• How-to

Hiring and retaining the right employees is undoubtedly one of the most pivotal aspects of running a business. And it’s an established truth that one valuable employee lost is one too many. To avoid this situation, many companies, especially in the BPO and IT sectors, are making use of staffing agencies to hire temporary employees to work on projects for a limited period of time.

The right candidate
At the outset, it is important to understand who a temp worker is. Usually hired for a fixed time period, temp employees work on a contract basis that could last from anywhere between three months to two years.

There have also been numerous instances where temps have been absorbed by the companies on a full-time basis. Temp staffing solutions are provided in India by agencies like Manpower, TeamLease and Ma Foi. As the client company, you have to sign a service agreement and pay a fee to acquire a temp employee. Alternately, you can also hire them directly.

The reliability factor
The biggest issue that companies face when it comes to temp employees is the reliability factor—will they be as dedicated or committed as their permanent counterparts, considering they are working minus the perks? Experts say this can be avoided by choosing and developing a relationship with a reputed staffing agency. While choosing an agency, make sure that the type of services and temps they provide meet your specific needs.

In addition, find out how the agency evaluates the employees it’s going to lease out and what compensation/benefits are being provided to them.

Build a relationship
But remember, managing temp employees is not the same as managing your full-time staff. The most important thing is, obviously, to treat them as you would your full-time employees. Include them in staff meetings, keep them in e-mail loops and ask them for their inputs when it applies to the projects they have been hired for. Make them feel as if they belong to the team and rest assured, they will do their best on their job. After all, you might just want to hire them on a full-time basis!

Role check
Not having your role clearly described is frustrating, and more so for temps because they have to grasp the work in a short time. So make sure you arm them with all the information they require and give clearly designated roles.
Once the project is wrapped up and it’s time to let the temp go, get their contact details and keep in touch if the work done was par excellence. You never know when you might need that particular temp’s services again.

©Entrepreneur April 2011

Tags:
employees, hire, retain, staffing agencies, temp