Having a baby is an exciting time. Whether it was part of the plan or a bit of a surprise, you can still adapt your life around it.
This is especially true when it comes to work. You’ll be able to surprise your colleagues with the announcement, but after a few months you’ll have to discuss taking some time off when the baby’s due. It isn’t just the mother either, paternity leave is being offered as standard by many companies nowadays.
This is great for the individual, but can cause trouble for the business owner. Naturally you’ll be thrilled for them, until you start trying to find a temporary replacement.
How Maternity Leave Affects a Business
Every business is a well-oiled machine, with each cog being a member of your team. If a cog is taken away, even for a short time, it affects productivity. This is true regardless of the role in question; a receptionist going on maternity leave can affect workflow as much as the managing director.
The one upside is that, unlike sick leave, you have a lot more time to prepare. You’ll know that your team member will be off from around a certain point, for an amount of time you arrange beforehand. Naturally, this can change a little, but rarely by more than a couple of weeks.
But how do you arrange a replacement?
The answer is simple; hire temporary workers to fill the void until your permanent team member is ready to get back to work.
The Advantages of using Temporary Workers to Cover Maternity Leave
Temporary workers are all skilled individuals whose sole purpose it is to help businesses like yours. When you hire someone permanently, it can take them a while to get up to speed. Temp workers are much faster, getting to grips immediately so you see the minimum interruption to workflow.
In the case of maternity leave, you can even hire them just before your team member’s leave begins, so they can shadow and learn exactly what’s needed of them.
You can also select the temporary worker carefully, choosing one who will match your company ethos or who has the relevant skills and experience that makes them well-suited to the role.
In order to have this choice, most business owners work with a temporary recruitment agency.
Temporary Agency Workers for Maternity Leave
By working with a temporary recruitment agency, you can find the workers you need instantly, and the quality of talent that arrives at your door will be much higher.
The traditional recruitment process is slow and unreliable. Even if you have months to find the right worker, the right candidate might not show themselves and you’re forced to reassign permanent staff or settle for someone who isn’t quite right for the role.
Most temporary workers prefer to sign up to agency as it guarantees better placements, and they’re better taken care of.
This means that a trusted agency will have a huge database full of skilled workers, some of whom will be ideal for your vacancy. The process is simple, just get in touch with what you need, and they’ll provide a shortlist of candidates for you to interview. This means you still have the final say, but the overall quality of applicants will be much higher.
And if your chosen agency uses Back Office Support Services, you’ll know they’re worth working with.
How we Support Temporary Recruitment Agencies
Our service includes everything an agency needs to succeed. Agency owners are often reluctant to partner with third parties, as the cost of each service adds up quickly, even if there aren’t any hidden fees.
But doing it all in house is often just as expensive. Instead, you can get the best of both worlds and work with an agency support business that has your best interests at heart.
Our service includes the following:
This is all for a single fee, arranged upfront so there are no surprises. No need to work with multiple third parties to try and get the best deal. This is what we do best, and you’ll see an immediate increase in productivity as your team is freed up to focus on what matters most.
And a quality service is just part of what we offer.
Recruitment Funding with a More Personal Touch
When you sign up with us, either using recruitment funding for the first time or switching from another provider, the onboarding process is super simple.
Your onboarding manager will handle the integration, and will then pass you on to your new team of admin experts. This is a two-person team; your credit controller will be setting credit limits for your clients and making sure they aren’t exceeded, and your payroll account manager will manage invoices and get workers paid on time, every time.
These two experts will be your only points of contact once your onboarding manager has stepped away. This works well, you’ll get to know both and vice versa, creating a personal yet professional relationship. They’ll also be in direct contact with clients a lot of the time, getting to know them and how they prefer to do things. All in all, they’ll become an extension of your agency, not a detached third party.
If your agency provides cover for maternity leave, make sure you have Back Office Support Services in your corner. And if you’re a business owner with a vacancy to fill, pick an agency that has some solid admin backup.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about us or our service. We look forward to hearing from you!
