Every company trains its workers. But LiquidAgents Healthcare aims for a whole new level. For starters, new hires get 90 days of training that includes formal classroom study, written tests and role-playing exercises.

However, it doesn’t stop there. LiquidAgents provides ongoing training that includes “lunch-and-learns” where internal employees get a talk on a specific topic. Individual help is also available. And there are quarterly Las Vegas trips where groups of workers go to learn and have fun. The company also has training based on monthly topics. “There’s a pretty intense training when you start,” Senior Recruiter Elizabeth Byrd says. “There are tests, there are role plays, there is a specific person who does training.”

The ongoing training also helps — no matter how long you are recruiting, there’s something new to learn. People are encouraged to improve their knowledge. “I’m never afraid to go and ask for help,” Byrd says. In fact, it’s worse to not seek additional learning.

LiquidAgents’ commitment to its workers — and their learning — appears to be paying off. The company ranks as the best staffing firm to work for in the 51- to 200-worker category. And this is not the first time the Plano, Texas-based company has appeared on one of Staffing Industry Analysts’ list of Best Staffing Firms to Work For.

Segments served by LiquidAgents include travel nursing, travel allied healthcare and direct hire (nursing and allied). Interestingly, the company started as an IT firm, but got into healthcare after Sept. 11, 2001, when there was a reduced demand for IT workers. The company found that hospitals were hiring healthcare workers, made the switch and the rest is history.

Bringing in new internal workers on an extensive training schedule — and keeping up training on an ongoing basis as well — are important parts of keeping workers happy and productive, CEO Sheldon Arora says. Staffing firm workers must know a lot about sales and marketing, human resources and management.

However, training is only one part of what makes LiquidAgents a great place to work.

Participation is Key

Another focus: Making sure everybody is involved in the company, and to that end, everyone participates in building the game plan.

“Everybody feels like they are part of the company,” Arora says. “They understand the goals and objectives. They are involved in the direction the company is taking.”

The third focus is incentives. “We do a lot of incentive-based stuff,” Arora says.

The company creates internal incentives for specific goals, and the rewards can include spinning a prize wheel. Then there are also beer carts, happy hours, bowling night — all on a regular basis. Every quarter, a group of workers goes on a trip to Las Vegas. While they get training during the day, they go out at night for fun. And managers go on an international trip each year; locations have included Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Senior Recruiter David McKenzie says workers’ opinions count at LiquidAgents and that helps make it a great place to work. The company even changed up office hours after workers came up with an idea.

McKenzie also cited the ongoing training program. It’s taught by recruiters, and it’s constantly updated to reflect the realities of what is happening in the market.

“You’re learning stuff every day,” McKenzie says. However, it’s the co-workers that play a big role in making LiquidAgents a great place to work as well. “It’s the atmosphere of people wanting to be here and wanting to learn and be successful at the same time.” McKenzie says. “Everybody wants to help each other.”

The person who was successful wants their coworker to be successful as well. McKenzie recalls a comment by one of the newer staff members that people don’t stay new at LiquidAgents for very long. It underscored how well people treat each other and how quickly people become engaged.

Culture of Trust

“We’ve really tried to hold true to a family type of culture,” says Senior Territory Manager Javier Llevada.

People trust each other to get stuff done. They work hard, but they have fun as well. For example, external workers must have compliance done prior to arriving at a facility, but if something changes and the facility wants a different compliance piece, the internal team is in the loop to coordinate and help make things happen.

“Our team really has a great synergy,” Llevada says. “Anything that happens, we take it in stride, so the person can start on time.”

At the end of the day, the business revolves around candidates and making sure they have a positive experience.

Working together is especially important in staffing. “At a staffing company, there’s never a minute of downtime,” Llevada says. “If you blink, it’s already passed lunchtime; if you blink again, it’s at the end of the day.”

When it comes to having fun and letting off steam, LiquidAgents has a game room where workers can play pool or ping pong. And, of course, there are the bowling nights. The company also helps Ronald McDonald House and Frisco Family Services, a local charity.

“Everybody in the company knows each other,” Llevada says. “Everybody loves hanging out with each other.”

He points out the positive work experience stems from LiquidAgents’ leadership and leadership’s direction. This creates a culture that paves the way for fun, and success. Others agree.

There’s an open-door policy where internal workers can speak directly with top management — including the CEO, Byrd says. LiquidAgents has kept an open policy despite its growth. And Byrd says leaders at the company have stepped up to help her, and if you tell the company your goals, the leaders will help you work to achieve them. “Nobody in my life has ever impacted me as much as Jenny [Hanlon] and Sheldon,” Byrd says. “They make me feel like I can achieve things that I never thought I could.”