No matter the manufacturing sector, there will always be fluctuations in business that require extra people to get the job done, which is why temporary workers play a crucial role in many companies.
According to the American Staffing Association, around 3 million temporary and contract employees work for staffing companies in an average week, with staffing firms hiring over 16 million employees over the course of a year. No matter the size of the company, temporary staffing can offer employment flexibility and cost savings, helping hiring managers adapt to changing demand and keep business moving forward.
Staffing firms offer a variety of light industrial staffing solutions, including temp-to-hire employment arrangements, which combine the benefits of both temporary and direct hire staffing solutions. Consider the following reasons temp-to-hire employment services can be an effective solution for light industrial companies.
What is Temp-to-hire?
A temp-to-hire role offers a probationary period in which employers and temporary employees evaluate whether the position is a good long-term fit. Once the temporary contract ends, the employer may extend an offer for direct hire. If both parties agree, the temporary worker will become a direct employee of the company instead of being employed by the staffing agency and be eligible for all benefits offered to full-time employees at the company versus the staffing agency.
During the probationary period, the employer can evaluate the candidate’s skills, work ethic, and cultural fit before assuming the added cost of a new full-time hire. On the other side of the equation, the employee can assess whether the job is right for them. If it’s not a good fit, they can move on, allowing the employer to find another candidate for long-term hire.
3 Benefits of Temp-to-hire Services vs. Direct Hire
Agencies that offer direct hire staffing services for light industrial companies will source, screen, and recruit employees to fill a long-term employment need. There is no probationary period; once an offer is made and accepted, the new hire goes straight onto the employer’s payroll. Most often, direct hire staffing is used to acquire full-time employees with benefits, but it can also be used to add part-time employees within an organization.
If hiring managers need to find a higher-level candidate for the organization, direct hire can be a great way to attract top talent to leadership roles that aren’t suited to frequent turnover. However, finding the right person for the job can be time-consuming and costly. Using temp-to-hire services allows hiring managers to “try out” an employee on the job before committing to a full-time hire.
What other ways can temp-to-hire light industrial staffing benefit light industrial businesses?
#1: Hire Light Industrial Workers Faster
A booming business is a good thing, especially in the current economic times. The last thing hiring managers want to do is turn down opportunities because they don’t have enough people to do the job. Temp-to-hire staffing requires minimal lead time, allowing hiring managers to bring on workers quickly for a brief period.
Working with a light industrial staffing agency specializing in the industry can give hiring managers swift access to qualified talent and help hiring managers complete projects on time, increase productivity, and meet production goals—without the cost and commitment of making a direct hire offer. Best of all, employers can use temp-to-hire services as a longer-term, working interview. Instead of a candidate explaining how they will perform well on the job, the temp-to-hire employee can perform an exceptional job and prove their work will positively impact the organization. If the employee exceeds expectations and the need for labor persists, the employer may consider offering them a permanent position.
#2: Temp-to-hire Services are Cost Effective
Every employer has suffered the cost of a bad direct hire at one time or another—and when employees don’t perform as expected, it can be costly to replace them. It’s no secret that employees who don’t pull their weight can affect morale and slow productivity—and the longer a position remains vacant, the more it impacts the company’s bottom line.
Temp-to-hire services make light industrial staffing affordable by allowing employers to assess a candidate’s performance on the job without incurring the payroll costs associated with a direct hire employee. In a temp-to-hire scenario, the staffing agency partner will be the employer of record (EOR) and bear the expense of recruiting, screening, and hiring workers. They’ll handle all payroll expenses, onboarding paperwork, and benefit costs during the probationary period, further decreasing employment investment while hiring managers are deciding if the employee will be a good permanent fit.
If the temp-to-hire employee has the hard and soft skills to succeed on a team, hiring managers can make an offer for them to be directly hired by the company. If not, hiring managers can move on to the next candidate—and the next opportunity for an exceptional talent fit.
#3: Increase Light Industrial Employee Retention
Turnover is expensive. By the time hiring managers source, screen, interview, train, and onboard a direct hire employee, considerable time and resources have been invested into an essentially unknown return. What happens if the new hire doesn’t have the skills or motivation to succeed in the role or discovers the work environment or company culture isn’t a great match for them? Businesses lose money—and must start the search from scratch.
Temp-to-hire services can improve retention in light industrial companies by giving hiring managers a defined period to make an informed decision when hiring workers. Carefully evaluating the abilities, cultural impact, and work ethic of each temp-to-hire employee can help hiring managers ensure they are a good long-term fit.
Using temp-to-hire services to “try out” employees can also improve retention on core teams within an organization. When hiring managers only offer permanent employment to employees who mesh well with a team, this can improve morale, increase job satisfaction, and improve productivity.
Why Hire Light Industrial Workers Through a Staffing Agency?
Temporary staffing agencies specializing in light industrial employment solutions can help hiring managers acquire top talent efficiently to fill vacancies and build a skilled workforce. Hiring managers will gain access to experienced, qualified, motivated workers who are likely to desire offers for full-time employment.
Working with recruiting experts at a light industrial staffing agency can help to fill roles faster and save money on recruiting expenses. Need a specialist or someone with specific skills to complete a project? Through a temporary staffing agency, hiring managers can find top talent and bring them on board for the length of time needed.
Partner with a Leader Among Temp Agencies in Minnesota
Doherty Staffing Solutions is a light industrial staffing agency with a reputation for delivering high-caliber workers when hiring managers need them. As one of the leading temporary staffing agencies in Minnesota and the surrounding states, our manufacturing-focused recruiters source and screen the most qualified candidates for our clients to ensure a successful match. For more information about light industrial staffing or temp-to-hire services, contact our employment experts within one of Doherty’s local temp agency in Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, or Wisconsin today.
