Working With Temporary Employees

Do you have a temp in your office? Are you looking for someone to fill a specific role for a short amount of time? Temps can be amazing and very beneficial to a company. They play an important role and bring many advantages to a workplace. Learn what a temp is, why they are hired, what the advantages are to working with them, and how to work with them so that they feel right at home with your company.

What Is A Temp, And Why Are They Hired?

A “temp” is a temporary worker. Temps can be with a company for a few days up to a few years. Typically temps know their end date when they begin work, but sometimes the length of hire is open-ended. Temps are hired for a variety of reasons: To help during peak periods, to assess a person’s ability while they’re considered for a permanent position, to access specialized talent that doesn’t currently exist in the workplace and to bridge a gap between permanent staff. They are also hired to temporarily fill employee absences due to vacation, illness, maternity or disability leave, or when there is a sudden departure.

What Are The Advantages To Working With A Temp?

There are many advantages to working with a temp. Temps are hired to assist employers to meet business demands while allowing the employer to avoid the cost of hiring a regular employee. Hiring temp workers is often cheaper than the cost of hiring a permanent employee with benefits. By hiring a temp, it allows your business to adjust easily and quickly to workload fluctuations by providing your business with qualified staff and giving you flexibility in meeting your staffing needs. This can be seen a lot during seasonal or peak periods. Certain temps are brought in for specialized expertise, like accountancy, during a special or important project (i.e., tax season or an audit). Temps are also an effective way to help with employee shortages. New talent also means new ideas. Temps can offer fresh perspectives and have a positive impact on the satisfaction of your team.

How Do You Work With A Temp?

To be successful when using a temp, there are a few steps that you can take. First, assign each temporary worker a mentor on the staff. This mentor can be someone that the temp can go to for questions. Mentors also increase a temp’s commitment to the business and boost their productivity. Second, have an orientation for them covering company policies, explaining the company’s culture, giving them a good understanding of their expectations, and showing them around the office. Third, get them set up. Give them the tools they need to get the job done. Help them get acclimated and check in with them frequently. Give them honest and appropriate feedback on the work they are doing too. This way, they can do the best job that they can. Lastly, make sure to treat temps as part of the family. Sit down and take time to get to know them or ask them to lunch. Make them feel comfortable and like they belong.

Can Temps Be Hired As Full Time Employees?

There are times when both the client and candidate anticipate the situation to be a temp-to-hire one, however you want to see how they work and fit in with the company first. Other times, temps can impress an organization so much that they are considered for an open or new position. In this situation, it is important to treat all temporary workers as potential new hires. For other tips on working with temporary workers, contact your local LHH branch.