Hiring temporary employees is an excellent way to complete one-off projects, manage bottlenecks, bridge staffing gaps, and ease stress during times of transition. There are a few common mistakes...
Hiring temporary employees is an excellent way to complete one-off projects, manage bottlenecks, bridge staffing gaps, and ease stress during times of transition. Temp workers can be hired anywhere from 1-day, as-needed, and temp-to-hire. While Reliable Resources does everything we can to ensure seamless onboarding there are a few common mistakes companies make when hiring temporary employees.
It is always best to set clear expectations. This will hold both you and your short-term hire accountable. Unfortunately, many companies forget to update the job description—sometimes expecting employees to perform tasks they don’t know how to do. In many cases temporary employees will have a minimized job description compared to that of a permanent employee I a similar role, so start there when creating your job description. If you don’t have clear job descriptions for your permanent employees, it’s time to map something out. If you need help this is a service we provide as part of our outsource HR services.
While everyone we send your way is skills tested, safety trained, background checked, and drug tested—you will always need to provide training and training materials. Need a dishwasher and someone to keep the lobby clean during the BOGO sale at your sandwich shop? They know how to do what you need, but they need to know where to the dish soap, sanitizer, mop bucket, and clean towels are. The welder you hire knows how to weld but needs clear written project specs. Your one-day receptionist knows how to answer the phones and do data entry, but who on staff doesn’t take direct calls? And how do they navigate your industry software? There is always at least a bit of training required.
Your temporary employee is helping you fill your service gap. They may only be with you short-term but do your best to make them feel welcome and encourage your staff to do the same. Try to avoid phrases like, “I know you’re only here for the day” and “they’re just a temp”. Instead, say things like “thank you for joining us today” and “we needed some extra help so John will be working with us this week”.
The longer you are hiring a temp and the more specialized the skill set required, the more important it is to do an interview. You want your temps to work well with your team, accurately represent your company, and be comfortable with your company culture. You also want them to walk away with a good experience as they could be a referral source, external customer, or could be someone you decide to work with ongoing.
We can’t tell you how many clients have been thinking about working with Reliable Resources for months, years even—but have put it off for one reason or another. As every successful and sustainable business owner knows, delegation is essential. By knowing when to reach out for help you can ease the stress on yourself and your entire team. Temps are also an excellent backup plan for unexpected spikes in business, bottlenecks, when someone calls in sick, in times of transition. You can also utilize temps for short-term projects and special events.
Reliable Resources has vetted temporary employees who can provide Southern California business owners with as-needed help in a variety of industries. We can also provide you with outsourced HR and Payroll services. Reach out today to learn more!
Why Temporary Employees Are The Best Way To Grow Your Business
Even with proactive succession planning times of unexpected growth can leave you and your team feeling stressed to the max. You never want to rush hiring decisions so your HR team will need at least 2 weeks to source and interview new hires, and if those new hires are already employed, they will need to give 2 weeks’ notice. That’s at least 4 weeks before help arrives plus training time. This is where temporary employees can save the day.
Identify Tasks That Can Easily Be Delegated
Gone are the days of temp workers who can only perform basic clerical tasks to skilled professionals with an endless range of professional skill sets. Clerical is still an option but think beyond hiring someone to answer the phone to finding someone who can:
More Flexible Than Hiring A Contract-Based Employee
Many companies shy away from temp agencies but embrace contract-based employees. The challenge with this is that contract-based employees are often looking for projects that are at least a few months long, which is fine if that meets your needs. However, with temp agencies, you can hire for the day, week, or month. If your temp is a good fit, you can take them on as a permanent hire. You can still interview temporary candidates to ensure they have the skill set you require and that they are a good match for your company culture, but know that they are already skill-tested, reference and background checked—and depending on the position may be drug tested and safety trained. In other words, most of your work is done for you.
What you will need to do is be prepared. Create a clear job description, provide training for the position basics (like how to navigate your industry software), and make sure they know the general layout of your office or work area. They may only be with you until things slow down but the time and stress they save you and your team is invaluable.
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