CEO of Westaff Trish Newman considers herself somewhat of a matchmaker. Last year, Westaff matched up more than 175,000 flexible, part-time and full-time staffing associates with their counterparts in the world of commerce and industry. A traditional staffing company (as opposed to the co-employment or HR-outsource model), $612 million Westaff provides workers in a wide range of areas—from administration, accounting, and call centers to office professionals and light industrial and light technical industries.

“In our business, it is all about finding the right talent and matching it with the right need, whether it’s a permanent or temporary placement. Just like with traditional matchmaking, it is so important to match in as many areas as you can—from personality and style to knowledge and skills.”

Trish Newman

Total Flexibility
Founded in 1948, Walnut Creek, California-based Westaff has grown into one of the largest staffing companies in the country, serving some 20,000 clients out of 302 offices in the US, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. In addition to staffing services, Westaff also offers permanent placements, on-location staffing services, in-depth behavioral and skills assessments, Web-based workforce management, and payroll services.

Westaff focuses on small- to medium-size enterprises, everything from Fortune 500s down to one-man startups. “We provide a very cost-effective way for a company to support its staffing needs,” Newman said. “Whether it’s for a one-day temporary emergency or an executive assistant permanent placement, they can turn to us for professional help.”

Newman said the company is successful because it focuses on uncovering staffing needs and challenges and matching them with people who match those needs perfectly. Westaff fills its pool of associates through online job boards and aggressive advertising, but the company’s solid reputation seals the deal. “We are recognized as a highly service-driven organization that will put candidates through rigorous testing and checks, but we will also do what we say we are going to do on the placement end.”

The CEO noted that the strong legacy of company founder W. Robert Stover is still felt throughout the company. “Everything we are as a company today is based on his ethics of absolute integrity, honesty, quality, and standards,” she said. At 85 years old, Stover still maintains office hours three days a week and keeps a “very interested eye” on the company.

Lessons from geese
The staffing marketplace is a highly competitive one to be sure, with some 14,000 competitors in America alone. “You can’t go to any medium-sized city without finding 30, 40, maybe 50 staffing companies in the phone book,” Newman said. “Our name starts with W, meaning we come last in the phone book, so I encourage our people to be bold and get our name out there.”

To that end, Newman has done much to flatten the company. “Communication lines are open and people have a very strong understanding of our business goals and, ultimately, how their particular job impacts those goals.”

To experience that vision in action, you only have to visit Newman’s office on a Friday, when her phone line is dedicated solely to employees calling in with news to share. “I invite them to share anything they have done in the past week to achieve a specific goal of their own or company goals.”

As a reward, callers get honked—with a zany goose-call sound, to be exact. It all comes from a favorite motivational video, Lessons From Geese. The short but influencing film uses the analogy of geese flying in formation and supporting each other, Newman explained. “They each take turns leading and, when they flap their wings together, they get 70% more power.”

Newman shared her enthusiasm for the concept when she first joined Westaff in the US from the UK office. Next thing she knew, there was a goose lamp on her desk along with a goose call. “Every branch has one now, and we write ‘honk, honk’ on memos to show our appreciation,” she said.

Westaff also recognizes its hard-working associates with an “Associate of the Year” competition out of each branch office. “It’s a very tough thing to be a temp,” Newman noted. “You have to catch on quickly, be polite, be unobtrusive … all without having a familiar network of friends and acquaintances.”

Job satisfaction
Recently, the UC Davis Graduate School of Business honored Westaff as one of four companies that has more than 35% women directors and executive officers. Westaff was singled out from among California’s 200 largest publicly traded companies for its service as a role model in using the talents of women in leadership positions. “In one respect, it surprised me,” Newman said. “I thought that in California, certainly women would be on boards all over the place.”

Newman laughingly refers to herself as “the old lady of recruitment,” noting that she has spent all of her working life in the business. Starting in a small south-Wales branch of Manpower as a consultant in 1979, she literally worked her way through every job on the operational side of the staffing industry.

After joining Westaff in 1999, Newman led the company’s UK operations to excellent financial results and ISO 9001 quality certification. She was then promoted to the newly created COO position late in 2004, making the move from the relative quiet of England to the company’s branch office in California.

In the end, it is her passion for the industry that keeps Newman energized and seeking new challenges. “The recruitment industry puts about 2.8 million people to work every day in America. You’re also keeping the wheels of industry and commerce rolling. Where else can you find that kind of amazing job satisfaction?”

Steffen Smith is a freelance writer and a principal of Content Creative, an Atlanta-based marketing communications firm. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it