Benefits of hiring contract workers.

Contract workers are employees who work under a contract for an employer. They are hired for a specific task at a fixed rate of pay. A contract employee doesn’t become a regular addition to the staff and is not considered a permanent employee.

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Contract workers are a great way to ensure that there is no shortage of manpower when there is a task at hand that needs to be completed within the deadline. There are several other advantages of hiring contract workers. They are as follows:-

1. Cost-effective — contract employees come with a fixed cost and there are no additional costs to be paid to them. The cost is mentioned in the contract, before employing them. Apart from this, the company doesn’t pay any perks or any other benefits. This helps the company save a lot of money.

2. Flexibility — the major benefit of hiring contract workers is the flexibility the company has.

Contract workers help companies to respond to changing market needs and demand as they happen. They are flexible to work in different locations at different time periods as well.

3. Faster employment — hiring contract workers for a task is a way faster and quicker process than hiring a full-time employee. They are available to start at a short notice and get on the task immediately.

4. Skilled employment — contract workers are highly skilled and have a specific skillset. Their experience and expertise can be used to provide immediate solutions, without on the job training.

5. New perspective — contract workers are outsiders to your organization. So they might have new and innovative ideas to improvise things. By hiring contract workers you will always have the opportunity to get access to new perspectives.

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The other benefits of hiring contract workers include:-

1. Easily available.

2. Have ample experience.

3. Highly motivated.

4. No legal issues.

5. No taxation needed.

6. Easy to hire for full-term employment.

7. No need to be trained.

8. Can work offshore as well.

9. No employment benefits.

10. Highly productive.

As we can see above there are a lot of benefits by hiring contract workers. In today’s changing times with demands changing frequently and clients expecting so much more, contract workers act as the most economical solution. They are not only cost-effective but equally productive and benefit the organization in more ways than one.

Hourly work-a few reasons why businesses should try on-demand staffing.

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On-demand staffing is a way of employment staffing, where employees are employed only if there is a demand for their skillset. So basically it means, employees work on a temporary basis, where their skillset can be used in order to complete a particular task. Once the task is done they are released, until there is a demand again.

In other words, on-demand staffing is nothing but hiring independent contractors to work for a particular project. On-demand staffing is picking up as it is the most economical way of staffing.

Let’s look at why on-demand staffing is beneficial for any business and why more businesses must consider it:-

1. Cost-effective — on-demand staffing is highly cost-effective as you employ people because there is a definite need. Also, you pay them only for the job they do, not for the hours they put in.

2. Flexibility — an employer can choose when to hire or not. If there is a need and demand they can hire. So this gives greater flexibility for the employers.

3. Risk reduction — on-demand staff are not hired by your company. So there is no risk involved while hiring them. They are on a contract and once it is done they leave, reducing risks majorly.

4. Faster hiring — we all know hiring is a lengthy process, but with on-demand staff, hiring is easier and faster. Also minimizing the hiring costs for your company.

5. More productive — on-demand workers are hired to get the job done. Hence they are more focused to complete their jobs. This helps to increase the overall productivity of your business.

6. Covered always — when you choose on-demand staffing, you are never understaffed. In case of any unforeseen situations, on-demand workers will always be there to give their helping hand.

7. More talent — through on-demand staffing you get to interact with new people and new talent. Their skills could prove beneficial for your business growth.

8. Reduced HR time — hiring is a huge responsibility and involves a long process. Thanks to on-demand staffing the HR department is relieved from this lengthy and tiresome process giving them more time to focus on other aspects.

9. Easy hiring — on-demand staffing is a very easy way of hiring. Just by publishing the demand that is needed suitable staff will come to you. Hence it is easier and is also cheaper.

As we can see above, on demand staffing is the smart way of staffing. As a company, you’re getting people to do a job, only when there is a job. If there is no job, there is no employment happening. Hence as a company, you are saving on expenses, increasing your productivity and being more efficient. Hence every business must give on demand staffing a try.

What role will human resources perform?

Human resources -HR is a department within a business, that is responsible for all work-related things. This includes recruiting, vetting, selecting, hiring, on-boarding, training, paying, promoting and firing employees and independent contractors. Other resources simply don’t have that capacity.

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Let’s look at a few of the key roles performed by HR personnel:-

1. Recruitment — when we think about HR, the first thing that comes into our mind is recruitment. This is their main function and they need to strategically plan all details involved to conduct the recruitment process successfully.

