Advantages of temp cover

Over time, the needs of businesses often change and although many companies have the necessary skills and expertise from their existing employees, there may be an area within their infrastructure that requires a specialist approach. There are different types of temporary employees, ranging from contractors, to interims and temps. Whatever your needs are, there’ll be someone with the right skillset to fill that employment gap.

When you hire a temporary worker there are many advantages and benefits that temp cover can provide. Here are some of the key ones.

Fast hires make an immediate difference

If you have regular employee absences that are affecting the productivity of your business, or you need to cover maternity leave, or have seasonal demands like peak season, hiring a temp, interim or contractor, eliminates the need to appoint a permanent resource that isn’t required all year-round. Temps, interims, and contractors can start almost immediately, are cost effective and recruiting them is a straightforward process.

Fresh perspectives

Interims, temps, and contractors, are not burdened by company culture and can therefore enter into a work environment with fresh approaches and ideas. This will allow them to add more value to areas such as problem solving for the work assignment.

Flexibility

Temporary staff offer a great deal of flexibility because you can get an interim, temp, or contractor to cover specific periods during business hours. This might actually turn out to be a better, cost-effective option depending on the exact needs of the company.

Project specialists

Many interims, temps, and contractors, have special skillsets and are perfect for short-term assignments. For example, interim managers are often sought after to fill the gap within critical management situations, a temp may be brought in to cover maternity leave or an administrative assignment, or at peak periods. Contractors bring a level of expertise to a defined project for a designated period of time, as set in their contract.

A chance of hiring permanently

After a contract has ended you might decide that the person you’ve hired on a temporary basis has added a huge amount of value to your organisation. So why not hire them permanently? You’ll already have seen how well they work within your team structure, if they’re a good fit and if they have the critical skills needed for the role, so you should be in a good place to make an offer. However, be aware that your offer may be declined. The role of an interim, temp and contractor offers the type of flexibility that a permanent role is unable to, which is an attractive proposition for many employees, so keep that in mind.

The move from temp to perm

On the flipside, you may have a career-focused temp that is eager to switch over to a permanent role. In cases like that those that do want permanent work, are often after willing to work extra hard to prove themselves an asset, in the hope that you hire them. You’ll also have the added benefit of seeing them work at close quarters, to better inform your employment offer decision.

The introduction of legislation

Back in October 2011, we saw the introduction of Agency Workers Regulations 2010 which gave temporary workers the same employment terms and conditions as a permanent employee after 12 weeks of continuous employment in the same role. For example, pregnant temporary workers will be allowed the time off to attend antenatal classes and antenatal medical appointment during their working period. This time will be paid. The regulations allow for the same working time, pay, and night work rights, breaks and annual leave rights as non-temporary workers, unless the employee has a permanent contract in place with their agency that pays between assignments.

If you’re unsure about how the Agency Workers Regulations affect your temporary hiring plans, we’ve explained the essentials here.

Summary

Hiring a temp is a great option for many businesses. If a member of staff has departed suddenly, or you simply haven’t had enough time to find a replacement, then hiring a temp can make this transition easier. An interim, temp, or contractor can minimise the loss of productivity during a transition stage, provide specialist knowledge and key skills and allow for better business flexibility.

For more advice or to discuss your hiring needs, please contact your local Page Personnel office.