Temporary Work isn’t for everyone. As obvious as that sounds, there are plenty of reasons why, and “picking up the odd shift here and there” is far more difficult than it sounds. But why should candidates consider temporary or short term contract work, and what benefit does this type of staffing give a company seeking workers?

Temporary Work has it’s own set of very specific expectations, and the preparation candidates and clients have to make is actually far more trying in the short term than stepping into a new, permanent role – speed of placement is often a factor in temporary placements, so as well as having the skills and experience to do a role, candidates have to be flexible.

That’s not to say joining a company on a full time, permanent basis isn’t stressful or trying – it is. Often, the expectation when you join a company permanently is that you’re the pick of the bunch, and have beaten a group of similarly skilled candidates to the role, over what could have been months of interviews and follow up calls, salary negotiations etc etc etc… The pressure is most certainly on. Surely with Temp Work you can pick anyone to do the job…right? Is it just gap filling?

Not so. Clients will have a multitude of reasons for taking on temporary or short term contract workers – perhaps a restaurant considers a long, temporary trial of their new chefs as a diligent way of bringing new people to the team; a manufacturer could have a bumper order and need to take on supporting staff; perhaps a member of a front of house team at a medical facility is long term sick, and the team need that buzzy, customer focussed and experienced long term but temporary replacement; What about maternity leave cover? There are a host of reasons why temporary and contract work is required.

For candidates, Temporary Work is a far safer and more protected way of working than it once was. You have all the rights and protections of permanent staff; your agency is legally bound to guarantee your NI contributions and auto-enrolment is paid; holiday accrual starts from the first minute you start work; you’re often paid weekly, and in a lot of cases the temporary role could often advance to a permanent position.

At One Step, we’ve found that strong temporary candidates are incredibly driven – to retrain in a new role and gain experience; to continue working while they’re interviewing or searching for a permanent position; to return to work after long term sickness; to return to work after having children; to return to work after children have grown up and left the house; as a close-to-retirement option when full time work is no longer needed but candidates still want to work; or simply to take a break from the gruelling nature of a previous role and gain experience in another company.

So Temporary Work isn’t for everyone – but it certainly represents a flexible, sustainable and usable tool for anyone prepared to work hard and work smart!