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Most businesses have a busy season – in the retail and hospitality industry this would typically be around Christmas, for accountants it could the Tax year end. And with these increased business spurts you may need additional labour to manage the workload.

Temporary Workers, or Temps, can help fill the gap without the commitment of a long term contract. But is it worth it? What are the benefits of taking on a temp over recruiting a permanant member of staff?

Fast Recruitment – and Fast Release

The lead times for bringing in temps to a business can be very short. All professional recruitment agencies will have a large database of good quality temps with a variety of skills that are happy to start work with immediate effect. This can help when productivity is being affected by regular employee absenteeism or long term leave.

It also means that when they need, or the seasonal rush, is over, you can also release the temp from the position with minimal notice to ensure maximum efficiency.

 

Supports the team and boosts morale

Taking on temps can relieve the burden of overworked staff and prevent employees from burning out or becoming disillusioned with their job and the company. If the business is being seen to take their happiness and well-being seriously, then this could keep them motivated and productive.

The addition of new skills, specialisms and perspective

Years ago, temps were only taken on for lower payed positions such as admin, labouring or secretarial, but this has changed dramatically. Experienced temps can now be taken on in higher paid roles such as accounting, marketing, legal and compliance.

Many temps have a specialist skill set that suit short term projects and interim managerial positions. As with all new external employees, they bring with them a fresh perspective outside of the business’s culture which can generate new ideas and approaches.

 

Avoids headcount limitations

When taking on a temp, they do not officially work for your business. They are employed by the recruitment agency who placed them, therefore they do not count towards the business headcount.

This is also means that your business is not liable for sick pay, pension contributions and there is no obligation to offer employee benefits – which could be huge cost savings for smaller businesses.

 

Good recruitment tool for permanent employees

If you have taken on a temp who has proved a perfect fit for the role and the business, then there is always the opportunity to move them across to a permanent position. Not only have you had the benefit of seeing them work at close quarters, but they will already be knowledgeable and fully trained to start the role immediately.

 

How we can help

Hiring a temp is a viable option for many businesses and can really help if you are left with a sudden vacancy or require a specialised skill set in the short term. Taking on temporary staff can keep  business productivity up when faced with employee issues and challenges.

 

At TN Recruits, we specialise in placing temporary staff within businesses at all levels and are always happy to talk through the possibilities available to your business. Why not give us a call now to speak to one our Recruitment Specialists on 01892 571105.

As the world wakes up and some companies are starting to recruit again it is hugely important to have a robust onboarding process in place.

I speak to many people who honestly believe that recruiters love clients with a high staff turnover, this is definitely not the case as we’re often judged based on whether a candidate stays with their employer or not.

According to research a staggering 28% of candidates drop out within the first three months and although as recruiters we have a level of responsibility to get the match right in the first place, companies can drive this percentage down by having a strong onboarding process in place.

Here are our top tips to onboard new starters successfully:

  1. Onboarding starts between offer and start date, stay in touch!
  • Ensure the candidate has a contract; this offers the candidate peace of mind and reassurance that the opportunity is genuine and the company operate with good integrity.
  • Meet up for a coffee or a glass of wine.
  • Find excuses to call; follow up contract delivery and receipt, let them know their new work email address, check they know the dress code. Anything to keep the lines of communication open.

The candidate who is joining you has been a job seeker, maybe registered with multiple recruitment agencies, may still have their CV online so will be seen as an active job seeker- other people will be tempting them with opportunities. Give them every reason to join you and your company.

  1. Ensure you have all the equipment, stationery, IT and telecoms in place. I can remember starting a new job and the MD built my desk from flat pack furniture in front of me. Additionally, my email address for the first two weeks was sharon@… Needless to say, I wasn’t made to feel like part of the company straight away!
  2. Prepare a timetabled induction and training programme which offers comfort and structure to the employee’s new venture.
  3. Set the scene from day one, clarify your expectations and what they want to get from the role. Set soft/very achievable targets/milestones which give opportunities to praise.
  4. Integrate them into the company, use different members of the organisation or team to deliver training, 1-2-1 bonding is so important, maybe assign them to a mentor. We always go for a team lunch on the first Friday whenever we have a new starter, this provides an opportunity for the team to get to know each other in a non-work environment, find common ground and generally helps the newbie settle in.
  5. Review things regularly; meet at the end of the first day, ask them to review the training at the end of the first week, diarise end of probation meeting and follow it through. Most of all this offers an excellent opportunity tom take an interest in the wellbeing of your team.
  6. The onboarding process should naturally flow into a performance management structure which is also vital to staff retention. Weekly/monthly/quarterly reviews/annual appraisals will all help with direction and progression for your staff. Training should also be ongoing to assist with employee engagement.

Whether recruiting through TN Recruits, ME Recruits or elsewhere you will definitely improve your retention with the right onboarding process.