Let’s be honest. When your business is growing (or holding on for dear life), the last thing you want is a blurry line between who’s handling your hiring and who’s managing your HR. You may have heard the terms "staffing agency" and "PEO services" tossed around like interchangeable office buzzwords. Spoiler alert: they're not the same. Not even close. But both are incredibly useful—sometimes even at the same time.
This article breaks down the differences, the strengths, and how your business can benefit from one, the other, or both. And if you stick around, you’ll see how you can skip the "either/or" dilemma entirely.
You know that feeling when someone puts in their two weeks (or zero weeks) and walks out the door? That’s where staffing services come in. They specialize in filling the gaps—fast. Whether it's temp-to-hire, temporary, or direct hire, staffing agencies focus on recruiting, vetting, and placing candidates in your company quickly.
You get to offload the entire hiring process and trust that someone else is combing through resumes and setting up interviews. Not to mention, staffing firms often handle payroll and HR responsibilities for temporary workers. That means fewer headaches, fewer tax forms, and no awkward conversations about vacation time—at least not yet.
Staffing services are not designed to stick around once the hire is made. Sure, they’ll check in, but you won’t get long-term HR support or benefits management from most staffing firms. They do their job and exit stage left once you’ve got someone sitting in the chair.
This is perfect when your team just needs a pair of hands (or a whole department of them) on short notice. But it won’t solve ongoing issues like compliance audits, payroll systems, or figuring out how to handle a benefits package that doesn’t make your employees sigh loudly at open enrollment.
Enter PEO services—Professional Employer Organizations. If staffing services are the matchmakers, PEOs are the house managers. They don’t help you hire, but once you have your people, they help you manage them.
With a PEO, you can outsource your payroll, benefits, workers' comp, and HR support—all under one system, one vendor, one invoice. Instead of hiring an internal payroll clerk and an HR generalist, you get the support of an entire team without adding to your org chart.
And here's the part most business owners love: you stay focused on your core business while someone else handles the back-end maze of compliance, tax filings, and employee handbooks.
Not quite. A common misconception is that because staffing agencies pay temporary employees and manage their paperwork, they must be doing the same thing as PEOs. But the two models serve different purposes.
Staffing agencies are focused on helping you find talent. PEOs are focused on helping you retain it, and more importantly, making sure the infrastructure holding your workforce together doesn't collapse under your feet.
A PEO steps in after you've hired and takes over everything from payroll processing to compliance documentation. It’s about efficiency, not recruitment. That distinction matters—especially when you’re evaluating where to spend your HR dollars.
There’s no rule that says you can only choose one. In fact, many companies benefit from both staffing services and PEO services running in tandem. Maybe you need to fill a role today, but you also need long-term help running HR and benefits. That’s not two problems—it’s one well-rounded strategy.
When both services work together, you get speed and sustainability. Immediate help for your staffing gaps, and a stronger foundation for your business operations going forward.
Here’s something a lot of businesses overlook: hiring internal HR and payroll staff adds up quickly. Not just the salaries, but the software, training, liability, and management time. By partnering with a PEO, you're essentially subscribing to a complete HR solution without the overhead.
That means fewer surprise expenses and more predictable budgeting. For a business owner trying to juggle strategy, sales, and staying sane—that kind of predictability is worth its weight in direct deposits.
Need to cover for someone on maternity leave? Use staffing. Need help managing your benefits program during open enrollment? That’s PEO territory. Smart businesses know that the right combination can help you save time, reduce risk, and scale faster.
There’s nothing wrong with hiring a recruiter when you need one. But if you’re looking for long-term workforce stability, there’s also nothing wrong with asking for backup.
The Applied Companies brings both of these worlds together. That means you don’t have to coordinate with two different providers, navigate two billing systems, or repeat yourself twice. You get a single partner that understands your business from the job posting to the payroll file.
And that saves you something you can’t buy more of: time.
If you’ve made it this far, chances are you’re evaluating your next move. You might be trying to solve a short-term staffing issue or finally get a handle on the growing pile of HR responsibilities that seems to regenerate like a bad chain email.
Either way, it helps to know your options. And even better, to work with a company that gives you more than one. Contact us today to learn how The Applied Companies can streamline your staffing and HR needs with one trusted partner. Let’s find the right solution for your business—fast, efficient, and built to grow with you.
