Hiring Temporary Employees for Your Small Business

Temporary employees can help fill a staffing gap during uncertain times. Hiring temps is also a great way to test the fit of potential full-timers. But temps can come with unique management challenges.

First, they aren’t officially your employees. They work for the temporary agency, so you can’t reward them or motivate them in the same way as regular staffers: with benefits, promotions, or rewards for outstanding behavior. Second, they aren’t committed to your company or its mission, and they aren’t part of your team.

To make the temp experience rewarding for you and them, consider the situation from their point of view. They arrive first thing in the morning, when the office is at its busiest. They don’t know where the bathroom, the lunchroom, or their desks are. They don’t know how to log on to the server or operate the software your company uses. They don’t have an e-mail address, and no one knows who they are or what they are doing in the office. Even the simplest jobs require training, and you’ll need to set aside time to explain the job and get your temps acclimated when they arrive.

But with a little preparation and forethought, hiring temps can be a great solution to your work overflow problems. Follow these steps to ensure a smooth situation:

1. Communicate in advance: Make sure the job description you submit to the agency is clear and detailed. Discuss the job requirements over the phone with the agency’s representative and clarify any specifics, such as dress code, physical requirements, workday hours, and breaks. It is up to the agency to disseminate these details to the temporary worker, but often hiring managers forget to communicate the most routine parts of the day.
2. Prepare for arrival day: Ask the temp to come in an hour later on the first day. This way the hiring manager can extinguish early morning fires and get settled before introducing and training the temp.
3. Provide orientation: Treat the temporary worker as you would any new employee. Give a tour of the office, including the bathroom, lunchroom, and snack machines. Mention nearby lunch places and introduce the temp to other employees.
4. Assign a buddy: Undoubtedly your temp will have questions. And if you’re in a meeting or otherwise not available, your temp could waste valuable time waiting for an answer. So take the time to assign at least one individual who knows the job and can answer questions or clarify job duties.
5. Motivate and reward: Even if you don’t plan to offer a permanent position to an outstanding temp, tell the person you’ll let the agency know how much you like his or her work. For temps, this often means more and better jobs from the agency. You might also be able to offer a cash bonus to a long-term temp, but first check with the agency about its policies. And if you are in the position to offer permanent employment to a temp who fits your requirements, let the worker know that a permanent job is not out of the question (again, check with the agency on whether this is feasible and how much it will cost).
6. Value your temp: The temp is there for a reason: to help you reach a business goal. Tell the temp how his or her work is helping the company.
7. Remember, bad temps happen: If there’s a problem with your temp, try to rectify the problem by asking yourself if you fully, clearly communicated the job. Explain again, and train again, and be sure to ask the temp if he or she understands and has questions. If that fails to produce results, call the agency and request a new placement.
8. Ask for input: Often overlooked but valuable in motivating temps is to listen to their ideas. Outsiders can bring a new perspective to a task that may make it more efficient, cost saving, or innovative. Give credit where credit is due, and word will spread about the temp’s great experience at your company.