5 Ways to Motivate Temporary Employees

When your business is operating like a well-oiled machine, the sky is the limit. In order to make your business operate in such a way, staying fully staffed is essential. This is a key factor for businesses and one that many struggle with. Hiring temporary employees may present challenges when it comes to team building and the dynamics of your staff. It is key to your success to make sure your temporary employees are motivated and feel a sense of belonging within your company. How can you motivate them to be a key part of your business?

There is no doubt that temporary workers fill a valuable gap in many businesses. It is especially true during the heavy vacation months in summer, peak seasonal periods, and filling vacant positions. Students are out of school and ready to work! Hiring in many industries is done on a seasonal basis, with the peak occurring in July. That coincides with the peak vacation period for many full-time employees. Preparing for summer staffing needs can make a big difference.

here are 5 key motivational factors to put in place with temporary employees:

Hiring

One of the most important things to do is to hire people intelligently. Although it is possible to teach certain skills, you do want someone in your workforce that is going to work along with your regular employees and be self-motivated. Ask the right questions during the interview process. Discuss their feelings about setting and achieving goals, as those can be the key to having a productive temporary employee in your workforce.

Use an Agency

Rather than starting the hiring process for temporary employees from scratch, you can use a temporary staffing agency to do much of the footwork for you. By using an agency, you can easily move people in and out of the position, depending upon their skill set, motivation level and work ethic.

Training

Most temporary employees can be quickly trained to do specific tasks, but the person who is in charge of the training will make a difference. Rather than trying to do it all yourself, ask your full-time employees to train them. By acting as their mentor, they are not only providing the temp with what they need, you are helping the full-time employee to learn a valuable skill. Read more about this in the Harvard Business Review.

Offer Bonuses

The wages for temporary employees are often lower than full-time or part-time regular employees. That doesn’t mean, however, that they are not motivated to make money. Offering cash incentives is beneficial to keep those employees motivated. You may want to consider this possibility, even if you hire the temp through an agency.

Build Teams

You can’t underestimate the benefits of team building in a work environment. Being part of a team can motivate both permanent and temporary employees. Set goals and challenges, include them in departmental contests and offer prizes. When a team works well together, productivity will soar.

Conclusion

These are the primary ways to motivate temporary employees. Keep in mind, a temporary employee can fill a short-term gap at your place of business or they can work into a full-time position if the need arises. Take advantage of the opportunity to motivate those employees and it can work for you in the short term and the long term as well.