Rocking the Boat: How to Introduce a Temporary Employee into a Tight Team

The good news is that as a manager you've done a great job bringing your team together into a tight, cohesive, top-performing work group. The bad news is that you need to hire a temporary employee to either help with work overflow or fill in for a vacationing employee. Now you're wondering how this new member can fit seamlessly into the group without disrupting the flow.

More than likely, if you're hiring a temporary employee, you're doing it because the workload has become too great for the current team to handle it all. If the reason for this increased workload is short-term (time of year, two-week vacation fill-in, special project) it should be relatively easy to introduce the member into the group without too much fuss.

However, if you need someone long-term to fill in for a three- to six-month leave of absence or while you are recruiting to replace an open position (for which this temporary employee might, in fact, be ultimately hired), then you need to spend more time making sure that the temporary employee fits with your group dynamics and company culture.

Prepare Your Team in Advance

Any time you introduce a new person into an existing cohesive group, you run the risk of upsetting the balance. That's why it is important to ensure that you prepare the team in advance.

Remember that if the temporary employee is filling a position that belongs to an employee out on leave, there may be some push back from the rest of the team if they see the temp as an interloper, someone who inserts themselves where they don't really belong.

As manager, you have to prepare your team in advance and reassure them of their status and role on the team as well as that of their absent team mate, for whom they may be feeling concern. Speak to them individually or as a group to make sure they understand what is happening and explain your expectations as it relates to the new team member.

Involve Your Team in the Process

Keep in mind that small, close-knit teams are tougher to penetrate than larger groups. However, it is always wise to make sure the members understand the who, what, where, how and why of the process.

• Who will be the temporary employee's supervisor?
• What will the temporary employee be responsible for doing?
• Where will the temporary employee work?
• Why is the temporary employee being hired?
• How long will the temporary employee be there?

Consider having your team involved in finding someone they can all agree on. If this is for a long-term assignment, you might want to interview candidates rather than accepting whomever the temporary service sends over. Invite all or key members of your team to participate in the interview and selection process. Or if you are not using a temporary service, ask team members to refer people for the opening.

Once a temporary employee is brought on board, it is then important to monitor how they function within the group to determine if the fit is in fact good. By addressing these issues up front, the team is more likely to feel comfortable with the entire process as well as the temporary employee who is hired.