What Employers Need to Consider Before Bringing Temp Workers on Full-Time

Thinking about hiring temporary workers in the near future? Well, it might be just the thing to meet the demands of that new project that you have coming up. Most employers will agree that hiring temp workers on your payroll is a big stress-reliever. You get the benefit of work getting done, while still having a high level of flexibility in terms of staffing. There is no long-term picture to worry about, because once the job is done, so is the temp worker’s tenure at the company.

Having said that, many employers will also agree, like most things, that there are drawbacks to hiring temp workers if you do it at the wrong time. Remember, when a business takes on temp workers, there is a need and a capacity to handle those extra workers. This is why we are bringing you this blog today. Let’s have a look at some factors that you should carefully consider before you hire temporary workers as well as some pros and cons to the whole thing. With that said, here are some questions you should start asking yourself to get the ball rolling.

Have You Considered Your Financial Situation?

Temp workers are used by most companies. There is one main reason behind that – it costs less. With temp workers, you don’t have to pay them a salary or worry about annual increments or vacation or sick days. Perhaps the biggest advantage is that you don’t have to get them rostered with the company’s insurance.

At the same time, you also need to keep in mind that hiring new permanent employees costs significantly more. It goes beyond just a starting salary and of course, there are all those hidden costs to take care of. While the common outlook is that you can avoid all this with a temp worker, you need to be ready. Because, what happens when you hire a temp worker who wants to transition into a more permanent role? You need to be sure that you have the financial stability to handle both a new temp and a possible permanent employee.

Can You Facilitate a Temp Worker Looking for a Permanent Position?

As we mentioned in the previous point: what happens when your temp worker wants to be transitioned into a more permanent role? The reality is that you have to consider the employee’s mindset as well. It is a must when weighing your hiring capacity.

People take up temp jobs for several reasons. It could be that they fell on hard times and need to make ends meet. It could also be that they are looking to get their foot through the door and blaze a path in a new industry.

They might have personal reasons that prevent them from working the full work week or are just trying to gain experience. Whatever the case, as the employer, you need to know where their head is in terms of career direction. What is the intent with which they join your organization? If they do want a more permanent position (which is not always the case), can you facilitate that?

“I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day you bet on people, not on strategies.” – Lawrence Bossidy, American Author

Does the Demand Warrant New Temp Workers?

As we previously mentioned, using temp workers and their skills is a great way to handle short-term staffing issues. You might have a big project coming up, expecting a boom in business or just be short-handed because your staff is on leave. In these scenarios, it would be a good move to hire a temp worker.

However, there is one very important question that you need to ask yourself. Does the demand actually warrant hiring a temp worker? Remember we are still playing with the assumption that this temp worker can turn into a permanent placement in your company. Before jumping the gun, consider if you have so much work that it would warrant the hiring of additional hands, otherwise, it would be a waste of time and money. This is especially emphasized when you might be hiring that temp worker for a permanent position.

To assess this properly, look at the expectations that the temp worker is coming in with, the market situation, and the urgency with which the task needs to be done. At the end of the day, it comes down to one very simple phrase: fiscal responsibility.

How Do You Know When It’s the Right Time to Hire a Temp Worker?

So far, we went over knowing your financial situation, fiscal capabilities and employment capacity when it comes to hiring temps. But, how do you know when the right time is? Well, here are a couple of signs that you can look for. You know it is the right time to hire temp workers when:

1. Not even the top performers can keep up. You know your team is in trouble when even the A-team is struggling to keep up with projects, missing deadlines, and falling behind.

2. Overtime is the new normal. It’s expected that over-time and long hours are par for the course when you are in the peak season or in the middle of an important merger. But, when it becomes a regular thing and work starts bleeding into the home setting, you know it’s time to get some help.

3. You’re rolling up your sleeves too often. Look, as the manager or team leader, it’s a great thing if you roll up your sleeves and help out. That’s not your primary role though is it? If you’re doing the work of two people, more often than actually leading the team, you know things are not as they are supposed to be.

4. Staff are using a lot of their sick days. It is definitely a time to hire help when you see your employees taking more sick leaves and more frequently. They might be lacking sleep or worse, the stress might be impacting their health.

5. Errors are climbing and clients are noticing. If there is a rush to get things done, then there will be mistakes. It’s inevitable. As a ripple effect, customers and clients start getting impacted as well. In turn, this will damage your brand reputation and future commissions.