Most staffing companies and their clients hire people they refer to as “temps.” Temporary services and their associates became popular in the 1950s. In the 1970’s temporary services became the norm for many companies, especially in office operations.
Since the 1990s, hiring “temps” is prevalent in all segments of the work society, especially in the industrial sector, distribution, IT, call centers, engineering, and more. In many areas, especially the industrial sector — sad to say — temps are not respected, sometimes for just cause.
A temporary associate may tend to think of the job assignment as less than a regular job, perhaps as a fill-in for the client or for themselves who might be between jobs. Or they might think they or the job is not essential. Often, a “temp” will decide to take another position without notice since the one they are working is advertised to them as “only temporary”.
According to the ASA (American Staffing Association), 72% of temporary workers find a full-time job through a staffing firm. Why isn’t this higher? The agencies that assign workers to roles often refer to the jobs as TEMP or as TEMP-TO-HIRE JOBS. These jobs are not TEMP positions! They are TRIAL to HIRE positions, not Temp-to-Hire roles.
Trial to Hire is the way we hire. It is not a new concept. The practice was born out of the employment “probationary period” in the world of human resources. It should be used in the world of staffing for contract and temporary employees.
According to our research, 90% of area companies contacted wanted to hire team members full time, either on their own or through a service, within 90-120 days. Most employers said they wanted to try out the employees before they hired them to their payroll.
In the past, the hiring philosophy of most companies was to use staffing agencies for all hiring of hourly team members. Every company said they did not want anyone to be temporary employees except for certain projects or seasonal work. They wanted team members to be happy, productive employees employed with their company.
The Job Finders Way calls for company leaders to get on board and give your staffing associates something to look forward too. When an associate has been presented an opportunity as a “trial to hire,” it means they and the company will work together to assure a good working relationship.
Perhaps the associate will try a few different positions within the company making sure there is a right fit before committing long term.
The associate is on a 90-120-day job interview. The company is on a probationary status too. Once completed, the team member may be asked to join the company team directly.
Each company team member should work as hard as they can to make the associate welcome. The company should not treat the associate as a dreaded TEMP that is associated with being a loser who will leave in three days.
Instead, they should treat them with respect, the respect that any new person gets when starting a position. The team member should receive training as regular employees and be expected to meet the same goals as an off-the-street-hire.
Under the JobFinders Way, we recommend a mentoring process during the first 90 to 120 days which has a positive outcome on retention too. A mentor is that key person in the company who will take the Trial to Hire associate under their wing to answer questions people are afraid to ask. They will inform new people on “Who’s Who” in an organization, where to park, what to wear and more.
By the 90-120th day, the Trial to Hire employee will be ready to work as a dedicated employee for your client company. When that happens, you have a win-win scenario for you and the associate.
Businesses have learned that Trial to Hire programs works! When the client and the team member have a mutual respect, an understanding of the 90 -120-day interview process and good communication amongst themselves, as well as the staffing company, it is a win-win for all.