2. Job design and description — an important aspect of recruitment involves creating all details of the job for which recruitment has to be done. Hence it is the HR’s responsibility to consult with the concerned department and prepare the job roles accordingly.

3. Employee attraction — to be able to achieve a successful recruitment drive, HR must be first able to have enough number of candidates to choose from. Hence it is important that they are able to create awareness and attract a lot of potential candidates. This way they can choose the right candidate better.

4. Employee interview — in most recruitment process, the HR conducts the final round of interview. This round is conducted to determine the candidate’s interpersonal skills. Hence the HR personnel must be qualified to conduct such an interview and shortlist the suitable candidate.

5. Appraisals — for any employee, appraisals are very crucial as it decides the future course of action. HR usually doesn’t conduct the appraisal, but yet it is the HR’s responsibility to ensure every employee’s appraisal has been conducted in a diligent and honest way, as per the company’s guidelines.

6. Information sharing — the HR acts as a centralized portal where all information is received and shared. Hence the HR should be vigilant to share important updates or important information to all employees. This could include client visits date, mergers, unlisted holidays, closures, layoffs, etc.

7. Employee benefits — the HR is responsible for the employees, hence it is their duty to ensure the employee has been compensated rightly. So they need to take care of perks, bonuses, and other benefits. Ensuring that employees receive their salary and dues at the right time is also an important function they need to perform.

8. Extra activities — every employee spends most of their time doing various tasks for the company. It is HR’s responsibility to make sure they are motivated and working together as a team. For this, HR needs to conduct several team building activities, celebrations, games, team outings, lunches, etc.

9. Surveys — it is not possible for HR to know all details about the working environment. For this purpose HR’s must conduct surveys periodically, to know the attitude of their employees. A happy workforce is a productive workforce.

10. Grievance cell — the HR is like the ‘go-to’ person for all issues an employee faces in their workplace. So they need to be thoughtful enough to handle genuine grievances in a mature manner.

As we can see above, the HR department’s functions are very important and crucial to provide the right environment and hire the right workforce for any organization. Thus hiring qualified and experienced HR teams is mandatory.

Internship — that grew into part-time jobs.

An internship is an opportunity offered by an employer to potential employees, called interns, to work at a firm for a fixed duration of time. Interns are usually undergraduates or students, and most internships last anywhere between a month to six months’ time duration.

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These are the following benefits an intern gets when they take up an internship program:-

1. A structured work experience related to their field or career goals.

2. An experience that can be used to enhance the weight of their resume.

3. An opportunity to learn new skills and increase your knowledge base.

4. A mentor to coach and guide on all aspects.

5. A workplace environment to work on the ground.

6. Overall personality development and skill enhancement.

7. A place to make more contacts and friends.

A part-time job is a job done by an employee for a shorter duration of time in comparison with the time put in by a full-time employee.

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Let’s see the difference between an internship program and part-time jobs.

• Internship is more or less like a temporary training program conducted for undergraduates whereas part-time jobs are jobs an employee bags but work for a shorter duration of time.

• Internship is usually temporary whereas part-time jobs are not.

• Internship is usually unpaid whereas part-time jobs are paid employment services.

• Internship focuses more on learning and training whereas part-time jobs focus more on the job being done.

• Internships are mostly within the student’s area of study whereas part-time jobs could be in different areas.

As we can see above there is a difference between an internship and part-time jobs. But currently, students are preferring to take up part-time jobs rather than an internship program. The main reason for this is as follows:-

• Internship gives them more knowledge in their field of expertise but part-time jobs give them knowledge about other fields as well.

• Internship is a temporary program but part-time jobs can be for the long term.

• Through an internship program scope for permanent employment is very less but through a part-time job, chances to get full-time employment are more.

• Internship does not add any financial gain but part-time jobs help them earn which is the biggest advantage.

• Internship is a very structured program but part-time jobs give them an experience of a real-time workplace.

• Internship doesn’t give them an opportunity to work with clients or customers but part-time jobs do give them, improving their interpersonal skills.

• Internship doesn’t give them any perks or benefits but part-time jobs give them all employee benefits.

• Internship adds little advantage on the resume but a part-time job adds higher value and benefits for future career plans.

As we can see above, how beneficial part-time jobs are in comparison with internship programs. Hence students are opting for part-time jobs more today, as it gives them much more than an internship program does. Even companies prefer to give part-time jobs rather than conduct internship programs as it is more cost-effective and also through part-time jobs, the task is getting done. Hence eventually the internship has come down and part-time jobs have taken prominence.

