How to get the most from your temporary employees.

Selecting the right firm for your needs is certainly the first step towards yielding the most benefits from the temporary employees it sends you. But to tap their complete potential and ensure productivity, you should take as much care managing temporary employees as you do full-time employees.

When temporary employees arrive at your office, greet them enthusiastically and thoroughly explain the assignment. Set attainable production goals. Don't overload them with too much information at once. Introduce temporary employees to your full-time staff and explain to your staff what the temporary employees will be doing, how long they'll be there, and why they were called in.

On their first day, check up on temporary employees in a couple of hours; then review their work two or three times a day thereafter. This will ensure that your project deadline is on target and that the work is accurate and meeting the standards of quality you set.

When the project is completed, evaluate the job performance and compare it to your original time and cost estimate. Did you get your money's worth? Contact the staffing firm and let them know if you were pleased or displeased with the temporary employees performance.

If the temporary employees performed unsatisfactorily, see how the firm responds. If it is a competent, professional agency, those instances will be the exception; not the norm. After a few months evaluate the firm's overall record. If it's not what you expected, it may be time to try the firm that came in second.