In today's flexible and rapidly changing business world, the significance of contract recruitment cannot be overstated in its ability to help companies meet complex staffing needs. Particularly post Brexit, where business uncertainty looks set to persist until Article 51 is finally triggered and terms confirmed, employers are reluctant to commit to expanding their workforce via an influx of permanent roles. Let's look at some of the benefits:

Flexible, Skilled Staff

Contract workers are often highly skilled and available for projects that would otherwise be difficult to staff. They will cost more on a day rate compared to a daily salary, but not have the associated employer costs of pensions, workplace packages and so forth. The interim nature of their employment removes a permanent liability from the employer's books and provides the ultimate in flexibility for an evolving business model.

Workers to Suit All Needs

There are a vast range of applications for interim contract recruitment roles. These include maternity cover, secondments, project roles, mentoring placements, consultancy work, change management, stop gaps for headcount issues, cover for unforeseen resignations, long-term sick leave or absence cover, trial of new roles, new business servicing and interim senior role placement. Often, permanent senior and specialist roles can take a long while to recruit for successfully, but interim contractors can be hired very rapidly. Their skillsets and experience also make them naturally suited to quickly settling in and getting to grips rapidly with the requirements of the role.

Talent to Upskill Existing Staff

Contractors can change the makeup of an existing team and help it to evolve, develop and upskill. By bringing in talented and experienced interim staff, existing workers can be motivated, developed and exposed to new skills and abilities that they otherwise might not get to model and learn themselves. For example, a contractor might bring in a specialist Agile website development skillset for a new digital build and allow your in-house team to learn the same approach and capabilities on the job. In this way, the value of the contractor percolates beyond their own direct delivery and provides wider benefits across the business.

Mentoring and Training

Similarly, a good contractor can be brought in to provide specialist training, mentoring or coaching to high potential staff, where in-house resources simply aren't available to develop them to the same speed and standard. This approach can revitalise staff and work particularly well with graduates and younger, high potential team members too.

Talented People

There are always good contractors available and many will decide to contract when they have reached a stage of their career where they are looking for flexibility, challenging roles and short term contracts specifically. Contractors choose to work in this way for many reasons - to develop new skills or to diversify, to balance their home life, to increase their earning potential, to enjoy new challenges and to respond to the changing needs of the modern working world, where permanent roles are likely to become less common.

If you are interested in hiring interim communications, digital or marketing talent into your team, please contact Karl and Matt today.