Will Temporary
Workers Work for You?
A TEMPORARY PROFESSIONAL COULD BE THE SOLUTION FOR SPECIAL
PROJECTS OR BUSY PERIODS
Large companies have long hired
temporary workers at extra busy
times or to help with special proj-ects.
Many smaller companies have
been more hesitant to do so, but are tak-ing
the cue from their bigger counterparts
– particularly due to the time and diffi-culty
it can take to find the right full-time
employee or a lack of resources to do so.
“Smaller companies don’t necessarily
always have the skills they need, so tem-porary
workers provide that specialized
skill for a defined period of time,” said
Dianne Hunnam-Jones, Canadian dis-trict
president for Accountemps, a firm
that places highly skilled candidates
into temporary accounting and finance
positions. “For example, we help small-er
companies when they have a peak
workload. They might have landed a
big account and do not need a full-time
person, but there is an increase in work-load.
They don’t want to spend their
time training. It’s expensive. They want
someone with key skills who can hit the
ground running.”
Hunnam-Jones says that many compa-nies
will also use a temp agency in their
search for a full-time employee to see if
they are right fit.
“It takes a long time to hire – partic-ularly
in finance and accounting. We did
a survey recently that showed it took 49
weeks to fill a full-time position.”
Specialized firms place temporary pro-fessionals
in contracts that can last a few
days to several months. Some companies
require a temp to help keep the workflow
recruitment
going while another may need a fill-in for
a maternity leave.
Danley Yip, branch manager for Robert
Half Management Resources, says that
within accounting and finance, compa-nies
often need professionals who can
help them cut costs, increase operational
efficiencies, meet regulatory requirements
and improve accounting processes.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
So when is the right time to bring on a
temporary professional?
“A company should consider bringing
in a temp when there is expertise re-quired,”
said Yip. “Companies today are
requesting consultants to support a vari-ety
of projects, including internal audit,
financial and SEC reporting and tax.”
By Lisa Kopochinski
Iiravega/Shutterstock
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ OCTOBER 2014 ❚ 35