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Better Staffing Results: Smart strategies for managing temporary and contract employees in 2014

It’s a new year!

Time for a few fresh strategies to maximize the return on your staffing investment.

Whether you use administrative temporaries or IT contractors, a little up-front “homework” can go a long way in ensuring your contingent workers are productive, efficient and easy to manage. Here are a few simple things you can do to get the most from them, while minimizing co-employment concerns:

Provide plenty of detail.

The more specific you are in your initial request, the greater your staffing firm’s success level will be in providing the right employee.

  1. Determine exactly what you want temporary or contract employees to accomplish. Document tasks to be performed, skills required and your expected standards of performance. When you set clear expectations up front, your staffing provider can do a better job pinpointing the exact resources you require.
  2. Describe the environment where the employee will be working. Include details about the nature and the pace of work, as well as your corporate culture. If tools, equipment or specific software programs will be used, outline the specific training and experience you need.
  3. Benchmark your staff. Having trouble outlining requirements or performance expectations? Ask your staffing provider to test one or two of your staff members using their skills assessment software. This will help you determine which tests your temporaries should take, as well as minimum acceptable scores.

Orient both core and contingent employees.

Temporaries, contract workers and direct employees will work best together when everyone is on the same page.

  1. Prepare your staff. If you’re bringing in short-term or project personnel, be sure to clearly explain to your staff exactly where and why you are using contingent staff. Open communication will encourage cooperation and keep your employees from viewing temporary staff as a threat to their own job security.
  2. Give careful thought to what you will need to explain to temporaries in order for them to be successful. Provide a job site orientation, including a facilities and resources tour. Introduce temporary employees to both co-workers and supervisors who can answer questions and provide direction.

Train your service coordinator.

Last, but not least, help your staffing provider to help you. Bring your service representative on-site to inspect your work environment, meet supervisors and tour your facilities. The better he understands your organization, the better equipped he’ll be to provide the right types of people for your needs.

Improve Your Staffing Results with Wood Personnel

Wood Personnel wants you to achieve even better results from our Middle TN staffing services this year. Contact us today to learn how we can help save you time, money and headaches.

 

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