Hearthside Announces Actions Related to Staffing Agencies

03-31-23: Hearthside Announces Actions Related to Staffing Agencies

Over the past six weeks, Hearthside has been taking actions related to the issues raised about temporary workers supplied by our staffing agencies to support our operations. As part of our commitment to transparency, we are taking this opportunity to share an update on these efforts.

Hearthside is taking proactive steps to meaningfully improve how we operate. These steps complement our ongoing efforts to build confidence in our workforce that we previously have outlined. To that end, we are adopting a number of enhanced practices across our business:

1. Evolve our workforce strategy to hire more individuals directly. We are reducing our reliance on temporary workers by accelerating direct hiring. This ensures that Hearthside’s commitment to safety and the integrity of our workforce is under our increased direct control.
   
   
2. Enhance oversight of third-party agencies. We are increasing requirements and have standardized our own processes for managing temporary staffing agencies. All contracts will be updated with best-in-class compliance requirements, more rigorous reporting, and expanded audit procedures.
   
   
3. Optimizing the third-party staffing agencies in our network. We are improving our operations by sourcing from national agencies that follow state-of-the-art compliance practices and have the resources to stay abreast of an evolving environment.
   
   
4. Enhance our document verification process. We instituted document verification training with Hearthside hiring managers across our U.S. facilities, and we will expect our agency partners to do the same. This ensures all decision-makers involved in workforce staffing are equipped with the latest information and tools to enforce our policies.
   
   
5. Increase ID and badge verification. Every facility has conducted and will continue to do routine ID and badge verification for individuals working at Hearthside.
   
   
6. Improve all onboarding processes. We have reviewed our staffing agencies’ onboarding processes to optimize our safety, security, and badging protocols and to ensure they are implemented in such a way to protect each and every member that comes to work in one of our facilities.
   
   
7. Participate in industry leading change. We will work to drive solutions to issues beyond our immediate control. We are partnering with industry and community organizations to drive holistic change. Collaboration is vital to address the needs of our future workforce.
   
   

Hearthside has always been driven by a continuous improvement mindset. We have clear opportunity to advance our current practices with respect to temporary labor in our facilities. We are committed to doing our part to ensure the integrity and safety of our workforce. Additionally, we seek to play a constructive role with our peers, stakeholders, suppliers, industry, government, and communities in developing more integrated solutions to the issue of underage workers.