In short: Temp worker turnover is reduced when the first week goes smoothly: describe the job truthfully before people show up, orient them correctly and give them a named person to ask when they get there, follow up with them after day one and week one, correct what your agency hears about, and provide high-performing workers with a way to get a permanent position. RHO Hiring maintains a dedicated management team on each account to ensure problems are addressed quickly: (248) 843-0000.
We've all witnessed this scenario: New group starts Monday, two down Wednesday, by Friday the agency sends replacements who must now be trained. It burns out your best people when they have to do twice the training. The majority of early exits begin within the first 48 hours. Many of them start with a surprise, and most surprises are foreseeable.
Why do temps leave early?
Exit interviews with temps probably don't happen often. But there's usually no mystery why these folks leave early:
The job wasn't what they were told
Heavier, colder, faster or on a different shift than described.
Nobody to ask
No trainer or buddy, and a supervisor so busy they wouldn't have noticed if someone were drowning.
Schedule surprises
Shifts that changed with a day's notice, or hours different from what was offered.
Training that didn't happen
Asked to perform after a two-minute demo and "you'll learn it."
Treated as an outsider
Different rules, the least popular tasks every shift, and nobody learning their name.
A permanent offer elsewhere
Many temps want a permanent position. They'll take the first clear opportunity that comes along.
That last reason has a number behind it. 27.7 percent of workers paid by a temporary help agency told the Bureau of Labor Statistics in its July 2023 survey of work arrangements that they would prefer a traditional arrangement. They're not disloyal. They're telling you what would make them stay.
What should you do before day one?
Describe the job honestly
Describe the work to the agency as it really is: the activities, the pace, the standing, the lifting, the temperature and the shift. Realistic job descriptions bring in applicants who stay, and our plant hiring guide will teach you how to describe a job by work station.
Agree who trains on what
OSHA and NIOSH suggest that the agency's agreement with you identify the worker's duties and each employer's safety obligations, and that these be explained to the worker before the worker begins.
Name a trainer or buddy
One person, by name, for each new worker on each shift.
Get the logistics right
Entrance, parking, start time, break times and protective gear ready before anyone arrives.
Tell your crew
Let the permanent team know new people are coming, and who is training them.
Day one
OSHA and NIOSH say host employers should provide temporary workers with safety training that is identical or equivalent to that given to their own employees for the same work, and that all temp workers know how to report an injury and receive treatment on every assignment they work. That's the safety argument. The retention argument is the same: people don't leave where they feel like part of the team.
The first week
Week one determines most temporary positions. Stay in touch frequently and keep it brief. Ask these two questions: What is going well? What is hindering your progress? Correct what you can, quickly, and tell the worker you did.
| When | Who checks in | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| End of day 1 | Supervisor or trainer | Anything unclear? Anything you need for tomorrow? |
| Day 3 | The staffing agency | Is the job what you expected? Any problems on the floor? |
| End of week 1 | Supervisor, with the agency | What's working, what to improve, and is this a fit for you? |
| Week 4 | Supervisor | Ready for more responsibility? Interested in staying on? |
Agencies should be involved, too. OSHA and NIOSH advise staffing agencies to maintain contact with temporary workers during an assignment, and to have a written process for workers to report hazards or changes in their jobs. When a worker reports something to the agency that they wouldn't report to you, a responsible agency shares it with you while there's still time to correct it.
Feedback that keeps people
Early feedback is a gift. An employee who finds out on day three that they're assembling the boxes incorrectly has time to adjust by day four. An employee who finds out in week three, from the agency, as they're leaving the building can't change it. Let people know what good work looks like. Let them know when they've achieved it. And let them know plainly when they haven't.
Habits that push temps out the door
- Transitioning temps to a new job each day with no training on it
- Giving temps every task nobody else wants, every shift
- Changing shifts with a day's notice
- Holding back comments until the day you ask the agency to send a substitute.
- Discounting a safety issue because the employee raising it is temporary.
That last habit isn't just harmful retention-wise. OSHA makes it clear temporary workers have all the same rights as permanent employees, such as the right to speak up about safety or report work-related injuries without retaliation.
Conversion: the best retention tool you have
One of the surest ways to retain a great temp worker is by offering them a permanent job. Temp-to-hire simply formalizes that option: let your good workers know from the beginning that it's possible, lay out what's required and negotiate terms with your agency ahead of time. Another benefit of temp-to-hire is you get to keep all of the training you've provided them right here on your floor.
Not every position has a permanent opening behind it. And that's OK. Say so. People take "this is a ten-week commitment" better than a promise that silently vanishes.
Temp worker turnover questions
Should temps get the same safety training as our employees?
OSHA and NIOSH want your training to be the same as, or equivalent to, what your own employees receive when doing the same or similar work. OSHA expects host employers to provide temporary workers with training and safety protections equal to those provided to any other workers.
When should we decide whether to hire a temp?
It depends on the position. Discuss the timing and parameters with your agency upfront, communicate with the worker about what the path entails, and provide feedback during the process so the decision doesn't catch anyone off guard.
Who should give feedback, us or the agency?
Each of you. You get to see the work every day. The agency hears things workers won't say to their supervisor. Tell each other what you learn. Do it fast.
What's the single biggest fix?
An accountable trainer for each new employee on each shift. Almost everything else on this list becomes easier if someone claims ownership of the first week.
Who can help us cut temp worker turnover?
Your temp agency should help, because they hear things from employees that they won't say to your supervisor. RHO Hiring briefs workers on your site before they even set foot there, and we keep a dedicated management team on the account to rectify issues quickly. Call us at (248) 843-0000.
How RHO Hiring helps Michigan employers keep temp workers
At RHO Hiring, we make sure workers know what's expected at your site before they even set foot there. We also put a dedicated management team on your account to quickly address issues. Our workers are pre-screened for reliability and detail orientation and receive safety training prior to their first day on the job. When one of them is right for your team long-term, temp-to-hire gives you both a clear path to a permanent role. And we're locally owned and operated, not a franchise. We are the owners, and we work directly with our clients.
Sources
Next guide
Temp vs temp-to-hire vs direct hire: three methods to fill an opening, plus a handy guide to discover which one is yours by duration of need, confidence in the candidate, and urgency to get them on the floor. RHO Hiring staffs all three in Michigan.
