Are you thinking about hiring temporary workers? Temporary workers can help solve your company’s staffing problems. Whether you need extra help to deal with a seasonal rush or to cover for employees who are on vacation or medical leave, temporary staffing can solve the problem.
While the temporary workers may not be with your company for long, you still need to find workers who will be a good fit and who will succeed at your company. To get the best value out of your temp workers, you’ll need temporary staffing tips. Here are seven must-know temporary staffing tips.
1. Choose the Right Staffing Agency
Working with the right staffing agency is one of the most important temporary staffing tips. There are many staffing agencies, and they don’t all offer the same services or the same quality. Look for an agency that has experience placing temp workers in your industry. It’s also a good idea to choose an agency that has a large pool of temp workers to choose from.
2. Plan for Future Needs
To get the best temp workers for your company, try to think ahead. If you have a seasonal business and know that you’ll need a lot of temp workers for the summer, don’t wait until the last minute to contact a staffing agency.
Lots of other businesses will also need temp workers for the summer season, and you want to get the best workers. If you wait too long, the best workers may already have positions at other companies.
3. Create Clear Job Descriptions
Clear job descriptions are essential when you want to hire part-time or full-time employees, and they’re just as important when you’re hiring temps. The staffing agency needs clear descriptions to find temps who are the best fit for the role. Clear descriptions also let prospective temps know what they’d be doing at your company, so they can make informed decisions about where they want to work and in what capacity.
4. Be Upfront About Your Expectations
It’s important to be upfront about your expectations when you’re hiring temporary workers. For example, if you expect your temps to work overnight shifts, swing shifts, or other less popular shifts, make sure the temps know before they start work. Not everyone is interested in those shifts, and if temps don’t find out about the hours until their first day, they won’t be happy and may quit.
5. Provide Information About Your Company
When you contact a staffing agency, make sure to give them details about your company. Information about how your business is structured, how it operates, and the company culture can help the agency find better temps for you. They can decide who is a good fit for your company, and who isn’t, based on the additional information you provided.
6. Offer New Hire Training
Temporary workers are often experienced, but they’re still new to your company. Every company does things a little differently, and your phone system, computer system, or other technology may be different from what they’re used to.
Offer new hire training to show them the basics, and answer their questions. You can also set your new temps up with mentors to help them adjust to your company. Don’t forget to give your temps a tour as part of their training so they know their way around the workplace.
7. Treat Your Temps Well
Some employers treat their temps like unimportant members of the team. At some companies, employees don’t even know the temps’ names, and the temps are excluded from basic office perks like free coffee or being allowed to sit in the employee breakroom. While your temps aren’t your employees, there are still benefits to treating them well. Well-treated temps will be happier and have better morale, so they’ll be more productive and produce better work. Everybody wins.
