Don’t miss your chance to get the staffing and recruiting data you need. The association’s quarterly Staffing Employment and Sales Survey for the first quarter of 2024 is now open. Participate in the survey and compare how your company is doing with similar-sized companies and firms within your industry sector.

After completing the survey, you will be able to access an exclusive online report archive, which includes benchmarks for the number of direct hire searches and permanent placements, sector-specific gross margin trends, and payroll and productivity metrics by company size. Participate by May 24 to get the staffing industry information you’re looking for—there are no fees to participate. Register to take the survey at americanstaffing.net/quarterly-survey.

At the ASA Staffing Law & Compliance Conference next month—May 16–17 at the Westin Washington, DC, Downtown in Washington, DC—the industry’s top employment law and compliance experts will provide the answers you need to safeguard your firm and achieve operational excellence. Whether you’re a staffing firm owner, executive, human resource professional, compliance manager, recruiter, or attorney, the powerful lineup of sessions will deliver the legal insights and strategies you need to tackle today’s complex challenges—including worker misclassification, indemnity clauses in contracts, no-poach policies, arbitration agreements, and much more.

Register for the Staffing Law & Compliance Conference today at staffinglawconference.net. There’s a block of hotel rooms reserved for conference attendees at the Westin, but reservations must be made by April 23. Visit staffinglawconference.net for details.

Today, ASA announced a new, effective way to get your firm on an upward trajectory—in just nine weeks. The new professional development program—called Staffing Pro Stacks—is a first-of-its-kind intensive credentialing program expertly designed by the best trainers in the industry to tackle your company’s biggest challenges. This new program responds directly to what is going on in the staffing industry right now and addresses specific pain points you and your company are struggling with.

There are three programs—focused on Sales, Recruiting, and Leadership. Complete one, two, or all three programs and stack your knowledge for maximum success. Additional programs will be released in the coming year.

Find out more at americanstaffing.net/pro-stacks. ASA members get a discount.

THRIVE events, designed by the ASA women in leadership interest group, deliver powerful and inspiring presenters from throughout the staffing industry who share lessons learned and effective growth strategies that have propelled their careers. The next THRIVE event is less than three weeks away! For only $95, you can participate in THRIVE Virtual on May 2. Pay only $65 for each additional registrant from your firm.

The registration fee is low and the ROI is sky-high. Here is a glimpse of what THRIVE Virtual will deliver on May 2. Register now to secure your spot; this is a virtual event, but it will sell out!

• Opening Keynote by Corrie LoGiudice: “Unstuck Yourself: Transforming Overwhelm Into Action.” Get actionable strategies to step into the leadership role you are meant to be in.
• Breakout Sessions: Tailored workshops for both emerging leaders and executives, providing valuable insights and tools to advance your career.
• Panel Discussion: “Finding Your Personal Success in Staffing.” Hear from inspiring executives in the staffing and recruiting industry as they share their challenges, strategies, and results—including Celeste Randall of Staffmark Group, Catherine Lang-Cline of Portfolio Creative, and Kelly Boykin of Growth Curve Advisors.
• Speed Talks—Inspiring Short Presentations With Long-Term Results: “Sparkle and Grit” by Wendy Meadows, certified life coach, and “Work Became My Identity—Then It Broke Me” by Ericka Diaz, creator of the “Honestly Mental” podcast.
• Closing Keynote by Neelu Kaur: “Be Your Own Cheerleader: Embracing Self-Advocacy in the Workplace.” Get actionable techniques for speaking up and being heard, and strategies for having difficult conversations that unlock potential instead of locking in negativity.

Learn more about THRIVE Virtual and register today at americanstaffing.net/THRIVE.

THRIVE virtual is an empowering event designed exclusively for women in the staffing industry. You’ll get inspiration from keynote speakers such as Corrie LoGiudice, explore breakout sessions tailored to empowering women in staffing, and network with like-minded and supportive peers.

The half-day online event, presented by the ASA women in leadership interest group, takes place Thursday, May 2, 1:30─6 p.m. Eastern time. Visit americanstaffing.net/thrive to learn more and register.

In some situations, courts have interpreted employee handbooks as creating either express or implied contracts, particularly if they contain provisions that could legally and reasonably suggest that the employer and the employee intended to bind each other by the handbook’s contents. Do you know how to comply with human resource-related policies and protect your company?

