Staff solution pre-warns of shortages

Clear and concise labour costing available ALAN PEAT THERE IS a drastic shortage of skilled staff – particularly Code 14 heavy commercial vehicle drivers – in the freight transport sectors, according to Stefan Botha of the temporary employment agency Staff-at-a-click. The railways – in its historic rail and road format – used to be a major source of fully-trained drivers, but in its new Spoornet guise it is no longer a provider for the general road transport industry. “There’s a definite need for practical training at driver colleges,” he added. “But no-one is seriously doing anything about it, and it leaves a big gap in the market.” HIV-Aids is also a blight on the available staff pool – where good drivers, who are in big demand and get quickly grabbed, are few in numbers. Because of this, his company’s staff outsourcing function has become a common and valuable solution in the transport industry. Botha feels that the Staff-at-a-click system offers an element of control that is often missing in temporary staff employment. With its on-line time and attendance record, the system allows the company to check each day who has logged in for the day, and who is missing. “We can then pre-warn the employer of any staff shortages,” Botha said, “and immediately replace the missing person.” He also highlights the system’s ability to offer the employer a clear and concise labour costing – which he feels is too often “just a thumb-suck” scenario. “Our system clearly shows the departments where costs are getting out of control, and where the supervisors’ management of staff needs has failed.” It also helps in measuring and assessing overtime payments – another area which Botha feels is often badly misjudged at supervisory level.