Although we’re moving into 2013 with an improving economic state, many employers across the country are still hesitant to increase their hiring of full-time, salaried employees.  Whether for budgetary reasons or the desire to test employee skills before making a full-time investment, the amount of employers hiring temporary, part-time, or temporary-to-full time employees is at a 6 year high.  According to CareerBuilder, there are 8.6 billion part-time/temporary workers in the U.S. today – a drastic increase compared to only 4.5 million in 1997. These temporary employees provide an opportunity to meet employers’ labor demands while being attentive to the bottom line.

Dana Scurlock, a Staffing Manager with The Execu|Search Group’s Nonprofit division, has seen many of her clients change their mentality and open up to the idea of hiring temporary employees.  As Dana notes, “Many employers have adjusted their hiring strategy due to the amount of talented, unemployed candidates currently on the market. The recession has left a huge number of qualified professionals without work, and this is a perfect chance for employers to scoop up these individuals before the economy fully recovers.”

As temporary hiring continues to increase, one of the most important elements for employers to integrate into their hiring plan is ensuring that all temporary employees are treated as valued members of the organization. As Elisa Dammacco, a Director of The Execu|Search Group’s Accounting/Finance division, notes, “I’ve worked with a handful of candidates that have come to me for assistance when they’ve felt that they weren’t treated as a part of the organization when working in temporary roles, no matter how much compensation they may be getting. This feeling of exclusion can certainly affect the performance and productivity of an employee.”

For those employers looking to improve overall employee satisfaction for temporary employees, these are a few simple tactics that can make a big difference:

1. Introduction. Even though these temporary employees may not be part of the organization in the long-term, make sure you introduce them to full-time colleagues.
2. Make sure they have a workspace similar to full-time employees. Temporary employees should have everything they need to perform their job responsibilities well.
3. Offer your insight and guidance. Because temporary workers are new to your business and possibly even your industry, they’ll likely have more questions than full-time employees.
4. Make sure they feel like a valued person, not just a number. Remember, you may want these employees to come back someday.
5. Think of temporary workers like you would any other employee. Invite these workers to any firm-wide meetings, training seminars, after work events, holiday parties, etc.