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All You Need To Know on How to Hire Temporary Staff

Freelance work has become one of the fastest growing types of employment in recent years. According to recent studies, 50 percent of millennial workers are already freelancers, and in the next decade, freelancers will make up the majority of the North American workforce. With job options including manual labor, digital design, consulting, and technology, the market for freelance work is huge and the demand is high.

The internet and modern technology have transformed the market for freelance work, making it even easier for people to earn extra money, enter new industries, and control their work schedules.

This free market system known as the gig economy is becoming a huge trend not only in Canada and the USA, but worldwide! In this article, you’ll learn all you need to know about temporary staff management and how to hire temporary staff for your business.

 

What is the gig economy?

The gig economy refers to a workforce primarily based on freelance or short-term contracts. It gives prevalence to ‘’gigs’’ or seasonal work over long-term contracts.

Although you may have never heard of it, the gig economy is nothing new. In fact, ‘’it’s estimated that 36% of US workers take part in the gig economy and 33% of companies extensively use gig workers’’ (source).

Plus, with the advent of the coronavirus and unemployment peaking, many people will look for new ways of making a living so we can expect these numbers to rise in the upcoming years.

This labor market is particularly favored in our day and age due to the fast-paced development of information and communication technologies, and the consolidation of digital platforms… so it’s not shocking to hear that the gig economy is growing three times faster than traditional jobs (source).

Some jobs fit particularly well with this type of employment, making them in high demand by those seeking opportunities. Here are some of the most popular and well-known positions in the gig economy:

  • Delivery services
  • On-demand jobs
  • Carpooling
  • Freelance or consultancy work
  • House or holiday rentals
  • Seasonal jobs and more

 

The most attractive thing about the gig economy for workers is the flexibility, the variety and the possibility of controlling their own time and choosing the jobs that interest them the most according to their schedules. It also offers the possibility of working for a company that is located in another continent or country. Hello globalization!

What is temporary staffing?

Temporary staffing consists of hiring employees to perform a fixed-term job. This hiring can be done directly, meaning the company finds and selects the workers or indirectly by hiring a staffing agency.

Companies need temporary workers for a variety of reasons, namely:

  • Cover a sick leave.
  • Cover maternity or paternity leave.
  • Punctual accumulation of tasks.
  • Excess work in specific periods.
  • Carry out implementation projects.
  • Carry out projects with a specific duration.
  • Replacement of employees in vacation periods.
  • Outsourcing of administrative management.

Is there a difference between casual and temporary staff?

They are the same as they are both self-employed.  Therefore not entitled to paid annual leave, severance pay, advance notice of contract termination, or guaranteed hours of work.

Likewise, they can leave the company at any given time and it is very common for them to work an irregular number of hours and not during normal office hours.

They can be paid by the hour or the job and if they are on vacation, they don’t get paid.

Also, the interview and hiring process is performed by the agency from whom you book your temporary staff. These employees are often already trained and qualified professionals that are ready to work the next day.

 

Types of event staffers

So, you’re looking for event staffers? These people have unique talents and have what it takes to take your events to the next level.

The most common types of event staffers are the following: hosts or hostesses, reception staff, models, photographers, crowd gatherers, support staff, security personnel, product specialists, lead generators, presenters, artists or sales assistants.

 

How to schedule seasonal or temporary staff

Hiring temporary or seasonal employees can be beneficial for your business, especially in peak seasons.

One of the main problems small business owners face is finding qualified workers to fill job openings. When posting job openings, take advantage of your social media profiles as much as possible to spread the word that you need to hire.

The most important thing is to create an employee schedule, then you have to determine resource needs for each position and define scheduling rules. Once you have all this, it’s time for you to fill the shifts with the right people.

While offering competitive salaries and benefits is an excellent strategy to start attracting and retaining quality employees, it can be difficult to compete with large companies.

You should focus on making your business known as a great place to work by keeping your current staff happy and encouraging them to leave positive feedback on job posting sites.

When recruiting, keep in mind that it can take time to find the right candidate for temporary employment. According to studies, choosing the right worker can take up to three weeks.

