Make hay while the sun shines!

With grey skies and flood warnings in place across Edinburgh, it may not feel much like summer. But believe it or not, it’s almost time for the International Film Festival to begin, and the countdown is on for the end of term, heralding the start of the holiday season. Many of us are booking last-minute escapes to the sunshine, or planning long lazy weekends of tennis on the TV, barbecues and (with any luck) a spot of sunbathing in the back garden or on the Meadows. But what will happen with our work over the summer, with millions of us preparing to put on our out-of-office notifications and head off for a week or two? Some companies will have staggered their staff’s annual leave, ensuring they have sufficient manpower to keep the business ticking over throughout the season. But for others, the holiday requests may have crept up suddenly, leaving employers in a rush to secure last-minute temporary cover. If you find yourself in this position, it’s crucial to find trusted, reliable and motivated staff who can take the initiative while you’re away, so you can relax in the knowledge that your front desk and back office are in good hands. Temporary workers need to be able to get up to speed quickly, fit in with your existing team and deliver the same standards as you’d expect from any other member of staff. When you take all of this into account, the importance of the recruitment and selection process is clear. At Time, we specialise in providing both temporary and permanent recruitment solutions for SMEs and larger businesses across Scotland. If you’re keen to find temporary office personnel to see you through the summer, do get in touch so that we can connect you with our network of hardworking and enthusiastic temp workers, and help you to find the candidates that are just right for your business. However, timely and strategic recruitment can do much more than just help you keep things ticking over. We often hear from colleagues in the Edinburgh business community that “not much happens over the summer”, because so many people are away on holiday. It strikes us that some companies risk missing out by assuming that just because some businesses slow down in the summer months, they have to take a hiatus as well. If you think back to your aims and ambitions at the start of the year, how many of the projects you planned in January have had to take a back seat in the intervening months? How many times have you thought of a new system or process that would save your company time and effort in the long run, but with the relentless pace of everyday business, they’ve been pushed onto a ‘someday maybe’ list and have dropped out of sight? Recruiting temporary cover over the holiday period not only gives you peace of mind that your business won’t grind to a halt while you and your staff are taking a break – it can also be the perfect opportunity to bring in someone to progress some of these background projects. From simple administrative tasks such as filing, data entry and restocking supplies to more specialist skills such as organising accounts, planning marketing initiatives and overseeing project management, our temporary workers can bring an impressive array of skills to your business, adding real value during the time they spend with your company. If you think you’re going to need cover for your business this summer, we’ll be delighted to hear from you – please get in touch at carolineburns@timerecruitment.co.uk to discuss how we can help with your temporary recruitment. Snippet: It’s the start of the holiday season, and many of us are booking last-minute escapes to the sunshine. But what will happen with our work over the summer, with millions of us preparing to put on our out-of-office notifications and head off for a week or two? Tags: Temp work, managing workload, recruitment process, Edinburgh