FreshStaff Blog
Perspectives on staffing operations. Onboarding, automation, compliance, and modernizing with AI.
The True Cost of an Employee: Calculating Labor Burden in Staffing
The wage on the check is only part of what a worker costs. Here's what payroll burden includes, how to calculate the fully-burdened cost, and a free calculator to run your own numbers.
Ed Burtle · · 3 min read
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Temp-to-Hire Conversion Fees: How They Work and How to Calculate Them
When a client hires your temp, the conversion fee compensates you for the placement. Here's how buyout fees are structured, why they decline with hours worked, and a free calculator.
· 3 min read
Markup vs. Margin in Staffing: The Difference That Quietly Costs You
Markup and gross margin use the same dollar spread but a different denominator, and confusing them leads agencies to under-price. Here's the difference, a conversion table, and a free calculator.
· 3 min read
How to Set Your Staffing Bill Rates (2026 Guide + Free Calculator)
The bill rate is the most consequential number your agency sets. Here's the formula, a worked example, the mistakes that quietly erode margin, and a free calculator to do the math.
· 4 min read
How to Calculate Blended-Rate Overtime (FLSA Weighted Average)
When a worker earns two pay rates in one week, overtime isn't owed at the higher rate, it's owed at the weighted average. Here's the FLSA rule, the formula, a worked example, and a free calculator.
· 3 min read
Direct-Hire Placement Fees: What Staffing Agencies Charge (and How to Set Yours)
Direct-hire fees run 15-25% of first-year salary. Here's how they're calculated, how guarantee periods work, how to set your percentage, and a free calculator.
· 2 min read
How Much Does an ATS Cost Per Recruiter? Per-Seat vs. Usage Pricing
Per-seat ATS pricing charges you for every login, not every placement. Here's the real math, a worked ROI example, and a free calculator to see your own annual savings.
· 3 min read
Staffing Agency KPIs: The Metrics That Actually Predict Growth
Placements and revenue booked tell you what already happened. The operational metrics that tell you what's about to happen, before most agencies notice.
· 3 min read
How to Switch ATS Platforms Without Losing Your Data: A Migration Checklist
Migration risk is the top reason agencies stay on software they've outgrown. What actually goes wrong in an ATS migration, and the checklist that prevents it.
· 3 min read
How Multi-State Payroll Tax Works for Staffing Agencies
Placing workers across state lines turns payroll into a jurisdiction problem. How withholding, SUTA, and reciprocity interact, and where tracking breaks.
· 3 min read
Temp-to-Hire vs. Direct Placement: Which Model Fits Your Client?
The same open req can be filled two different ways. How temp-to-hire and direct placement differ for your client and cash flow, and running both on one system.
· 3 min read
How AI Candidate Matching Cuts Time-to-Fill for Staffing Agencies
Time-to-fill determines whether a staffing agency wins or loses a client. How AI candidate matching shrinks it, and what to look for before trusting a tool.
· 3 min read
How Much Does Staffing Software Really Cost in 2026?
Per-seat pricing, custom quotes, and add-ons make staffing software hard to compare. How to figure out what you'd actually pay before talking to a salesperson.
· 4 min read
Bullhorn Alternatives in 2026: What to Actually Compare Before You Switch
Thinking about leaving Bullhorn? What actually differs between staffing platforms, pricing, native payroll, and contract terms, so you can compare on substance.
· 3 min read
How to Manage ACA Compliance for Staffing Agencies
How to manage ACA compliance for staffing agencies: full-time status for variable-hour and seasonal temps, look-back measurement periods, affordable offers of coverage, and where spreadsheet tracking breaks down.
· 7 min read
Why Modern Staffing Needs Automation
Manual, spreadsheet-driven staffing can't keep pace with hiring volume. Why letting AI handle onboarding, compliance, and scheduling is now table stakes.
· 6 min read
Illustrated playbooks
Long-form, diagram-driven deep dives on the numbers that actually run an agency.
The Great Recruiter Seat Tax
Why you’re paying $150/mo for a recruiter on vacation, and the usage model that fixes it.
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How to Export Your Candidate Database Without Losing Your Mind
The exact export order that keeps your history, relationships, and resumes intact.
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The Gross-to-Net Survival Guide
How not to go broke paying temp workers weekly while clients pay on net-30.
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