In case you want to retain your temporary staff, you must analyze how you can decrease the turnover and motivate those seasonal employees to work for you again next season. This will help you lower your recruiting costs next season.

 

Tips to employ temporary staff

Hiring temporary staff may seem a bit complex at first, but these tips will make the task much easier for you!

 

1. Be clear about the worker’s profile

Not everyone has the same qualities. Carefully define the position and the tasks that your employee will perform. Although you can ask for everything, it is normal that there are professional profiles better trained for one thing or another.

If what you are looking for is to serve a large volume of people, what better way than to have someone with a good professional background behind them. If, on the other hand, what you want is to attract customers, look for someone young, with a spark and who is extroverted.

 

2. Focus on people

We all know that a team is the most important thing in a business. For this reason, you have to find someone who, in addition to being professional, fits in with the values of your business, as well as with the rest of your staff.

 

3. Seek support from your current staff

Nobody better than your current staff knows the needs of the position to be filled. For that reason, ask them about the profile you need, the tasks that you will cover and the type of person you have to be to fit in better.

 

4. Create a database with temporary staff

It’s good that you want to hire new temporary staff, but what if you could skip three previous steps? With a database with the relevant information about your workers, you can decide to rehire personnel who have already passed through your business to save time.

 

5. Consider a trial period

No matter how good a resume is, it is always a good idea to do a test period prior to peak season. There’s nothing better than getting ahead of your events and having your staff ready at least a week before starting. This way you can check how your temporary staff works and if they bond with the rest of the team!

 

6. Consider seasonal recruitment trends

It could be the case that you are looking for graduates or expanding your team. Well, your plan may be just a whim, but understanding the annual pattern of recruitment trends can help you develop a careful recruitment strategy.

It’s really important that you understand the cycles that take place in the hiring process, as trends tend to change throughout the year. Depending on the demand, seasonal hiring can be easier or more difficult.

For example, the first quarter of the year (January to March) is pretty good because companies have their new annual budget and are looking to invest part of it in hiring.

When spring comes, many recruiters start looking for young talent and recent graduates that are looking for internships. When summer vacation rolls around, people often relax and go on holidays, meaning they are not seeking a job change. This can make the process of finding and hiring new people difficult, especially if you are looking to hire managerial positions that require interviews with several people in the company.

Before fall arrives, companies tend to regroup and hiring normally resumes to fill vacant positions before the holidays or to cover seasonal needs. Some companies and industries have unique hiring cycles. For example, schools need new teachers at the beginning of summer vacation to replace teachers who will be on holidays. They are the exception, but most companies expect new hires to start before peak season.

7. Hire an event staffing agency

When hiring temporary staff, you know the season billing is at stake. Why not leave it in the hands of experts?

Our talent acquisition team follows a specific hiring process and takes care of finding the perfect brand ambassadors or temporary staff for your events or business needs.

 

Benefits of hiring an event staffing agency for companies

Hiring staff for events is a bit tricky if you don’t have enough experience or time to do it. Here are some of the benefits of hiring an event staffing firm for your company.

Event staffing agencies will:

  • Take care and manage your temporary employees.
  • Take care of training your staff and do all the paperwork.
  • Handle contract, administrative and payroll management.
  • Handle food and safety regulations.
  • Save you lots of time and stress.
  • Increase your productivity and meet your staffing needs.
  • Back up your staff in case you need more people.

Need temporary staff?

So, you’re looking for a quality temporary staff recruitment service? Look no further and get the workforce and expertise you need today. We take care of staff selection, training, contract and payroll management.

To build a brand, you have to spark interest, create compelling experiences and generate a buzz! In the past two decades, we have been elevating many brands by creating outstanding marketing campaigns and events.

Prime Marketing has over two decades of experience in experiential marketing. Our team hosts hundreds of events each year in Canada and in the USA, each of which has unique staffing needs… Recruitment is in our DNA. Our talent acquisition team will find you qualified candidates to increase your productivity and meet your needs. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!