There are several other factors that contribute to the current state of the workforce and the high unemployment rate. These include elements such as extended unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, a reshuffle of the workforce, childcare and school disruptions, and foreign workers’ inability to come to the U.S. for jobs.
State-provided unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) were used to support those in need throughout the pandemic. The rate of $300 per week for 46 weeks made it easy for Americans to continue making roughly $17.50 an hour for almost an entire year from the comfort of their home. Because of this, there was little motivation for prospective employees to job hunt.
The recent significant changes in the workforce have been labeled as the “Great Resignation” as we’ve seen millions of Americans quit their jobs. Since the Great Resignation, many people have decided to change job or career paths and have jumped back into re-education. College enrollments across the U.S. increased for the Fall 2021 semester and people are looking to switch into new fields and careers.
Many individuals who left their customer service jobs at the beginning of COVID-19 chose to leave service for good in order to pursue employment in warehouse and distribution facilities, for example. Customer service jobs are in high demand as a result of this.
Another factor that significantly affected the current state of our workforce was parents’ ability to provide adequate childcare for their children who were no longer able to attend school in person. Most states kept public and private schools shut until the Fall of 2021. Due to this, many parents were required to be home with their children. Parents turned into teachers and more than 1.8 million women left the workforce entirely.
Foreign workers account for a large amount of job retention in the United States, but they were, unfortunately, unable to transfer into the states due to COVID health mandates. This left several industries including farming, hospitality, and ski resorts to be understaffed and at a disadvantage.
Given the current unemployment rate and the factors involved in what makes up today’s labor force, it’s evident that the state of our workforce is taking a major turn. Employers everywhere are having difficulties hiring and retaining quality employees which are putting several industries and businesses at risk of failing.
There are, however, resources at an organization’s disposal to help. An experienced PEO or staffing and recruiting company can help business owners and hiring managers find valuable candidates to fill their unoccupied job roles.
Working with a professional workforce administration company, like The Applied Companies, can help set your company up for success. TAC has been part of the Reno community since 2002 and prides itself on thoughtful solutions and authentic relationships.
Our Reno staffing solutions help employers in need of a professional, reliable, and ambitious workforce. We work to provide you with quality candidates to help you grow your business and decrease turnover to save you time and money. Connect with us today for help growing your team.
As many American business owners and employers are aware, the state of our workforce has changed rapidly since the start of the pandemic. Unfortunately, many people were forced out of their positions to limit the spread of COVID-19, putting several industries out of work for some time. Occupations involving face-to-face customer service became obsolete for a majority of the quarantine lockdown, causing millions to file for unemployment.
Today, these job positions are coming back into demand, but our workforce has significantly changed post-lockdown, leaving most of these job openings unfulfilled. To fully understand the current state of the workforce, we need to analyze the Nevada unemployment rate and assess some of the obstacles faced by employees and employers.
With that in mind, the TAC team wanted to take a deeper look at what is affecting the changes in the workforce and what your company can do to better understand and be prepared for these changes. We will first be analyzing the state of Nevada unemployment rate versus that national data and then dive deeper into what your company can do to stay ahead of the game.
In April 2020, the national unemployment rate skyrocketed to over 14 percent, the highest its been since the Great Depression. The current state of the workforce has improved some over the last year and a half, but the numbers are still relatively high. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate was at 4.8 percent in September 2021.
In comparison, Nevada’s unemployment rate was and continues to be recorded as the highest in the nation. In April 2020, Nevada’s unemployment rate was a staggering 28.2 percent, which was double the national average. Since then, the rate has dropped significantly, but Nevada’s current unemployment rate remains above 7 percent. We should acknowledge these rates are driven largely by Southern NV. The unemployment rate as of September in Reno is 3.5% which is back to pre-pandemic levels.
With the numbers continuing to decline, we are seeing some improvements in the workforce. However, these statistics aren’t the only aspect of the workforce that has changed.
To understand what this all means for your organization, working with a professional workforce administration company, like The Applied Companies, can help set your company up for success. TAC has been part of the Reno community since 2002 and prides itself on thoughtful solutions and authentic relationships.
