The ratio between the amount of permanent and interim staff is not always initially considered, as interims are often seen as short-term or ad hoc resources rather than part of the wider talent acquisition and resourcing plans. However, by finding the ideal balance between permanent and interim staff your organisation can benefit from a better understanding of its long-term benefits. By combining the specific skill set of an interim manager with the long-term knowledge and insight of permanent staff, organisations can ensure productivity and achieve results.
What are the benefits of interim staff?
Interim staff are usually brought in to oversee periods of transition or change, or to fill a skill-set deficit within an organisation. They usually have high levels of seniority and autonomy and are fully committed to the assignment they are assigned to. They can be beneficial to organisations in the following ways:
Experience
Many interims have years of experience at overseeing or managing particular types of projects across different industries. Or they can be industry specific. Their experience is invaluable to companies who are implementing new systems implementations, undergoing change, restructuring or improving the finance function as they will have been involved in similar projects previously.
Cost-effective and flexible
Interims will have a daily rate rather than an annual salary, and although this can be higher than a permanent hire, their involvement and services can be increased or decreased depending on the project’s requirements. They are also usually able to harness their experience and can quickly integrate into an existing team to produce results with minimal onboarding.
Objective point of view
Interims are only a part of an organisation for the duration of their contract and usually do not get involved with internal politics as it will not affect their position. This means they are usually able to give objective insight into a project and can suggest clear-sighted solutions without worrying about ruffling feathers in different departments or at senior levels.
They keep the project’s best interests in the foreground of their priorities as it benefits them to have a successful project to add to their portfolio. Ultimately this helps the interim find new assignments and benefits the organisation at the same time.
What are the benefits of permanent staff?
An organisation’s foundation is usually its’ permanent staff, each selected to fill a certain skill set and function as individuals, in teams, and as entire departments. Striking the right balance for both a technical and cultural fit can make the difference in developing high performance teams and functions, plus during uncertain times, your permanent staff and their commitment to the business can help weather choppy economic waters whilst preparing for future smooth sailing.
Having a recruitment plan with a set amount of hires per year can help ensure the stable growth of an organisation, as well as the following benefits:
Long-term stability
Having strong teams of permanent employees mean that you can manage business-as-usual activities with individuals that are comfortable and skilled in their roles. With regular learning and development incentives, permanent staff will be able to exceed their initial roles and carry skills and understanding with them through the ranks of your organisation’s structure. This means better leaders managing junior staff and overseeing day-to-day operations.
Creating a company culture
Your company culture is influenced by the rules senior management make and employees’ attitudes towards them. Easy-going incentives and happy, motivated staff create a company culture that encourages loyalty, longevity, and teamwork, reducing overheads from staff turnover and increasing revenue from high levels of productivity.
How do you work out the ideal interim to permanent staff ratio?
Although there is no set benchmark for the ideal balance of permanent and interim staff an organisation might need, a general rule of thumb is to have an adaptable amount of both.
As a business grows it will need more permanent staff, overseeing transitions and periods of change where interims will be needed to facilitate. Having a good understanding of the future projects or movements the company will help you assess how many interims you will need, and what sized team will help support the project. Making these decisions now will serve you well in the coming months.
