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Team Captain Program: Understanding our associate leadership development program

What is Adecco’s Team Captain Program? Another way we’re transforming staffing to benefit both clients and our associates

4 minutes

December 3, 2025 Adecco

Two workers in a warehouse look at something in the distance

At Adecco, innovation is at the core of what we do. From international MSP programs to local market research, we’re reimagining every part of our clients’ staffing strategies.

Some of those areas can be easily overlooked, especially associate engagement.

That’s why we developed the Team Captain Program, a leadership development program that upskills top-performing associates to improve associate retention and engagement. It may seem simple, but we work closely with our clients to ensure its success.

What is the Team Captain Program?

Adecco’s customized leadership development program trains trusted associates to take on a more supervisory role and additional responsibilities. These assignments depend on the client, but often include managing breaks, monitoring KPIs, and filling in and offering support when needed on the line.

These team captains receive additional training in management, so they learn and then put into practice valuable soft skills needed for leadership roles. By leaning into the power of upskilling, we’re able to improve productivity, worker engagement, and retention.

What makes it work?

Before we even get started, we talk to our client to determine clear goals and objectives for what a successful Team Captain Program would look like. And then before selecting team captains, we identify the technical skills and the soft skills needed to do the role.

From there, a team captain will typically be provided professional development training through a combination of both in-person and remote coursework. In addition to bolstering their skills and preparing them for a supervisory role, associates also receive both Adecco and client-specific training on policies, procedures, and more.

What’s the benefit for temporary workers?

Our goal for the Team Captain Program is to teach the fundamentals of management and soft skills to Adecco associates, preparing them to become first-time leaders. Their responsibilities can include managing shift check-ins, monitoring productivity, promoting safety, and fostering a more positive work culture.

Our leadership development program gives a clear career pathway to help them gain management experience, increase their wages, and improve economic mobility. Since we have started this program, we’ve upskilled more than 100 associates into team lead roles with an average pay rate increase of $1.50.

What’s the benefit for employers?

While our Team Captain Program offers a great opportunity for top associates, employers also get more frontline support and new ways to reward outstanding workers.

In our current programs, we’ve seen:

Improved NPS scores
Ability to promote from within by upskilling proven team members
Performance boost thanks to improved engagement, productivity, and retention
Stronger communication and safety awareness

What’s our track record like?

The requirements and responsibilities for a team captain vary based on the client, which means each Team Captain Program is tailored to their unique needs. Each program has different KPIs and addresses different challenges. A few examples include:

Client 1

6 team captains supporting 400+ associates
Team captains received 33% increase in pay
NPS score rose from 29 in November to 68 the following April
Responsibilities included hosting first day tours, assisting in orientation, ensuring associates can clock in on first day, and promoting positive behaviors with on-the-spot recognition

Client 2

6 team captains supporting 200+ associates covering 24/7 shifts
Team captains received 12% increase in pay
Client saw a 15% increase in knowledge of safety practices in first month
NPS score rose from roughly 47 in December to nearly 74 the following February
Responsibilities include providing frontline support, monitoring attendance, serving as safety champions, and elevating associate engagement

And we have other examples…