Benefits to hiring contract / interim staff
The number of temporary workers in the UK is on the rise. As of March 2022, there were 1.7 million temporary workers, up from 1.45 million in 2020 and that number is set to continue climbing. This is mainly due to the ongoing pandemic and the shifting change in attitudes towards working culture. Many young workers are either burnt out or tired of doing repetitive mundane tasks and want the thrill of experiencing different companies and challenges.
Of course, this ongoing change has also affected businesses. The continual shifts towards digitalisation and hybrid working, being faced with supply chain shortages and having to adapt to changing marketplaces mean that organisations are in constant flux. No longer can they sit back in a comfortable holding pattern and continue on as they once did. They must be ready to evolve at a moment’s notice or perish.
As with any big change or expansion, new staff are almost always a must, and with them come challenges. Hiring is expensive at a time when money is tight, time-consuming when time is of the essence and a bad hire can throw off your entire team. So if you have a big project on the cards or are navigating a period of transition, it makes sense to tap into the wealth of skilled temporary workers available.
Your permanent staff members are naturally the backbone of your organisation, but bringing in contract staff can really bolster your business. Interim staff have their own unique benefits which we will discuss now.
Reduced costs
Having a large workforce on the off chance you’ll need them one day is, to put it mildly, less than ideal. Far better to scale up when the need calls for it, and that’s what hiring contract staff is perfect for. Quickly add more members to your team for a short period based on current demands and then release them once they are no longer needed. Interim staff are, by their nature, temporary and don’t require an annual salary. They also don’t need additional training or development.
Flexibility
You never know what’s around the corner. In a world where software continues to evolve and new markets open up, it’s incredibly difficult ensuring that your permanent staff are fully trained in all areas. That’s where the flexibility of contract staff is perfectly suited to immediate market needs and demands. Bring in those with the skills that you need right now and hit the ground running. Interim staff are also used to working in many different teams, so their flexibility will be an asset for teamwork.
Time-saving
As noted, temporary workers are highly skilled in their niche areas and can get to work immediately. They make an instant impact in your company as no training is necessary. You also don’t have to make sure they’re a perfect fit in a team or familiarise them with your systems. For a permanent hire, this process could take weeks. When you’re bringing in interim staff the hiring process is much quicker. The average hiring process in the UK is 27.5 days. That’s over three weeks of a position going unfilled. Of course, if you use a reliable recruitment agency, they’ll make sure you’re set up with the right people immediately.
Fresh perspectives
External workers bring with them external perspectives. Their experiences working on many projects in numerous teams will give them viewpoints and ideas that your static permanent employees might lack. Contract staff will be up-to-date on training and best practice standards, which might bring added benefits to your team. New perspectives are always a good thing for a business and the more interim staff you hire the more new perspectives you get.
Niche skills
Looking to expand into a niche area or need a highly specialised set of skills for a new project? Don’t spend months training up your existing staff for a one-off job, simply hire a temporary worker who already has all the skills you need and is accustomed to working in that niche area.
It doesn’t have to be temporary
Despite the name, temporary workers don’t have to stay that way. Think of it as a try before you buy scheme, where you can try out a new role or worker in your company before you commit to it, or them, long-term.
In short, there are many benefits to hiring both contract and interim staff. You will be able to react quickly and decisively to market changes and scale-up big projects while saving money, time and resources. Efficiency is the name of the game for business success, and hiring managers should absolutely consider the advantages that temporary workers can bring to their organisation.
If you’re looking to take the next step, WSH Recruitment is a privately owned business with over 20 years of experience in our core market sectors including Finance and Accounting, Technology and HR & Talent Acquisition. Our services include permanent, contract and temporary recruitment, career advice, CV writing, interview preparation/training and market advice.
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