No matter the industry you work in, there are always going to be fluctuations in the business cycle that demand extra hands on deck. It’s no surprise, then, that American business owners spend about $20 billion on temporary workers (“temps”) every year.
Temp workers benefit business owners because they fill in gaps in the labor force during times of need. For workers, temporary gigs provide a short-term opportunity to get paid when you’re needed the most—these conditions often provide workers with a little extra bargaining power and the ability to pick and choose the shifts they want to work.
A temp to hire arrangement is one in which a worker is hired on a short-term contract on the condition that they may be renewed for a full-time position. To find out more about the benefits of a temp to hire arrangement, read on. In this article, we’ll get to the bottom of how temp to hire roles work and how they can benefit from them, whether you’re an employer or worker.
How Does Temp To Hire Work?
A temp to hire position works similarly to a seasonal job with a probationary period. As a temporary contract worker, the temp doesn’t have the same benefits and legal protections as full-time employees (i.e., paid vacation or insurance coverage).
Once the temporary contract expires, the worker can renew the contract for a longer period or renegotiate with the company to join full-time as an employee. If the temporary contract was signed through a staffing agency, then the paperwork and filing will be conducted directly between the employer and employee during the renewal phase without a middleman.
The evaluation period under a temp to hire arrangement is often extended beyond the normal probationary term of regular full-time employment contracts. You can think of temp to hire as a sort of “extended job interview” because they require contractors to compete for a full-time position during the contract period.
The Benefits Of Temp To Hire
Contract workers have a lot to gain from temp to hire positions. Although they often demand an additional professional effort from workers, temp to hire provides a buffer period in which the candidate can get a sense of whether the job is right for them in the long term.
Below, we’ve listed a few of the most common aspects of a job that temp to hire candidates can evaluate before renewing their contract:
- Work-Life Balance: How well the job allows you to balance your home life commitments, hobbies, and health with your employment.
- Professional Demands: How punctual and precise you have to be while on the job.
- Sociability: Whether the job allows you to socialize with others while working.
- Job Turnover: How other employees value their job and whether workers are regularly being replaced with new ones.
Unlike a job interview, a temp worker has a chance to “show” rather than “tell” their employer about their abilities. In other words, they can take the time to showcase their skills and work ethic with the hope of winning over their employer’s confidence in them.
How Employers Benefit From Temp To Hire
Bringing in temp workers has a host of advantages for employers, but perhaps none more apparent than flexibility. Hiring temp workers requires minimal lead time, which allows for a frictionless onboarding process that can be completed in a day or two. Once the demand for additional work subsides, the workers can be let go just as easily.
A temp job should also be considered an end in itself. Rather than a means to save money and speed up production during peak seasons, temporary workers are also are position addition to workforce morale and job satisfaction.
Temp to hire workers can help ease the load on your existing workforce, and improve sociability and job satisfaction. For this reason, they shouldn’t be thought of as accessories during a busy season—rather, they’re integral aspects of your company’s lasting success.
Temp To Hire: How To Make It As An Employee
So, you’ve landed your first gig as a temp to hire employee. Fortunately for you, there are steps you can take to boost your chances of being retained as a full-time hire. We’ve listed them below.
Act Like You’re A Team Member
Just because the position may be temporary doesn’t mean that you can kick your feet back and pretend like your actions are without consequence. On the contrary, how you behave and perform during the initial contract is crucial for securing a renewed contract later.
Always show up to work on time ready to give it your all. Treat the job as if it’s already permanent.
Be Proactive
Your employer is scrutinizing your job performance. As a temp job worker, you’ve got to be on your toes to ensure that you’re presenting yourself as a professional and taking initiative wherever possible. If your work for the day is complete and there’s still time left in the workday, go the extra mile and offer to pick up some of the slack elsewhere on the job site.
Start Talking
Don’t be a fly on the wall. The key to success in climbing the ranks of a company is to forge lasting relationships with your superiors. Engage with your co-workers and present yourself as a friendly person who is fun to work with, but also regularly communicate with your management team and do your best to get on their good side.
Keep Learning
Take in as much information about the company as possible. Let your management team know that you’re eager to support the team as much as possible, and are willing to do whatever it takes to make yourself a more attractive candidate for the job.
How To Successfully Hire Temp to Hire Employees
If you’ve recently hired temp to hire workers, or are considering doing so in the future, there are steps you can take to ensure you make the right pick.
Go With A Staffing Agency
Choosing a reputable staffing agency can make a world of difference in the hiring process. Niche hiring agencies for temp worker positions, like MyWorkChoice for warehouse and light manufacturing work, have a high level of expertise in their industry. By harnessing an agency’s expertise, you can learn more about developing efficient workflows and processes.
The benefits of staffing agencies don’t stop there. Here are a handful of the top advantages of using a staffing platform to source your temp to hire workers:
- Low cost: Staffing agencies reduce onboarding costs by eliminating the need for comprehensive pre-employment testing, drug screening, and more.
- Professional networking: Recruiting agencies have a vast professional network that can attract larger quantities of workers faster than an in-house HR department.
- Better retention: Workers recruited through agencies tend to be more interested in remaining with the company in the long-term, making employee retention easier.
- No advertising: With a staffing agency, there’s no need to spend heavily on advertising budgets and marketing channels.
- Less footwork: You’re already busy during peak season, so choosing a staffing agency can get rid of a lot of the busywork that comes with finding candidates, interviewing, and training them.
Balance Your Needs With The Candidate’s
Bringing in temp to hire workers lets employers take the opportunity to assess the company’s long-term needs. It may be opportune for an employer to ask themselves, “do we need this position filled in the long term?” Assess how well your workforce performs when the temp to hire employee is on the floor, and then make a determination of your company’s needs.
Also, consider what the employee might want in the medium and long-term. If the job they’re currently working doesn’t necessarily need to be filled past the peak season, ask them whether they might be willing to work elsewhere on the floor and if they’re eager to work with you beyond the temporary contract period.
Hire For The Long-Term
Don’t assume that the position will remain temporary. After realizing productivity gains during the temp to hire period, you may want to keep the temporary position available to help scale your business. That’s why you should always err on the side of caution and only hire candidates that might make a good fit for your company in the long-term.
It’s A Win-Win Situation
Even if a temp to hire position doesn’t pan out in the long-term, the arrangement still benefits both parties. For the worker, a temporary position can serve as a formidable resume enhancer. On the other hand, a temp to hire worker can product much-needed productivity boosts during your business’s busiest season.
A temp to hire job is a morale booster for the job seeker and is an invaluable reinforcement for business owners who experience high fluctuations in demand. It’s no surprise, then, why so many business owners are considering temp to hire workers to help them get through their holiday peak or year-end rush.
