The reality of any business is that you have to be prepared for unexpected staffing shortages. Along with the unexpected there are also the seasonal increases in workload that your company faces. We will consider five reasons why you should use a temp staffing agency to hire temporary workers.

Reduces the Costs of Overtime

One major advantage to using a temp staffing agency to hire temporary workers is that it will cut down on the need to pay overtime to your permanent workers. Along with the obvious costs of overtime there are also the following indirect costs:

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• Overworked/tired employees are more likely to become irritable
• Overworked/tired employees are more inclined to make costly mistakes
• Detrimental impact on employee morale

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Saves You Time and Money in Connection With the Recruiting Process

There is a significant investment of time and money connected with the recruiting and hiring process. This includes the placing of ads, sorting through resumes and conducting interviews and skill assessments. When hiring for just a few shifts this process is not feasible. When using a temp staffing agency they do all of this work for you.

Not only does the temp staffing agency do the work for you, but they do it well in advance. Because of their industry experience they already have access to a large pool of qualified workers that you can draw from on short notice.

Saves You Time and Money on Training

The training process of a new employee can be both costly and lengthy. In the case of hiring someone to just cover a few shifts is also not feasible. By using a temp staffing agency to hire temporary workers much of that training is done for you.

Most of the training is done during the screening process. During the recruiting process the temp staffing agency perform skill assessments on all applicants. They also provide their temp workers with additional training in order to help them develop new skills. In this way the temporary worker can walk through your company’s door with a limited need for training.

Prevents You From Becoming Under/Overstaffed

When understaffed you do have the option of asking your current staff to take on extra workload. Managing with a reduced staff can lead to the following issues:

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• Key tasks get overlooked
• Overworked employees become tired and cranky
• Negative impact on employee morale
• Increased turnover rate

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Another option you have is to hire permanent staff to care for short-term needs. This could potentially lead to your company becoming overstaffed. Being overstaffed can potentially lead to the termination costs associated with layoffs. Using a temp staffing agency helps you sidestep the issues that are related to being under/overstaffed.

Provides You with Flexibility

A temp staffing agency provides you with a flexible workforce. When you need short term workers you can simply contact the agency. When you no longer need the workers you can simply return them to the agency. You can have access to temporary workers for one or two shifts or a couple of months. You can use temps to help cover midnight shifts, which would give you the option of allowing your full time employees to work set shifts. These are just a few of the ways that your company will benefit from the increased flexibility.

The five reasons that we just discussed is a small sampling of the benefits that come from using a temp staffing agency. It really is your best option when dealing with short-term staffing challenges.