Stop treating your temp like a temp!

Sometimes a temp is treated as just that – an outsider who is brought in for a definite period of time to complete X, Y, and Z. Since he already should have the experience and necessary skills to do the job, it is fair to expect him to jump right in. No training or guidance necessary…right?

The answer is yes and no.

As you can fairly assume, you should not have to train him on the basics of accounting. That’s what you paid the agency to do – to find someone who already knows.

However, no two company does something the same way. There are certain things that a temp would have no way of knowing on his own, such as a particular deadline he has to meet or company specific procedures he has to follow. Just like you would not expect a new permanent hire to immediately adapt to your company, a temp is the same way.

Therefore, it is good practice to sit down with him at the beginning and be clear about exactly what he needs to do. This will make mistakes and misunderstandings less likely going forward. Take the extra time to help him get familiar with your organization and culture, let him know whom he should report to, check in on him to see if he has any questions, and give him feedback. The more you make him feel like he is part of your team, the more he will work for your team.

Who knows, you may be so impressed with his work that you want to hire him as a permanent employee – so stop treating your temp like a temp and more like a valued member of your organization.