Temporary Staffing Solutions: Bridging Staffing Gaps and Fluctuating Demand

Different seasons require varying workforces. In some industries, it can be very drastic and often affects overall performance. This is when temporary staffing services come in handy and allow companies to meet their goals without sacrificing resources.

In this article, we will look at the advantages of temporary staffing and some of its best practices to help address staffing gaps and adapt to changing demands across various industries.

Advantages of Temporary Staffing

Temporary staffing, also known as temporary employment or “temping”, is when organizations hire temporary and contingent employees employed by staffing firms to work for a period of time to meet short-term or seasonal needs. Temporary staffing can be advantageous for your organization. Here are several reasons why you should try it out:

1. Avoid Poor Hires

A CareerBuilder survey found that 75 percent of responding employers hired the wrong person, and this can cost up to an average of $17,000.¹

Temporary staffing prevents bad hires by offering you a trial period to assess a candidate’s skills, work ethic, and cultural fit. This cost-effective approach allows you to observe employee performance before permanently hiring them and minimize administrative burdens.

2. Improve Flexibility

Hiring temporary staff enhances organizational flexibility by enabling swift adjustments to your workforce size based on changing demands. This cost-efficient approach allows your business to access specialized skills for projects without committing to permanent hires.

3. Increase Team Productivity

Temporary workers can increase productivity by bringing new perspectives to the team and contributing to your current workforce’s skill sets. Having temporary workers can also reduce stress among permanent employees by effectively delegating responsibilities, ensuring everyone in the team can focus on their work and thrive.

4. Offload Payroll Costs and Burden

Staffing firms handle the payroll of your temporary staff. Aside from having reduced responsibilities, employing temporary employees reduces employee compensation costs. This can include overall savings in employer taxes, benefits administration, worker’s compensation, unemployment claims and more.

5. Have Lower Downtime

Engaging temporary staff helps you reduce downtime resulting from employee absences or sudden departures. Swiftly filling vacant positions enables businesses to uphold productivity levels and prevent disruptions to daily operations.

6. Access Specialized Skills

Temporary staff offer specialized skills for brief projects or specific tasks, proving invaluable when your company requires rapid project execution without internal expertise. This flexibility is particularly beneficial when the skills of temp staff are needed infrequently, making it impractical to hire them as full-time employees.

Onboarding Your Temporary Staff: Best Practices to Ensure Success

Discover key strategies that will ensure a seamless and productive experience when welcoming temporary talent.

1. Strategic Workforce Planning

Clear Definition of Roles: Start by meticulously evaluating your organization’s needs. Define roles clearly by specifying responsibilities, required skills, and project timelines. This lays the groundwork for an effective recruitment strategy.

2. Effective Collaboration with Staffing Agencies

Choosing the Right Partner: Collaborating with reputable staffing agencies can streamline your hiring process. Select an agency with expertise and a proven track record in the industry or the role you are hiring for. Expect and establish a collaborative relationship to ensure they understand your organization’s culture and specific requirements.

Transparent Communication: Maintain open communication with staffing agencies regarding your immediate and long-term staffing needs. This transparency aids agencies in presenting candidates who align with your organizational goals and values.

3. Thorough Candidate Evaluation

Skill Assessments: Once you have met with the candidates your partner agency has selected, you may still want to conduct brief interviews to get to know them. Tailor questions to the specific tasks they will be handling, assessing their technical skills and adaptability to different work environments.

Cultural Fit: Ask your staffing partner to evaluate cultural fit during the interview process. This will help your temporary staff to seamlessly integrate into the existing team and align with the organization’s values to ensure a harmonious work environment.

4. Comprehensive Onboarding Process

Introduction to Organizational Culture: Despite the short-term nature of their roles, invest time in comprehensively onboarding your temporary employees. Introduce them to your organizational culture, policies, and procedures. Provide them with the necessary tools and resources for a smooth integration into the team. Your staffing agency should also aid in this transition, and act as an extension of your team.

Task-Specific Training: Offer task-specific training to ensure temporary staff are well-equipped to handle their responsibilities. This not only enhances their performance but also contributes to overall workforce efficiency.

5. Effective Goal setting

Measurable Objectives: Communicate goals and expectations with your temporary staff. Define measurable objectives and KPIs to provide a roadmap for success. This helps guide the temporary employee and facilitates effective performance evaluations.

6. Consistent Communication

Regular Check-Ins: Maintain regular communication with your temporary staff throughout their tenure. Schedule check-ins to discuss progress, address any concerns, and provide constructive feedback, ensuring alignment with company goals and promoting a positive working relationship. Keep your staffing agency in the loop and expect they will support your organization’s needs, including aligned communication with the employee(s).

Transparency on Assignment Duration: Communicate the expected duration of the temporary assignment clearly. If there are possibilities of extensions or changes in the assignment, keep your temporary staff or staffing partner informed to manage their expectations effectively.

7. Performance Evaluation

Regular Assessments: Implement regular performance assessments, even in short-term roles. Provide constructive feedback and recognize achievements. This process enhances the performance of temporary staff and helps identify individuals suitable for permanent positions.

Feedback Mechanisms: Establish open channels for feedback by encouraging your temporary staff to express their opinions on their assignments and the working environment to foster a collaborative and supportive atmosphere. Your agency representative should also be regularly involved with employee feedback and performance.

8. Recognition and Incentives

Acknowledging Contributions: Recognize and acknowledge the contributions of your temporary staff. This fosters a positive work culture and can motivate them to deliver their best, even in short-term roles.

Incentive Programs: Consider implementing incentive programs for temporary staff who exceed expectations. This can help boost morale and attract high-quality temporary talent in the future. Oftentimes, your staffing partner may facilitate an incentive program on your behalf, lifting this responsibility from you or your team.

9. Knowledge Sharing

Documenting Processes: Encourage temporary employees to document their processes and share knowledge with the existing team. This knowledge transfer ensures that valuable insights and skills are retained within the organization, benefiting your entire workforce.

Creating a Learning Culture: Foster a culture of continuous learning where both temporary and permanent staff are encouraged to acquire and share knowledge. This dynamic exchange contributes to the overall growth and adaptability of your organization, ensuring you receive the best ROI when engaging in temporary staffing.

FIND THE BEST TEMPORARY STAFF WITH THE HELP OF CORPORATE JOB BANK

If you require the best temporary staff in the market, Arizona’s number 1 locally owned staffing firm, Corporate Job Bank, can help you connect with them.

Our goal is to match you with talented individuals. We have placed over 50,000 employees and delivered talent to more than 1,000 companies, ensuring high-quality placements through targeted recruiting and screening techniques.

Our response time is prompt, and we’ll inform you immediately if we have the candidate you’re looking for. A consultation with one of our Business Development Specialists is just a click away.

References

1. “75% Of Employers Have Hired the Wrong Person, Here’s How to Prevent That.” CareerBuilder, resources.careerbuilder.com/news-research/prevent-hiring-the-wrong-person. 5 Dec. 2023.