the Cost of Day Laborers and Temporary Workers

When my husband was needing temporary workers for his sideline/hobby business he contacted a employment agency about getting some help. The agency found out the type of employees he needed (manual labor) and sent pre-screened applicants to him. The agency charged us $2 per hour per person ($80 per person per week).

Most of the applicants that were sent our way were truly eager workers, but I was amazed at a few that came our way. Some of them thought that temporary meant they had the option to come to work or not. They did not seem to see it as a regular job and would come in late, leave early, take longer breaks, or just not come in, depending on their whim. Luckily, after two days of this, my husband called the agency and told them not to send them back. They listened attentively to what happened, and assured us that they would tell them not to return to work for us. That was a whole lot better than having to deal with the temporary employees face-to-face.

Be sure to communicate with the temporary agency exactly what you are needing and when. If you have special tasks (in our case, heavy lifting and dirty outdoor work) involved, be sure that they understand that. You don't want someone from the agency showing up in inappropriate attire or with unrealistic expectations. That only leads to frustration on both yours and your temporary employees' parts.