The right manpower partner becomes an extension of your operations. The wrong one becomes a recurring problem — absenteeism, compliance gaps and no one to call. Use these questions to tell them apart before you commit.
The eight questions
- How do you verify staff before deployment? (Look for police, ID, address and reference checks — not walk-in hiring.)
- Can you show recent EPF/ESI challans and a wage register? (Documentation, not promises.)
- Who is my single point of contact, and who supervises on site?
- How quickly can you provide a replacement when someone is absent?
- What does your monthly reporting include? (Attendance, MIS, compliance.)
- How do you handle training and induction for our specific site?
- What is your staff retention like, and how do you achieve it?
- Is your pricing itemised — wages, PF/ESI, service charge, GST — with nothing hidden?
Reading the answers
Strong partners answer these confidently and back them with paperwork. Weak ones deflect, quote a suspiciously low all-in rate, or can't name who will actually be accountable on your site. Transparency at the sales stage usually predicts transparency in the relationship.
A low price that skips statutory contributions isn't a saving — it's a liability transfer waiting to happen. Compare partners on total dependability, not just the headline rate.