Exploring Relief Staff Strategies: How Do You Manage Temporary Coverage in Your Workplace?

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.