As incredible as it may sound, a company mustn’t always hire people under the same job status – there can also be a team of permanent employees working together with some temp-to-hire candidates, and still achieve great results. This combination is actually the best strategy for building an effective workforce and also meeting the objectives as fast and productive as possible. But how do you know whether you need a permanent or temporary hire?
Another smart approach is to develop temp-to-hire strategies that help you replace a missing employee with another one just as skilled. Naturally, every category has its benefits and downsides.
Here’s a look at what option is best for your business.
Permanent Hire
Permanent jobs are perhaps the most common form of employment, and for obvious reasons. The security that is given by a permanent contract and the opportunity to advance in the company is highly motivating for the employee, and thus, the work performed will be most productive. Staffing agencies are a very good option for recruiting permanent employees since they can vet the candidates and provide you with people that are a good match to your firm.
On the downside, permanent staff is somehow more subjected to bad management and wrong office politics and thus develop somehow negative attitudes in time.
Permanent staffers become part of the company from some point on, absorbing its values and goals, and they truly strive to help the company progress. That allows companies to set long-term goals and plans since they are sure that their staff will be there to help accomplish them.
If the company is in the line of customer services, then permanent staff does a very good job of communicating with clients, since they become well acquainted with the products over time, and they can deal with any situation.
Temporary Hire
It has become a common practice for people to opt for temporary jobs rather than permanent ones. Millennials, for instance, seek a different type of employer, not a boss but a mentor, and are concerned with work-life balance. Since more and more people work as freelancers, companies aren’t bound to hire permanently to benefit from a persons’ expertise.
When it comes to money, hiring temporary staff is almost always the most cost-effective option. With no paying for benefits packages, companies only need to pay the value of the employees’ work for the period he/she is hired.
Companies can also use agencies to help them find the best candidate for their needs. More than that, the hiring agency is the one supporting the costs of testing and recruiting. And, when the project or contract ends, the employer doesn’t have to worry about filling the paperwork. The contract simply ends and no extra costs are needed.
The Temp-to-Hire Option
An employer can consider this strategy when he is not exactly sure whether he would like or need to hire the candidate permanently and instead chooses to evaluate his work over time and make his decision afterward. Also, this strategy is wise to be adopted when the company is not sure regarding the amount of work needed.
Many recruiting agencies focus on providing companies with the right candidates since they have the necessary expertise to recruit and better mediate the process of hiring.
Having the time to assess the employees’ skills and expertise is highly important. There are plenty of things that must be tested before hiring permanently, and this is the best way to do it. For instance, with this strategy it can be noticed whether the employee is a good fit for the team, an aspect that couldn’t possibly transpire from an interview only, to give an example.
Temp-to-hire is a wonderful solution for employees as well since they have enough time to see if they like the work, their growing opportunities, the company’s culture, and the coworkers.
In conclusion, every type of employment strategy comes with its set of advantages and disadvantages. Depending on the line of work, the amount of work, and the needs of the company, an employer can effectively choose one of these options or perhaps a combination in order to fit meet their long-term goals.