By: Employment Resources Inc.
http://www.employmentresources.net
MIAMI LAKES – Everyone knows a contingent worker can act as a “band-aid” when a secretary or line worker calls in sick. But if that’s the only way you think of temporary employees, you may be underestimating their value as true pain relievers. Used properly, temporaries can cure all kinds of business headaches – from “pressure headaches” like meeting tight deadlines to “migraines” caused by bad hires.
Here are some common aches and pains you may face at work and our prescriptions for using temporary help to cure them:
1. High fixed expenses. Bring in expertise on an as-needed basis. Technical and professional temporaries can deliver the experience and skills you need without impacting fixed expenses. If your business faces an unknown future, consider using temporary staff – just when you need it – to keep your workforce lean and flexible.
2. Wasting time on non-critical activities. Outsource activities such as data entry, and free up your employees’ time to focus on core competencies.
3. Paying benefits. Limit your benefits expense by using contingent workers. Most temporary employees receive only limited benefits that are paid by the staffing service.
4. Meeting tight deadlines. Bring in temporary employees – even at the last minute – to help you complete projects on time and on budget.
5. Bad hires. Let a staffing service assume this risk for you. If you need a permanent employee, use a temp-to-hire service and evaluate the candidate on the job before making a final hiring decision. If you only need a temporary worker, rest assured you may terminate that employee at any time without consequence.
6. Training. Reduce training costs and learning curves by bringing in temporary employees who are trained and have experience using the skills you need.
7. Turnover. When you use temporary employees in high turnover positions, the burden for replacing those workers (recruiting, training, etc.) is on the staffing service’s shoulders.
8. Seasonal crunch-time. If your business has predictable surges in demand, a planned staffing option may be right for your business. With this tool, temporary employees supply the extra help needed to complete work only during your busy periods. As an added benefit, planned staffing will reduce layoffs. When things slow down, you let the contingent staff go and hold onto your employees.
9. Overtime.. Use temporary help to avoid paying higher overtime rates and eliminate the employee burn-out it causes.
10. Lack of expertise. Bring in temporary executives, professionals, or technical gurus to teach new skills to employees in your organization. Use their expertise on a short-term basis to complete a special project, or until your core employees have learned the new skills needed.
No panacea exists for every challenge you face on the job. But for headaches like the ones listed above, temporary help is just what the doctor ordered.
