Hiring Interim Staffers Reduces Risk but not Reward

Hiring temporary workers might not be the best solution for every company, but for any organization struggling to find the ideal candidates for their vacant positions it can be a serious boon.

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There are countless factors that can make hiring interim staffers a wise strategy, but for the sake of brevity we’ll take a look at seven of the most crucial reasons to embrace this approach.

  1. Avoid Churn to Your Efficiency

Reports show that vacant positions remaining unfilled cost U.S. businesses billions of dollars in lost profits every year. Most of these positions could be filled effectively with temporary workers, providing efficient handling of the work until the ideal permanent candidate is discovered. And some businesses might even find a permanent employee is not even necessary should interim workers turn out to handle the task proficiently enough.

  1. Faster to Find

Working with an established staffing agency or proven recruitment platform such as HireJar, it’s typically much quicker to fill a vacancy with an interim candidate than tracking down the perfect full-time, on-staff employee. You also often don’t need the bureaucracy of official budgeting approval and the background checking process when working with an organization such as these.

  1. Provide Cover While Finding the Perfect Permanent Worker

Even if you do intend to eventually go the route of a permanent employee, interim staffers can be a huge benefit as they make sure projects and production keep moving forward as you seek out your ideal candidate. Some companies might fall into the trap of thinking they are somehow saving money by letting positions remain vacant, but the truth of the matter is the exact opposite. There is a reason you’ve created these positions in the first place, after all.

  1. Temporary Can Become Long-Term

One of the most obvious factors in interim workers being low risk and possibly high reward, is the fact that a great temporary worker can likely be brought onboard if both sides see it as a good match. And if a temporary worker isn’t working out, they’re much easier to replace with another interim worker than trying to replace a permanent contracted worker.

  1. Flexible and Affordable

It can’t be denied that using well-qualified interim/temp staffers is a more affordable and flexible strategy in most regards than using only permanent full-time employees. They are easier to find, easier to replace and typically don’t require the benefits and perks that are necessary with permanent employees. Of course, there is a stability and commitment tied to permanent workers that make them preferable for some positions—which is why you see many organizations using a blend of permanent employees and temp workers.

  1. Temporary Projects Call for Temporary Help

Let’s face it, a lot of projects—regardless of a company’s industry or focus—are temporary ones. It’s easy for an organization to task their full-timers with work that might not be their true strength when a big project comes up, but they’re also pulling them away from their regular work; so it’s really a potential ‘double whammy’ here, taking workers away from their actual expertise (and hurting efficiency in that area) and asking them to dive into an area they might struggle in. Why not give some interim workers a chance at the temporary project? You’ll likely be pleasantly surprised at the cost and the results, and if it doesn’t work out perfectly you can always fall back on your previous approach for the next project.  Again, not much risk and possibly great results.

  1. A Fit for Growing Companies/Startups

A new or growing company isn’t always sure where it will stand in six months, and committing numerous permanent salaries to workers you might not need down the road can be a costly error. By hiring interim workers, and/or ‘contract-to-hire’ professionals, you can move forward with greater flexibility, less risk and the likely ability to make some of these workers regular employees if your organization is succeeding.

The bottom line, when all is said and done, is that bolstering your company with interim employees has great potential benefit and little built-in risk. The real gamble lies in leaving key positions vacant while you spin your wheels trying to pinpoint the perfect permanent professional.

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