Staffing is an essential aspect of any business and there are critical roles in an organization that cannot stay unfilled even for a moment. There are times you go for temporary employees and times you go for full-time employees. Depending on how good an employee is, he or she could become a permanent member of your organization. Let’s explore when it is best to go for a temporary employee rather than a permanent one.
Time Constraints
In most businesses, there comes a moment when a crucial position is empty but there is little time to go through the usual selection and recruitment process perhaps because it is a busy period for the business. Such moments are one of the best times to go for a temporary employee. They can be easily acquired from a temp agency or a staffing agency. The beautiful thing about the staffing agency is that they have already done all the heavy lifting for you and all your company has to do is make a call, indicate who they are looking for, and someone will fill in the blank/s in no time.
A temp agency will look for the right person to fill the position you need filled in your organization, ensure they are qualified for the position, and make the necessary arrangements to ensure you have a reliable worker for the stipulated period.
On and then Off
Another good instance of hiring temporary employees is the moment you are dealing with a task that is on and off; as in, today there is something to do, and then tomorrow there is nothing. In such instances, you can get the temporary employee to only show up when there is something for them to do.
Of course, especially working with a temp agency, the temporary employee knows what he or she is getting him or herself into. The ephemeral nature of their job is usually indicated by the agency; so when it comes to the point where his or her services are no longer required, they are not surprised. In fact, they have a date that indicates when their work will end and they will be ready.
Experimentation
There are times in a business when you think you may need a new department or position that did not exist before but you are not sure how things will unfold if the role was introduced. Some major concerns involve whether the new role is necessary and how it will affect the enterprise financially. Most companies will consider getting someone from inside the company to fill the role, even if it is just for trial purposes. In a way, it makes sense to waste money on already known and productive employees rather than outsiders. However, there are times when the new role is something completely new and it will take additional organizational resources to train the available employees to fill the role. This is particularly expensive if the new role is only for trial purposes. In such instances, it makes sense to hire a professional from outside the company on a temporary basis and evaluate how things will unfold. It is a much kinder approach because you won’t necessarily spend as much as you would have with training because the temporary employee comes equipped with the necessary skill set. And the fact that he or she is from outside the company means he or she may be more objective and provide reliable results compared to if you used an internal employee.
Professionalism
It is natural for most people to assume that the ephemeral nature of temporary employees means that they won’t take their job seriously or they are not professionals. Far from it. Temp or staffing agencies are thorough when selecting potential employees for companies. They have criteria that they use to weigh the skill set of potential employees against and they determine the level of expertise expected from various companies. If your company is highly professional, chances are that the temp agency will get you someone who is at par with your preferred level of expertise. More often than not, temp employees end up as permanent employees; especially those gotten from staffing agencies
These may not be all the possible reasons for hiring temporary employees but they are some of the most valid ones you’ll come across. If you are planning to get a temporary employee for the quick fix you need, I hope the above few points will help you make a sound judgment.
