Temporary Employee With Long-Term Potential? Here’s How to Make the Next Offer

Back in the day, temporary employees were mainly unskilled office workers who did work for a handful of months, but today temps fill an array of jobs in any company.

Staffing experts know the current talent market is one where temporary workers can have a shot at full-time employment at any given moment, and will leave a temp job if they can get a better opportunity somewhere else.

Clearly, it’s in your company’s best interest to identify and hire talented temporary employees who come through your doors.

Plan Ahead

Some people work with staffing agencies because they like the flexibility of temporary work. Because of this, it’s a good idea for companies to tell their staffing partner ahead of time if the position they need to fill may become permanent. The staffing partner can then work to steer clear of a situation where a business wants to keep a temporary worker, but the worker is only willing or available to finish out their temporary assignment.

Employers also have to ensure their temporary staff members are capable of taking a permanent position. By working together with their staffing partner on a precise screening method, a company can considerably enhance their rate of successfully converting temporary employees.

It’s also crucial to think about the salary of your permanent employees in comparable jobs when you hire a temporary employee, in case you choose to transition the employee to full-time. If you contract a temporary employee at a salary higher than your permanent staff members in the same job, you may cause issues.

If you think a temporary worker might make a good full-time employee, it’s critical to plan ahead. Prior to making an offer, talk to the staffing company about your intentions and work out any related conversion fees.

Making the Offer

Because among the benefits of the temporary-to-permanent approach is hiring someone you know will be a solid fit for your business, the transition ought to be seamless, and yet, there are logistical concerns to think about.

Often, an interview process is unnecessary. However, if a temporary worker is seeking a different job than the one they are currently in, company personnel should interview the worker they would any other applicant.

For purposes of seniority and length of time served, some businesses prorate the hire date of a former temp to when the worker started with the company, and some do not. Whatever your policy ends up being, consistency is a critical principle.

Finally, a newly permanent worker ought to be correctly onboarded. It could be tempting to shorten the new worker’s orientation, but this person should have the same orientation as any new hire. Until this point, the worker probably didn’t have to think about things like the corporate mission statement, department goals or other ‘big picture’ policies. However, once someone transitions from temporary to permanent, these concepts become crucial to further success.