Temp agencies provide temporary staff to companies during employee absences, relieving stress and preventing backlog work. They also offer specialized services and allow employees to work for different companies. However, they lack benefits and stability, and temp agencies charge companies a fee for their services.
The purpose of temp agencies is to allow companies to continue while key employees are out of the office. This is especially useful during periods of illness, maternity leave or vacations. The word temp is short for temporary, as in temporary employment. By hiring a temp, employers don’t have to worry about backlog work in the event of an employee’s extended leave. Temporary employees can also relieve stress for those employees who are expected to catch up.
However, temp agencies don’t just offer temporary staff to companies looking for vacation or maternity supplements. If companies have special tasks to perform that are too much for existing employees, but prefer not to hire additional staff, they can turn to temp agencies. Contingent employees can work one day for a specific business or they can work at the same company for months.
Here’s how it works. Let’s say a business manager is looking for someone to handle a year-end filing project, but prefers not to overwhelm a permanent team member. The manager could call temp agencies to find someone to fill the vacancy.
The manager does not pay the temporary employee, however. Companies pay temp agencies, and temp agencies pay their own employees. Of course, they hire their own commission first. Temp agencies that charge $25 an hour may only pay $15 to $20 an hour, leaving them with a profit of $5 to $10 an hour per employee. Service providers who provide specialized services such as computer programming or accounting may guarantee a higher “per hour” rate.
These days, temp agencies are becoming more specialized. While they used to only provide secretarial or clerical services, they now employ staff of all levels. In fact, there are temporary agencies specializing in computer or accounting staff.
Those working for temp agencies also cite certain benefits. Many like to work temporarily because every day brings something new. Instead of working for the same old company day in and day out, they can work for different companies every day if they want to. If they don’t like working for a particular person or company, they can apply for a transfer. Many temporary employees are also hired for permanent employment if they do an especially good job.
The downside of temp work is the lack of benefits and stability. Many choose temporary work because they are unemployed or gaining experience. Most who work for temp agencies do not do so as a permanent career option. If you are looking for temporary employment or looking for someone to fill a short-term position, check out some temp agencies. One of them is sure to have what you’re looking for.
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