I’m calling some manager’s out for not having the cajones to deal with temps. Temporary workers are something that I’ve had a lot of experience using and there’s some good temp agencies and some bad. Is it just me or does it seem like managers don’t know what to do with temps upon termination?
When it comes to employees managers seem to coach an counsel and even upon termination try to explain the procedures that will occur thereafter. But when it comes to temps, more often than not, managers pick up the phone, call the agency and let them handle the dirty work.
Is it just me or does this sound wrong to you?
Perhaps manager feels “ain’t nobody got time for that” or it’s not their responsibility. Or maybe it’s simply not knowing how to deal with a temp.
But I can’t help but feel like it’s the temp that ultimately loses in this ordeal. Relationship building with temporary employees (and their agency) is an important tool to use in your recruitment tool belt. If you abuse your temps, the agency won’t send you the top talent. And if you don’t give feedback to the agency (or the temp) you won’t build top talent. It’s kind of the chicken and the egg theory.
Ultimately I’m a big fan of the correction/termination coming from the manager and a follow up with the agency over the phone.
Here’s some tips on how to gracefully tell a temp to GTFO:
- Specify why it is that your releasing them, give specifics (performance, reduction, etc.)
- Thank them for their service and tell them to contact their agency upon leaving to get reassigned.
- Let them collect any personals if they have them.
- Call the agency, let them know and specify the actions (or inactions) from the temp – so the agency can recruit based upon that criteria.
Develop communication with your agency representative where they know specifics of your great temps and your not-so-great temps. Also, you never know when you have a temp who maybe didn’t work out or you didn’t need anymore returns as an employee.
HRTact 