In the current economic situation, the strategy of using temporary help as a means of balancing workload demands and company budgets has become an increasing trend. The benefits of utilizing a “temp’s” abilities in an office environment not only creates simplicity for employers, but also allows the temporary “employee” to gain experience in the work force. Let’s look at the pros and cons of this significant trend through the experience of two “temporary workers.”
First, the experience of Rachel Vincent: on the “pro” side, speaking from my own personal experience as a “temp.” When I joined my company four years ago on a temporary assignment basis, my employers were hesitant about hiring a temporary worker. They needed help, but they wanted someone with creditable work experience. At the age of 17, my work experience was limited; however, my employers were in a bind in terms of their workload and decided to take a chance. However, the result was beneficial to both sides—I gained solid work experience and my employers found a worker they could believe in enough to hire on a full-time basis.
Throughout four years with the company, I have been promoted from “temp” to secretary, to assistant copy editor, and now have gained the full-time position and title of Executive Processing Assistant. As my experience and understanding of the company’s needs have increased, my responsibilities and pay have increased greatly.
Why would people be hesitant about hiring temporary help? One reason is the highly competitive business environment today. For instance, according to the president and co-founder of the linen distribution company I work for, his fear of “corporate sabotage” inhibits his agreement for utilizing temporary workers.
This is not unreasonable, as any newspaper business section today will attest. My employer spent many years working his way up the corporate ladder. He has had his fair share of triumphs and disappointments, but he has also experienced the cutthroat world of “business politics.” The president’s consciousness of competitors overtaking his business has caused him to watch his employees very carefully.
When I was originally hired, it was for a part-time position in an Atlanta-area based office. My supervisors took a personal and professional risk on hiring me. They understood their boss’ fear about using temporary help, but they also knew that without someone’s help they were going to continue to struggle relative to accomplishing their business goals and objectives.
One supervisor said, “It was not only a risk for the company in hiring a ‘temp,’ it was a possible threat to my own job.” In hiring me, my two supervisors put themselves in a vulnerable position. Nevertheless, the additional help made a difference in achieving their success. Temporary help presented a “win-win” situation.
My personal and professional benefits have created a stable career, the ability for growth in the work force, and have given me a multitude of experience in and out of a “team” environment and independent work. My employers have also reaped the benefits of my success. For example, there are fewer late nights spent at work on the part of personnel, which decreases the stress in our office environment.
According to my two supervisors, my help has lifted an fair amount of stress from their shoulders. “Now, I have more time to place a greater effort towards creating my customers’ satisfaction,” said one. “And, with your help, ‘work’ does not need to follow me home, so I am able to spend more time with my family,” stated the other.
The president, though he continues to hold his defensive view towards competition, states, “Business is about gambling and risk taking. I did not get this far by being cautious, and, while I will continue to be ‘protective’ of my status in the industry, hiring you has shown me that ‘temps’ can help my office environments flow more simplistically.”
Another View of Temporary Work
Now, here’s another perspective on “temporary work” from Stacie Higdon:
The company that I work for has always been more than willing to use temporary help in their offices. My employers feel that having temporary help in the office enables them to utilize employees that they would normally not be able to afford on a full-time basis. I work for Mohawk Commercial Group in Kennesaw, Georgia. I have been working there for one month and I started out as a temporary assistant.
When I started at Mohawk, I was told that I would have a 90-day trial period and during that time they would scope out the skills that I had gained at a previous marketing job and see if I would be an asset to their company on a full-time basis. At first, I thought that this opportunity would be like most “temp” work and, once the company caught up on it’s backlog, the job would end. Rather than having a “transitory” sense about the job, however, I have been working at the company for one month now and have been made to feel “included” in the team of other employees around me.
I was told I was hired because I would soon graduate from Kennesaw State Univestiy with a degree in English. This English background was a vital asset to Mohawk because they produce so much literature that goes with their products.
My education has been put to the test! For the past five weeks, I have applied my knowledge by proofing and rewriting many brochures for the company. My boss told me that the company needed someone in the office who had good English skills so that person would be able to proof and write 80% of the literature that comes from the company!
The Human Resources Department did not have a budget to hire someone permanently, so my supervisor ultimately decided that if he could get a temp and prove his or her worth, maybe he would have a chance to develop a fulltime position. This is a popular and highly cost-effect business strategy for evolving job needs within a business. By applying a limited investment in the new position, it can be determined whether or not the new job description is an appropriate solution for a business need – if so, the job can be developed into a fulltime position.
The problem the company faces that I am helping is that most personnel have so many business responsibilities already that it is difficult for them to proof and write all of the literature necessary. At the time I came onboard, employees were spending more time proofing work than they were writing it. It was very difficult for them to have the time to fulfill all of their responsibilities and find the time for something an English major would find so easy. That is where I came in.
As with any new job, when I began, I started with smaller jobs so my manager could “break me in,” as my boss said. “I wanted to make sure that you could do the job.”
My first big opportunity came when I was asked to write a description for one of the new products they were going to introduce at an upcoming trade show in Chicago. Little did I know this one small page of writing was going to make or break me at the company. After I finished writing this statement, I was told to go and present it to the head of Marketing. The write-up that I presented proved to be a success, and I was asked to write all of the product descriptions for the company’s upcoming trade show in Las Vegas.
Thus, working as a “temporary worker” gave me -- a newcomer to the business world -- a terrific opportunity to prove myself, and a good chance at helping develop my job at Mohawk into a permanent position. Through the temporary position, I have been given an opportunity to demonstrate my work skills to the people that matter. As a result, they feel like the company can really utilize my skills as an English major and put my talents to work for them. My supervisor told me that many companies operate this way because of their budget and as a means of trying out new talent.
Was this a “win-win” situation? You bet! I was hired as a “temp,” and now I have an opportunity to write product descriptions for the largest carpet company in the United States.
The “Net Value” of Temporary Work Today?
These two real-world experiences demonstrate on an anecdotal basis that the
application of temporary workers can prove an effective business strategy in
today’s uncertain business environment. First, temporary workers can help
meet business needs in a cost-effective manner that gives companies the flexibility
to make rapid workforce changes in uncertain economic times. Temporary jobs
also serve as a mechanism to “test” the merit of new job “solutions”
in a constantly changing business environment.
On the side of those hired, applying temporary workers also yields opportunity
for new talent by creating a means for individuals to prove their economic worth
for fulltime work, while also helping serve as a method for companies to find
employees who are a good match for their corporate culture.
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Copyright © 2002 by Rachel Vincent and Stacie Higdon. All rights reserved.
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