A substantial percentage of the UK workforce is made up of temporary workers with this number slowly increasing as employers, and employees are starting to see how beneficial it is for both sides.
When managed effectively, hiring temps can add great value to your business.
Temporary workers during and post lockdown
With the current crisis throwing the majority of us into uncertainty and out-of-sync, it has unquestionably changed the lives of many. For various reasons, you may find staffing an issue with workers unable to carry on due to the new working conditions, or perhaps you need more manpower, in short notice, because of an increased workload. Whatever your reason, hiring temporary workers makes a perfect, immediate solution.
The government restrictions to work from home means many people are currently looking to do this from their remote location and have access to a PC/ laptop, enabling them to start work straight away. Most temporary staff are experienced professionals who may require less training after the initial onboarding to your company. Again, this helps in getting started on work immediately as they are able to throw themselves straight in and with lockdown measures in place, any initial training right now may pose a challenge (due to time and resourcing being used to train rather than on profit-making activities) therefore previous experience is very advantageous.
Temporary worker contracts can be flexible which is favourable for both you and the employee. With a flexible contract, you may be able to assign work when it becomes available without committing to set hours. On the other hand, your employee may have other obligations, which limits their work hours; therefore, this can be discussed between you, to arrange the best work schedule. The flexibility will also be significantly beneficial after the pandemic. As lockdown restrictions are lifted and people begin to resume “normal life” and routine again, you will find that from both sides there needs to be some understanding in allocating hours. For many reasons out of their control, such as family commitments or economic struggles, your staff may require flexible hours upon return to normality. As an employer, you will need time to adjust to going back to your regular office setting and to figure out the workload for your current staff. This may, again, include hiring more temps to start immediately due to higher demands or rearranging shift patterns to suit what is best for the business. Temporary workers can help stabilise and/or drive your business after the crisis by keeping it moving forward without committing to long-term permanent worker expenses. They help to plug gaps and ensure you are keeping up with demand. It is also important to note that temps do not have to stay as temps either. If you feel an employee would be more suited to take on a fixed contract then you can always make the decision to keep them on as permanent staff. The change in contract type helps if you are having issues with staff turnover, as they are there to bridge this gap and fill permanent positions when they become available.
Many businesses have found benefits in hiring temps due to their specialist skills. With this in mind, we encourage more thought into hiring bilingual workers in order to extend your businesses services. The skill of multiple languages allows your company to communicate with overseas clients and works vice versa, as you become more accessible when clients are looking to reach out for your expertise.
Challenges with Hiring Temps
There is a lot of debate about hiring temporary workers. As an employer, we are sure that you have heard some concerns and we want to dispel any speculation you have surrounding hiring temps.
A belief seems to have formed that temporary workers are unskilled and should be used as a last resort. There is the worry that because of their impermanent position, they are unable to develop their skills. As previously discussed, many temps are actually professionals and your business can benefit from hiring them as they often require less training. The interchangeability between businesses sees that temporary workers have a quick learning attribute and are in fact continuously learning on the job, thus developing their skills and acquiring new ones. We must put to bed this belief that temporary work stagnates an employee’s skillset but instead realise this enhances it. As for temp workers being a last resort, earlier topics of fluidity and availability would suggest that temps should not be dismissed as only a fallback option. You should take full advantage of the opportunities they pose for your business to grow.
History shows that hiring temps works! It is vital to be able to respond to changing circumstances, and now more than ever we must all be prepared over the next few months for lots of changes in businesses. The adaptability you inherit from hiring temps will help immensely with these challenges, after all, in the words of Jessica Hagedorn “adaptability is the simple secret to survival”.
ABL Recruitment team
