Whilst hiring new employees through the creation of new jobs may not be at the top of your agenda as a business owner or manager currently, over the course of the next year you may be faced with some tough decisions around hiring and replacing team members.

According to our returning to work survey, when questioned about their current jobs 40% of respondents who had been working from home during the Covid-19 crisis stated they were considering looking for a new job, with this figure increasing to the 60% amongst those who had been furloughed.

Of course employee sentiments around looking for new work is dependant upon how they feel they were treated during the lockdown and the long-term future of the workplace, however it cannot be ignored that many employees will be looking for a change in their career.

This places your business at risk of loosing key talent and skillsets which could be vital to business recovery and continued growth during the long-term. Though a troubling thought, we recognise that not every business is likely to be in the position to rehire and backfill roles in the same way they could previously and a flexible approach may be required to fill the void whilst you get back on your feet.

What options do business owners have for hiring and replacing staff?

Permanent contract

A permanent contract is similar to what you may currently have in place with your current employees, meaning that subject to a probationary period they are employed by the business for the foreseeable future.

A key benefit to this is you can invest and train talent to your desired level and your teams are likely to stay the same, reducing any friction which may be caused by a consistent rotation of temporary staff. These types of contract work best when you know there is likely to be a requirement for work every week and may not be suited for roles which have been developed specifically for a short-term period.

Though the classic permanent contract does involve a 40-hour week, there is some flexibility to introduce a part-time permanent contract if you are struggling financially and would prefer to keep the same team member.

Temporary and Fixed Term contract

A temporary and fixed term contract allows you to have the benefit of retaining a team member (as set out in a permanent contract) but for a limited time period.

These contracts are ideal if you are in a transitionary period. For instance, if you are having a team member go onto maternity leave or if you have had a new contract come in and know you will need additional support on a weekly basis for a set period in time.

Often employees entering a business on a temporary contract do not anticipate to receive training or promotions, making it a viable option if you want the short-term commitment of a skilled employee.

An additional benefit of this contract is the opportunity to move from temp to perm, meaning that if work picks up or you find this employees skills invaluable to the business, you can retain them for a longer and more permanent period.

Freelance

The freelance industry is an ever growing segment of recruitment filled with specialist and niche skilled individuals.

You may not want to select this type of contract if you are simply replacing a team member. However, if you have had a sudden and short-term influx in business which your teams are struggling to cope with or have a requirement for a unique skill which is hard to find in the permanent and temporary market then freelance may be your avenue.

The key benefit of hiring a freelancer is that you can hire them for a day or a couple of months (or more) allowing you to have true flexibility over what you are spending dependant on business needs and requirements.

At Pitch we offer a variety of recruitment services across permanent, temporary and freelance roles and if you would like a more in-depth chat about how we could help you then feel free to get in touch with us today.

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