Talented employees are every company’s greatest asset, so HR departments are very selective about who they hire. This can put an emphasis on finding permanent employees, but there are times when having talented people temporarily is the better idea. Many companies face the following situations, and find that temporary placements are the ideal solution.
Your Company Starts A Special Project
Most companies take on special projects or accounts once in a while. Maybe a client has a particular set of requirements or you have volunteered to take on some charitable work. Whatever the case, the project is beyond the usual scope of your business. Your employees have a lot of work already on their plates and the project may need areas of expertise that your employees don’t have right now. Hiring temporary workers who already specialize in what you need can make sure that the special project gets the full attention it deserves.
Your Company Gets A Seasonal Influx
Many companies get more clients at the beginning of the year, when people are vowing to get their finances in order. They can also get a rush of clients associated with tax season. Your permanent employees do they best they can to keep up with the rush, but there is a limit to the hours in the day that they can work without crashing. Hiring temporary employees to lighten the burden will make sure that your company stays on top of the work load without permanently doubling your labor costs.
A Crucial Member Of Your Support Staff Is Out Sick
Sometimes a beloved employee needs time off. He or she needs surgery, has to care for a relative, or has some similar short-term emergency. You know this person will return soon, but their work piles up in the interim. It simply isn’t fair to clients, co-workers or to the employee him or herself to let important tasks go undone. Other co-workers can pick up some of the jobs, but often there are tasks that require a lot of time and attention that the others just can’t spare. Sometimes there are also small tasks that will snowball into big problems if someone doesn’t constantly deal with them. A temporary employee in this situation can be the fairest solution.
You Are Looking For A New Employee
When you are looking for someone to fill a new position, it can take a while to find the right person. There is also the training involved in getting someone new to consider. A temporary employee can be a win-win in this situation. You not only have someone accomplishing the tasks that the job requires so that the new person doesn’t start out behind schedule, you have someone auditioning for the part. You will know if that person really fits in your company before committing to offering them the job. If it is a completely new position, you will be able to gauge just what the job will require from talking to your temporary employee, which will give you a handle on what you are looking for in the new employee, too.
An Employee Needs Temporary Assistance
Occasionally, people don’t have to leave the company entirely, but do need to cut back on their hours. Perhaps they are back to work after a surgery, but they can’t work full-time until they recover fully. It can be far more efficient to hire someone to temporarily do some of the smaller tasks or take on part of someone’s work load until the permanent employee can return to their normal round.
As you can see, there are a number of times when hiring temporary workers may be in your best interest. If you think you may be facing one of the above situations or are just looking into the temporary placement option, contact us.
