Thinking differently about temps


This is a post based on a client of ours in an actual situation. I think it demonstrates well of another aspect of recruiting & why employers book & sometimes need temporary cover. Most employers think booking a Temp is a desperate, short term & expensive act but in many circumstances this is not the case…..

 

Examples: A few of your staff is off sick & covering the production line is vital you need cover fast in order to get production out. So what do you do and where do you turn?

 

Accounts are swamped & Payroll cannot be left or maybe the workload is just so short term busy, another body on board is all that you need. All of these are usual ‘I need a Temp’ calls but back in April I got something different & looking back, the booking has been a real help to the client & his Team. And of course, the candidate.

So, the basics. Maternity cover needed + some changing of jobs & new roles being learned meant that when I got the call this client wanted a 3-month temp not only to ‘tide them over’ but to possibly settle & go permanent at the end of the booking. But he needed someone in (genuinely) 3 days & wanted to interview.

(Worth stating here that I’m happy to let my clients interview Temps. No skin off my nose. A lot of recruiters don’t encourage it. I’d ask why not?)

So fast forward 3 months & we had a great candidate in. she’s done well & she’s fulfilled the booking & she’s gone onto pastures new & we’ve all said goodbye & it’s done the business the world of good. So ….. was it an expensive temp. Why? How?

Essentially & initially all it looked like the temp was needed for was smooth out the lumps & bumps of a panic busy period. She assimilated well & did jobs that were time consuming & possibly always left till last & that helped things along with the staff incumbent.

But what she also (unexpectedly) did was buy time for the Sales Director to look at what skills were already in the Dept. & what needed to be brought in & as a result at the at the end of the 3 months the jobs he THOUGHT he’d need covering – didn’t. Finally watching the Team & having a candidate move between a few roles as directed, helped identify the strengths & weaknesses in the team thus pointed to needing roles / skills he wouldn’t have recruited for 3 months previously. It bought him time to reach different conclusions he never assumed he’d reach & he realised now if he’d taken someone on permanently in April he’d have grabbed someone & most likely, made a mistake. The temp genuinely helped the timescales come down from a frantic recruit that may have gone wrong, to a measured decision that will be best for all parties.

 

And so, as a result we’ve just filled another 4 temporary to permanent jobs there and the client is focusing where he should be on the production side.

The Temp learned loads & has gone off to a new challenge with a great reference & a set of enhanced skills & the client is scrutinising even more skill gaps & where we all go from here.

 

We are Interact Recruitment – We place permanent & temporary candidates of the very best quality into great local employers & jobs around the West Midlands with a very supportive team and we love and enjoy what we do that’s why we are reputable

 

Call Interact when you are looking to recruit for staff next – you will be pleased you did.

And please feel free to comment.