david_francis

David Francis

About David Francis

David Francis is a research manager with Staffing Industry Analysts. He can be reached at dfrancis (at) staffingindustry (dot) com.

More Articles by David Francis

1302, 2018

The Buzz: Before Day One

By |February 13th, 2018|

Starting a new job can feel overwhelming. On top of the nervousness and excitement typically associated with starting a new job, workers are often faced with figuring out their new firms’ facilities, culture and processes — on their own.

The experience can be even more intimidating for temporary employees, who might not know whom to ask […]

2011, 2017

The Buzz: Shark Tank — Gig Style

By |November 20th, 2017|

San Francisco-based Bunker was the winner of the Gig Economy Shark Tank Innovation Award, as voted by a panel of industry veterans and investors at Collaboration in the Gig Economy, while San Francisco-based Bonsai was voted “audience favorite.”

The session, modeled after the popular TV show “Shark Tank” on ABC, took place Sept. 14th in Dallas. […]

2609, 2017

The Buzz: Robo-Patrol

By |September 26th, 2017|

To peer into the future of staffing, one need look no further than Knightscope, a Mountain View, Calif.-based startup that builds and “places” security robots.

Founded in 2013, the firm deploys robots that, armed with myriad sensors, are primarily used to enhance, expand and automate on-site security services. They look like adolescent- sized iPods that patrol […]

2108, 2017

The Buzz: Tokens for Labor

By |August 21st, 2017|

When bitcoin was created in 2009, it brought with it equal parts excitement and apprehension. Bitcoin is what is known as a “cryptocurrency,” an online form of currency based on blockchain technology that is borderless, secure, decentralized, and can be transferred/exchanged instantaneously. By many accounts, bitcoin has been a success. However, their incredible price fluctuations […]

2707, 2017

The Buzz: Sense It

By |July 27th, 2017|

If a company has 10 employees and loses one, its employee expense is reduced by 10% (assuming equal pay).

For a staffing firm deploying 10 contractors, however, losing one of those contractors means revenue is down 10%. For an industry that is compensated based on the number of workers it employs, retention is not just important, it’s essential.

Enter San Francisco-based Sense, […]

105, 2017

The Buzz: Machine vs. Man

By |May 1st, 2017|

SourceCon (a subsidiary of HR firm ERE Media) recently hosted its annual competition to crown the best sourcer in the world. In the competition, sourcers and recruiters received three separate job descriptions and titles along with thousands of actual résumés.

Armed only with that information, recruiters around the world had to determine which candidates were sourced, […]

1302, 2017

Finding Consultants

By |February 13th, 2017|

Though it seems to have become ubiquitous, I still sometimes marvel at the concept of a “store-within-a-store,” such as a Starbucks within a grocery store.

This is a business arrangement where an independently owned company operates a “mini-store” within a larger retail outlet. The concept applies beyond coffee and shopping. New York-based Work Rails is the […]

110, 2016

The Buzz: Build It & They Will Come

By |October 1st, 2016|

The best business is one your existing customers beg you to start. If you staff insurance adjusters, and your cornerstone client reaches out and asks you to start supplying pharmacists, there are few better impetuses to start a new line or division. For San Francisco-based Bonsai, their foray into building a contractor management platform followed […]

108, 2016

The Buzz: The Cleaner Fish

By |August 1st, 2016|

What do bees, cleaner fish and Staffing Industry Analysts have in common? All are examples of “organisms” that mutually benefit a broader competitive ecological or business ecosystem — a phenomenon defined in ecology as “mutualism.” Flowers need bees to help them pollinate, fish use cleaner fish to remove dead skin and bacteria from their bodies, […]

305, 2016

The Buzz: The Sword in the Stone

By |May 3rd, 2016|

We at Staffing Industry Analysts call it “The Sword in the Stone,” nicknamed thus for its ability to find exceptional researchers. It’s a short, skills-based assessment — built by our former VP of research. The process works. But if we had 700 researchers (or if we were a staffing firm that needed to place 700 […]