The holiday stretch is close. Over the next few weeks, a lot of floors will order lunch for the crew or put together some kind of year-end celebration.
On plenty of those floors, temps work the same line and the same hours as everyone else and still end up on the outside of those moments. Usually nobody decided to leave them out. It just never came up. Over time, that affects temporary worker engagement and whether your best temps stick around long enough to convert.
Where the Line Shows Up
Most of it is small. Think of the pre-shift huddle where temps stand at the back because nobody told them it applies to them, or the schedule change permanent staff heard about on Tuesday that temps found out about on Friday. None of it is intentional, and temps notice it anyway.
Why Temporary Worker Engagement Matters
Some of it comes down to safety. OSHA’s position is that host employers must treat temporary workers like any other workers when it comes to training and safety protections. A temp who skips the huddle may also miss the safety message that went with it.
Then there is the conversion question. The temps on your floor now are likely the people you will be hiring next year. For many of them, your floor is their first real look at manufacturing work, which is exactly what Manufacturing Month is trying to get right.
Small Fixes for Busy Floors
Count temps when you order food. Invite them to the huddle, and say so out loud the first time. Call out good work by name, whether the person is permanent or temporary. Post schedule changes where everyone sees them at the same time. None of it takes a budget request.
Temporary Worker Engagement Is a Shared Job
A good staffing partner should be helping here too. They can recognize strong attendance and performance on their side and pass along what temps say about how they are treated on your floor, including things workers may not tell a supervisor.
If your partner has never brought up how their workers feel about your site, ask. That conversation can also surface who is ready to convert.
Before the Holiday Lunch
Take a quick look at your plans for the next two months. If temps are not on the headcount for the lunch or the year-end shout-outs, add them.
Want a staffing partner that helps your temps feel like part of the crew? Contact us / Get in touch.