The temp staffing industry has had a bad rap for several decades. Though many myths still surround the industry, the use of staffing agencies as well as temporary work itself are becoming more commonplace and accepted in business. As the employment world shifts, more employees and employers are realizing the benefits of on-demand and flexible work situations. The fact is that temp staffing is advantageous both for those performing the work and for those seeking out the services of temp staffing agencies.
Here’s how they both benefit.
Employers
Temp staffing allows employers to fill empty roles quickly. Staffing agencies have large candidate pools of qualified workers that are willing and able to take on work on short notice. Skilled and experienced temp workers can be placed in companies in just a few hours or a few days, whether to cover a worker who called in sick, went on maternity leave, quit without notice, or had an emergency.
Temporary staffing is also ideal for companies that have fluctuations in demand—they can have workers when demand is high and send them back when things start to cool down again. They’ll never be left short staffed and they won’t have the financial responsibility of having to keep workers on after the work starts to slow down. Industries like retail, tourism, travel, manufacturing, agriculture and others that often see seasonal influxes can truly benefit from temporary workers.
Additionally, using temporary staff can improve morale. Instead of having to pile on a lot of extra work on your current staff when you’re short staffed, you can get help when you need it. Your current employees, then, won’t be so overworked and stressed, so they can continue to work optimally. You won’t have slow, unproductive, or disgruntled workers resenting the extra workload. And instead of giving your employees the dreaded night and weekend shifts, you can keep them on their preferred schedules and get temps to cover the unwanted shifts. The higher morale is and the happier your employees are, the more productive they will be.
Furthermore, temp staffing can help employers save on the cost of overtime. It’s an alternative to having to make your already tired employees stay at work for extra hours when you’re short on staff. You’ll still get the coverage you need, but at a much lower cost.
Finally, for those business owners who are looking to expand, temp staffing is a great way to ramp up your operations to test out the waters, without being financially committed to new employees or having to lay off workers if the expansion efforts don’t pay off.
Employees
The benefits of temp staffing aren’t just for the employers, though. Employees can also benefit from such on-demand work situations. Many workers state that working on temporary assignments has opened up doors for them to get noticed and, thus, hired full time. It allows them to get their foot in the door.
Others enjoy short-term assignments because it allows them to check out different types of companies and roles that they might be interested in for their future career goals. It’s also a great way to gain skills and experience and allows them to add more work on their resumes.
Others use it as a way to get extra cash on the side when they’re already employed or during their job search. And yet, others aren’t interested in full-time opportunities at all and find it convenient to be able to pick and choose the work they want to do. This extra freedom and flexibility often works best while trying to juggle schooling, a home life, travel, and other responsibilities.
