The summer months tend to see annual leave requests flood in as people plan trips abroad, staycations and childcare during the school holidays. However well-planned, coordinated (and well-deserved!) staff holidays are, employers can still be concerned about keeping everything on track and ensuring productivity doesn’t drop. One solution to this is to recruit temporary staff to help fill the gaps and to keep everything running smoothly. And, hiring on a short-term basis doesn’t just help with holiday cover. With a network of experienced consultants and senior managers available on an interim basis, temporary recruitment can bring numerous business benefits all year round.
1. Variety of skills and experience available
There can be a misconception that temps are only available to cover administrative and clerical roles. There is also a network of highly experienced, skilled employees who are available on a short-term recruitment basis. This is because there is a growing trend towards people from a wide range of industries choosing to work on a consultancy, temporary or interim basis as a way of providing themselves with a more flexible career option.
2. A fresh perspective
Bringing new talent into an organisation often brings fresh perspectives. This is just as relevant for temporary employees as it is for permanent positions, and in some cases even more so. Temporary workers who have chosen to adopt this style of working are likely to have worked across many different organisations. By working for multiple enterprises, potentially across different industry sectors, they can bring a cross fertilisation of ideas to each business. This could generate innovative solutions which may not have been immediately obvious to those working in the organisation every day.
3. Recruit for strategic skill sets
If you’re considering bringing in a temp, take the time to review the work coming up within the organisation or department they will be covering. Are there any specific short-term projects taking place during the time you are looking for additional support? If so, you can look for temps with the relevant skills and experience to handle these. That way you can bring in additional experience and skill sets you may not have already had in-house. Looking to bring in temporary skills to support a specific project is a great reason to hire on a short-term basis, whether you have a full contingent of staff or not.
4. Senior consultants as needed
The salaries of senior management and leadership teams can be one of the biggest financial outlays for a business, yet the experience and knowledge they bring can be crucial to the ongoing development and success of the organisation. Smaller businesses in particular can benefit from recruiting senior consultants on a more affordable, short-term basis to support on specific projects and growth plans. There are many highly experienced, senior consultants out there who have chosen to adopt a portfolio career in which they spread their skills across different organisations on a part-time or interim basis.
5. Increased team morale
Some employers may be concerned that bringing a short-term ‘stranger’ into an organisation could have a negative impact on the rest of the team. At Pure we’ve been placing candidates in temporary roles for over fifteen years, covering industries ranging from accountancy through to marketing. In our experience, we have seen that these employees actually boost team morale. This is because they bring in new ideas and fresh enthusiasm. It is also reassuring for the rest of the team, as they know there will be an extra pair of hands to support them, that any additional workload will not all fall on to them or that they will have the guidance and senior expertise they need. As with all senior employees, interim candidates can also be excellent mentors and role models to up-and-coming talent.
6. Smooth transitions arranged
Temporary placements can be arranged to include handover time with the person they will be filling in for, both before and after the person returns to the business. This makes the transition period much smoother for all involved. This can be especially important when looking to cover gaps in senior or executive positions. Recruiting an interim leader to cover the period between an executive team member leaving the organisation and a new candidate being appointed is an extremely effective way of keeping things running effectively and can make it a far smoother transition period.
7. Long-term recruitment
Employing a temp provides you with an extended interview in which you can see how they work, the results they achieve and how they fit in with the team. This puts you in the best position to know if you would like to offer them a permanent role, if there is one available now or in the future. However, remember that it will depend on what the temp is looking for as to whether this is of interest to them. If they’ve chosen to work on a temporary basis to increase flexibility then a permanent position may not appeal to them. Instead they will hopefully become ambassadors for your organisation, sharing their experience of working for you amongst what is likely to be an extensive network of contacts, helping you to attract future talent.
8. Recruitment support is available
If you’ve never recruited on a temporary basis before, it may seem like a daunting process. Reputable recruitment consultants will be able to guide you through the whole process. At Pure, our expert consultants help our clients with everything, from administration through to understanding the regulations around short-term contracts and finding the right fit for you organisation.
