Spherion Reviews

Pros

Spherion made it an enjoyable experience to work for them offering me the option to continue employment elsewhere after our temporary positions were absorbed.

Cons

Spherion made it difficult to find a job i was interested in offering me the option to continue employment elsewhere after our temporary positions were absorbed.

Advice to Senior Management

Spherion made it an enjoyable experience to work for them offering me the option to continue employment elsewhere after our temporary positions were absorbed.

Pros

Reasonable wage for the area.

Cons

No benefits, no room for advancement, no raises even after years of being assigned to the same employer,no notice of end of assignment, treated like a second class worker by full time employees.

Advice to Senior Management

Negotiate higher wage for longtime and/or superior performing employees. Insist on some type of advance notice for layoffs.

Pros

Flexibility and support of job opportunities

Cons

Career development to find new opportunities

Pros

Got a job and was able to work for one organization for a long period of time. It opened doors for me.

Cons

Low pay is to be expected from a temp agency.

Pros

Overall, decent pay and benefits.

Cons

Contractors can be let go without much advance notice. Spherion doesn't try too hard to place you in a new position.

Advice to Senior Management

It would be smart to provide job placement services to displaced employees.

Pros

They have a great position at a great company. The starting pay is great.

Cons

The contract terms were vague and almost seemed like a trick to me. I was originally told that after 4 months the job could become permanent. In reality, after seven months I am submitting resumes for different departments within the company where I am contracted. It seems like spherion is taking advantage of me to get more money from the host company.

Advice to Senior Management

Clearly identify the terms of a contract.

Pros

There are many tools available to assist you in your job.
Training tools/job aids are current and easy to access from the office and from home.
Company invests heavily in computer based learning programs.

Cons

Office structure is VERY small: there is not usually an Admin or any other non-revenue generating staff in each office.
There is very little training for your position that includes another person, everything is done/learned alone on a computer. Absolutely no time is allotted for learning/development while you are at work. All learning takes place on your own time and is NOT very comprehensive.
Workload placed on management is incredibly high. Average work week is 6 days, 10-12 hour days are the norm for salaried employees.
ALL employees start as a temp. You need to be promoted to become an actual employee. In-House temps do not receive benefits (health insurance is available after 30 days, however it is incredibly expensive and the coverage is terribly insufficient).

Pros

Notification of a permanent position. Staff kept checking on me to make sure I was ok.

Cons

Main office located in Raleigh, NC, Worked in Fayetteville, NC, 75 miles away. Contact was by email and phone. Met staff 1 time. Have not heard from company since contract expired in 2010.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the good work. When an employee's contract expires, continue to try and place them elsewhere.

Pros

Pay weekly
Good communication between staff
Easy Assignments

Cons

Not so good benefits

Poor communication between contractors

Advice to Senior Management

More concern about next assignment. The wait time between assignments can sometimes be long.

Pros

Staffing agencies provide an opportunity to get a feel for a company before actually being a company employee. Sometimes a company you thought you would like to be employed by turns out to be very different than what you envisioned.

Cons

Disorganized handling of my paperwork
Use of intimidation tactics when you have a question or concern
EXTREMELY low wages
Not provided any information/literature about pay periods, company policies, etc.
Treated like a drone, rather than someone with good, solid skills and work history

Advice to Senior Management

LISTEN when employees have questions and concerns. Get ORGANIZED! Offer people reasonable pay for the assignment, rather than just trying to keep a good portion of what the company pays for the assignment. Salary gouging leads to high employee turnover. Treat people right and they will want to stay.