5 mistakes made when implementing temporary workers – how to avoid them?

For many companies, working with temporary workers is a way to quickly fill staffing gaps, flexibly manage resources, and reduce employment costs. However, the mere presence of a temporary employment agency is not enough for effective collaboration. The key to success is proper employee onboarding – even if their presence at the company lasts only a few weeks.

In this article, we will look at the most common mistakes companies make when onboarding temporary workers and suggest how to effectively avoid them.

1. No implementation plan

The most common mistake is assuming that a temporary employee will "find their way." There's no defined action plan—who welcomes them, who trains them, and who is responsible for ongoing tasks.

How to avoid this?
  Prepare the onboarding minimum:

• list of duties,
   
• first day schedule,
   
• contact details of your supervisor or guardian,
   
• access to health and safety tools and instructions.
   

2. Insufficient communication and lack of information

Many temporary workers receive only general information about tasks, without detailed context, procedures, or expectations. This results in errors and frustration for both the employee and the team.

Solution:
  Create a short but specific starter pack that includes:

• job instructions,
   
• information about working hours, breaks, and company rules,
   
• the purpose of the work and its impact on other departments.
   

3. Ignoring the integration process

Temporary workers are often perceived as "outsiders"—uninvited to meetings and without contact with the team. This attitude increases turnover and lowers morale.

How to prevent this?
  Ensure simple team-building activities—for example, a team introduction, a team lunch, or a shared desk with an experienced colleague. Even the smallest gesture can increase engagement and loyalty.

4. Lack of a dedicated contact person

A temporary employee does not know who to report questions, ambiguities, or errors to – this leads to inefficiency and unnecessary chaos.

What to do?
  Designate one person—not necessarily a manager—to be the operational supervisor. This role facilitates information flow and shortens the adaptation time.

5. Too high expectations with minimal training

Some employers expect a temporary employee to "hit it full speed" right away. Without context and training, this is unrealistic.

Good practice:
  Adopt a 1–2-day start-up rule. Training is an investment – even if a person stays with the company for only a month, they will reach full effectiveness faster.

Why is this important?

Poorly conducted onboarding of temporary workers results in:

• higher turnover (up to 40% in the first days),
   
• low quality of work,
   
• more complaints to the agency,
   
• time and operational losses on the company's side.
   

In turn, a well-planned implementation process:
  shortens adaptation time,
  increases engagement,
  reduces the number of errors and complaints,
  improves team efficiency.

Summary

Onboarding temporary workers isn't just the agency's responsibility—it's also the responsibility of the hiring company. The key to success is creating a quick, yet well-thought-out onboarding process that ensures employees—even those on short-term contracts—work effectively and with commitment.
 

Well-trained temporary employee = lower turnover + higher quality of work.