While permanent employees are still an essential and integral part of an organisation, there are various situations where temporary employees can be of great help in achieving operational objectives.
Temporary employment generally denotes employment for a specific period of time only, where employees are hired as the need arises. Ordinarily, temporary workers receive no paid leave, fringe benefits or any guarantee of continuing employment and roles are usually short term in duration.
Temporary staff can be used effectively to meet non-permanent staffing needs. For example, temporary employees can be hired to “fill-in” for permanent workers who are unable to attend work for a specified or even extended period of time. Whether it is for maternity leave, holiday or sick leave, temporary staff members can keep things “ticking over” until the permanent staff member returns to their duties.
Temporary employees are also frequently hired in order to adjust staffing levels according to fluctuations in workload within an organisation. When an organisation cannot offer an ongoing full or part time workload to an employee an attractive option is to hire a temporary employee for a limited time to assist with certain projects during busy periods. With fluctuating labour demands, employers can then minimise their payroll expenses by hiring temporary staff during these peak periods only, instead of maintaining maximum workload staffing levels at all times.
Employers can also utilise temporary staff as a cost-effective screening device before committing to a permanent employment arrangement. If there is uncertainty about skills, personality or cultural fit between the organisation and the employee, a temporary employment assignment can serve as a trial period for both parties.
Temporary employment can also benefit organisations in other ways. Temporary employees often bring a unique set of skills and knowledge gained from working in a variety of organisations, often at more senior levels. As a result, they can be a valuable asset and offer a fresh approach when contributing to complicated projects which require a broad knowledge and skill base to be completed successfully.
Engaging temporary employees can therefore be a very cost effective option with comparatively low engagement and wages costs and the capacity to fill an employment need on a temporary basis during times of uncertainty. For example, if future funding and costs in the organisation are in doubt, if it is anticipated that budgets will be reduced or are in danger of being exceeded, or if there are plans for departments or specific roles to be restructured, having temporary employees can provide that “short term fix” during this period and take the pressure off your existing permanent team.
Temporary employees will never replace your permanent team but can be used to effectively support them in the achievement of your organisational goals.
If you would like any further assistance or advice regarding engaging temporary staff or would like to know about the temporary recruitment services we can provide, please contact Event Recruitment on (02) 9279 2019 for a discussion with one of our consultants.
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