A session at the upcoming ASA Staffing Law & Compliance Conference will deliver best practices and legal compliance strategies for employee policies and handbooks. “Employee Handbooks and HR Policies for Staffing Firms: What’s New, What’s Harmful, and What’s Missing,” presented by Deborah R. Pierce, Esq., SPHR, of Integrity Staffing Solutions and Evan M. Rosen, Esq., of Jackson Lewis PC, will look at how to customize your policies for the unique intricacies of the staffing business. Come away with the “must-have” language; learn which clauses to include or change; decide whether you should have separate handbooks for temporary workers and corporate employees; and adopt critical staffing-specific policies. This session will also cover recent changes to state and local laws and how national or regional staffing companies should address the myriad laws that must now be addressed in company policies and employee handbooks.

The 2024 ASA Staffing Law & Compliance Conference is not just for lawyers—programming is designed for staffing firm owners and executives, human resource professionals, compliance managers, recruiters, and attorneys. It takes place May 16–17 at the Westin Washington, DC, Downtown in Washington, DC. Visit staffinglawconference.net to register at the best rates available.

The Weekly Economic & Business Outlook—or WEBO—is a new resource from ASA that goes out to member email boxes every Tuesday morning. This powerful and targeted data and analysis tool features weekly analysis designed to deliver the data-driven intelligence and forward-looking business acumen ASA members need to track trends and capitalize on opportunities.

ASA researchers examine trends within the staffing industry, as well as developments within the broader economy, and then deliver succinct takeaways that can help drive strategic business decisions. Make sure you receive ASA research emails, including the weekly WEBO, by clicking the “Unsubscribe/Manage Email Preferences” link at the bottom of this email and opting in to research content—and be sure to allow emails from research@americanstaffing.net so you don’t miss this valuable new member benefit.

As state legislatures across the country continue to introduce legislation that could have negative repercussions for the staffing industry, ASA member political involvement is more important than ever.

Members can be especially effective in helping to shape legislation by developing personal constituent relationships with lawmakers at the grassroots level—i.e., in their local communities. Leveraging members’ knowledge and standing in their communities will help make ASA advocacy efforts more effective.

For that reason, ASA has released a new resource to help fuel advocacy efforts—the ASA Guide to Grassroots Advocacy, which is a “grassroots 101” launching pad for anyone and everyone who wants to get involved in advocating for the staffing industry.

The guide provides practical tips on how to effectively interact with policymakers so they understand what staffing firms do—and why it should matter to them and the people they represent. It also explains such things as who are the key policymakers to meet with, when is the best time and place to meet with them, how to structure messages, and what to expect during meetings.

That guide is part of the new ASA Grassroots Tool Kit, which is now available online. You can download the Grassroots Advocacy Guide and share it with your peers, access background information that can help fuel your advocacy efforts at a local level, and more.

Learn more about the tools available and about what’s ahead for the industry at the ASA Staffing Law & Compliance Conference in the session “A (Scary) New Frontier: Tough Legislation Trends Impacting Staffing—And How to Prevent Bad Things From Happening in Your State.” The conference takes place May 16–17 at the Westin Washington, DC, Downtown in Washington, DC. Visit staffinglawconference.net to register.

Your membership in the American Staffing Association will expire March 31. This will be your last issue of the Staffing Today newsletter if you don’t renew your ASA membership today.

After March 31, your company will no longer have access to this newsletter or to

• Powerful networking and training—including free webinars and networking calls on timely industry topics, and access to ASA Central
• Valuable legal resources—including detailed legal and regulatory information, issue papers, legal and legislative alerts, and Legal Line videos
• Exclusive industry research and data—including the Weekly Economic & Business Outlook, survey reports, and analysis
• Special member savings—including discounted rates for the ASA Staffing Law & Compliance Conference, THRIVE, Staffing World^®, and more.

These tools and resources give your company a measurable advantage in the marketplace. Why forfeit your advantage? Renew at americanstaffing.net/renew or call 703-253-2020.

The artificial intelligence revolution is leaving employers searching for workers with the skills needed to support technological advances in the workplace, according to a new study of senior executives from Fortune 2000 companies by the World Employment Confederation/FT Longitude.

According to the “The Work We Want” study of hundreds of senior executives from Fortune 2000 companies, 81% of business leaders believe that AI and other tech disruptions will force organizations to radically rethink skills and human resources in their workforce—and 78% of those same executives are concerned that they will be unable to train employees fast enough to keep pace with tech developments in the next three years.

“AI and automation are rapidly changing all of our lives, and employers and employees are struggling to keep up,” said Richard Wahlquist, chief executive officer at the American Staffing Association. “The staffing industry is committed to helping to meet the global upskilling challenge and imperative head on in the U.S. and around the world.”

“The Work We Want is a conversation starter for governments, employers, and workers to address our new work reality and find solutions—collectively—to deliver better labor market outcomes for all,” said Denis Pennel, the managing director of the World Employment Confederation.