Manpower opens branch office in Poplar Bluff

Business Today

POPLAR BLUFF -- After a three year absence from Poplar Bluff, human resources and staffing company Manpower has opened a new office in the city. Branch manager Debbie Glenn said the office will complement Manpower locations elsewhere in the region.

"We have sister offices in Sikeston and Kennett, so that way we're able to serve the whole Bootheel," she said.

Manpower offers all services related to human resources, including staffing, pre-employment assessment, interviews, job placement, training, payroll services and more.

"We can pretty much do any role that an HR department does," Glenn said. "We're kind of like an extension -- their extra hands."

One common misconception is that people often think Manpower is operated by the government. That's not the case, said Peggy Gates, area business development manager.

"It's not a government entity as some people sometimes think," she said.

Rather, Manpower is a global company that has over 1,200 offices in 62 countries. On any given week, over 179,000 are working on behalf of Manpower in North America alone.

For potential employees, the company's services are entirely free. To start with, employees simply need to make contact with the office. Once there, the employee will fill out an application and go through an interview, testing, training and orientation. The process usually lasts up to three hours.

The jobs they place for range from industrial positions to office positions to professional positions.

"We serve various industries, both national accounts and local accounts in the area," Gates said.

On a national level, Manpower serves 95 percent of the Fortune 500 companies. The company also offers benefits to those who seek employment through the company. Those benefits include insurance, vacation, holiday and 401(k).

Local employers can contact the Poplar Bluff Manpower office to find out more about finding workers to employ.

Gates said employers can benefit from working through Manpower no matter how many employees they need and regardless of how extensive the services they require will be.

Many of the employers who used Manpower's services when they were in Poplar Bluff several years ago have already decided to partner with Manpower, and Gates said she feels good about having a branch open its doors to employers and employees in the city again.

"We're excited to be back," she said.

Manpower is located in Hillsdale Plaza at 2725 N. Westwood.