A Practical Guide to Managing Temporary Workers

Introduction

SAY THAT YOU ARE THE CEO of a medium-sized company called Elasticity, which designs and manufactures springs used in countless applications from freight car suspension systems to delicate surgical instruments. You have five plants, all in the United States, at which you employ managers and administrative employees, production and maintenance workers, salespeople, IT workers, drafters, and engineers. You have seen your profits erode and your market share slide primarily as the result of domestic and foreign competitors with lower labor costs. You have done everything possible to cut costs, including wage freezes, layoffs, and supplier concessions, but it hasn’t been enough. You are afraid that if you cut any deeper you will lose your ...