Why bring in temporary workers if you're not going to get a full day's worth of work out of them? Obviously, if you've hired a temp, you need some extra help. To make sure the temps you've hired really are helpful during your company's crunch time or can efficiently fill in while a staff member is on leave, take the following advice:

1.Planning pays off. Before work starts, contact your personnel department or a representative from a temporary employment agency and explain your needs.

2.Ask your employees. First, solicit suggestions from your staff on how and where temporary workers should be used. Second, ask
employees for recommendations for temp job candidates. Third, if a recommendation pays off, consider giving an appropriate reward.

3.Communicate. Tell your employees what's going on. Even the most secure employees may feel threatened if they suddenly see
new faces in the next cubicle.

4.Be prepared. Allocate workspace and round up a phone, computer and other office supplies the temporary worker might
need before the temp arrives.

5.Who's the boss? Assign someone to meet the temporary worker at the door. Have that person introduce the temporary worker to
the person who will oversee their work and to other temps and full-time workers who will be working with them or are in adjacent
spaces.

6.Be specific. Tell new temporary workers exactly what you want done and be clear about work rules, office routines, daily starting
and quitting times and the length of the assignment.

7.Set reasonable objectives. Don't expect a temporary receptionist to know everyone's name within five minutes or a file clerk to
immediately understand all the peculiarities of your system. Be realistic, but challenging, about what a newcomer can accomplish.

8.Give feedback. Ask a supervisor to check in with the temporary worker to evaluate their progress and answer any questions.

9.Show some respect. Treat temporary workers the way you'd want to be treated. Even if they will be with you for only a short period of time, they should be treated like other members of the team.

10.Temp-to-perm? If you are using temporary workers as a means of identifying potential employees, let them know what your plans
are. That information may be the extra incentive necessary to motivate superior performance, and it could help you spot a valuable new addition to your team. How Long Do Most Temp Contracts Last? You can contract for a temporary worker to help out at your company for a day or a week or months at a time. There really is no set time limit just a mental limit to how long a temp can be a temp. While some temps enjoy the satisfaction and security of working for one employer for weeks or months at a time it usually is not a good idea to employ temporary workers for so long that they begin to feel like full-time employees.