Spherion Reviews

Pros

Even with limited resources, Spherion invests in technology designed to make work processes easier. Among staffing agencies, Spherion is seen as a leader when it comes to quality temporary and direct hire staffing needs.

Cons

Limited information sharing. Very limited resources available to accomplish set goals. Bare boned staffing in branches.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to the branch associates. They are the face of Spherion to the clients and have a clear line of sight to the clients' most pressing needs and changes within their businesses.

Pros

Career opportunity unmatched. Spherion has offices all over the country, and do a great job promoting from within. Great starting place for recruiters and account managers in the recruiting business.

Cons

Vast operation, there are so many different groups and organizations within Spherion, if you are not careful, you can get lost in the shuffle. You must keep your eyes and ears open for internal opportunities for growth.

Advice to Senior Management

Streamline the management infrastructure, and streamline the services. No company is excellent in every area, but they can be great in a few areas.

Pros

Very entrepreneurial, you can work as much or as little as you want. Benefits are good.

Cons

Management if fickle. Lots of politics. Not much out of the box thinking.

Advice to Senior Management

Look inside before you go outside.

Pros

it's a job.. the people are nice

Cons

the pay is really terrible

Advice to Senior Management

pay better, make it seem like you can get a promotion.

Pros

recognizable name; clients know who you are and why you're calling

Cons

other locations slashing fees affects all areas

Advice to Senior Management

difficult times; erratic irregular communications; inconsistent message from office to office

Pros

It is a paycheck and you can get flexible hours. Pay is low, if you work in a freezer you still only make $10 an hour. No shift premium.

Cons

Many of the workers at Unilever, the company Spherion places people with treat you like you are less than human. Everyone lets you know that you can easily be replaced. You can only work 6 months full time and then you are laid off.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat the people working for you the way you would want to be treated. Not everyone there is a druggie or a problem, some just need a job.

Pros

They usually pay you on time, and you don't have to worry about being asked to work overtime

Cons

No idea of how long you'll be on assignment, not even a guess, no warning when the assignment ends, crappy limited benefits (worse than other staffing agencies) and they don't usually have access to good assignments.

Advice to Senior Management

When doing the mass hiring during benefits enrollment season, try being honest, organized, and hiring capable people who can handle the task.

Pros

Has a major client that is a Logistics firm (Warehouse). So you can get some regular weekly work most likely 20 hours a week.

Cons

Only seemed to have one client for contract workers. Not much information about the job site. Last minute calls the day of was bad.

Advice to Senior Management

Get a better site supervisor. Have better communication and planning for contact workers. Find some more clients.

Pros

Co workers - some of the best and hardest working people ever. Unfortunately many have left the company due to the same dissatisfaction that I experienced.
Client companies were wonderful
Received great training in the beginning

Cons

Too many chiefs and not enough indians. Micromanagement at it's finest, to the detriment of the most loyal and hard working employees. Performance appraisals meant nothing once you were put on the bench. Regardless of the excellent job you did and how everyone knows your name and reputation, you still had to prove yourself to all new chiefs. Many are very quick to forget the great things you did for the company and client, but hellbent on beating you over the head for one insignificant mistake you made. Saw many great workers give their heart and soul to a client company only to be kicked to the curb by the chiefs. Sad days, it was time to leave. Pay is very low.

Advice to Senior Management

Know what is going on in the trenches with your clients and the teams assigned to them. Look at your virtual employees who have been with you 3+ years and listen to their concerns and their ideas. They are your golden assets taking very good care of your clients when the client would just as soon throw you to the curb and go back to your competitor, if not for that one golden employee that treats them well and understands their needs a lot better than the chiefs seem to. You really need to up your pay - it took me three years to realize that I could make double the pay with a lot less stress at your competitors. Roy had done an amazing job with the company as a whole, but I don't think he has a clue about what's going on in the RPO business.

Pros

Flex Time, Benefits, good people, Commitment to Excellence, financially stable, some advancement opportunities, education available, public company, challenging, possibility of permanent placement

Cons

Not always sure of keeping job, no pay raise for 3 years, seem to hire a lot of executive-level employees

Advice to Senior Management

This economic climate is a tough one to lead in. More focus on employee satisfaction could mean less turnover, saving Spherion money.