Opinion

Summer is here! Do you have the right cover to support your team?

As the sun comes out, annual leave requests tend to flood in with employees planning trips abroad, staycations and childcare during the school holidays. Are you concerned that this could lead to a drop in productivity? Or that results and outcomes won’t be achieved?

We can help you to find short-term candidates to fill any gaps and keep everything flowing smoothly. And, hiring on a short-term basis doesn’t just help with holiday cover. With a network of experienced consultants and senior managers available on an interim basis, temporary recruitment can bring numerous business benefits all year round.

Experience at short notice

Short-term contracts are not just for administrative roles, we can provide temporary candidates for senior and specialist positions within the fields of Accountancy, Financial Services, Human Resources, IT, Marketing and Office Support. The temps we place are highly-experienced, skilled employees. In many cases, they have chosen to work on a short-term contract or interim basis as a way of providing themselves with a more flexible career option.

Fresh perspectives

Bringing new talent into an organisation often brings fresh perspectives. This is just as relevant for temporary employees and in some cases even more so. Temporary candidates are likely to have worked across many different organisations, both in the same industry and outside of it. They may have experience and knowledge of different systems or processes which could work far better and introduce innovative ideas you may not even have considered.

Strategic skill sets

If there are specific short-term projects taking place during the time you are looking to cover absences, you can look for temps with the relevant skills and experience to handle these. This could help you to bring in additional experience you may not already have in house. It can also help to inspire existing employees who will be able to learn from them and develop new skills. Looking to bring in temporary skills to support a specific project is a great reason to hire on a short-term basis, whether you have a full contingent of staff or not.

Senior consultants as needed

Smaller businesses, in particular, can benefit from recruiting senior consultants on a more affordable, short-term basis to support specific projects and growth plans. There are many highly experienced, senior consultants out there who have chosen to adopt a portfolio career in which they spread their skills across different organisations on a part-time or interim basis.

Increased morale

Some employers may be concerned that bringing a short-term ‘stranger’ into an organisation may have a negative impact on the rest of the team. However, our experience shows that temporary employees bring new ideas and an added enthusiasm which can be a boost to the entire team. Team members will also feel reassured that there will be an extra pair of hands to support them, that any additional workload will not all fall on to them or that they will have the guidance and senior expertise they need.

Smooth transitions

Temporary placements can be arranged to include handover time with the person they will be filling in for, both before and after the person returns to the business. This makes the transition period much smoother for all involved. Recruiting an interim leader to cover the period between an executive team member leaving the organisation and a new candidate being appointed is an extremely effective way of keeping things running effectively and can make it a far smoother transition period.

We’ll help make sure you get the right fit

Whether it is temporary or permanent placements, we pride ourselves on finding the right person for the role and for the organisation. If appropriate, we arrange for the candidate to experience a four-hour working interview in the organisation. This gives both you and the candidate the chance to review the cultural fit and skills needed. If for any reason you didn’t think the candidate was suitable, you wouldn’t be charged for this time.

Longer term options

Once you have found a temporary employee, you may appreciate them so much you don’t want to let them go! It provides an extended interview in which you can see how they work, the results they achieve and how they fit in with the team. This puts you in the best position to know if you would like to offer them a permanent role if there is one available now or in the future. However, remember that it will depend on what the temp is looking for as to whether this is of interest to them. If they’ve chosen to work on a temporary basis to increase flexibility then a permanent position may not appeal to them. Instead, they will hopefully become ambassadors for your organisation, sharing their experience of working for you amongst what is likely to be an extensive network of contacts, helping you to attract future talent.

We’ll support you through the process

If you’ve never recruited on a temporary basis before, it may seem like a daunting process. Our expert consultants will guide you through everything, from administration through to understanding the regulations around short-term contracts. For more information, get in touch with one of our offices.

Pure Cambridge - 01223 209888
Pure Chelmsford - 01245 708808
Pure Ipswich - 01473 250990
Pure Norwich - 01603 216450

 Judith Pugh profile picture

Written by

Judith Pugh

Judith joined Pure in 2017 and is responsible for marketing the business, building our marketing strategy and delivering campaigns. Judith’s worked in marketing for more than 20 years across a range of industries – from health and fitness, horticulture, GIS software, education and now recruitment.

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