New research from the University of Southern Denmark shows that permanent staff often benefit from their temporary employees who are keen to make a positive impact on their workplace, disregarding the sometimes short duration of their assignments. 

“We have previously seen temporary staff as those who do not care about the company they work for and hide under their own skin and just think about making money,” said associate professor at the Institute of Marketing and Management at the university, Jeanette Lemmergaard.

“But it turns out that they are actually very anxious to form good relationships with the companies and the permanent colleagues. They are ready to go the extra mile,” she said.  

The research surveyed 25,000 temporary workers. It showed a trend that those workers can in some cases even raise the standard of work amongst permanent employees by setting a good example and showing willingness to work hard.

It also suggests that the temporary workers are deliberately choosing this type of employment for the flexibility it offers and are not always after permanent jobs. A high amount of temporary workers are active in the healthcare sector where the research has shown that they are particularly committed workers.