It often happens that a company might need a person or two to fill a position for a few months or for a project that they are working on. They don’t want to hire a full-time person because their skills wouldn’t be needed after this project is done. A temporary employee sounds like the perfect choice. You don’t have to give him a benefits package and you don’t have to negotiate a salary with him. Usually all temporary workers are hired through an agency that does everything.
The job of the agency is to look for a person, interview him, do the drug tests, check his background and after he is hired, they are ones that pay him the salary, bonuses, give him a benefits and employment package. This all sounds great for your company that doesn’t have to do a lot except give the agency a call and a week or so later you have a worker. So where are the disadvantages?
The problem with hiring from an agency is their markup. Because they are the ones doing everything, a temporary employee sometimes ends up costing more than a full-time employee would. But for a company that is looking for an employee immediately with the right skills and the altitude, they have to go to a temp agency. But is the person one hires through a temp agency going to be the right worker for you? Temporary employees don’t always make the best employees. They might have problems with your company policies and rules. Sometimes they don’t work out because their skill level is not appropriate or the project runs longer than you anticipated. What are you going to do hire, someone new? Not likely in the middle of an assignment.
The pros and cons of hiring an employee are different for everyone depending on their time limit and if they can really find someone that fits the bill exactly. The best thing to do is to stay in contact with one temp agency in your area and build a relationship with them over time. That way they will better understand your needs and will be able to send the appropriate people to work for you.
