As you prepare to leave 2020 behind, you’re likely putting strategy in place for 2021. The last 12 months may have interrupted your plans, but with the right strategy and a little optimism, you know you can help your business achieve growth in the new year.
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Have you considered temporary labour as part of that growth strategy? If not, it’s high time to add it to the list. Here’s why temporary labor is such a good fit for growing businesses.
Helping You Deal with Uncertainty
Perhaps the biggest benefit of hiring temporary labour in a growing business is that this workforce comes with flexibility. That can help you deal with uncertainty.
Growing businesses often face both stops and starts in demand. One month you may see a spike in sales, while another month you settle to previous levels. It can be difficult to determine what’s your “new normal” and what’s a blip on the radar.
Temporary labour gives you the workforce you need when you need it. When demand jumps, you can get the extra help you require to meet it. If you then see a downward trend, you can pare back the workforce until the next rush arrives.
Controlling Costs with Temporary Labour
Temporary labour also helps you keep better tabs on your costs during the ups and downs of growth. You don’t have to worry about having too many people on board past a certain date if demand is uncertain.
That could help you keep costs in check. Since the hiring process is often faster, you don’t need to worry about significant outlays there either.
Temporary labour could also keep your current team members happy too. They’re less likely to feel overwhelmed, which means they’re more likely to stay. That can reduce turnover and minimize hiring costs.
The Help You Need When You Need It
Another benefit of adding temporary labour to a growing business is that you can access additional help when you need it.
It’s often faster and easier to hire on a few temporary workers than it is to go through the hiring process for permanent employees. This is especially true if you’re re-hiring or extending temporary contracts. If demand stays high and extra help is still needed, you don’t have to start over from scratch.
For that reason, temporary labour makes it easier to access helping hands when you actually need them—not weeks or months afterwards.
Testing Future Permanent Employees
Temporary workers may be willing to work with you on a seasonal or otherwise flexible basis. You can hire them on for a contract while demand is high, then let them go when and if demand falls. If demand rises or stays steady, you can often hire the same people back.
What about if demand rises and just keeps rising? What if it never levels off? Then you might need to consider bringing on more permanent employees.
If that’s the case, then you could consider bringing on some of your best-performing temporary workers. Having worked with them before, you already know about their skills and their organizational fit. That means you don’t have to go through a lengthy application, interview, and hiring process.
Instead, you could accelerate the process by bringing on someone you already know fits the bill. You may even be able to reduce the time it takes to get them up to speed, because they’re already trained to work with you.
In that way, you can think of temporary work as a “trial period” or an audition for working with you on a permanent basis.
Team Up with the Right Staffing Agency
You might be convinced temporary labor should be part of your 2021 growth strategy. If that’s the case, it’s time to get in touch with Liberty Staffing Services! We can help you find the talent you need, and help you move through the ins and outs of temporary hires.
