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Temp workers warned to beware of 'gravitas gap'
10/08/2012
By Daniel Hunter
The UK’s temporary jobseekers would be the secret weapon to our most successful workforces, if it wasn’t for corporate attitudes, according to research out today from www.jobinasecond.com, the UK’s SMS temporary jobs network.
The survey of 100 companies from all sectors across the UK revealed the ‘gravitas gap’ that is preventing employers and employees from considering part-time and temporary career options. The results indicate that despite some positive sentiments towards them, permanent staff are more likely to apply negative assumptions and generalisations to their temping colleagues.
Eight out of ten colleagues felt that temp and short-term work was suitable for their profession. However, only 20% of managers said they’d choose a temporary candidate over a permanent one. Despite believing in short-term suitability for their professions, three-quarters of the permanent workforce surveyed said that they wouldn’t consider that sort of work themselves.
The research shows that temporary workers are not regarded as second-place in the eyes of permanent colleagues when it comes to intelligence and attitude:
· 75% of permanent staff think their temp colleagues are career focused
· Only one in ten of their co-workers think temp staff are less qualified and able to do their job
· Half of respondents thought their temporary colleagues were more flexible in their attitude to work than their permanent ones
· Despite recent press reports on cash-in-hand workers and taxation issues, 60% of surveyed workers believe those earning cash deserve to be taken as seriously as salaried employees
However, the ‘gravitas gap’ evident when it comes to the more personal perceptions of a temp worker’s place in a typical business:
· 55% of workers felt short-term colleagues weren’t taken as seriously as the permanent... continued on page two >
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