From November 2007

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Next, the manager is provided with a list of screened, viable candidates that meet the manager’s criteria, and the manager chooses those who are most qualified. Before those workers report to the manager, they complete an orientation program and training in areas that relate to their work responsibilities.

Kelly Services has created a dedicated team that is focused solely on Nike’s needs, regardless of geography, service offering or functional requirement, Hanyzewski says. In its reactive role, Kelly Services provides sourcing, screening and training of workers, while pro-actively developing a pipeline of talented candidates.

Anticipating needs
Perhaps even more significantly, Kelly Services is given access to Nike’s internal records so that it can anticipate the company’s needs for seasonal workers, or a planned expansion in a particular operation that will create the need for more staff.

“They attend [Nike] meetings; they are involved in human capital operations,” Hanyzewski says. “They are always defining and setting priorities. They think about the business requirements, then build a substantial approach to it and forecast those needs, both near term and long term.”

While the first phase of a three-year deployment was primarily focused on the United States, Assist! has supported the hiring of contingent workers in other world markets, as well. Over the next 24 months, Nike will measure the reach and impact of Assist! on a global basis.

“It’s my sense that Assist! is a competitive advantage for us,” Hanyzewski says. “I know of some corporations our size that have some of our program’s components, but they have yet to establish a system with this breadth and depth.”

With more people “aging out” of the workforce and many others becoming free agents who value greater flexibility, Hanyzewski predicts the “war for talent” will continue to escalate and he views Assist! as an invaluable tool that will allow Nike to compete effectively for talented labor.

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