As we navigate uncertain economic times, we are seeing a trend of clients’ use of temporary staff as a key workforce strategy.
Temporary staff work on a flexible, temporary basis and have no guarantee of length of employment.
Whether you are unsure of how long you need an extra hand for, or you need someone readily available, a temporary employee is a great option to consider during periods of uncertainty, mitigating the potential risk of signing on a new permanent staff member.
In the current employment market, there is a lot of quality talent out there ready to work and keen to show their worth and add value.
If you’re considering hiring a temp, here are some ways they can give your business a boost:
- Affordability – A temp workforce allows you to add staff without increasing your permanent headcount. You can hire multiple temps to cover spikes in demand, with no long-term commitment when your workload decreases. This can provide a relatively cheap and low-risk solution to help you through the tough times.
- Flexibility – Employing temps encourages flexibility and suits the needs of workload fluctuations. They come with the flexibility to work around your individual workload requirements and can be on-call on an ‘as and when’ basis. You only pay for the hours that they work, so if you need someone to cover a sudden absence, or to fill in while another employee undergoes training/development or supports a project for instance, a temp can be a great fill-in solution.
- Top talent – There are plenty of very well qualified professionals ready to go. These candidates have often worked for different companies throughout their careers and can bring a wealth of fresh skills, new perspectives and great ideas.
- Efficiency – Hiring temps provides a quicker way to recruit. They are often readily available which limits long notice periods, downtime and fast-tracks their training and induction. Talent ID Recruitment will coordinate all of the checks, conduct the initial interview process and manage their payroll.
- Team fit – Incorporating temps into your employment strategy can be a great way to discover a new permanent employee, providing an opportunity for you to learn more about their skills and ensure they are a good fit for your team.
- Recruitment bac-fill – Hiring a temp while recruiting for a vacant position can reduce the pressure to hire quickly and risk selecting the wrong candidate by rushing the process. This back-fill option also minimises the strain on the rest of the team.
There is this misconception that temp employees tend to be a stereotypical receptionist or administrator. However, a temp can be as qualified and skilled as you require; They come from every industry and profession – skilled, degree qualified, registered. Many are highly qualified and skilled, adding value through their ability to slip into a new environment, team and culture with ease.
Candidates choose to engage in temp work for all kinds of reasons. It may be because they have just moved to the region, or because they enjoy the freedom of knowing they are not tied down to a permanent role; They may enjoy the variety and flexibility, or their choice may be for pure lifestyle reasons.
Temporary workers can often be the best employees because they have exposure to many different industries and workplaces, systems, and processes.
Having a temporary workforce can be hugely beneficial in terms of keeping on top of market fluctuations for a business.
Contingent workers, in a sense, are ‘on-demand’ talent. To label them mere temps, however, discounts the full scope, high-tech nature and complexity of today’s contingent or ‘on-demand’ workforce.
Utilising a contingent workforce within today’s relatively unsettled business environment is a smart, lean way to run your business, whilst ensuring that the needs of your customers are met, a business-as-usual approach is the focus, and employment overheads are reduced.
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