Timeframe and Its Impact on Temporary Help
Temporary assignment of employees through a staffing agency is widely used by many companies in practice. Clients (so-called users) of these agencies primarily value flexibility and the ability to transfer administrative burdens to an external service provider. However, the smooth provision of temporary help is influenced by several factors. In addition to communication and a clear job description, time also plays a significant role. This text focuses specifically on that factor.
The Time Factor in Providing Temporary Help Services
Client involvement in the operation of temporary help
When arranging temporary help, attention is often focused on the agency’s response speed and worker availability. In practice, however, the time investment on the client’s side plays an equally important role. Without taking this into account, stable operation of temporary help cannot be expected, even if workers are supplied in the required numbers and on time.
Client involvement does not relate only to the initial assignment. Time must be devoted in particular to the following areas:
- handover of specific work procedures,
- on-site training,
- setting up shift schedules,
- ongoing coordination and operational changes.
Each of these activities represents a certain time burden, which is usually concentrated in the first days and weeks of cooperation. The less prepared this phase is, the longer it takes for temporary help to translate into actual operational performance. Practical experience also shows that time devoted to management and coordination is not a one-off effort. Even in an established cooperation, it is necessary to count on the ongoing availability of responsible persons on the client’s side, typically during changes in project scope, shift adjustments, or workforce turnover.
When temporary help services actually begin
The start of this staffing service can be dated to the moment when a company knows it will need temporary employees. This most often concerns seasonal peaks, the launch of a new project, or a short-term increase in workload. It is precisely at this stage that the time factor plays a crucial role.
However, many users underestimate this period and contact the staffing agency too late. A temporary help provider is not able to deliver the service immediately. Therefore, it is important to act with sufficient advance notice, which helps to avoid time pressure and unnecessary stress.
Different time horizons of cooperation
Staffing agencies typically offer various types of personnel services – from short-term capacity supplementation through temporary workers to recruitment, onboarding, outplacement, or outsourcing. In the case of temporarily assigned employees, however, the key decision remains the method and scope of using temporary help services.
From the user’s perspective, this may either be a solution limited to a specific period or a long-term cooperation with regular provision of workers. These approaches differ not only in duration but also in planning requirements, coordination demands, and the level of client involvement in the day-to-day operation of the service.
With one-off use of the service, cooperation parameters are set firmly from the outset. The client defines the number of workers, the duration of assignment, and shift arrangements, and changes are usually not expected during implementation. Each cooperation stands on its own and ends once the original assignment has been fulfilled.
By contrast, in continuous service the assumption is that the need for temporary workers will recur over time. Cooperation is therefore set up on a long-term basis and relies on pre-agreed parameters and mechanisms for their adjustment. Individual assignments build on one another, and both the company and the agency work within a familiar environment and roles, which shortens preparation for subsequent periods and reduces the need to repeatedly reset basic processes.
