Why Relationship With Temporary Workers Are Vital: And What You Can Do To Attract Them
Almost every company needs temporary help at some point. Sometimes, these hires come aboard because a short-term project needs a particularskill set for a limited time . Other times,temporary workers help fill gapswhen employees are out for extended periods.
There are also those occasions when you must regularly rely on hiring a seasonal workforce to get you through busier times of the year. In any event, a positive relationship with temporary workers is not something to take for granted.
Investing in relationships with temporary employees builds the kind of rapport that represents an excellent long-term investment for your company.
The Real Reason Seasonal Workers Are Essential
What often seems lost on organizations is how important temporary workers are to their success — particularly for businesses that deal with seasonal spikes. If there aren’t enough hands on deck to handle increased workloads, the product simply won’t get out the door. This kind of bottleneck can negatively impact your customer base and perceptions of your brand.
Temporary workers provide a high value for businesses. You should ensure they have a positive experience while on assignment and also maintain a good connection that you can re-engage them regularly. This will save on training, onboarding, and dilution of your available talent pool.
One study found that companies spend anaverage of $1,286 on training per employee each year, which doesn’t even include the cost of onboarding new hires or replacing them due to attrition.
Reconnecting with former temporary employeescreates a feedback loop in which temporary workers want to return, which can be aselling point for new talent. Equally critical is the need to collect real-time insights while those workers are with you to incorporate those findings into your workflow later.
Showing reverence for your temporary employees’ opinions adds to the overall work experience. It also helpscreate that positive impressionputs them at ease, serving as an easy conversation starter for your hiring efforts.
How to Attract Temporary Workers
Motivating temporary workers to return can be a challenge for many businesses. Still, several tactics can increase the chances of bringing last year’s seasonal workforce back into the fold.
The following strategies are some of the best places to start when hiring temporary employees.
1) Don’t Be a Stranger
This might may sound relatively basic, but communication is just as essential to maintaining relationships with a seasonal workforce as it is with any other team. Stay in regular contact to better develop that relationship.
Let former temporary workers know about the current trends in the job market related to your business. But don’t rely on just onecommunication channel . According to MailChimp, the average email open rate is just21.3% .
Reach out via text message to make sure no message is lost. Unlike email, 90% of text messages are read within three minutes of receipt. Social media is also a great way to keep in touch by providing regular updates and value-add content.
Keep these employees, past or present, in the loop. The more they hear from you, the more likely they will help you out when you need it.
2) Offer Educational Opportunities and Insights
If seasonally hiring temporary employees is your goal, the answer could be educational opportunities and insights. And with temporary employees, more variety is always better.
How might you achieve this? These sessions can range from something as simple as résumé best practices, what recruiters look for in talent, oronline education modulesto upskill in a current position. For example, Integrity Staffing Solutions offers free online training via NextStepU, a program available to current and former associates that consists of 12 on-demand courses.
Helpful, easy-to-use learning tools keep temporary employees updated and supported. These tools also help seasonal workers get relevant insights when they most need them, creating more opportunities along the way.
3) Keep Paying Attention
You’ll run into candidates (either external or internal) who sometimes want to apply for everything under the sun. Even if their qualifications are a stretch, you’ll find their application on your desk.
Instead of ignoring candidates who might not be the best fit, take the time to listen to what temporary talent wants in a role — or their career. You might find that their experience and aspirations perfectly match other opportunities at your organization. Adding an extra layer of attention to your talent outreach strategy will do wonders for the talent pool, creating a solid blueprint for how to attract seasonal employees for years to come.
Managing and hiring temporary workers is all about cultivating experiences and maintaining relationships. Set expectations early in the process by getting to know their wants and needs, ensure a positive and rewarding experience while on assignment, and keep in touch by offering educational opportunities in the offseason to maintain their interest and show your ongoing commitment to their careers.
Megan Couch, the chief experience officer at Integrity Staffing Solutions
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