Six Tips for Effectively Managing Temporary Employees

temporary placements

Whether your company has decided to bring a temporary employee on board for a short-term project or a potential long-term opportunity, you might wonder how best to manage an employee who’s not officially a member of your team. It’s true that managing a contingent staff is slightly different than managing your full-time employees. Still, it’s important to effectively manage temporary employees in order to ensure that they deliver the type of performance necessary for their roles. Consider the following six tips for managing temporary placements on your team:

Treat them as equals. All too often, temporary employees are treated like second-class citizens, as if they’re somehow less relevant than permanent employees. Today’s temporary employees come with a wide variety of education, skills, and work experience. As a manager, you should aim to treat them as a potential full-time employee; after all, they very likely will be a full-time employee eventually– either at your company or elsewhere. So, refrain from referring to them as “the temp”. Invite them to lunch with the team. Include them in company meetings that are relevant to their temporary role. In short, make them feel included as a valuable part of your organization.

Be upfront. Being completely forthcoming from the beginning is key to a successful experience with your temporary employees. This includes providing the staffing company with a thorough, detailed job description before bringing someone on board. On your temporary employee’s first day, discuss all of your expectations for the role. Additionally, be completely upfront about whether or not the temporary job has long-term potential. If you’re not sure, say so. If you know the position is strictly temporary with no possibility of anything more, be honest about that too.

Set them up for a successful experience. Your temporary employees are only going to be as successful as you allow themto be. For example, if you bring a temporary employee on board and throw her blindly into the position without any type of direction or training, you can expect her to fail. So, make a conscious effort to set your temporary employees up for success. Provide orientation and training for them– even for short-term assignments. Consider having a mentor– preferably a seasoned, permanent employee– to provide guidance, assistance, and advice to temporary employees.

Give constructive feedback. You give feedback to your regular staff members in the form of performance reviews and pay raises, so don’t neglect to give your temporary employees feedback too. Many people accept temporary positions to gain experience or with the hope of eventually finding a permanent position. So, don’t hesitate to provide them with constructive feedback and helpful pointers.

Ask for their input. Many temporary employees have years of experience in a variety of industries under their belts. Thus, when you’re looking for an opinion or a fresh perspective, don’t count your temporary employee out as a source of valuable input. This serves two purposes: first, you might very be the recipient of some useful ideas; secondly, your temporary employee will feel like part of the team, knowing you value his opinion.

Take note of impressive temps. Even if the temporary role you have open now has no possibility of turning into a long-term opportunity, that doesn’t mean that a permanent position won’t open up down the road. So, jot down the names of your most impressive temps; that way, you can request them from your staffing company should other opportunities arise in the future.

If you’re looking for top-notch temporary employees in the San Diego area, contact us today. We are a boutique staffing company specializing in accounting, finance, and administrative positions. We’d love to help locate the right talent for your team.