The story: 

• A $7.6 billion global integrator with offices worldwide specializing in high-tech transactional services, unified communications, cloud, big data and cyber security services and work with dozens of end customers that outsource much of their IT portfolio to them. The client was engaged as the sole outsourcing provider for on-site tech support services to a government supplier with a national implementation beginning in early 2020. Hays was engaged to backfill 80 resources across 40 cities nationwide. 

The challenge: Outsourcing a national on-site tech team during a pandemic 

• At the outbreak of COVID-19, Hays had to quickly adapt as the situation developed and continually changed. The client engaged Hays further to support them in managing the constant changes in workplace restrictions and rules including health and safety procedures and access to worksites. Social distancing guidelines and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements were also constantly changing, and we had to ensure our workforce was compliant with all current local health regulations. 

The solution: Owning the process end-to-end 

• State and local regulations were changing daily, and we encountered several hurdles including workers requiring essential work forms to be allowed to leave their homes and issues accessing work sites that had been fully or partially shut down. Hays National Account Executive managed and tracked where our contractors were located and being deployed while staying informed on each region’s changing COVID restrictions. We made several quick adjustments to work arrangements during this time, adapting to health and safety requirements, lockdowns, curfews, and travel restrictions. 

The results

• A temporary team becomes permanent 
• Placed 35 Technicians within 2 weeks (for the most critical locations) 
• Placed an additional 45 Technicians by go-live (effectively staffing a workforce of 80 Technicians across 40 different cities nationwide) 
• Attrition rate was less than 1% 
• Maintained a 100% compliance rate 
• After 5 months on assignment, most of the Technicians were converted to permanent employees