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| Hiring, Terminations and Retention |
| Not Just a Warm Body: Getting the most from your temporary workers |
Bonnie Anderson can tell you exactly why she despised one of her experiences as a temporary employee. Hired by a software company’s Board of Directors to inventory all of the company’s fixed assets, she found attitudes in the accounting department where she worked to be almost hostile. “The controller was not supportive of my work. She wouldn’t answer my questions, and she got mad if I sought help elsewhere.”
Unfortunately, other temporary workers sometimes have similar experiences. Managers may overlook the need to motivate temporary workers because they are not considered “real employees.” Controller Magazine’s survey of agencies and workers suggests that you’ll get additional productivity from temporary workers by implementing a few simple procedures. We’ve highlighted just a few of them:
- Determine your needs. Hiring an effective temporary worker depends on an accurate “job description.” Know what level of experience they will need, the specific tasks they’ll be performing, and how long you will need them.
- Communicate with co-workers. Eliminate the possibility that your permanent employees will feel “threatened” by a temporary employee by assuring them that the temp has been hired to help out—not replace them.
- First impressions count—for you too. Make sure that the individual who greets the temporary knows the temporary’s name and where his or her workspace is. Offer your temporary employee the same courtesy you would any other employee on the first day of the job.
- Make introductions. Let your temp know where to go and whom she should speak with when she needs instruction or has a question.
- Give clear instructions on assignments. When you make the assignments clear, offer a challenging project, and provide frequent feedback, you’ll vastly improve your temp’s productivity levels.
- Make your temp part of the big picture. Let your temporary workers see how their expertise helps fulfill the overall goals of the company. Make them feel like a valued part of the team. Encourage them to contribute their ideas.
Source: Caudron, Sheri. “Permanent Solutions for Temporary Staffing.” Business Finance Mag.com.
http://www.businessfinancemag.com/magazine/archives/article.html?articleID=4102
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