for new skills, expertise, or a larger talent pool.

If you want to implement an effective external staffing processes, you should involve in activities such as job advertisements, resume screening, interviews, and selection of candidates who are not currently employed by the organization.

Contingent Staffing:

Contingent staffing refers to hiring individuals on a temporary or contractual basis to fulfil specific short-term needs. Contingent workers include freelancers, independent contractors, temporary workers, or consultants.

If you are not looking to hire a full-time, permanent employee, but are seeking someone with specific talent, skills and knowledge to successfully execute a project at hand, or for a short-term need, then contingent staffing works for you as this staffing model allows organizations to flexibly manage their workforce and adapt to fluctuating demands without committing to permanent employment.

Project Staffing:

Much like contingent staffing but with a small difference of hiring a skilled team instead of one specific worker, project staffing involves assembling a team of individuals with the required skills and expertise to work on a specific project or assignment.

They could be external contractors or may be sourced from other agencies or can come from different departments of an organization. In Project staffing, diverse talents are pooled together to accomplish specific goals within defined timelines.

Seasonal Staffing:

It involves hiring temporary workers to meet increased demand during specific seasons or periods of the year. Industries such as retail, hospitality, tourism, and agriculture, where there is a higher workforce fluctuation engage in seasonal staffing.

Another reason seasonal staffing processes work for certain industries is because they include targeted recruitment efforts, shorter-term contracts, and focused training programs which are perfect to address their workforce talent needs.

High-volume Staffing:

High volume staffing is required during a company’s rapid growth phases or when they are expanding into new markets as they require many individuals to fill numerous job openings within a brief time.

Executive Staffing:

Executive staffing focuses on filling senior-level or executive positions in an organization. Candidates applying for this position are typically highly experienced professionals with great expertise, and leadership skills. Executive staffing processes often involve specialized search firms such as Alp, who are industry experts and have the expertise to identify and attract top-level candidates.

What are the Stages in Staffing Process?

The staffing process or the selection process typically consists of several stages right from planning, sourcing, selecting to onboarding and following up post hire, that organizations go through to ensure they have the right people in the right positions.

A strategic staffing process involves various stages depending on the specific job requirements of the client organization.

11 Stages in a Staffing Process

• Planning
• Recruitment
• Screening
• Selection
• Background checks
• Decision making
• Onboarding process
• Training and development
• Promotions
• Transfers and appraisals
• Remuneration determination

An employer or an in-house HR (Human Resources) representative usually do not get into the nitty gritty details of the staffing process as it is long and time-consuming, which is why third-party staffing providers take the responsibility of end-to-end recruitment and staffing the right candidate to the client’s organisation.

What is the Selection Process of Staffing?

It is that crucial part of the recruiting process that involves choosing an employee to hire from a narrowed-down list of outstanding candidates and efficiently acquire a new, star employee as an addition to the team.

Before getting into the selection process there are two especially important steps involved in the pre-selection process. They are-

Workforce Planning

It is a quantitative and a qualitative measure of workforce required to meet an organization’s workforce needs and demands. It involves a thorough analysis and assessment of the current workforce and developing the talent among employees who are up for a promotion advancement.

Recruitment

The recruitment stage involves sourcing and attracting a pool of potential candidates for the open positions in an organization. An efficient recruitment strategy involves engaging in activities like job advertisements, utilizing online job portals, conduction of campus recruitment, employee referrals, and working with other recruitment agencies.

This can help generate a diverse and qualified applicant pool giving clients access to a wide pool of candidates.

Post the pre-selection, the selection process of staffing commences.

6 Steps Selection Process

1. Application Screening

The applications received, are screened carefully after reviewing the submitted resumes or to assess candidates’ qualifications, work experience, and skills followed by shortlisting the most suitable candidates for further evaluation.

2. Assessment

The shortlisted candidates are further assessed and evaluated to determine their suitability for the job. The process involves taking interviews, conducting assessments, tests, and other evaluation methods to assess the candidates’ knowledge, skills, competencies, and fit for the role.

3. Background Checks and Reference Checks

The candidates who pass the tests and assessments must go through a background verification check, which is performed by verifying the information provided by the candidates, such as educational qualifications, employment history, criminal records, and professional certifications.

During the Reference checks the references provided by candidates are contacted to gather feedback on their past performance and work ethic.

4. Decision Making

Post the background check verification and completion of all assessments the hiring team or manager evaluates the candidates’ performance and makes an informed decision to select the most suitable candidate for the position.

5. Job Offer and Onboarding

Upon being selected, a final job offer is extended to the candidate that includes details about compensation, benefits, and other terms. If the candidate accepts the offer, the onboarding process begins, meaning the new employee is onboarded by providing necessary orientation and training, and completing all the required paperwork and getting all the necessary approvals.

6. Evaluation and Follow-up

Most organizations have a follow up strategy post hiring of the candidate, to evaluate the effectiveness of the staffing process. Organizations review the performance of the new employee, assessing the overall success of the recruitment while identifying areas for improvement.

It is important to note that the staffing process is a continuous cycle, and organizations may revisit certain stages to fill new positions or address changing workforce needs.

Conclusion

Workforce is one of the most significant pillars of every organization, and the workers are the most valuable resources. Managing it strategically is crucial in order to take your business to greater heights.

Alp’s vast experience in the industry and its well thought out staffing process enhances our capabilities to source and recruit the best candidates who have the potential to become permanent assets for your organisation. If you are looking an organization for staffing solutions, call us today and we will hook you up with the perfect solution that addresses your staffing needs perfectly.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is staffing process in management?

Staffing in management refers to the process of sourcing, identifying, and recruiting employees by evaluating their skills and knowledge before offering them a job offer.

2. What is US staffing process?

The US Staffing process is where the Talent Acquisition Industry brings together HR Departments of the Clients, the VMS, and the managers of staffing companies to hire talent for the job openings in the shortest possible time.

3. Why staffing is a continuous process?

Staffing is a continuous process because new jobs are being created constantly and its common for some employees to leave the organization at one point which leaves open vacanacies in the firm that are to be filled for which you need to recruit new candidates, as a result of which the staffing process needs to keep going. This keeps going on a in a loop as long as the organization exists.