Lisa Hill, Managing Director of Eclipse Recruitment, explains the benefits of utilising temporary employees in your business.
During periods of rapid change, or at certain times of the year, an ideal way to alleviate pressure quickly when you need additional, specialised support to cover existing roles, is with temporary staff.
Some may think it takes too long to train a temp, or that they won’t find a person with the right skillset. Eclipse’s pool of temps is vast and diverse, and we have the ability to match you with a temp who has the appropriate skills required for the role and fits in with your team culture. For many of our clients, it is standard business practice to engage both short and long-term temps for various projects because of the positive impact temporary employees have on their business.
Utilise temp staff to buy you some time
When a permanent staff member leaves, you may want to take the opportunity to restructure the team, redefine areas of responsibility, or simply seek feedback from others before deciding on the type of person needed to fill the vacated role. Taking on a temp allows you the time to get things right, without slowing the business down with an empty seat. And you never know, your temporary person may just be ideal for your permanent opportunity.
Back-fill with an existing employee
If you have people with the right skills in your business already, why not back-fill the vacant role? For example, one of your senior staff members may be going on holiday and you have a more junior person who is capable to step up. You could spend the run-up time training the existing employee and get a temp to cover the more junior role. This not only means you now have two people capable of performing the role, but you’re also providing an opportunity for the more junior person to extend their skills and experience.
Make sure you’re prepared
So, you’ve made the decision to engage a temp – now you need to get the most out of them. We recommend that you set a list of priorities for what you want your temp to achieve. Everyone needs to know what’s required of them in their job in order to meet standards, which will also help ensure you meet your business goals.
Ensure you train them properly. Allow hand-over time, if possible, and have someone allocated as their ‘go-to’ person for questions and clarification. Investing in training time will make your temp more efficient and maximise the return on your investment. Communicate with your temp and treat them as part of the team – the more they enjoy it, the more flexible, willing and productive they’ll be. What’s more, they may have valuable feedback and insight for you.
Fnally, maintain a close relationship with us! We will be able to provide you with a temp with the right skills and attributes – and the right fit for your business.
All in all, temps are an excellent way to manage growth periods and other busy times. With temps, you can achieve more and have the flexibility to manage your business at your pace during times of uncertainty.