Treat Your Temps Like One Of The Team

Treat Your Temps Like One Of The Team

As more businesses are turning to temporary workers, forward thinking employers are just as considered as to how they engage with their contingent workforce as they are with their permanent staff, say recruiting experts Hays.

"Temporary assignments allow employers to overcome current skills gaps, fill a short-term staffing need or assist with special projects without the commitment of a permanent hire. For candidates, such assignments are a more flexible option as they can choose what they work on and when," says Jason Walker, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand.

"But if you are to get the most out of your temporary workers, you need to build good relations in the same way as you do with your permanent staff. By treating your temporary workers as part of your team rather than an outsider and providing the appropriate induction, they will feel connected and be able to quickly access the appropriate resources, policies and processes. Ultimately they'll be more productive and produce higher quality results."

According to Hays, this includes first explaining each team member's role and their specialities. "Do the same for your temporary worker - tell the team what their role will be and their previous experience. The faster everyone in the team gets to know each other, the quicker trust builds and communication barriers come down making everyone work more effectively," says Jason.

"Secondly, you need to impart the necessary internal knowledge. This includes explaining to your temporary workers when and how people should communicate and with which tools. It also includes identifying the knowledge required to perform their assignment, from where to find the information they need on shared drives and websites as well as the relevant processes and policies. Also, give them the context of the tasks you set out for them so they can understand the bigger picture.

"If another team member is required to deliver this knowledge, set an appointment for your temporary worker's first hour or two.

"You should also clearly set out the objectives of what your temporary worker is to achieve. This allows them to monitor their own progress and creates shared accountability for their performance.

"Temporary workers by their very nature hit the ground running, but these simple steps can help ensure their productivity is maximised from their first hour in your workplace. It also builds confidence and competence at the commencement of the assignment, which ultimately ensures you gain the best value.

"By treating your temporary workers as part of the team and imparting the appropriate knowledge you may also encourage them to stay around if a permanent position arises or if another temporary assignment comes up in the future. This has obvious productivity benefits."

Hays, the world's leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

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For further information please contact Lucy Sharp, Regional Marketing Manager of Hays, on 02 8226 9885 or lucy.sharp@hays.com.au

About Hays
Hays is the leading global specialist recruiting group. We are the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in Asia Pacific and the UK and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. We operate across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments.

Hays employs 7,800 staff operating from 245 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2012, Hays reported net fees of £734 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £128 million. Hays placed around 55,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 182,000 people into temporary assignments. 33% of Group net fees were generated in Asia Pacific.

Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA.

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