Temporary staffing refers to temporary employment where workers are only hired by a firm or business for a fixed amount of time. Companies prefer to hire temporary staff when they have to deal with extra demand or extra work which their full-term employees can’t manage even with overtime.
Types of temporary workers
Temporary employment is mainly of two types. It can be fixed-term or task-based. Here’s what the two terms mean:
- Fixed-term: It means that the company or business will hire you for a fixed period during which you will work for them. You can get some of the various benefits if the company allows for it. This is because you will essentially be working as a full-time employee but with a deadline. The business will not give you all the benefits of a full time fixed employee since you are not someone they intend to keep around for long. You are a hired hand. Fixed-term contacts are given in case of seasonal work a lot because then some companies need the extra pair of hands to keep up with demand.
- Task-based: As the name says, task-based contracts mean that you will be hired to just complete a specific task. This kind of job lasts for a lesser period than seasonal or fixed terms. Employees generally don’t get any of the extra employee benefits which full-time employees get. Task-based temporary staff is generally hired for their specialization or their experience in the matter. They can be hired to provide their input and help the work progress along more smoothly.
How can temporary workers be utilized?
- Use them to save costs: This is the most common and obvious reason for hiring temporary workers. Companies have to pay their permanent workers a lot of benefits (like health, vacation or retirement benefits) and if these employees are made to work overtime then businesses will have to shell out even more. The solution here for companies is to hire temporary workers. These workers aren’t paid the same salary or benefits which the permanent workers are. So the company saves a lot by hiring them. Companies are also able to reduce or add on to their worker’s payroll, according to their business needs.
- To get a test run: There are times when the management will want to introduce a change in the way things are done. But they might also feel that the change is too big to be introduced to the whole staff all at once. They might also fear that there is a chance the business might suffer a loss if it’s not implemented properly. For these reasons and more, the company might make use of a group of temporary workers to test out their ideas and if it will work for the benefit for the company and work in the long run. Apart from this, using temporary nonprofit staffing will also let the company understand where changes need to be made. This will allow them to finalize the whole project before introducing it to the whole full-time staff.
- Use them for their flexible timeline: Hiring full-time permanent employees take time, energy, money and research. Even after hiring, the new workers have to be trained in the ways of the company. This can take weeks to months at a time. Companies don’t have this much time always. This is especially true for those companies which operate on a seasonal basis. So temporary staffing comes handy here. These employees are already looking for work so they are generally flexible with their timings and can work according to the schedule given by the company. Moreover, while the temp is keeping the operation running, companies try to find the right person for the job.
- To add to the team: This is one of the primary reasons why temps are hired. Temporary workers can come in handy when you are trying to manage a grueling demand or if you are looking to complete a project. The benefit of hiring temporary workers is that they are picked according to the skills which they can provide to the company. So the company increases its chances of success whole spending less money. The temporary workers can be hired as a full-time worker after he or she completes the temporary work period.
- Use them to save employees from overwork: Apart from not wanting to shell out extra money for their full-time employees by engaging them in overtime, many businesses also don’t want to overwork their staff. Overworking their regular staff means that there’s a chance they will burn out fast. Due to extra stress and work, employees may then fall ill, which will be detrimental to the company in the long term. Getting nonprofit temporary staffing will prevent full-time employees from burning out.
- Use them for their specialization: Many people still think that a temporary worker is hired for just carrying out basic tasks. Indeed, a company wouldn’t want to waste the time of permanent employees by making them do menial tasks. But its also true that they wouldn’t hire temporary workers for just that purpose. Many times, temporary workers are hired for their expertise and specialization which isn’t present within the current team. The temp can be used to train the current staff in some things which they might not know yet.
Companies generally make use of staffing agencies to connect them with a temporary worker. Not only are staffing agencies able to connect the company with a worker who is the right fit for them, but they also provide a lot of benefits to the workers who are registered with them. Overall, temporary workers are a common fixture in various companies and sectors like in healthcare, IT, legal services and support services. They help the company function better at lower costs and prevent employees from burning out. As such, they are an indispensable part of the working cycle.