Could your workforce use a little more manpower?
If so, you may have considered hiring temporary workers to fill the gaps. And that’s a great idea.
There are many different ways to going about hiring workers though. There are even different types of temporary workers.
So to make the process easier for you, we’ll break down the differences so you know how to hire temporary workers that will be right for your situation.
Different Types of Temporary Workers
Even though you’re looking for people to fill jobs for a short amount of time, you still want to ensure that you’re getting exactly what you need. And there are a lot of options.
What are the skills required? How many hours per week need to be covered? Are there any job-specific demands or challenges?
You want a temporary worker who’s willing and able to adapt to your existing, full-time employees. To find the right candidate, consider the following options:
1. Using Temp Agencies
Many of us immediately think of temp agencies when it comes to finding temporary work. And they’re a great resource for hiring workers when you need extra personnel during major projects, peak seasons, or extended employee absences.
Agencies take care of the vetting process to find skilled workers who are well-suited for the positions you need to fill. In some cases, a temporary worker can be hired for a trial period. Then if you decide to bring him or her on full-time, that’s an option.
When you hire through an agency, your temporary employee is entitled to the same workplace protections as full-time employees. They are also protected by laws regarding harassment, child labor, and discrimination. You are not required to offer temporary workers benefits such as insurance and paid holidays.
While going this route does allow for flexibility, you’ll still need to take the time to train temporary workers – just as you did your permanent workers. If the scope of the job isn’t too big, this could make hiring through an agency an easy solution.
2. Hiring Part-Time Employees
During the busy seasons in the retail and service industries, it’s not unusual for companies to bring on part-time employees. These are workers who work from 1-34 hours per week.
This is clearly an effective way to save on overhead costs because you will probably not be required to offer benefits, but you also don’t need to pay an agency to find candidates. And since part-time workers are typically paid hourly versus a salary, it’s less expensive from a wage perspective.
There are definite drawbacks though.
First, you’ll have to do all of the vetting processes. When listing a hiring advertisement, you’ll want to list the job requirements and expected qualifications in detail. If you don’t, you’ll end up with a wealth of applications from unqualified candidates.
Furthermore, because part-time employees are often burdened with multiple jobs, they may end up lacking the focus of a permanent full-time employee. This means a potential lack of commitment and productivity. In a company monitoring software for employees is essential.
3. Co-Employment Through a PEO
If you work with a professional employer organization (PEO), you enter into a joint-employment relationship with the organization that “leases” workers to you.
The PEO, in turn, shares and manages a fair share of employee-related responsibilities and liabilities. If you do not have a sizable human resources department, a PEO could be a good solution. You would be able to outsource many of your HR functions to the PEO. These include:
- compensation and payroll administration
- employee benefits
- recruiting and hiring
- workers’ comp
- employment taxes
- drug testing programs
- compliance assistance
- Family and Medical Leave Act administration
The PEO, in essence, becomes the professional employer of your employees. Employee liability shifts to the PEO and you report wages under their federal employer identification number.
While there are advantages to having a PEO manage much of the HR duties, there are disadvantages to having a diminished internal HR department. With the loss of control of essential processes and people, you’re likely to face some resistance from employees. You will also relinquish control of employee paperwork.
Finally, there’s also the possibility of a loss of institutional knowledge.
4. Working With Contractors
Contractors typically work for themselves, or under a contracting company. They contract their work out to businesses while handling their own taxes, insurance, and permits.
This makes them an attractive option to businesses that don’t want to have to pay the employment fees associated with their permanent workers. Furthermore, contractors have specialized skills and are often experts in their field. So whereas a temp or a part-time worker will require training, contractors don’t.
Because contractors control their hours, fees, number of clients, and workspace, the employer will not have as much control in these departments. Plus, contractors may not have as much availability. And they often retain copyright to their work.
One of the biggest considerations when hiring a contractor is the fact that you’re likely to take on more liability. And to avoid facing legal repercussions, you’ll need to ensure you classify contractors correctly.
5. Bring on an Intern
This won’t be an option for everyone.
But if you need to fill a temporary position that would be attractive to a student or a graduate in terms of gaining experience, you could get that extra help at little or no cost. And they, in return, can add the experience to their resumé and start building networking opportunities.
It’s also not unusual for an unpaid intern to eventually become a permanent employee. And it gives companies a no-risk opportunity to work with potential candidates.
If this is a viable option for you, reach out to local schools and universities to see which courses require work placement as a part of their curriculum. You may just luck out and find the perfect candidate who would be thrilled to work for you.
Get the Help You Need
Given all of the above options for hiring temporary workers, you’re bound to find those who will get the job done to your satisfaction.
Just be sure you know what you’re looking for first. Then make it happen!
And for more informative and thought-provoking articles, keep checking back with our business blog.