#7 The attrition’s terrible, but their volume is huge.

One of the first assertions I heard when moving charity-side was the notion that you needed a balance of F2F agencies as they all offer something different – I’ve even been guilty of the unthinking repetition of this claim. I was told that some agencies will give you high volumes with high attrition, whilst others provide low volume with low attrition you just need to know which is which and to hire a mix of them.

I respectfully disagree. A mix of different qualities doesn’t always get the best results.

An agency that provides high volume with high attrition is an agency that has very few control measures and a less than comprehensive set of HR policies. This is not an agency that you want to hire as every dollar you pay them feeds the machine and rewards their poor standards. Furthermore, if fed, it will spawn facsimiles when their staff leave and start their own companies. This is the practice of industry corrosion.

Do your due diligence and ensure your agencies suffer for their poor behaviours not your organisation.