Why temporary hires can be a good way to identify a permanent solution

Temp to perm is a winner

At Auxeris, we have always been fans of the temp to perm or ‘try before you buy’ solution to hiring. As employers and candidates, we think you should be too.

What is it?

What is temp to perm? To put it simply, a temporary contract with an option to changing to a permanent contract after a certain amount of time. This allows both the employer and the employee time to see if they are a match before entering a long-term commitment (and they can try each other out before they buy-in to a permanent contract).

Why consider temp to perm?

Approximately two-thirds, or 69% of freelancers and 63% of temporary workers in the UK moved, or considered shifting, to permanent, part-time or full-time work last year, according to a survey conducted by Bullhorn. Tania Bowers, Global Public Policy Director at the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) added that the pandemic revealed not only the need for a dynamic and flexible workforce, but also the complexities of a more fluid labour market. So with this in mind, temp to perm seems an obvious choice for today’s candidate market.

Reduce your bad hire risk

From an employers’ perspective, companies leveraging a temp-to-perm strategy can reduce the risk of bad hires by essentially putting a candidate to the test, seeing how they fit in with the organisation and how they perform with the existing team. Making a bad hire is not only time consuming, it can be costly and difficult to part ways if you are outside of any probationary period. If the candidate isn’t quite right, then you can use the time to go to market for a better fit but until then they have someone in situ doing the job.

This can be a good option for a business if they are not completely set on taking on a permanent member of the team. Whilst there is a requirement to cover holidays, all of the other benefits such as pension don't have to be put in place before 3 months have passed - even as a temporary candidate, so you have time to consider whether you have found the right fit.

Great for candidates

As a candidate, you can see how you match the role, whether it lives up to expectations and what you had hoped the company would be like too before committing to a permanent employment offer.

What it might mean for you being temp to perm

From a candidate and prospective employee’s perspective perhaps it’s easier to think of it as taking a new boss for a test drive. We have all had those moments when we have started a new job and realised there has been some major mis-selling and not everything is as was promised. You wouldn’t buy a new car without getting to test drive it first. You would never think to sign on the dotted line for something that is going to tie you in long-term without doing some research either. Temp-to-perm positions let you take a new job out for a test drive, but instead of buying a car, you're getting a new position where you get to "test drive" your job before you commit to investing years of your life. It's a way to try out your job before you are hired permanently and a way for employers to do the same. If it all works out then you know you are going to get a permanent job that is right for you and if not, then you can use the time to search for something else that is a better fit for you, without being locked into long notice periods and can genuinely give a reason for leaving that it was only a temporary job.

Auxeris has expert recruiters who understand the complexities of a fluid candidate market and have solutions for every situation, including temp to perm. We are your low cost but high quality recruitment partner.