According to recent research, more employers than ever are taking on temporary and short-term contracted employees, and not just over the holiday season. This ‘blended workforce’, with a continuous combination of both permanent and temporary employees, is quickly becoming more and more commonplace in today’s workplaces. For small and large businesses looking to stay productive during peak periods, temporary staff can be highly advantageous. However, taking on short-term hires can also prove challenging. We’ve put together some top tips to help you get the most from your temporary employees.
Shutterstock Licensed Photo – By Sampien
Tip #1. Don’t Skip Onboarding:
An effective onboarding process should be standard for all new hires to your company, whether you’re taking them on a temporary or permanent basis. Too often, temporary employees are given simple, basic training on the tasks they’ll be expected to complete and then left too it. Whilst this may speed up the process of hiring temporary staff, it can also lead to higher turnover levels – something that’s especially important to avoid during peak business times. If it’s not worth putting a short-term temporary hire through your full onboarding program. Instead, it’s a better idea to come up with an alternative for them, which covers all the main points. This should include your company’s vision, mission and values – and information about social and cultural norms within the workplace.
Tip #2. Better Management Training:
Although taking on additional staff to cover peak periods can help a company remain productive, it can quickly become a drain on company resources if not utilized properly. It’s important to ensure that your managers and team leaders are involved in the process of taking on temporary staff and trained to work with short-term employees to achieve the best productivity levels from the start. The management team should set clear, measurable objectives for their temporary staff, and track ongoing performance and results accordingly.
Tip #3. Work with an Agency:
If you’re going to invest money in taking on short-term employees, you want to be assured that you’re getting the most for your money. Working with an agency to find the right temporary staff for your company can be a good way to save time and money during the hiring process. A temp agency will find and sometimes even train the best available candidates and match the most suitable ones with your short-term positions, and then some, like staff heroes will allow employers to use an app to filter through candidates that fit their needs.
Tip #4. Review the Training Process:
Lastly, having good training processes in place will help you ensure that you are getting the most from your temporary hires. A booklet or manual containing key information for your new hires can help streamline the process and ensure instructions are readily available. In addition to reviewing your training process, it’s also a good idea to reconsider the type of jobs you’re training temporary employees to do. If the tasks require a lot of knowledge and prior training specific to your company, they are usually best left to permanent and more experienced members of staff. Simpler jobs with can be assigned to temporary hires.
Tip #5. Scout for Talent:
Lastly, taking on temporary employees can also be a great way to help you find the best talent for your company. After hiring short-term staff, it’s a good idea to monitor their progress during the time that they work for you; this will help you determine whether it’s worth extending their contract or even offering them a permanent position. Even if your company isn’t in need of new full-time employees right now, your temporary employees could be potential permanent hires in the future.
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