Finding the perfect fit between employer and employee is never easy, and in a challenging economy it can be even tougher. But companies like TempStaff work as the middleman and provide labor for employers and a source of income to the employee.
Since 2010, TempStaff has been placing people in McComb in the right job situation and supplying employers with great workers.
The woman-owned company has been in business for 35 years and in Pike County for six. It takes great care of its employees while keeping the needs of its business clients in mind, a winning combination that led the Pike County Chamber of Commerce to name TempStaff its October Business of the Month.
The company is one of the largest staffing firms in Mississippi. “We have 35 employees and we all help each other out,” TempStaff Vice President Jamie Higdon said.
She noted that while employees in the McComb office were engaged with an interview and Business of the Month photo session, staff members in Jackson covered the phones and answered McComb’s calls.
The company’s results speak for themselves. In 2006, TempStaff was voted one the best places to work in Mississippi. In 2014, they were voted Best of Staff by employment website CareerBuilder.
“We are very proud,” Higdon said. “We take really good care of our employees. We have managers who have been on our team for over 10 years, (and) one manager who’s been with us almost 30 years.”
Higdon said some positions are on a temporary basis and some are temp-to-hire.
TempStaff works with employers who are in manufacturing or in an office setting and can provide them with office support or light industrial help.
“We place people in warehouses, shipping and handling, forklift driving, assembly line work, and we also place people in middle-level jobs,” Higdon said.
“We don’t do heavy operating,” added McComb branch division manager LouAnn Smithhart.
In addition to the McComb outpost and its Jackson headquarters, Temp-Staff has an office in Canton.
Jessica McGaugh, business manager of the McComb office, and Rosa Grau, a supervisor in the McComb office, see between eight and 10 applicants per day and have placed 79 people in jobs.
Higdon said her company purchased Temp South after the former owner retired.
“She reached out to us and told us she was looking to retire. We came down from Jackson and met with her and her team. It was a great fit and a great location,” Higdon said.
McGaugh said the company needed an office in southern Mississippi, and when the opportunity presented itself, company management jumped at the chance.
TempStaff has placed hundreds of people in positions that best fit the needs of both employer and employee.
Higdon said the application process begins online.
“Then Rosa and Jessica will contact them and they will come in for an interview.”
After the initial interview, the applicant will be placed with an employer that makes the most sense for him or her.
But it doesn’t mean that it’s always a good fit right from the start.
“We’ve had employers say they didn’t want someone back or an employee (who) didn’t want to go back,” Higdon said. “When that happens we’ll try something different.”
The beauty of TempStaff is that employees can try different jobs until they find one that’s the right fit.
Higdon said when employees are hired by potential employers, they are an extension of TempStaff and are expected to represent the company in the best way.
“We take care of our employees,” Higdon said.
She said when applicants are called in they must dress as if they’re getting hired for the job — because they often are.
“This is a job interview, so dress to impress,” Higdon advised. “We’ve had companies who initally may not have needed someone (full time), but after working with our temp employee they hire them.”
