A recruitment agency that specialises in hiring people like temp staff will allow you to quickly and easily source a suitable candidate to fill a temporary position within your business. A temporary candidate can ease the pressure internally and ensure business operations continue to run smoothly.
This article looks at what temporary work is, the type of jobs available, using temporary agencies and how to hire from a temp agency to assist you with sourcing temporary support.
It is even more essential to find the right person for the job quickly because a temp job is a short term one, and so this article will arm you with the knowledge you need to make a successful hire.
What is a temp worker?
A temp worker is a candidate who will provide short term cover. The person will generally not be on your business payroll, instead hired through the staffing agency you are using and on their payroll. The employment agency will then take care of their national insurance, pension contributions, holiday pay and, potentially, health insurance. Agency workers can work for you for a day or two, or they can be on a temporary contract for a much more extended period of time. If you are satisfied with their work, you could provide the temp worker with a long term, full-time or permanent position in future. The real advantage is that there is a lot of flexibility, so you can take someone on, and let them go, very quickly with minimal commitment. Remember, however, this goes both ways.
What kind of jobs are available for temp workers?
At Oriel Partners, we focus on PA and administrative staff, and as such, the temporary workers we provide will specialise in these areas. A worker can cover a wide variety of temporary roles, depending on the needs of the business and can be tailored specifically to what you are looking for. When taking a brief from a client, we get as much information as possible about the vacancy and focus on the culture fit within the organisation to ensure we find the perfect person. Take a look at our article on what tasks to delegate to a temp assistant.
Below we look at some typical job titles we recruit temporary staff for:
Receptionist
A receptionist plays a significant role in a business. Generally, they are the initial point of contact; the first person any client or a guest coming into your office will meet when they arrive or speak to when they are calling in. In an office environment, not having someone based front of house can be disruptive as there is no one to answer the door, receive deliveries, clear meeting rooms, meet guests, take care of health and safety etc. Therefore a typical temporary vacancy covers the front of house operation within a company. See our article on skills to look for when hiring a receptionist.
PA or Executive Assistant
It is said that a good assistant will halve your workload and a bad one will double it. Suppose your PA or EA has taken a leave of absence; in that case, a temporary candidate will not be able to know exactly how you like things done or your specific way of working. However, they will be able to ensure your day runs smoothly, assisting with the tasks such as diary and travel management, meeting scheduling, managing expenses, correspondence and basic filing and administrative duties. When hiring a PA or Executive Assistant temporarily, it is helpful that they have relevant industry experience and have previously supported someone at a similar level to you, as this will help them settle in quickly.
Office Manager
An Office Manager oversees the day to day running of business operations, so it can be hugely impactful if the position is vacant. A temporary Office Manager should be able to come into an office and ensure things run smoothly. They ensure that you don’t run out of office supplies, assist with events, liaise with IT, manage the front of house operation, and be the point of contact for problems that may arise. Every office runs differently, so it can take a little while for even an experienced Office Manager to work out how things are done at your specific company. Having an extra pair of hands and a positive and friendly attitude will allow this function to run much more efficiently, even if it is just for a short temporary cover. Take a look at our article on the skills to look for in an Office Manager.
Benefits of hiring temp workers
There any many benefits of hiring a temporary candidate, which we explore below:
Flexible
The most obvious advantage is that a temp worker can be hugely flexible to provide you with support for the specific time you need them. Therefore, you are only paying for their work hours and can terminate the booking quickly if their services are no longer required.
Skills
A temp candidate can be found with the exact skills and experience you are looking for, so they can hit the ground running when they start temping for you. The clearer you can be when briefing your temp agency about what you are looking for, the better they can match the most suitable candidate.
No commitment
A temp candidate will be paid per hour, so you don’t have to commit to them for any set time. If you are unsure how long a project will go on or how long your permanent team member may be away, that doesn’t matter.
Speed
The hiring process is quick, and a good recruitment agency should have available temporary candidates ready to go when required. This means minimal disruption within your business when you have a vacancy as they can slot an appropriate worker in at very short notice.
How do Temp agencies work?
Temp agencies will be able to provide you with short term workers who they employ directly and have on their payroll. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about adding to your headcount or think about national insurance, pension, holiday pay etc. It is all taken care of for you. Once you have given the temporary recruitment agency the brief of what you are looking for, they should be able to provide you with a couple of suitable options, and you can then decide who is the best match for you. If your needs change over time, the temp agency will be able to provide you with alternative options, but the more information you can offer them from the start, the easier it will be to get it right.
How to find the right agency
It is essential to find the right recruitment agency to match the temporary vacancy you want to fill and in the right location for your business. Here are some options:
- Google is always an obvious way to search.
- Ask your current employees for recommendations of who they used previously.
- Find out how much recruitment agencies charge as it can vary.
- Use a specialist recruitment agency such as Oriel Partners (Here are some benefits of using a specialist recruitment agency).
Looking To Hire Temporary Support in London? Oriel Partners Can Assist You!
If you are looking to find a temporary employee, we would love to help! Oriel Partners work across all industry sectors and have candidates available. We provide temp recruitment as quickly as you need them, so feel free to get in touch to find out how we can help.
