What’s involved in hiring a temp?

 

Before you hire a temp, it is good to understand what’s involved in the process. Temporary employees are employed by the recruitment agency who look after everything to do with the temp’s employment, including their employment contract and payroll.

 

What is covered in the cost?

 

The total cost for a temporary employee will include candidate pay, on-costs (Holiday pay, ACC levies, KiwiSaver and statutory holidays), plus the margin or mark-up from the agency. This is usually charged as a total hourly charge rate + GST. You are likely to be invoiced weekly, as the temporary candidates are usually paid weekly. The agent will clarify your budget for the role and match accordingly, as well as make sure you are aware of market information. You should expect the candidates are paid fairly and trust that you are charged fairly, however this is not a discussion for you and the candidate to have, as this is managed by the recruitment agency.

 

Before You Hire a Temp

 

Clarify what the recruitment agency’s process is for onboarding new temporary workers.

 

In some instances, if it is a long-term temp that you are looking for, you may want to interview the candidate before agreeing in taking them on board. This is also common if team and culture fit are important, however your agent should get an understanding of this when you are briefing them on the role. Interviewing temps could in some instances be a hindrance to the process, due to the temp market moving very quickly. Temp candidates are likely to take a role where they can start immediately. Be mindful of this and try move as quickly as possible in the process to avoid missing out on high caliber candidates.

 

As temps are employees of the recruitment agency, they will already be reference checked and ready to go. If there are other checks that you require as part of your onboarding such as MOJ and credit checks, inform your recruitment consultant of this in advance. These extra checks will not be at an extra cost to you. 

 

You’ve Hired a Temp!

 

Induction

 

Make sure the temps understand their place within the organisation and that they have a proper induction to the workplace. The agency will also have their own health and safety process for temps, and should confirm with you your what your health and safety information is.

 

Performance and Communication

 

Feedback and communication are very important during this process, as the recruitment consultant wants to ensure that their temp employee is performing well, and if not, help manage the process to remedy the matter.

 

If the temp is not performing to standard, you are not obliged to keep them on and can conclude their assignment immediately. In this case, contact your recruitment agency, who will ensure the correct process is carried out.

 

From Temporary to Permanent Employee

 

If you are considering the temp to hire as a permanent employee, consult with your recruitment agent to manage the process.

 

Hiring a temporary employee is a great way to increase the efficiency of your business, with little risk. For further advice on hiring a temporary, contact us on begin@orgintalent.co.nz or phone 09 302 0647 and we would be happy to help.