It’s easy to underestimate the value of a temporary worker. Sure, they often need more oversight than full-time employees (at least at first). But using temporary employees can dramatically help your business.
There’s a certain stereotype about a “temp.” They never know what they’re supposed to be doing. They constantly wander around lost, never quite able to find the bathroom on their own. They’re useful only for brewing coffee and making copies.
The value you can extract from temp workers depends entirely on how you use them. There are many ways to leverage this staffing option to maximize your operations. With that in mind, here’s how temporary hires can help your business:
Control Costs
Overtime is very expensive. (But, of course, you don’t need that explained to you.) When you need that additional push, you often have to pay a premium to stretch your current team past their regular schedule.
Temps let you avoid this. They give you an option that doesn’t cut into your margins. Instead, you can add capacity quickly, and at standard rates.
Respond to Sudden Surges in Demand
Your biggest customer places a giant rush order. Even with overtime, your regular staff won’t be able to make the deadline. What do you do?
Here’s another spot where temporary staff can save the day. You can quickly add the workers you need to absorb the current spike in demand. They let you get the order done on time, without making any long term commitments.
Increase Flexibility
Beyond sudden, unexpected orders, some businesses are generally unpredictable. Your need for workers might rise and fall in waves, making it challenging to find optimal long-term staffing levels. Or you might have seasonal factors that impact your manpower requirements.
Whatever the case, temporary workers provide a solution. You can swell or shrink your staff as needed. This added flexibility allows you to respond to a changing market in real-time.
Try Out Workers Before Committing
Making a full-time hire represents a significant risk. Even after an extensive recruitment process, you don’t know much about your applicants before you need to make a decision. The chances of a mistake are high.
Temp workers minimize this risk. They present a “try before you buy” option. You can bring candidates into your organization on a temp-to-hire basis, letting you know them before you have to make a long-term commitment.
Get Access to a Special Skill
You might not realize it, but in your life, you are likely to bring temp workers all the time. Leaky faucet? Hire a plumber. Furnace breaks down? Have an expert take a look.
When a situation arises that requires a particular skill, you hire someone to take care of the specific issue. You don’t need a plumber to move in with you…just show up, fix the problem, and leave. You can use temp workers the same way. They allow you to add specialized skills, like computer programming, accounting, administration, or whatever you might need. Then, once the project is completed, you can return to normal staff levels.
Unlock the Benefits of Temporary Hires
Convinced of the benefits of temp workers? Need to know how to get started? Partnering with a highly respected staffing agency, like Qualified Staffing, is a great way to begin.
Contact Qualified Staffing today to unlock the benefits of temporary employees.