Managing a temporary workforce: to get the best from contingent employees, don't treat them like 'temps.'

Temporary employees used to be emergency replacements for ill or vacationing clerical workers-warm bodies hired to answer phones and type letters. Because most assignments lasted less than a week, temporary workers required little, if any, special attention from managers. But today, companies are hiring temps for more strategic jobs, such as completing special projects or managing a company transition. On any given day, there are more than 2 million temporary workers in the U.S. Todays assignments are longer (over half last more than 11 weeks), and you're just as likely to find a temp on the factory floor, behind a computer or in the executive suite as you are on the company switchboard.

Despite this trend, too many managers still treat temporary employees like second-dass citizens. If you want to get the best work from today's temp workers, you must first get over the notion that they are somehow different. In reality, they require the same respect and consideration that you'd give any valuable employee.

As Tecora Rogers, computer support services manager at Frankel & Co., a Chicago-based promotions and marketing firm, says: "From day one, I do everything I can to make sure temps feel like they belong and don't feel any less important than other employees." More specifically, when using temps managers should:

Take time to recruit the right candidate. "Managers must take time to assess their skill needs and communicate those needs to the staffing agency," says Bob Mills, vice president of Aspen Personnel Services Inc., in Tacoma Park, Md. "We need to know not only the position we're hiring for, but the kind of culture the temporary will be operating in. You'll get a better fit if you do your homework up front."

Provide orientation. Once you've taken time to hire the right temporary employees, make sure you give them a work site orientation. This should include a thorough explanation of job duties, as well as an overview of basic information such as where the cafeteria and rest rooms are and when breaks are scheduled. Also, be sure to introduce them to someone who can answer questions.

Keep them "in the loop." Give temporary workers information about the company and how their work fits in. "I expect the same quality of work from temps as I do from regular employees, and to do that they must have the same knowledge base," says Rogers, who invites temporary employees to all department meetings and shares all company memos with them. "The more they know about the company, the better they can perform."

Give them challenging assignments. Take time to review the resumes of your temporary employees in order to take advantage of their full range of experience. It's demoralizing for temps to work below their skill level. When you pot high achievers, keep them challenged by giving them greater responsibility.

Ask for input. Tony Simmons, vice president of Simmons Associates in New Hope, Pa., and a former human resources manager, recommends that temporary staff members be included in the decision-making process. "They are a valuable source of information," he says. Temps are objective, don't have an ax to grind and most don't understand your office politics. Because most temps are dying to give their opinion, they feel flattered when you ask.

Never, ever introduce temporary workers as "temps." Instead, introduce them by their names followed by a brief description of their responsibilities. "In every sense of the word, temps are part of this department," Rogers says. "I never use the word `temp,' because I don't want to do anything to make them feel like they don't belong."

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MBAs host conference and job fair

The 21st Annual Whitney M. Young Jr. Memorial Conference will take place January 19-21 at the Adams Mark Hotel in Philadelphia. Sponsored by the Wharton School African American MBA Association, the conference is one of the largest student-run events in the country. On January 19, there will be a job fair, with over 70 financial, consulting, investment banking, marketing, manufacturing and service firms participating.