Advantages to your Company of Contract Staffing

August 13th 2015

Contract staffing is a method of recruiting and hiring workers on a contract basis for a specific period of time.  The workers are generally called contractors.

If a company decides to go down the route of hiring a contractor, there are a number of unique benefits that they can enjoy, including cost savings, quality of staff, and flexibility. 

Cost savings

• You can reduce your headcount by only engaging additional staff for a specific period of time or for a specific project.
• You are paying an all-inclusive daily rate making budgeting more manageable.
• As a company you will only pay for the time that the contractor is actually working.
• There is a reduced burden on the company in terms of administration/payroll and accounts – there will only be one invoice per week/month.
• Insurance cover – contracting company carries PI, EL and PL insurances, so the client is indemnified of the related risks without having to incur the insurance costs.
• Downsizing is more affordable. Long term contractors do not have to be paid redundancy payments, where permanent employees with over two years of service do.

Quality of staff

• If the contractor brings specialist skills to the company, they will be able to transfer some of their knowledge via training to internal staff during their engagement.
• Generally, contract staff change roles regularly and their technical knowledge is constantly growing, due to exposure to different markets, different technical environments and different user and system issues.
• Contractors tend to be highly motivated individuals who enjoy exciting projects and new challenges.
• Contractors have considerable expertise. Contractors know that they need to stay on top of their game to stay competitive. In many cases, they will have specialist knowledge, job-specific certifications and experience in several different types of tasks related to their job.
• Contractors give employers the opportunity to ‘try before you buy’. An employer can hire a contractor on an initial short term contract. The employer can then judge the how suitable they are for the job and how they fit in with the company's culture before offering a long term contract.
• Contractors can integrate seamlessly into an organisation.  They are task orientated, commercially minded and focused.  As they provide additional help and expertise that is needed, they can quickly fit in and be accepted by permanent staff.

Time and Flexibility

• Staffing challenges arise for a variety of reasons, such as business growth, demand cycles, technology implementations, and mergers. Using contract staff can help employers to bridge any gaps or shortfalls.  By flexibly adding contract professionals as and when they are needed, you can provide extra support or infuse critical knowledge into your organisation at a time when it is needed.
• Match your staffing levels with your workload and project requirements.
• Contract resources are generally available on shorter notice periods than permanent employees, and are far more likely to be immediately available to start a new contract. This overcomes the issues that arise from the long direct replacement hiring cycle.
• Ramp up your staffing levels on demand or cut back on demand.
• Easy to terminate contract staffing assignments.
• Employee numbers can be reduced quickly without having to legally make permanent employees redundant. Redundancies of permanent employees can have a lasting negative effect on the morale and productivity of employees who are not made redundant.

When you partner with a quality staffing organisation, you should expect:

• Thorough screening and assessment according to position specifications.
• Highly qualified personnel, even in tight labour markets.
• A quick response from a dedicated recruiting manager.
• Continuous recruiting by the staffing organisation means that workers are generally available when needed.
• Qualifed and experienced consultants who become part of your competitive advantage.
• A candidate who has delivered on similar projects and in a similar environment to your needs.

IT Force can help you

At IT Force, we have a proven track record of successfully placing the right people in any type of contract role.  Our established sourcing and selection processes mean that we only put forward high quality, relevant candidates, saving you time and money.
IT Force holds an Employment Agency Licence as issued by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.