TOOLKIT FOR FACILITY LEADERS
The Necessary Evil of Staffing Agencies
Decide when agency staffing is worth it, control the cost, and make the case for using it strategically instead of reactively.
The better question
When does avoiding agency support become more expensive than using it?
Agency staffing feels expensive. But being short-staffed isn’t free.
Most facilities don’t want to use staffing agencies. It can feel reactive, expensive, and like admitting the plan isn’t enough.
But the cost of avoiding agency support usually moves somewhere else: overtime, staff burnout, turnover risk, manager frustration, last-minute chaos, lower morale, heavier workloads, and inconsistent coverage.
BREAKING POINT CURVE
Staffing strain escalates when it’s ignored.
01
Occasional gaps
Open shifts appear but still feel manageable.
02
Repeat overtime
Overtime becomes the recurring solution.
03
Staff frustration
The same employees keep carrying the pressure.
04
Turnover risk
Call-outs increase and retention risk rises.
Score the real cost of “making it work.”
6–8: agency is likely necessary to protect core staff and operations.
9–10: agency support is no longer the “evil.” Chronic understaffing is.
| 🗸 We rely on the same employees to cover extra shifts |
| 🗸 Overtime is becoming a regular solution |
| 🗸 Managers spend too much time chasing coverage |
| 🗸 Open shifts are solved at the last minute |
| 🗸 Call-outs are increasing |
| 🗸 Staff morale is slipping |
| 🗸 Leadership is focused on agency rates, not the cost of understaffing |
| 🗸 Our current approach isn’t stable |
Use and agency without losing control
Reframe the conversation
1. Start with pressure
Recurring gaps in shift, unit, or role.
2. Show the workaround
Overtime, manager calls, last-minute coverage.
3. Name the hidden cost
Burnout, overtime, call-outs, manager time, and retention risk.
Download the toolkit and save your schedule without breaking your budget
If you’re solving the same staffing gaps every week, it’s time to change the strategy.
Avoiding agency support doesn’t mean avoiding cost. It usually shifts the cost to your staff, managers, schedule, and retention.
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