HR Companies & HR Consultants in Waukegan, IL

Overview

Matthews Professional Employment, Inc. is an independent staffing firm headquartered in Waukegan, Illinois. It connects employers with workers and helps people who are looking for jobs. Most of its work involves light industrial, manufacturing and office positions. Its services are organized into four specialization areas: professional, administrative, industrial and technology. Organizations comparing HR partners should view it mainly as a recruiting and labor supplier, not as an outsourced HR department or a consulting practice.

The company was founded in 1969 as a staffing service for Lake County, and its reach has grown well beyond that starting point. It now works with employers in Cook, Lake and McHenry Counties in Illinois, and in Kenosha, Racine and Walworth Counties in Wisconsin, with support available nationwide. Besides its main office on Grand Avenue in Waukegan, it keeps a second office in Naples, Florida.

Services for employers and candidates

The firm's website is split into one section for employers and another for job seekers. Each explains how the agency operates and provides pages on every specialization, answers to frequently asked questions and further resources. The kinds of work it supports include:

• General labor and light industrial staffing
• Recruitment for manufacturing employers
• Clerical, office and temporary administrative placements
• Recruiting for professional-level roles
• Technical and IT staffing
• Local career placement, along with a referral program for friends

Job seekers are encouraged to send resumes directly to the firm's recruiting coordinator. Those who want to work for the agency itself can browse its internal openings. The company also maintains a blog with workplace guidance useful to managers and applicants alike, on topics such as building trust at work, giving employees constructive feedback and using good manners to improve the chances of getting hired.

Approach and background

The company describes its method as relationship-driven. Rather than treating a placement as a single transaction, it aims to remain in touch with clients and applicants over the long term and to shape its help around what they need.

Because the business is privately owned, it says its professional staff have a personal stake in its results, and it names customer satisfaction as its first priority. It also calls itself the longest-running privately owned provider in its region, which it credits for its detailed knowledge of the local job market and its ability to withstand economic cycles.

Matthews is a longtime member of the American Staffing Association. Staying active there, the firm says, keeps it informed about industry trends and keeps consultant training current. In the community, it is a recognized name in Lake County and has belonged to several chambers of commerce, among them the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, the GLMV Chamber and the Gurnee Chamber. It also sponsors scholarship programs at a number of area high schools and backs local cultural and business causes.

The agency is a practical choice for employers near Waukegan who need temporary coverage or permanent hires in warehouse, production, office or technical roles. It will likely suit organizations that prefer a locally established staffing partner with more than fifty years of history in the area.

Quality Labor Services (QLS) is a staffing and workforce firm that has been matching employers with workers since 2009. The company describes itself as both owned and led by women, and it runs offices in three states. Its Waukegan branch, called QLS North, serves employers and job candidates in Lake County and the northern Chicago suburbs. Sister offices in Bensenville, Palatine, Kenosha and El Paso cover other parts of Illinois, southeastern Wisconsin and West Texas.

Services for employers

QLS offers several engagement models. These let a company decide how much commitment it wants before adding someone to its permanent headcount. Its core offerings include:

• Temporary staffing to cover seasonal peaks, short-term projects and unexpected vacancies
• Temp-to-hire placements, which give managers a trial period to observe a worker before extending a full-time offer
• Direct hire recruiting for permanent positions
• On-site staffing, in which QLS coordinates contingent workers directly at the client's facility
• Payroll services, covering payroll processing, tax handling and related compliance obligations
• Vendor management system (VMS) support to centralize oversight of multiple staffing suppliers and monitor their results
• HR consulting on recruiting strategy, regulatory compliance and longer-range workforce planning

Job seekers can also get help with resume building, so that their skills come across more clearly to prospective employers.

Industries served

QLS recruits across six broad sectors:

• Industrial and manufacturing
• Office and professional roles
• Hospitality
• Executive search and leadership positions
• Accounting and finance
• Information technology

This range means a single vendor can supply warehouse and production labor as well as administrative staff, finance professionals, technical talent or senior leaders. The company blog covers topics such as staffing warehouses, filling gaps in hotels and restaurants, and using temporary help for administrative work. These subjects show where much of its day-to-day activity lies.

How the firm works

Engagements usually begin when a client calls or emails a branch office and discusses its hiring requirements with staff. Job seekers apply online, after which recruiters guide them toward suitable openings and introduce them to employers. The firm stresses that its recruiters act quickly and adapt to changing needs.

It also names safety, alongside service, as a priority in vetting workers, assigning them and supporting them on the job. Employees can use an online WebCenter, and the site publishes HIPAA notices in English and Spanish.

The website itself is available in both languages, and some client reviews posted there are written in Spanish, which suggests the team serves a bilingual workforce.

What sets QLS apart

Buyers comparing staffing agencies may note several distinguishing points:

• Continuous operation since 2009
• Woman-owned and woman-led status
• Offices in Illinois, Wisconsin and Texas
• A menu that extends beyond placement into payroll administration, vendor management and HR advisory work

For employers in the Waukegan area, the local office provides a nearby point of contact, supported by the wider QLS branch network.