When it comes to employees or contractors for peak times, business owners tend to fall into two groups. Some look forward to hiring temporary workers, knowing that the need for beefing up a temporary workforce reflects a peak time in business. Some feel that it’s a necessary evil to get through times where the workload is heavy and the permanent workforce is lean. Unfortunately, the attitude is that short-term hire employees are temporary, and are therefore not as skilled or knowledgeable as permanent employees.
It’s time to challenge that attitude. There are some very real benefits to hiring short-term workers, both for your business and for those who already work for you. When you take a step back and observe, hiring temporary employees is actually better viewed as a win-win-win situation. You, your employees, and the temporary employees you hire all stand to benefit from this arrangement.
Read on to learn some of the perks that come with seasonal employees.
Save money on payroll
When business is humming along and you’re as busy as can be, the amount you spend on payroll doesn’t matter because it’s what you need. But many businesses go through lull phases at least once a year – and some go through more than that.
It’s during these slow times that your payroll becomes the biggest drain on your financial resources. Because you’re committed to your regular employees, you have to provide them with work – whether you need them right then or not.
By keeping your workforce lean for the slower times of the year, there’s enough work to go around. Then, when the busy season comes, you can scale up for those times with temporary employees.
It’s a smart way to keep the number of employees that you have proportional to the amount of business that you’re getting. That’s good for your bottom line.
Get to know one another
Temporary employees often become regular employees. That’s because it’s an excellent way to offer trial employment to those who shine in the interview process. You get a real window into how they perform in real life.
It’s also a great way for the temporary employee to try working for you. Some applicants love the idea of a job on paper, but when it comes to actually doing the job… suddenly it’s not all they thought it would be.
A temporary employee agreement is a great, short-term way for both employees and employers to get to know each other. If you’re both pleased with the arrangement, you can extend a permanent employment offer when the time is right. And if it’s not such a great fit? Well, then neither of you are under obligation to continue once the season ends. No hard feelings.
Create a happier workplace
An overworked employee will become an unhappy one. One of the easiest ways to make sure that you’re not demanding too much from your permanent employees is to hire more when you need them.
This ensures that the amount of work is appropriate, and everybody is getting the breaks they need and the time off that they deserve. Temporary employees also bring in fresh energy, create an opportunity to get to know new people, and provide a different perspective. It’s a good arrangement that tends to work all around.
Get a good return on your investment
Because of the nature of employees being temporary, there isn’t a need to do a complete onboarding process. You’re able to focus solely on what the employee will need to perform their role. This means that you don’t have to spend an enormous amount of time and energy getting them up to speed.
Final Thoughts
With electronic onboarding making the hiring process so much easier, there really is no downside to hiring seasonal or contract employees these days. Including them in your plan makes good financial sense, allows both of you to get to know one another, and brings fresh energy to your business.
Your business numbers will show you when the ideal times are to hire extra staff. If you want to find out how changing your staffing mix can benefit your business, feel free to arrange a FREE No-Obligation Meeting with me. Call my office on 07 3399 8844, or just visit our website at www.straighttalkat.com.au and complete your details on our Home page to request an appointment.
Copyright © 2022 Robert Bauman.