On How To Employ Temporary Workers
Do's and Don't's for Employers, a pastiche based on recent events.
DO
DO make sure you have trained your temp to fully use all parts of your in-house database before letting them loose on it. Leaving it until four and three quarter days into their contract to tell them where to tick the "Please do not pass my address to third parties" and the "Please send me a catalogue" boxes, after they have inputted over a thousand addresses is not the most efficient use of your temp's time.
DO
- Treat your temp the way you expect them to treat their colleagues and to treat you. If you are rude to them expect them to be rude back (after all, what's the worse you can do, fire them?).
- Greet your new temp with a smile and welcome them to your office.
- Make time to give your new temp a quick tour of the office, show them important locations such as the kitchen and toilets, where the fire exits are and where they can go for a smoking break, if they smoke.
- Tell them if they can put their lunch in the fridge and how long they can take for lunch, whether there is a specified seating area in the building or if they should go outside.
- Inform your temp of any office rules within the first morning of their employment with you, rules such as 'no food / phones on desks', how smartly they should dress and if they can use their own mobile music device if carrying out menial tasks such as filing or data input.
- Include temps in rotas or tea rounds: they want to feel like a contributing member of the office, and will more than likely be happy to chip in with washing up and making cups of tea occasionally like everyone else.
- Assume your temp will know everything about your company from the minute they walk through the door.
- Attempt to undermine the authority of the recruitment agency the temp is working through.
- 'Forget' to sign timesheets or send them to the agency after the deadline: the temp may not have had work for some weeks and may need to pay their rent or mortgage.
- Be hypocritical: it must be one rule for everyone, not one for permanent staff, another for supervisors and another for temporary staff.
- Think your temp won't notice every little thing that is happening around them. They will see when you are doing something you shouldn't be and they will tell on you (after all, what's the worse you can do, fire them?).
- Suppose your temp will always agree to work all hours of the day on the same pay rate: they may be in need of the extra money, but they know they will see hardly any of it after the tax man has had his share.
DO make sure you have trained your temp to fully use all parts of your in-house database before letting them loose on it. Leaving it until four and three quarter days into their contract to tell them where to tick the "Please do not pass my address to third parties" and the "Please send me a catalogue" boxes, after they have inputted over a thousand addresses is not the most efficient use of your temp's time.