Benefits of part-time jobs for students.

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Part-time jobs are jobs that require an employee to work for a shorter duration of time, than what a full-time employee works for. Generally, if an employee works less than 30-35 hours per week it is considered part-time employment.

Thanks to this concept, it has benefited many young professionals especially students. Due to this option, they can pursue their studies as well as be employed. This helps them majorly as they can begin to earn quite young. Students need not wait to complete their graduation in order to start earning, due to part-time jobs they can do both work and earn.

What are the benefits of part-time jobs offer to students:-

1. Earn extra money- being a student means little or no money, thanks to part-time jobs it helps you earn money as you study.

2. Learn to manage money- as a consistent part-time employee, you begin to earn well. This helps you to learn to save and have better money management skills from a young age.

3. New skills- through a part-time job, you have access to learn new skills and improve your knowledge. Most of these skills are never taught in colleges.

4. More confident- as a student your exposure to other people is limited. With the help of a part-time job, you get to interact and network with more people, which makes you more confident.

5. Develop interpersonal skills- as a student you are in a restricted environment, with a part-time job you gain access to various environments and people, helping you to develop your overall interpersonal skills.

6. More independent- part-time jobs teach you how to manage your time, money and other duties. Making you more responsible and independent.

7. Time management- as a part-time employee, your biggest challenge will be to learn how to manage your time effectively. Especially during exam times. This will help you improve your time management skills.

8. Build your professional network- through a part-time job, you will be able to meet a large number of professionals. This always helps, as they can give you good references for your future.

9. New people and friends- a part-time job helps you to network better and make new friends. It helps to improve your social contacts across various different types of people.

10. Work experience- the biggest advantage of a part-time job is it gives you work experience. This adds credibility to your resume and helps to get better job prospects in the future.

As we can see above there are various benefits from a part-time job. As a student, you have limited options and resources. Hence leveraging on part-time jobs is the best solution for you to increase your options and improve your finances as well.

Students are sent out on placements in selected companies.

Placement by definition refers to an act of placing someone in a particular job for a particular task. It is the act of placing people in the workplace to help them gain work experience.

Placements give students the opportunity to gain skills specific to their subject or industry of their choice as well as the employ ability skills required for real-life work. It also gives them knowledge of an industry or sector, so that they are better informed to make proper decisions about their future career plans.

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First, let’s look at how placements are conducted in colleges or universities. The process may vary in each college, but what is mentioned below is the generic process of how placements are conducted usually. Firstly the placement officer from the college visits the employers and gives them a brief about their students, or the employer will contact the placement officer and inform them about their requirements. If the need matches, a suitable date is decided. All the students who are eligible are informed about the placement date. Eligibility criteria varies and is decided by the employer. Some set the criteria as a particular stream, for some, it might be grades or attendance. After this, the students are given a written exam with a cut off marks needed. Students who get the cut off marks can proceed to the next round. The next round could be a GD, extempore, aptitude test whichever the employer chose. The shortlisted candidates then go for the final round which is done by the HR team. Here the compensation, joining date and other details are discussed. This is the generic process that companies use to conduct placements in colleges and universities.

What are the benefits of conducting placements-

As a company when you decide to employ students through placement cells these are benefits:-

1. Able to employ a large number of employees.

2. All employment happens under 1 roof, no need to go searching.

3. Students come to you, you need not go to them.

4. Getting the best of the lot.

5. Your future employees right from the beginning.

6. Reduces time and is highly cost-effective.

As a student these are the following benefits when you are placed:-

1. Able to get access to tier-1 companies.

2. Able to work in a team.

3. Higher chance for a permanent job offer.

4. Better insight into the workplace and industry.

5. Use your knowledge and skills in the real world. 6. Boosts your morale.

As we can see placements are beneficial to both employers and students, hence more companies must offer to conduct placements.

Temporary staffs are considerably younger than the generality of workers.

Temporary staffing is a concept of employment wherein employees are appointed for a short duration of time. Or in other words, they are appointed for a particular project and once that is done they are released. Temporary staffing is like appointing freelancers and self-employed individuals on a contract for a particular task.

