The Benefits of Temporary Work
In the world of employment many people would consider you’re better off going for permanent positions within companies rather than temporary (temp), which of course has its’ benefits.
If you’re offered a permanent position, naturally your role is arguably “safer” due to the stability aspect. A steady income every month, with a possibility of bonuses (whereas temp positions don’t usually offer these benefits). As well as this, your relationship with your colleagues will be stronger as you collaborate on different projects and work on more tasks together, ultimately allowing for a more genuine hard-work ethic.
But we’re here to talk about temporary contracts, and the benefits it can bring to both employees and businesses.
Here’s some reasons why you may benefit from a contract such as this.
Temporary recruitment is generally a much quicker process than it would be to hire a permanent member of staff. This is because temps are sometimes used for a quick replacement for someone who may have left the business, perhaps due to unexpected circumstances. This is also beneficial to the individual, as it means they can start work quicker, without the loss of pay. As well as this, if the employer is looking for someone to start asap, their criteria will tend to be a bit more flexible. Which coincidentally, means this gives the chance for the potential recruit to take on a role they may not have a great depth of experience in- which is a benefit in itself as this gives you the opportunity to develop new skills. Their specification is generally less strict, and so as a company are more open to exploring different people.
Working in temporary positions, allows for the individual to work in a variety of different roles, on a variety of different projects. Being exposed to a multiple tasks allows you to develop and enhance your skillset. Meeting different characters and facing different scenarios allows for personal development, which will help you grow as a business person. These strengths and experiences will assist the employee further in their career when faced with similar situations.
If you’ve just finished a role at your current job and are looking for that new perfect role to start the year off with a bang, you may not find it as easy as you’d hope. Your next role you would want to grow and develop within, right? Ideally, you would want the position to fill all your expectations, yes? Well these roles take time, and effort to find. During this time, it takes patience and dedication. But- we have bills to pay, and who’s going to fund travelling to those interviews?! Being open to taking on temporary roles is effective in this sense, as not only are you still earning, you’re also ensuring you cover any gaps within your CV - where the employers you’re sending your CV to, will otherwise question this.
Changes were made to UK Law in October of 2011 regarding employment, where additional rights were developed for agency/temporary workers. After 12-weeks within the same job, as an employer you’re entitled to receive the same basic pay (unless under contract assignments), working conditions, and taking paid time off for ante-natal appointments. This gives peace of mind to the employee that you’re not necessarily losing any rights by going down this route.
So what benefits does this bring to employers?
Bringing in a temporary worker ultimately save costs as an employer. Usually, a temp coming in is to either support the current workload, or to temporarily fill someone else’s role (i.e maternity cover). As mentioned before, the hiring process is generally quicker for a temp worker, and so the employer is firstly saving advertising costs. As well as this, if we look at using a recruitment company/staffing agency for temporary workers, the overheads associated with this are decreased- as the employee is technically classed as the agency’s employee. This would be costs such as unemployment and worker’s compensation insurance, as well as the payroll system. This leads smoothly onto the next point…
Recruiting a temporary staff member, as mentioned earlier is generally a quicker process. This ensures there’s little backlog of work building in the absence of a member of staff who should be covering this area. As well as this, this relieves pressure off current staff members who are covering this area, and leaves them to concentrate on their own tasks.
As with any new starter, a new face brings new energy, ideas and opportunities. They’re not distracted by different work relationships, or company culture- so a fresh set of eyes is often highly effective. Similarly, in life when we compare this to seeking an outsider’s perspective on a situation.
Coming in as a temporary worker, generally they’re keener to make a lasting impression and so will work harder. Often with the mindset of proving themselves an asset to the business, hoping to be recruited on a permanent basis. As well as this, it gives you a chance to assess the employee’s performance and how they work within the team environment- before considering hiring them permanently.
To summarise, there’s often misconception of temporary roles compared to permanent ones. But, it offers many benefits to both the job seekers as well as an employer. It’s a much more flexible approach to working, and allows you to enter different fields you may have very little experience in, adding to and improving your current skillset.
To see our temporary vacancies, we’re currently sourcing candidates for, head to “our sectors”.
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