In the U.S., we are part of a business culture where there’s little time for delay. When business is good, contracts and projects continue to roll in on a regular basis. When things are slow, there’s the unfortunate potential of too little work for too many employees. While most business owners would always choose the too-busy scenario, it can be challenging to plan for times when there’s more work than can be handled by current staffing. These upticks in activity from each additional project or contract require a business owner to anticipate the evolving skills and additional staffing needed to accommodate the changes.
When projects or contracts exceed the work able to be done by the current number of employees the first consideration is usually to hire up. Closely following that thought is the realization that the hiring cost must correlate with the anticipated contracts or projects and current workload. If the amount of work can justify the addition of a full-time employee, great. In cases where the answer is no but there’s still too much work and not enough staff, contract-to-hire can be a great solution.
When to Choose Contract-to-Hire
In most businesses, work continues in spite of weather delays, vacations and staffing holes. Because of the unpredictable manner of many of these things, it’s important to have a go-to solution that can quickly fill any gap with a quality applicant. The ability to swiftly staff is particularly important when a business owner knows work is coming but its status is currently in limbo. An example of this kind of a pause is when a contract or project is awaiting funding or approval. Anyone who has worked on government contract knows those particular contracts will run on the government’s timetable, not that of the business. Until a solid contract is delivered, there’s no reason to staff, but once in hand, a business must be able to start rolling immediately.
Contract-to-hire is the timely solution to these situations, keeping projects moving forward with extra resources available for a set amount of time. Depending on the nature of the contract or project, contract-to-hire positions can be for a finite period or until the work is completed. In some cases, these short-term assignments also have the potential of turning into permanent positions, depending on the longer-term needs of the employer.
Reasons for Choosing Contract-to-Hire
- Covering short-term staff leaves
- Additional help for temporary or short-term projects
- Seasonal assistance
- Staffing for businesses relocating to another area
- Contracts with a clear end date
Because Austin Nichols specializes in jobs specific to the construction and manufacturing industries, we know precisely what makes candidates successful in contract-to-hire positions. When you work with Austin Nichols, Kansas City’s direct hire and contracting firm for the manufacturing and construction industries, companies receive exposure to some of the best contract-to-hire employees in the Kansas City area.
As a top Kansas City recruiting firm since 1988, Austin Nichols Technical Search has served clients in a variety of fields. Austin Nichols specializes in direct hire and contract recruiting for manufacturing, construction, engineering, and technical positions.
