In today’s dynamic work environment, companies are increasingly relying on temporary and contract workers for emerging needs. If they require a particular skill for a set duration of time, hiring a short-term staff member can provide an ideal solution.
Too often, however, temp workers don’t receive the same level of guidance and continuous feedback as permanent employees. If temp employees aren’t receiving the right guidance, they could become the weak link in the chain, undermining company success. But by helping them cultivate strong work habits, you’ll optimize outcomes for the whole team.
In this article, we’ll explore the distinct challenges that leaders face in managing temporary staff. Then, we’ll discuss how to resolve these issues.
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1. Who Are Temporary Employees?
2. Why Performance Tracking Matters for Temps
3. Unique Challenges in Managing Temporary Employee Performance
4. Solutions: How to Overcome These Challenges
Who Are Temporary Employees?
On modern teams, temporary employees can provide the advantages of agility, cost-efficiency, and access to specialized skills. Hiring a temp employee allows companies to leverage a specific skill set for a given project or time period without a long-term commitment.
In today’s fast-paced workplace, companies may hire project-based staff for specific initiatives. Some may also hire seasonal workers during busy times. And many companies utilize contract employees to handle specific functions on an as-needed basis. Temp workers can also handle the duties of a longer-term employee who is away on leave.
Temp Employees
Temporary employees can work for your company or a staffing agency. A temp agency may place them with businesses, or a company may hire them directly, doing its own recruiting. Temporary staff may receive either hourly wages or a salary. These short-term employees have a contract that outlines the duration of their employment with the company.
Temporary employees fall into several categories:
- Project-based staff assist with a specific initiative. They may possess expertise or abilities that are crucial for that project.
- Seasonal workers may help a company handle a higher volume of work during busy periods.
- Interim leaders or managers fill a leadership role for a shorter period of time while the company seeks a longer-term solution. They may also bring a fresh perspective that helps the company navigate change.
Temporary employees can work either part- or full-time, depending on the terms of their contract.
Contract Workers
Contract workers—also called independent contractors—are not considered employees of the company they work with. They may receive either an hourly rate or a flat fee for their services. These contingent workers may fall into one of the following categories:
- Project-based roles. These employees are responsible for specific work products or functions. They might hold a role within a larger project team, or they may independently complete a project or deliverable.
- Consultants. A consultant provides guidance on topics like business strategy, company culture, or work processes. The consultant may meet with company leaders, hold discussions with staff, and help design business plans. The arrangement may span a set number of hours.
Now, let’s explore why leveraging performance tracking in temporary employment arrangements is so important—and how to do it effectively.
Why Performance Tracking Matters for Temps
Tracking temp employees’ performance ensures accountability for achieving key deliverables. By keeping all team members engaged and maintaining high work standards, it also enhances workplace culture and morale. Plus, strategic performance tracking will guide future staffing and vendor selection decisions. If you later consider hiring a temp worker for a full-time position, you’ll have a wealth of data to support your choice.
With temp employees, you may have more oversight of working habits than with contract workers. With independent contractors, you’re typically evaluating the final work product rather than performance, as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce describes. However, you can request to review the project at different stages and provide feedback.
Unique Challenges in Managing Temporary Employee Performance
Working with temp employees or contingent workers can enhance a company’s agility, but it brings distinct challenges as well. Let’s review some of the most critical issues that can arise.
Limited Onboarding and Training Time
Temp employees are typically expected to quickly ramp up to full productivity, with minimal hand-holding. This lack of robust onboarding can lead to unclear expectations for the role or create performance gaps.
For instance, if a temp employee is hired for a customer service role but isn’t briefed on how to answer common questions and resolve issues, the employee might struggle to handle concerns.
Short-Term Mindset
As short-term employees, temps may focus mainly on immediate tasks rather than long-term team goals. They may lack investment in fulfilling core objectives or the company’s mission.
For example, a temp employee at a software development firm might focus on completing Project X, while not strongly connecting to how it advances the mission of empowering teams to achieve more together.
Inconsistent Access to Tools and Systems
Too often, temp workers lack access to company platforms, performance dashboards, and other tools that other employees benefit from. They often lack training resources that could support their growth as well. This leads to inequality between temps and permanent employees, while also limiting visibility into their work. If the situation persists, dissatisfaction and lowered morale can result.
For instance, if short-term employees lack access to goal-tracking tools, their productivity may suffer. Meanwhile, others with access to these tools may prioritize tasks more effectively.
