When and Why HR Needs to Involve a Staffing Agency

In today’s workplace, human resources teams juggle priorities and balance multiple responsibilities daily – talent acquisition, compliance, retention, managing benefits and workforce planning, just to name a few. Sometimes, internal bandwidth or reach simply isn’t enough. That’s when partnering with a staffing agency becomes not just helpful, but essential.

Here are three specific scenarios where HR departments benefit from involving a staffing agency early in the process.

Need a temp-to-hire pool or have a lot of entry-level roles to fill? Bring in a staffing agency

Filling multiple entry-level positions quickly – especially in industries like manufacturing, logistics, and customer service – can tax, or even drain, an internal hiring team. Staffing agencies often maintain an active bench of pre-screened candidates who are ready to start on short notice. They also understand local labor trends and can scale efforts quickly.

According to the American Staffing Association, in 2024 more than three million temporary and contract employees worked for staffing companies during an average week in the U.S. Human resources teams that need speed and flexibility in hiring for hourly or entry-level roles benefit greatly from this built-in talent pipeline.

Another bonus? The American Staffing Association also found that more than 30% of temporary employees are offered permanent positions by the companies where they are placed – which indicates that this approach leads to successful long-term matches.

Confidential searches for higher-level management and executives

Sometimes discretion is key, especially when replacing a current leader or planning a strategic reorganization. A staffing agency can conduct confidential searches that protect the employer’s brand and reduces internal disruption. This model works especially well when the company culture is already challenging for current staff. If a change is needed at the top – whether of a corporation or a non-profit – an agency can be a great ally and option. Recruiters can quietly tap into passive candidate markets, conduct outreach, and vet applicants, all while maintaining strict confidentiality.

This is particularly valuable in competitive industries or smaller markets where word travels fast.

Searches for specific key roles

For mission-critical roles that require a specific background or skill set – think CFOs, plant managers, or engineering and legal division heads – the right hire is critical. A good fit can transform an organization. A bad fit can put the hiring team right back where it started, and will cost additional time and money. In 2022, the Society for Human Resource Management found that the average hard cost per hire was almost $5,000.

Many staffing agencies and executive search firms specialize in these specific key role types of placements. They often have longstanding relationships with educated, skilled, high-level professionals and can tap into networks that may be invisible to internal recruiters.

Executive search firms typically reduce time-to-hire and improve candidate retention rates because they focus heavily on cultural fit and long-term success. That expertise makes a measurable difference.

Staffing agencies are more than just short-term solutions to specific scenarios, they’re strategic partners. Whether HR needs help with high-volume hiring, confidential searches, or executive placements, having a relationship with a staffing agency, and using them as needed, can bring speed, discretion, and specialized expertise in a timely way. In a today’s labor market, that kind of support can mean the difference between just getting by and getting ahead.

As one of the top staffing agencies in Pennsylvania, TriStarr specializes in legal staff, accounting, IT, human resources, and administrative staffing placements. Our services include recruiting for administrative, professional and management roles, for both temporary staff and permanent employees. If you’d like to leverage our decades of staffing agency experience to screen candidates, reach out! Make a talent request on our website or call us at 717-560-2111 for more information.