As finance teams in the private sector show signs of returning to pre-recession work levels, we’re seeing a marked increase in the number of permanent and fixed term contract roles for accountants.
This approach is enabling employers to control costs and truly evaluate the need for skills. However many report that they are missing out on the flexible approach brought by access to temporary and interim staff. Whether it’s for implementing a new system, ensuring monthly reporting is delivered accurately and on time, or for analytical roles, a temporary workforce can take the pressure off incumbent teams.
Skill and knowledge transfer can often be a major benefit of recruiting temporary or interim staff.
Some of the larger employers in the market continue to invest in specialist skills to drive change within a business and deliver longer term efficiencies. This short term investment is often a key strategy in delivering long term sustainable profit through cost reduction or process efficiency. Many interim accountants have delivered significant savings as a result of a temporary appointment.
Retaining staff has increasingly been an issue for a number of employers, and managing heavy workloads with little recognition has been sighted as a key reason for staff leaving. Providing additional resource to help take the strain in times of heavy workload can often be seen by disgruntled employees as an effort to support them and to recognise their hard work.
In the public sector the emphasis is on reviewing workforce levels and reducing temporary or interim workers. The challenge for public sector employers will be how to replace those skills, particularly if recruitment freezes are in place and the level of service needs to remain the same. A key challenge for these employers will be to make the most of the current temporary workforce by using them to upskill incumbent staff so that existing knowledge and know-how isn’t lost.
Skill and knowledge transfer can often be a major benefit of recruiting temporary or interim staff. Canny employers ensure that they put in place mechanisms to capture knowledge and transfer skills from their temporary workforce.
For those looking for temporary work, the message has to be “be flexible”. Consider the full range of roles that are presented to you and don’t be surprised if the interview process is longer that you would normally expect. Employers are conducting several interviews with a number of applicants; the drawback for some organisations is that they are losing out on some of the top talent to more agile competitors.