Our Reno staffing solutions help employers in need of a professional, reliable, and ambitious workforce. We work to provide you with quality candidates to help you grow your business and decrease turnover to save you time and money. Connect with us today for help growing your team.
Too often candidates and employers make the hiring process much more complicated than it should be. The principle that more job seekers and hiring authorities should adopt is Occam’s razor, which advocates for simple assumptions to be used in the hiring process. Not only will this principle simplify the entire recruitment process, but it can also help employers find better candidates, and helps candidates better prepare for interviews. However, if you need further assistance in the hiring process, utilize our human resource consulting services which help candidates and employers find the best option for employment. Or, take a look below to learn more about how you can simplify the hiring process for yourself by not making complex assumptions.
William of Ockham created the problem-solving principle known as Occam’s razor, a theory that expresses a simplified way of coming to a more beneficial conclusion. His theory states that when considering the best possibility, the one with the fewest, or most simple, assumptions should be chosen. Today, this principle can be effectively used in the hiring process because it acts as a model for both candidates and employers to follow. For example, if more people made fewer assumptions during an interview, they would be able to get to key details more quickly and with less frustration. Not only would the recruitment process and interviewing be much more simple for both parties, but it would also provide better results.
Both the applicant and the hiring authority can benefit from making simple assumptions during the hiring process. Here’s how:
Typically candidates make too many assumptions about their resume. These commonly incorrect presumptions are that their resume will be read, the person reading the resume will already know what to look for, and lastly that the reader will understand the message they are trying to convey. However, using Occam’s razor will allow candidates to better prepare their resume for what employers are actually looking for. Candidates should write their resume with the simple assertion that “I am a good employee and this is why.” This uncomplicated assumption will make their resume more clear and garner them more interview opportunities.
And when it comes to the interview process, applicants should remember to also keep things simple. Your main goal as a candidate is to sell yourself to your potential boss. By straightforwardly explaining “here’s what I’ve accomplished and done for others and here’s what I can do for you,” you’ll easily get the attention of your interviewer and have a better probability of being considered for the job.
Using the simple assumption theory also helps interviewers, or hiring authorities, make uncomplicated assumptions that alleviate the stress of recruiting a new employee. Employers should consider these four simple assumptions:
These questions are uncomplicated and direct which allows hiring authorities to make better decisions in a shorter amount of time. This simplifies the entire process and typically provides better end results as well.
Another crucial way to find the best candidate for an open position is to test their critical thinking skills. To do this, start by giving your prospective candidate a business-related problem that would pertain to your company. Then ask them to solve the problem and analyze their results. When doing this you want to look for two key things - what their answer is (if it’s right or wrong) and how they came to this solution. The most important thing to figure out is how they think, so look for creative and surprising responses that you think will be a good asset to bring to your company.
Also, don’t be afraid of politely pushing back during an interview. A critical thinker will defend their answer and give reasons to back up that defense. This shows the type of personality that is beneficial to have on your team and displays whether or not the candidate is confident in their own abilities.
If the hiring process leaves you feeling overwhelmed, then connect with the experts at The Applied Companies. Our human resource consulting services are designed to help candidates and employers alike throughout the recruitment process. We help candidates find their ideal job and assist businesses in hiring appropriate employees. Whether you’re looking for a career or searching for the right candidate, we’re here for you.
How do the rates of pay you offer employees stack up with those paid by competing businesses? If you aren’t aware of what the going pay rates are, and the pay is low, it can hurt your business.
In addition, many businesses, especially small and midsize ones, may decide to offer somewhat low pay rates, feeling they want to achieve greater cash flow and profits before raising salaries. That’s not a good idea in the long run, either.s
If you outsourced your human resources (HR) functions, what could you do with the time saved? The short answer: a lot!
A Professional Employer Organization (PEO) can perform HR functions, from hiring and screening to administering benefits to keeping up with applicable laws and regulations. The primary role of business is, after all, to stay in business. To do that, small businesses need to focus on their bottom line. They need to ensure that revenue is flowing in and profits are maintained and increased over time.
To do all that, small business leaders need to focus on their most important business tasks. As important as HR is, there might be multiple areas of business whose revenue potential requires your time more urgently than HR.
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