The Rising Cost of Employment: Is It Time to Try Temporary?
- Ashleigh Coleman
- Apr 25
- 4 min read
With the national minimum wage jumping up by 7% and employer contributions on the rise, even the most seasoned of finance and HR teams who've navigated through recessions and lockdowns, are side-eyeing the spreadsheets. It seems absolutely everything is getting more expensive, from your regular iced latte to your staff's wages.
Businesses across the UK are all thinking the same thing: how do we keep going without breaking the bank (or our backs) in the process?
As one of the leading temporary recruitment and staffing agencies in the UK, we have a tried and tested solution, one that allows businesses to create a flexible workforce that can scale-up (or down) and adapt quickly. It's called...temporary staff!
Three Reasons Why You Should Use Temporary Staff
Scale-Up, Scale Down As and When You Need
As the saying goes "you can't put the same shoe on every foot." and not every business needs a workforce that works the typical 9-5 for 52 weeks a year. With rising costs, temporary staffing is becoming less like a quick fix and more of a strategic move.
Through a temporary staffing agency like Arc, businesses can scale their workforce as and when they need, increasing their staff during peaks and reducing numbers during troughs, avoiding the financial burden of long-term contracts.
In such an uncertain economic climate, it's a big commitment to employ someone on a long-term contract, one of the reasons why 48% of employers would hire contractors to help with specific projects. It's a cost-effective solution that will allow you to eliminate staffing headaches and extra costs, you only pay for the right staff when you need them.
Access to More Quality Staff
One of the biggest misconceptions about temporary staff is quality - or a lack thereof - a belief that we can say with great confidence isn't true...especially here at Arc. Many temporary staff are highly-skilled professionals and experts in their field of work who choose temporary work for an array of reasons - none of which diminishes their quality of work.
You may question whether someone who is not a permanent member of the team integrate with the business or whether they can represent your business that you worked so hard to build? The answer is yes.
These professionals can effortlessly transition from one event to the next, whether they're stepping into unfamiliar venues, managing new teams, or adapting to last-minute changes, they do so with an unmatched sense of cool, calm, and collectiveness. Their experience in the temporary staffing sector means that they have developed the lucrative skill of adaptability, they can assess situations quickly, ensuring any issues that arise are swiftly dealt with.
They're exactly who you want on your team.
With access to a wider pool of talent, you don't have to compromise on quality - you can enhance it instead...just like you can enhance your guest experience when choosing Arc as your dedicated temporary staffing supplier.
You need high-quality baristas who can make an incredible latte even under the watchful eyes of customers? We got them. You need a chef to transform your kitchen to make it more efficient and cause a stir around town? We got them. Perhaps you need a hospitality manager like Cheryl who can oversee a room of high-profile guests while ensuring her team delivers great guest experience for your peace of mind? We do that too!
A Compliant and Secure Workforce
One of the biggest challenges for employers is managing the legal aspects of hiring and employing staff. Let's face it - it's a major headache. By using a temporary recruitment agency like Arc, you can have peace of mind by knowing that you're staying firmly on the right side of the law...always a good thing when you're trying to run a business.
From interviews and contracts and health and safety training to the ever-changing rules and regs, we handle all of it. We have a dedicated Head of Payroll and Compliance, Ginny, who not only ensures all our team is paid properly and on-time (thousands of people, every single month, without a bat of an eyelid - she's that good) but also ensures that everyone is thoroughly vetted and legally eligible to work in the UK.
We complete our right-to-work checks with TrustID, a UK government-approved identity service provider (IDSP). Through their digital platform, within minutes, they can:
Quickly and securely assess and confirm the authenticity of identity documents
Check against a national fraud database to verify the identity is not known to be stolen or false
Provide a full status report, including any work restrictions
To further enhance our compliance, Ginny authorises all new hires in line with the rigid processes established by our ISO 9001 management system. These checks take place not only considering all legalities but also taking into account an in-depth knowledge and understanding of all our client SLAs, therefore ensuring contractual compliance.
The Flex Factor: WHy More People are Turning to Temporary Work...
In recent years, the need for a healthier work-life balance has become more and more important for workers across the world. Flexibility may be considered a perk for some, but for others it's essential, which is why the growing desire for flexibility is reshaping the workforce completely.
In a recent survey, 34% of permanent professional staff said that they would consider switching to a temporary role to gain more flexibility and in a survey from Payfit, 77% of staff said that flexible working is more important to them than getting a pay rise!
We can expect to see a rise in the number of workers looking for temporary jobs, whether to enjoy the benefits of flexibility or to top-up their salaries for extra cash each month.
