Business is booming! Right up until that moment a key staff member suddenly takes long-term leave. Then you’re left struggling to fill their shoes while juggling all your other responsibilities.
The forecast for your business looks gloomy unless you can find a replacement soon. So you have an important decision to make. Should you search for a permanent new hire? Or recruit a temporary member of staff?
Less time, money and effort: that’s often what a temporary or contract hire can deliver over a permanent employee.
But the perks don’t end there as you’ll soon discover. We look at how short-term hires can help you achieve a brighter outlook for your business.
#1: Specialist Skills for Specific Projects
You might have encountered this problem before. You have a new product or project on the horizon and its successful development and execution relies on skills your current team doesn’t have.
Enter contractors. By hiring an experienced and skilled contractor for a fixed-term period (usually from six months to a year) you gain the right talent for the job when you need it.
For example, you want to bank on the benefits of big data (the analysis of customer information en masse) for a new marketing campaign. But machine learning is a complicated process that requires a specific set of skills. You need a data architect to manage the machine to gain meaningful insights.
Hiring a contracted data architect for the duration of the project ensures you fill your skill gap and gain the support you need for as long as it’s required.
#2: Cost Effective
A new employee with a salary of £27,600 per annum will cost you around £50,000 in the first year, according to Undercover Recruiter. The recruitment process, office space, training and bonuses all add to this significant cost. But is a temporary hire any different?
In the short term, temporary recruitment should cost you less. Whether it’s an hourly rate or a day rate, you pay for what you need. Plus, if you outsource your recruitment through an agency, they might have an existing bank of experienced temps up their sleeve.
You’ll have to pay for their services, but you won’t have to purchase expensive job advertisements and sourcing tools to find the perfect employee. With expert candidates, your training costs could be dramatically reduced too.
3#: Flexibility When You Need It
Hiring permanent staff doesn’t leave a lot of room for flexibility when you’re a small business. It’s a big commitment and the hiring process can take a long time. You also have to adhere to contracts – it could be weeks before your new employee can start work.
Turning to a temporary staff model gives you the freedom to increase or decrease your team according to the changes within your business. You’re able to react to sudden staff turnovers in time so business can continue as normal. And when new projects come in, you can adapt your team as required.
Crucially, this flexibility helps you avoid being short-staffed. You can prevent current employees from being overworked, enabling your team to have a great work-life balance. Your business’ productivity elevates as a result, helping you progress.
4#: ‘Try Before You Buy’
Buy a new shirt without trying it on first and there’s a risk that it won’t fit properly. Likewise, when you recruit a permanent employee you can’t know for sure that they’ll slot effortlessly into your business.
Short-term hires can be the antidote to this problem. You can employ staff on a temporary basis and preview how they work before making an expensive long-term commitment.
Observe their performance, how they gel with the team, your company and its values. If you like what you see, consider hiring them on a permanent basis. Keep this in mind: if you recruited through an agency, you’ll probably need to negotiate on a fee to make a temporary employee permanent.
5#: Access to a Large and Vibrant Market
Temps are at an all-time high and we’re not just talking about the weather. There has been a 40% rise in agency workers over the past ten years, according to the Resolution Foundation.
Flexible working is a modern trend – more and more people are appreciating the benefits of working remotely and on an ad-hoc basis. But is this good news for businesses?
From a recruitment perspective, absolutely. You can tap into a market (which will include one-million agency workers by 2020) brimming with a huge variety of candidates, from highly-experienced retirees to freelancers passionate about their craft.
If you’re able to hire remote workers, you’ll be spoilt for choice. You aren’t restricted by location and your options become more diverse. With access to more skills and individuals with various backgrounds, a new hire could equal fresh perspectives and ideas to help you grow your business.
Effortlessly Recruiting the Right People
Using an agency like Adam to recruit temporary staff is a smart move. You avoid the risks of blindly hiring the wrong candidates because we:
• Prescreen for accurate evaluation• Spend time getting to know them face-to-face• Consider their personality, skill-set and experience
All to ensure your new hire is the perfect fit.
Got a burning question we haven’t answered? Rather than chew it over, give us a call on 0207 871 7665 (London) or 0161 359 3789 (Manchester) and we’ll help in any way we can.
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