Contract Staffing: Solving Seasonal Workforce Needs

Richard Branson quoted that his biggest motivator is the desire to solve real-world problems.

Presently what is one such problem faced by various organizations that are driven by seasonal demand fluctuations?

Seasonal Fluctuations in demand is one of the main characteristic of Tourism, Hospitality, FMCG and FMCD sector. As the demand surges, requirement for manpower also increases and vice versa. Seasonal workforce is the demand for temporary employees during specific times of the year when businesses experience a surge in activity. Managing such seasonal workforce needs is getting difficult with changes in the world of work.

These seasonal hires help to manage increased workloads and increase productivity without the long-term commitment and costs associated with permanent employees.

What is Contract Staffing?

Contract staffing is also known as temporary or contingent staffing. The organizations hire workers on a short-term basis to meet specific business needs. Staffing agencies help companies to hire such staff for a defined period.

ManpowerGroup provides temporary staffing solutions to organizations of all sizes. Their expertise ensures that companies have access to a skilled and qualified workforce.

A client of ManpowerGroup is a leading company in electronics. They wanted to launch a new product across Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities in India. They needed well trained and experienced talent for brand promotion.

ManpowerGroup understood their requirement and chalked a plan of action meeting the timelines of the launch. They employed an experienced and agile sales force, conducted a briefing session, more like a training session on the product to be launched, arranged for their uniforms based on the brand guidelines and deployed this workforce a week before the launch to acclimatise them to the shop floor. This built their confidence which in turn enhanced the brand experience. They've started recruiting talent from cities in tier 2 and 3. The results were impressive as the company entered new markets during the festive season and their sales increased by 25% as compared to the previous year. Click here for more success stories.

So, let's see the benefits of Contract Staffing for Seasonal Workforce Needs.

• Contract staffing allows businesses to be flexible to meet the changing demands. They don't need to commit to permanent hires for the long term.
• Contract workers are paid on an hourly basis or as per the amount fixed in the contract, the company need not bear the costs associated with benefits, training, and recruitment. This helps companies reduce employee costs.
• Staffing agencies specialize in finding top talent and ensure that the businesses get the skills they need to meet seasonal demands. Companies can focus on business development instead of wasting time in the recruitment process.
• Staffing agencies handle complete aspects of employment and management of payroll and benefits. The company’s administration staff is freed from additional administrative burdens.

Best Practices for Implementing Contract Staffing

Organizations can follow a few best practices to effectively integrate contract staffing into their workforce strategy.

• You should define your needs and requirements in terms of the specific skills set, number of contract workers needed, and duration of the work. You should define the tasks, responsibilities, goals, and expectations for the contract worker. You need to ensure that all industry, regulatory and compliance requirements are met.
• Before teaming up with a reputable staffing agency, thoroughly research and choose one that has substantial experience in your specific industry. Make sure they have a strong reputation and positive reviews from clients and contract workers. Review in detail the agency's contract terms, pricing, and payment structures.
• You can develop a comprehensive onboarding program for the contract staff so that they know about the company’s culture and ethics. Job-specific training and orientation will give them a boost to start work on a positive note.
• Do integrate contract workers into the existing team and encourage open communication and collaboration between contract workers and permanent employees.
• Do have a regular review process in place to evaluate contract worker performance. Do address any performance issues or concerns promptly and fairly.

Conclusion

We quote Richard Branson again here - The best way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. Connect with ManpowerGroup for all your contract staffing needs.

Communications Team
The communications team at ManpowerGroup publishes incisive blogs, articles, and white papers that are deeply rooted in the developments of the world of work. If there is a topic you would want us to address, please contact us at [email protected].
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