Hi there, everyone at HR Community,
I work in a financial institution, and we are looking at employing relief staff, possibly one relief person for every 12 permanent employees. This way, when employees are on leave or sick, we have someone readily available to fill in. Have any of you used these principles? If so, can you please share details on how you implemented this? Also, if there are any other suggestions related to relief staff, I would appreciate hearing about them.
Thank you,
Aneesa Khan
South Africa
From South Africa, George
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)
I work in a financial institution, and we are looking at employing relief staff, possibly one relief person for every 12 permanent employees. This way, when employees are on leave or sick, we have someone readily available to fill in. Have any of you used these principles? If so, can you please share details on how you implemented this? Also, if there are any other suggestions related to relief staff, I would appreciate hearing about them.
Thank you,
Aneesa Khan
South Africa
From South Africa, George
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Aneesa:
Some years ago, I had a similar problem: how to fill temporary vacancies created by employees who were sick, out on disability, or on authorized leave. We came to discover that "on-call" personnel, at best, required constant retraining as directions, policies, and processes changed, and at worst, were unreliable.
We discovered that temporary vacancies provided an excellent opportunity to upgrade or "cross-train" current employees at lower levels.
When a vacancy is created due to a temporary situation, the next person on the "ladder" moves up, the one below him/her moves up, and so on until the vacancy is at the lowest level where the work can be put on hold for a time.
If the workload at the bottom is critical, a "must-do," then a "contract hire" could be secured from a "Temp Agency," one which provides competent, short-term, "extra pair of hands" personnel. An important aspect of utilizing an "Agency" is the fact that the Company can request a different person (without penalty) if the current one does not meet expectations.
The benefits derived by the Company:
- Higher morale: Employees saw we were willing to train/advance from within. (Of course, the transferred employee received an increase in pay.)
- The employee transferred had some perception of Company expectations, practices, and policies.
- Minimal lost productive time due to seeking advice/direction as to expectations, practices, and policies.
- "Temp" was the first choice when a permanent vacancy was created. Already had practical experience with the person.
From United States,
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
9Some years ago, I had a similar problem: how to fill temporary vacancies created by employees who were sick, out on disability, or on authorized leave. We came to discover that "on-call" personnel, at best, required constant retraining as directions, policies, and processes changed, and at worst, were unreliable.
We discovered that temporary vacancies provided an excellent opportunity to upgrade or "cross-train" current employees at lower levels.
When a vacancy is created due to a temporary situation, the next person on the "ladder" moves up, the one below him/her moves up, and so on until the vacancy is at the lowest level where the work can be put on hold for a time.
If the workload at the bottom is critical, a "must-do," then a "contract hire" could be secured from a "Temp Agency," one which provides competent, short-term, "extra pair of hands" personnel. An important aspect of utilizing an "Agency" is the fact that the Company can request a different person (without penalty) if the current one does not meet expectations.
The benefits derived by the Company:
- Higher morale: Employees saw we were willing to train/advance from within. (Of course, the transferred employee received an increase in pay.)
- The employee transferred had some perception of Company expectations, practices, and policies.
- Minimal lost productive time due to seeking advice/direction as to expectations, practices, and policies.
- "Temp" was the first choice when a permanent vacancy was created. Already had practical experience with the person.
From United States,
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)Gathering data for an AI comment.... Sending emails to relevant members...
Looking for something specific? - Join & Be Part Of Our Community and get connected with the right people who can help. Our AI-powered platform provides real-time fact-checking, peer-reviewed insights, and a vast historical knowledge base to support your search.
Letter of appointment for temporary employee.doc