What you should really know about temps
By
VendorSeek
The Bureau of Labor Statistics accrued information indicating 1.2 million temporary help agency workers were employed in any single month in 2005. Temp agency jobs have been increasing at a rate increase of over 200,000 per year. The advent of the 'temp' began in the 1940s by William Russell Kelly of Kelly Services. Mr. Kelly thought it was a good business idea to hire outside companies to do a variety of office tasks for other businesses. There are positive and negative sides of this concept to consider:
"To serve is beautiful, but only if it is done with joy and whole heart and a free mind."
Helping in Times of Need Temporary staffing is indeed just that; it enables a company to keep moving forward during points of hiatus and desertion of their employees. Whether the reasons are due to illness, vacation, maternity leave, disability leave, special projects, or seasonal peak periods, businesses are able to continue their productivity without missing a step.
Providing Flexibility  The world of business is constantly evolving and the presence of temporary staffing allows businesses to be more versatile and to keep their options open. Temporary work is one of the ways for businesses to offer flexibility while better tending to their needs. Temps can increase productivity and revenue for the business in turn promoting a better sense of permanent employee job security.
Utilize the Temp Position Hiring a temp can be a tremendous way to experiment with certain roles and aspects of the job. Since there is no long-term commitment, the business can utilize the temp to see if the position is something to create into a full-time venture and to analyze the reality of the task to be performed by their employees. A temporary employee can also be looked upon as 'trying out' for a full time spot. Many businesses have decided to hire temps on full time due to their efficient capabilities and execution of the job at hand.
Time=Money Hiring a temp is often cheaper than taking on a permanent employee along with providing their benefits. Hiring a temp can be seen as a more cost-effective move considering short-term time spans (six months or less). The temp agency becomes the actual 'employer' of the temp not you; they handle recruiting, screening, hiring workers, testing workers, payroll expenses, paperwork, etc. Your company can spend that time on other factors of your business (in turn making you more money).
"The best servant does his work unseen."
Specialized Skills In the beginning, temporary staffing was used for lower-end and lower-skilled positions; this is no longer necessarily true. Your average day temp may be well equipped with a solid, versatile education that can be capitalized on by your business. Theoretically, a specialized temp can generate ideas or projects based on their background that can be utilized by your company.
A Good Source for Good Employees If you continually find yourself satisfied with the staffing that your agency provides, this will be something less for you to be concerned with if the instance of 'having to go' to a temp arises. Knowing the agency will deliver efficient and professional staffing will create a reason to continue an established relationship between your business and the staffing agency.
The Strain of Training  No matter how skilled or unskilled the temp staff, the reality of the situation is that there will need to be time spent on specific training germane to your company and the individual job. This will become a nuisance if met with a great number of temps that 'don't fit the bill' who must continuously be trained anew.
Morale? Temp workers may become jaded after a time of doing the same job that permanent positioned staff are doing for more money and benefits. The nature of being a 'temp' may create negative feelings of being 'used and abused'; though temps should understand that they are called 'temps' for a reason, the practical psychology of going through the motions may curtail productivity.
Safety Issues It has been recognized that more on-the-job injuries involve temporary staff than permanent employees. Since they are only temporary, some businesses may forgo solid safety training in order to save time, but this can become a big mistake for jobs that involve a high level of safety awareness. It would never be good practice to assume a temp (having performed similar jobs in the past) are well skilled at potentially dangerous tasks until they have demonstrated otherwise.
Legality Issues Recent court decisions have brought to mind the meticulous and clear nature in which the roles, expectations, and room for advancement must be clearly delineated for temps. At times, businesses tend to not address the  temporary staff with the same respect and dignity that permanent employees receive; this will cause not only possible social problems, but legal ones for your business as well.
Employer/employee = give/take
The bottom line is that you have to educate yourself on the issues on both sides and make a good decision for your business. There are many resources such as www.VendorSeek.com that can ameliorate your search in finding a solid agency.
Here are some helpful things to consider:
- Check out their website
- Look at their mission statement
- See if their temps are specialized in any areas
- Realize what type of staffing you need beforehand
"To be of true service I must know two things: their needs and my capacities."
- See if the company is a member of the American Staffing Association
- See how well run the organization is
- See how they recruit, train, and retain employees
- Make sure the company fully understands your needs and expectations
- See if the agency includes workman's compensation for their employees
So the question remains: to temp or not to temp? Hopefully this helps in your decision making and in your quest of finding a solid temp agency that will supply your business with the efficient staff it deserves.
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