As the leader of your company, you’re constantly being forced to make decisions about the life of the organization and the happiness of your team. One of the hardest things to gauge is whether you are asking too much of your staff or spending too much money on a diluted workforce. Finding the perfect balance can be a challenge. Temporary employees come with a host of benefits, especially for seasonal companies, but it can be difficult to know whether this is the right choice for you. Fortunately, there are signs to help you make this decision.
If a role becomes vacant within your company and you’re having trouble finding a suitable candidate, it might be a good idea to temporarily fill the role while you keep looking. This will keep up both the momentum of existing projects and employee morale, and will also ease the pressure of finding the perfect candidate right away.
If timelines aren’t being met because teams are struggling with a heavy workload, that could mean they have too many projects due at the same time, or it might mean they need more team members. A professional individual who is looking for temp work already has the skills needed to step in and free up your permanent employees.
Sometimes a project comes along that your current team isn’t specially trained for. This might be a good time to bring in somebody with the skills needed for the duration of a specialized campaign, especially if you know these skills won’t be used again on a regular basis. Not all staffing agencies are created equal, so be sure to do your research to find the best pool of candidates.
Everybody needs a vacation, but your business still needs to run smoothly despite team members taking paid time off (PTO). If your calendar shows a lengthy period of time where you’ll be severely understaffed due to vacations, sometimes interim workers can help pick up the slack and relieve the pressure on the remaining employees.
Most business today, regardless of industry, must embrace the digital age. Robert Half’s Salary Guide revealed that employee training and development is a top priority for businesses. It’s important to set aside enough time for software upgrades, training seminars, and a general office-wide learning curve. Temporary skilled professionals can help keep operations running smoothly throughout this transition.
Sometimes there’s no money in the budget for another full-time team member. That’s when a temporary hire makes the most sense. Since you can request help on an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis, you have the freedom and flexibility to budget. In addition, temporary employees don’t receive benefits like health care, so you’ll avoid spending money on premiums.