With the last few months of the year now upon us, thousands of businesses around the country are once again moving to hire seasonal temporary workers to keep up with customer demand over the holidays. This is particularly true of the retail industry, and is one of many instances where business owners need to hire temporary workers for a variety of short-term projects.
Fortunately, there are more skilled contractors and contingent workers available than ever. Some prefer to be self-employed, some are retired, and even more are freshly minted graduates looking for something to kill the time with while they look for permanent work.
But let’s be realistic, there are also risks associated with hiring temporary workers, chief among them the issues of reliability and legality. But with some careful workforce management strategies, you can limit these risks. Below are a few of these methods.
Don’t Confuse Temporary Workers for Employees
Always remember one thing when hiring temporary staff: they are not full-time employees. Many companies and hiring managers forget this distinction when working with contingent staff.
Temporary workers should not be subject to the same kind of scrutiny as regular employees, unless specified otherwise.
For starters, just because your employees are subjected to stringent background checks and performance reviews, does not mean temporary workers should be as well. Doing so could make your company liable for misclassification, a mistake that is often subject to hefty legal penalties and tax issues.
Do Not Ostracize Temporary Staff
But while it’s important to make the distinction between temporary and permanent staff in terms of contracts and job descriptions, it’s just as important — if not even more — to make temporary workers feel like a true part of the organization.
Marginalizing temporary staff just because they’re not full-time or seasonal can reek havoc on your productivity, with temporary workers losing motivation to do well at the job. In other words, while there are legal differences between temporary and regular employees, treat them like the valued part of your workforce that they are all the same. After all, happy workers are productive workers.
And besides, many temporary workers may become your full-time employees someday, so it’s important to treat them properly
Work with a Reliable Staffing Company
Despite the prevalence of hiring contingent workers, many employers still believe that temp workers are generally less reliable than regular staff. Whether or not this is a true is a discussion that deserve sit own post.
One thing, however, is for sure: You can reduce the risk of hiring unreliable temporary staff by working with a reliable temp agency in Wichita, KS, one that understands the staffing needs of your company. Simply put, if you want skilled staff, source them from a reliable supplier.
Learn more insights and proper strategies for safely managing temporary workers by sitting down for a consultation with Top Notch Personnel. Contact us today to find out how we can help.