Temporary staff are essential to your operations – otherwise, you’d save the time and trouble of hiring them. And even though temporary staff won’t be around forever, showing your appreciation for them can have significant benefits in the long run.
Here are five ways to keep temp workers motivated and make them feel like part of the team:
Make onboarding a priority.
When temp staff receive thoughtful, focused onboarding or training, they get up to speed on the job more quickly. Onboarding also gives you the chance to introduce new staff to your company’s culture and approach, helping them feel more at home and operate more like your existing team.
Create a buddy system.
Assign full-time employees to “buddy up” with new temporary staff to teach them about the job. This helps your temp staff integrate more quickly and your permanent staff to ensure they know their work inside and out – because one of the best ways to check and improve your own understanding is to teach a task to someone else.
Say “thank you” daily.
Expressing your appreciation through phrases like “thank you,” “great job,” or “you’re doing well” takes only a few seconds, costs nothing and has a significant positive impact on team motivation and productivity. Make appreciation a habit with both your core staff and your temporary help.
Encourage temporary staff to see the bigger picture.
You’ve hired temp staff to do a specific task, and it’s easy to forget they too belong to part of a bigger picture – but focusing only on the details can wear your workers down quickly. To keep them motivated and integrate them into your team, show them the context and share how their work fits in.
Hire the right people.
Even though temporary staff aren’t long term, it’s important to look for the same qualities that help your permanent staff members mesh well with the company’s culture. You can teach skills, but you can’t teach enthusiasm, energy or attention to detail. Work with your recruiter to find the people you need.
At THE RIGHT STAFF, LLC, our recruiters focus our efforts on the Edina area, ensuring our clients have access to the best available talent when they need it. Contact us today to learn more.