Manager Reluctance to Provide Feedback
Managers often tend to deprioritize coaching for temp employees, not feeling invested in their long-term development. This leads to missed opportunities to improve engagement and outcomes, decreasing motivation and personal growth among short-term workers.
If a temp employee has a two-month assignment with a company, the manager might not hold weekly one-on-ones with them, for instance. However, these brief check-ins could dramatically enhance the employee’s contributions.
Difficulty in Applying Standard Performance Reviews
With shorter-term employees, annual performance reviews don’t apply. Quarterly reviews may not work either, as temps may not be present for multiple review periods. For instance, a quarterly review delivered at the end of a three-month assignment wouldn’t give the temp employee a chance to improve. Hence, companies need to implement more lightweight evaluation methods that provide contingent workers with vital feedback.
Solutions: How to Overcome These Challenges
Fortunately, managers can overcome all of the above challenges with the right performance management strategies for temp employees. Let’s dive into them now.
Pre-Defined Goals and KPIs
Set expectations for temp workers on day one. Clearly outline the key duties of the role and define what success looks like, explaining core priorities. Set strong KPIs: measurable deliverables that temps should strive to achieve.
You can craft a competency model to outline responsibilities for the position. The competency model includes a succinct overview of the role (1–2 sentences) and a brief list of core skills required. If you hire for this position periodically, the competency model will help maintain consistency in expectations.
Mini Onboarding Plans
Create mini onboarding plans tailored to temps’ needs. These plans could involve introductions to key staff members, along with brief trainings and coaching sessions. Assignment of a peer mentor will also help them acclimate to company culture and work processes.
Also inform permanent staff about what tasks and responsibilities the temp employee will handle, as Robert Half advises. This will minimize confusion and help long-term employees integrate contingent workers onto the team.
For contractors working independently on a specific project, onboarding might be more minimal. However, make sure you’re still providing introductions to key staff members, clarifying their areas of expertise, and sharing any helpful resources.
Regular Check-Ins
Check-ins can take several forms, as we’ll discuss here. Each plays an important role in shaping temp employees’ success.
One-on-Ones
Schedule weekly or milestone-based conversations with temporary staff members. Holding these one-on-ones will help the temp employee get up to speed quickly and strengthen work output. Strive to concisely share the most crucial feedback, offering tips for success. With contract workers, you could hold brief conversations at key project stages or share feedback in an email.
Team Check-Ins
Include temporary employees in team meetings as well, when appropriate. Highlight how the team’s work is furthering the company mission. Simply taking a moment to connect the dots between each person’s work and the big picture vision can dramatically enhance motivation. Temps will gain clarity on the value of their work, boosting their engagement and productivity. Praise their efforts in front of the group when they succeed in large or small ways, making their contributions visible to the whole team.
Continuous Feedback
Share continuous feedback with temporary staff, just as you would for any employee. Giving daily pointers and offering well-deserved praise will help temp employees fine-tune their performance.
Use of Performance Management Tools
Provide short-term employees with temporary access to performance management tools like goal-tracking software. Such tools will allow them to easily track goals and task completion, helping them measure progress toward KPIs. Instant feedback tools will help you deliver the bite-sized feedback they need to perform at their best.
These solutions will efficiently boost performance without overtaxing managers. Plus, they’ll help you use the right performance metrics to track temp employees’ progress, ensuring fairness.
Set Stretch Goals
If a temp is exceeding expectations, help them set stretch goals. This will challenge them to refine their abilities and make work more rewarding. Set stretch goals that are achievable within several weeks to a couple of months.
End-of-Assignment Reviews
Document key outcomes of the temp employee’s work and their fit for the role. This will inform future staffing decisions. Managers can write up an end-of-assignment review for temps or contract workers, highlighting key strengths and weaknesses. HR can keep this review in a centralized place, like a company platform, in case other departments consider hiring the temp in the future.
Hiring temporary employees can increase agility, but it also requires intentional performance management that fits their needs. Recognizing and overcoming the unique challenges of managing temps is key to maximizing their effectiveness. Strategies like setting clear goals and giving them access to performance-tracking tools will optimize their success. With the right systems and practices in place, temporary workers can perform at a high level and might even become long-term assets.
Learn how Primalogik’s software can improve performance for both temps and full-time employees. Demo our performance management system today!