Temporary staffing has come into existence for long, but it was mostly termed as part-time jobs. In yesteryears, part-time jobs were nothing but a full-time job performed for a lesser duration of working hours. It was mostly done by women or individuals who couldn’t devote their entire time to the work. In our yesteryears, this concept was not taken down well and not only did individuals but companies too never preferred hiring part-time employees. In previous times people believed in the concept of having a stable and secure income through a job. Once an individual got a job in a particular company, they would not leave the company until retirement. This was the mindset and attitude of the people earlier.

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Today with changing times, everything has changed and so has the way employment is been done. In today’s times, there are new-age employment concepts like freelancers, gigsters, etc. The millennial generation does not believe in being bounded and compelled. They want freedom and want to live life on their terms. Hence the best solution for them is temporary staffing or freelancing. In such a case they get the freedom to work when they want to and can take a break as well when they wish to. It gives them the advantage of being employed and being free too. Also, the compensation they receive is quite good, and in addition, they get the benefit of being able to work as per their will. Also, they are not compelled to work on projects that don’t interest them. In addition to that, they are able to earn as well as pursue any of their passions or studies in their spare time. Hence through temporary staffing, they are able to achieve what they want too, and hence it is becoming very common amongst youngsters.

The other benefits the younger generation wants which temporary staffing helps them with is –

• Ability to choose their working hours.

• More career options.

• Easy to switch between companies and projects.

• Ability to pursue studies or passions.

• Ability to have more than one income source.

• Ability to travel and explore.

• Ability to experiment.

• Ability to make new connections and network better.

• Suitable for their lifestyle and attitude.

• More freedom.

These are the main reasons why youngsters prefer temporary employment. And due to this, it has given rise to a new economy called the gig economy. Thustemporary staffing is gaining more prominence than ever before and is preferred by youngsters as it suits their style.

Staffing levels have been cut to the bone.

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Staffing structure in simple words is the organization’s basic hierarchical arrangement. In a typical staffing structure, there are three main classifications. The first and topmost levels include the top management and the chief positions. The second includes the mid-management and officer levels. The third includes the low level or labor class.

Having a proper staffing structure in place is a key strategy for any company. The staffing structure decides who monitors whom. The staffing structure helps to create a hierarchical discipline so that employees know who is their go-to person, who will supervise and support them, who is their department head, whom to go to for escalations. This is the basic strategy that a company needs to get in place before further planning.

If we look at the staffing level closely we understand their classifications as follows:-

Top management- this includes Chairman, Vice President, Board of Directors, Chief Officers. Mid management includes General managers, regional managers, Senior managers, Assistant Vice Presidents. First-level management comes under mid-management and it includes senior officers, junior managers, supervisors, team leaders. Second-level management also comes under mid-management and it includes junior officers, freshers, representatives. Low-level management includes low-end jobs and labor class jobs.

As we can see above the major chunk of employment and staffing is needed in mid-level management. The main reason for companies to reduce their staffing levels is to reduce the number of employees. It is done to reduce their headcount. The other reason for reducing the staffing level is to combine the level of work done. So what is achieved by two employees can be done by one single employee. Basically, the work is consolidated in such cases.

The main reason for cutting down staffing levels is, it benefits the company, as it directly reduces their costs. Cost reduction means an increase in productivity. Cutting down staff levels also means an increase in ROI — return on investment. So what a company invests for staffing an employee, they are trying to maximize their returns. The other benefit of reducing staffing levels is to reduce their operational costs. A company could cut down their staffing levels if they are not able to achieve the desired productivity levels. A company also cuts the staffing levels to reorganize and change their operational structure.

We must understand that if a company is reducing its staffing levels, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are overstaffed. Often companies reduce their staffing levels because of poor management and less productivity. So as a company make sure you are having a strong and effective management set up. Reducing staffing levels is not the most effective way to increase your productivity, because it simply shows you are not able to manage the employee count well. It also shows that the entire hiring process was wasted. So if you need to reduce your staffing levels it is a wake-up call to improve your business.

What are the main steps in recruitment?

Recruitment is a process of finding and attracting the potential resources for filling up the vacant positions in an organization. It recruits the candidates with the abilities and potential, that are needed to complete the task and hence achieve the objectives of the organization.

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Recruitment is a lengthy process that begins with identifying the need for recruitment, analyzing and planning, publishing the recruitment details, screening all the potential applicants, shortlisting the selected applicants and finally employing the right candidate.

