The Elusive Metric_Quality_FINAL - Flipbook - Page 4
Why Quality Is Tough to
Measure and Maintain
Much of the ‘how’ starts with the why. Before businesses
can improve the quality of their temporary workforces,
it’s important to explore why it’s so elusive. Despite
its importance, ‘quality’ remains one of the most
challenging metrics to define and track, especially in
temporary recruitment. Here’s why:
Short Tenure Limits Evaluation
Temporary workers may only be with a company for
a few days, weeks or months, which makes it difficult
to assess long-term performance or behavioural
alignment with the company. Traditional metrics such as
tenure or promotion rates don’t apply. Measuring their
performance or assessing activity also often only takes
place at the end of an assignment, which, although it
may safeguard the future quality of temporary resources,
is too late to take action to prevent lasting damage to
brand reputation or team cohesion.
Limited Onboarding and Feedback
Temporary workers also often receive minimal
onboarding owing to the often urgent and spontaneous
circumstances under which they’re needed. They may
not be included in regular performance reviews or
company-wide training. This lack of structured feedback
loops makes it harder to gather meaningful data on
their contributions and can lead to individuals feeling
excluded. If they are left-out of business training or
corporate updates during their time on an assignment,
they are not only being set up for failure, but a clear point
of evaluation is also being missed.
Subjectivity in Performance Metrics
How temporary workers are measured is also a
challenge due to the KPIs they are assessed against.
More tangible elements such as the clear physical
deliverables of an assignment are easy to evaluate,
but they aren’t the only areas that matter. Metrics such
as engagement or teamwork are inherently subjective,
but they are important. Without standardised evaluation
frameworks that incorporate the right metrics, comparing
temp hires across roles or agencies becomes
inconsistent.
Speed vs. Quality Trade-Offs
In temporary staffing, speed is often prioritised as roles
naturally need to be filled quickly to avoid operational
disruption. This urgency can lead to shortcuts in
screening, reducing the likelihood of high-quality
matches. It is also often based on the assumption that
good quality temps are waiting unemployed and ready to
work, which is rarely the case. In turn, this situation then
leads to multiple agencies being utilised to fill workforce
requirements where it is difficult to find resources, which
only adds to the complexity. The hiring managers and
leaders managing teams from disparate recruitment
agencies may struggle to keep track of which supplier
provided which candidate, reducing the potential to spot
trends in quality of hire across vendors.
Complexity of the Hiring Process
The role of the hiring process itself in not only identifying
high-quality temporary workers, but also ensuring that
they bring the right enthusiasm and attitude to their work
when needed, is often overlooked. If an individual has
a sub-par experience in the hiring process or is treated
as ‘just another temp’ – inadvertently or not – then the
business may face two significant challenges. First,
they may find the perfect worker for their brand, but the
individual may not want to work for them, or may turn
down future deployments. Secondly, if they do choose
to take an assignment, they might not give it their all,
reducing the ROI for the employer or end-hirer. Given
that the worker is most likely to have more regular
contact and a stronger relationship with line managers,
who will often be part of the interview process, or the
agency that places them, the hiring process itself must
ensure the candidates get as much from it as the endclient.
In temporary recruitment, quality of hire may be harder
to measure, but it’s far from optional. As staffing models
evolve and businesses demand more agility, the ability
to consistently place high-performing temps will define
the success of recruitment strategies. By investing in
better metrics, smarter screening, and more inclusive
onboarding, employers can turn a traditionally elusive
KPI into a strategic advantage.
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