Background
When disaster strikes a high-volume retail environment, every hour of downtime results in lost revenue and disrupted community access to essential goods.
Recently, a nationally recognized home improvement retail leader faced a localized crisis when a significant fire broke out within one of their large-scale facilities.
The aftermath required an immediate, massive restoration effort to clean shelves, floors, walls, and inventory. To reopen their doors safely, the retailer needed a massive influx of labor—and they needed it to start the very same day.
Problem
The client was faced with a daunting logistics challenge:
- Massive Volume: A request for 60 able-bodied associates to begin work immediately.
- Extreme Urgency: The initial call came in with a requirement for a same-day evening start.
- Physical Demands: The roles required intensive manual labor, including soot and debris removal and product cleaning, requiring a workforce both physically capable and safety-conscious.
- High Stakes: As a new partnership for Bonney Staffing, the pressure was on to prove that we could handle a chaotic disaster recovery environment that many traditional agencies would find overwhelming.
Solution
The Bonney Staffing team in Auburn jumped into action the moment the call arrived. Our strategy focused on immediate physical presence and a digital blitz to mobilize workers.
Our approach included:
- Immediate On-Site Assessment: We drove to the facility immediately to conduct a safety walk-through and meet with the hiring and management teams. This allowed us to understand the specific hazards of a post-fire environment.
- Multi-Channel Recruitment: We utilized a mass mobilization strategy—deploying instant mass emails and texts to our database, followed by direct calls to recent applicants and interviewed candidates who were vetted and ready for immediate placement.
- After-Hours Management: To ensure a smooth transition, Bonney representatives went on-site at 7:00 PM to personally sign in the first wave of employees, oversee the orientation process, and ensure associates understood the project’s moving parts.
- Constant Communication: Throughout the organized chaos of the first 24 hours, our team maintained a constant flow of updates to the site supervisors, adjusting as the project length and requirements shifted.
Impact
In just one day, Bonney Staffing turned a staffing crisis into a managed recovery operation.
Key outcomes included:
- Rapid Deployment: Successfully placed 21 associates within the first 24 hours to kickstart the cleanup.
- Safety Excellence: Despite the hazardous nature of a fire-damaged site, the project was completed with zero safety incidents.
- Operational Flexibility: Managed a shifting project scope and changing timelines without a lapse in service.
- Expanded Partnership: What began as a single emergency project resulted in Bonney becoming an approved vendor for the retailer, with discussions currently underway for additional opportunities throughout the Northeast.
“Thank you! You have been wonderful to work with.”
— Ashley M., Vendor Relations Manager, Procurement
Need an emergency staffing partner you can rely on?
Whether it’s a planned peak or an unexpected disaster, Bonney Staffing has the infrastructure to move fast. Request an associate (or 20!).