Let’s look in detail at each of these main steps involved in recruitment:-

1. Identifying the need- first and foremost activity in recruitment is to identify if there is a need for new recruitment. For this they need to identify the vacancy and what job roles are unattended to because of the vacancy. Once they are sure that new recruitment is needed to fulfill job roles, then it’s confirmed that there is a need to recruit.

2. Analyzing and planning- the second step is to strategically plan the recruitment. This is the most important phase because in this phase the company analysis how many positions are vacant, in which category of management these vacancies belong too, in which department there is a shortage. Apart from this, they need to have well-defined job roles and responsibilities. They need to know what education qualification is suitable for the job role. They need to quantify the number of years of experience needed. They need to fix their budget for the recruitment process and for the salary. They need to know the time duration by when the employee has to start. All the details pertaining to recruiting a potential employee is planned in this phase.

3. Publishing the vacancy- no company on their own can recruit employees. They will need the help of job portals, their networks, references, social media or placement cells to help. Hence it is very important to have a good relationship with various manpower agencies and job portals. They need to be precise with their information about the qualities they are looking for in the potential employee. This makes it easier for manpower agencies to recruit the right candidate for the company.

4. Screening- the next major step in recruitment is to screen all the potential list of candidates. Based on the manpower agency’s results, the company has to take the final call for the recruitment. For this, they need to screen all the potential candidates and see which is most suitable for the final round of interview.

5. Interview and employment- the last round of recruitment involves conducting the final round of interviews and then employing a suitable candidate. This step is crucial as all the important details about the employment policy and benefits are discussed in this phase.

These are the main steps involved in recruitment. Recruitment is an important step in any organization and it needs to be done very carefully by paying a lot of attention to detail.

What kind of manpower you need to make your business more effective?

Manpower is another term for human resources. It basically involves the people who make the workforce in an organization. It is the total supply of personnel available to complete a particular task.

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By the above definition, we understand that manpower is the lifeline of any organization. A strong and professional manpower is a boon to any organization. Manpower is the most crucial resource for any organization to function properly and achieve high productivity.

Every organization recognizes this and hence they take a lot of care during the hiring process. Companies spend a huge amount on the hiring process. Most companies have a team called as human resource department, whose main role is to help companies recruit the right professionals for the right task. The entire hiring process is done in multiple phases and is a lengthy process as every company knows how important it is to hire the right manpower.

Few things to consider while hiring the manpower to make your business more productive and effective:-

1. Education and qualification- education is something that stands with us for a long time. No amount of knowledge is less and no knowledge is useless. Knowledge always comes handy. Hence make sure you are hiring qualifies manpower.

2. Experience matters- to ensure your manpower is effective, make sure they have some amount of experience in the same field. This helps as they know what it is to work and how to work.

3. Look for professionals- Hiring professionals might be expensive, but professionals have expert knowledge in their respective fields. Hence hiring them makes more sense to your business.

4. Define the job role and responsibilities clearly- during the hiring process, ensure to clearly define the employee’s job roles and responsibilities. Knowing what is expected from them is one way they stay focused and be more productive.

5. Set weekly goals- everyone gets complacent at some point. Having a tracker to check on weekly or periodic goals is one way to ensure the employees are doing the job right. This makes them more responsible and accountable in helping businesses grow effectively.

6. Background check and verification- during the hiring process ensure the employee’s background check is done. Hiring unethical and unlawful employees do no good for any organization.

7. References matter- always check on the references provided by the employee. It helps to know the employees better and what to expect from them.

8. Neat and presentable employees- cleanliness and neatness might not have anything related to your business. But hiring a presentable and neat employee talks a lot about their nature and attitude.

9. Communication skills- in today’s era, whichever job role you are doing, you will need to communicate. As an employee, you will need to be understood by other employees, clients, customers, etc. If an employee cannot communicate well, the effectiveness of their task reduces vastly.

10. Technologically sound- in today’s changing times, we are more dependant on technology than anything else. As per the job requirements, ensure that the employee has the basic technical skills required.

11. Enthusiastic and positive attitude- in whichever field we are, no one likes a dull and gloomy person. Ensure your manpower is enthusiastic, willing to learn and contribute.

12. Motivation and more motivation- how much ever is said is less when it comes to motivation. If your manpower is motivated they will be willing to go the extra mile to make your business productive. So ensure to employ motivated individuals and as a company always try to increase their motivation levels.

These are a few tips to keep in mind while hiring manpower. Manpower is the link between any company and its productivity, so make sure you hire effectively.

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