Temporary employees are a growing part of the U.S. workforce. In fact, estimates are that by next year, roughly 40% of workers will be contingent – temps, freelancers, and independent contractors. If you use temps at all, it’s crucial to treat them as part of your team at work. If you don’t, the temps you hire won’t be productive, simply because they don’t know the ropes. That’s a problem, because temps often cost 30% to 50% more than regular employees do.
In addition, morale and engagement can suffer if temps feel they are being treated like second-class citizens. There can be personnel issues if they don’t integrate with the team.
So, for both optimal productivity and engagement, you need to make sure your temps feel like part of the team. Use active management strategies; don’t wait for this to happen automatically. Here are some tips on how to do this.
Have an onboarding plan
Temps need onboarding just as much as permanent employees do. They need to know who they report to, where things are, and the names and functions are of people around them, at a minimum. They need a productive workspace and training on what they are to do.
Map out an onboarding plan for temps and designate people to carry it out on the first day.
Set up a communications line
While temps work for the staffing agency, they will still need to receive instructions about the work they are to do and how to do it. Proactively set up a communications line that specifies who their on-site point person should be for the work they’re doing.
Make them part of the culture
Company cultures are disseminated in many ways: through all-hands meetings; informal get-togethers; and activities. Make temps part of these. If there are company-wide or departmental meetings, make sure they are informed of them and encouraged to go. If the team on which they work has a pizza lunch every Friday, include the temps. If you encourage an in-house soccer team, let the temps know about that, too!
Walk the walk
Make sure you treat temporaries the same as you treat regular employees. Know their names, and say good morning. Respect their contributions. If they’ve helped the team meet deadlines, for example, and your praising the team, be sure to mention they were an integral part of the effort. Your example will be seen, and your standards for integrating the temps on the team is very likely to be emulated.
Partner with a staffing agency!
At Expert Staffing, we have a strategy that works to meet your company’s seasonal staffing needs. To learn more about talented part-time, full-time, and temporary job seekers in your area, contact us today.
