Hiring temporary employee can be a good way to take the pressure off an overworked screen printing staff.

Should you employ a larger staff year round to support your busiest production time? Or should you struggle through peak production with your current staff working longer hours and churning out more prints?

There’s a solution that can help you deal with high production periods, or even help you get through an employee leave of absence: Hiring temporary employees. Like any business decision, hiring temporary employees has pros and cons, but weighing those advantages and disadvantages can help you make the right decision for your shop.

The Benefits of Temporary Employees

Working with temporary employees can provide you with the help you need, when you need it. You can seek out temporary employees on your own, or work with a temporary staffing agency to provide you with extra help on demand. Regardless of which option you choose, here are the advantages of hiring temporary employees:

• Lower costs. Hiring temporary employees can save you money. With temporary employees, you don’t have to pay benefits or provide vacation days. When it’s time for them to go, you don’t have to worry about unemployment claims. If you’re hiring through a temp agency, be aware that the hourly rate for the employee might be higher to cover the agency’s fees; however, if the alternative is to have your employees work overtime, that cost might be offset.
• No recruiting. Recruiting new employees can take a lot of time and energy. When you work with a staffing agency, you can get a new employee without having to wade through resumes and conduct interviews.
• Commitment. While the contrary might be intuitive, temporary employees are often dedicated to providing their employers with quality work. In some studies, temporary workers outperform their full-time counterparts when it comes to productivity.
• Efficiency. Temporary workers can help your shop run more efficiently. During busy periods, you don’t want to see your skilled workers get stuck with jobs like washing out screens or packing boxes. With temporary workers to help with the smaller tasks, you can keep your skilled workers doing the jobs you hired them for.
• Expertise. Temporary workers can help you tap into talent and expertise that your staff lacks. A freelance graphic artist or temporary tech guru can help you to create better artwork for a demanding customer or help you with a one-time revamp of your website.

Drawbacks of Temporary Employees

Hiring temporary employees isn’t without its pitfalls. Here are some negatives to look at when considering taking on temporary employees:

• Training. All new employees require training, and temporary employees are no exception. Even if you’re hiring someone with screen printing expertise, they still will need to be trained to know how your shop operates.
• Safety. Screen printing shops are full of hazards, and that should be a serious consideration when taking on a temp. Temporary employees are more likely to be hurt on the job than their permanent counterparts due to lack of training and familiarity with equipment.
• Teambuilding. Temporary employees can interfere with your shop’s dynamic. Permanent workers might see temporary workers as a threat, and permanent and temporary employees may hesitate to mingle because they know that the temporary employees won’t be a long-term coworker.
• Reliability. While there are temps who are committed to providing quality work, there also are temps who might not show up if they decide they don’t like the job or if a better opportunity comes along. Working with a reputable staffing agency can offset the risk of unreliable temps, and many staffing agencies will guarantee a replacement employee within 24 hours if a temp doesn’t work out.

Deciding if a Temporary Employee is Right for Your Shop

The decision to hire a temporary employee, and how to go about doing so, comes down to your shop’s needs and your personal preference. If you know that you will need an employee for six months or less to get you through a busy period or an employee absence, a temporary employee might offer the perfect solution, and a temporary staffing agency may be able to help. Just make sure that, before you make your decision on whether to hire a temp, you’ve weighed the pros and cons of hiring temporary employees and considered how a temp will affect your shop’s culture and operations.

For more tips on hiring new screen printing employees, check out these blogs:

Traits to Look for When Hiring New Employees for Your Screen Printing Shop

How to Hire and Retain the Best Employees in Your Screen Printing Shop