Despite all the news about staff shortages, there’s one sector where the number of workers is growing: temporary work. What makes temps and temping so popular?
For employees, it offers freedom and flexibility; for employers, it offers savings in both time and money. And for both parties, it can be a great opportunity to learn new skills and knowledge.
Read on to discover what temp employment really is and why it’s well worth considering–whether you’re a candidate or an employer.
What is temporary employment?
There are actually two types of temporary employment. Both involve someone being hired to work on a flexible, non-permanent basis–perhaps to cover a specific project, a busy period, or a permanent employee on leave.
Fixed-term contracts
A fixed term contract states how long the temp will work for, typically between a month and a year. It’s often used to complete a project or during busy periods like Christmas.
Temporary contracts
These arrangements are less common and more informal, perhaps for a short, one-off period of work or a set number of hours per week. An actual signed contract isn’t usually required, although freelancers may still create them to protect their rights.
Benefits of Temp Employment for Candidates
- You are in control of your work
Flexibility is perhaps the biggest benefit of temp work. It puts you genuinely in control of your career, freeing you up to fit your job around your life and take career breaks.
- Great for networking
You’ll meet many times more people as a temp, including valuable professional contacts and possible permanent employers.
- Learn new skills and gain experience
Doing many different roles will enable you to rack up a wide range of experience quickly, updating your skills, enhancing your CV and making you much more employable.
- A foot in the door
Temp work can help you get a sense of whether an employer is right for you–and can often lead to a permanent job offer.
- Rights and benefits
As a temp, you’ll still have the right to safe and fair working conditions and to benefits like sick pay and holiday allowance.
Benefits of Temp Employment for Employers
- Cover seasonal fluctuations
You’ll be more agile and able to adjust easily to fluctuations in workload when you have temps available. No need to pay people all year round when you really only need extra hands on deck during the Christmas rush.
- Cover unexpected absences
Temps can be brought in quickly to cover a sudden departure or absence, enabling you to keep valued permanent staff who need a long period of leave, as the temp can just cover until they come back.
- Flexibility
If you’re looking to scale your business (and who isn’t?) employing temps can help you stay flexible.
- Find the right fit
You can easily treat a temp role as an extended interview for a permanent position, enabling you to get a feel for the person and avoid bad hires. (You can also send a temp back and ask for a new one if they aren’t working out.)
- Hire fast
Hiring temps is much faster than hiring permanent employees. Your recruitment consultant will handle all the checks, initial interviews and payroll, freeing you up to focus on your job.
- Keep projects on track
Project falling behind schedule? Take on a temp (or several) and you can still hit that deadline.
If you’d like to explore your options as an employer or as a temp, get in touch with us today to discover how we can help you.