The client company marginally utilises the knowledge of highly skilled temporary staff

Abstract

This study is based on the presumption that there is often an under-use of temporary staff in client companies (CC) with highly skilled professionals. The study combines theories of the flexible organization and a socio-cultural perspective on learning within the framework of an inter-organizational context. The data is based partly on seventeen transcribed, semistructured interviews with individuals in various types of health care and social services. The data is also based on two semi-structured focus group interviews with managers responsible for hiring social workers, nurses, and doctors in two different temporary work agencies (TWA) as well as semi-structured focus group interviews with eight managers from a large health care organization. The results show that CCs only use a limited amount of the highly skilled personnel's capacity and exclude preconditions for taking over and absorbing knowledge from temporary workers. This contradicts the idea that staffing allows temps to increase their skills and enhance their employability. In addition, both TWA and the CC pronounce an interest in and readiness for deepening the business relationships between them, but they claim the other is responsible for initiation. The results reflect information not only about temporary workers with higher education but also the new business relationship between TWA and CC in the form of combined skills and workplace validation.

Conditions for Workplace Learning Among Professional ‘Temps’: A Qualitative Study of Temporary Agency Nurses in Sweden

“…As collegiality is a fundamental resource in professional work (Svensson, 2008) and intra-professional relations are crucial to nurses' learning (Billett et al, 2014;Kyndt et al, 2016), this is relevant. In addition, in line with previous research highlighting temporary agency workers' learning as challenging (see for example Augustsson, 2014;Håkansson & Isidorsson, 2015), previous studies show that temporary agency nurses risk missing out on important learning opportunities (Augustsson, 2016;Berg Jansson et al, 2020;Charnley & Arnold, 2006) and them suggest a need for improved conditions of training and competence development for temporary agency nurses (Manias et al, 2003;Hass et al, 2006). At the same time, important nuances between diverse contexts of temporary agency work are identified, for example, how 'the likelihood of participating in training grows the higher the occupational group' (Forrier & Sels, 2003, p. 652) and how individuals with positive attitudes about this associate it with positive aspects, such as opportunities for learning (Bosmans et al, 2015;Bellaagh & Isaks-1 3 son, 1999).…”

What about learning?

“…The findings revealed similarities and differences regarding conditions for WPL, pointing to both opportunities and challenges for WPL on different levels. First, the conditions for formal learning seemed more "unclear" for ANs (see also Augustsson, 2016); second, ANs' opportunities to receive work-related feedback appeared to be fewer than for RNs. Besides highlighting an uneven distribution of learning affordances (Billett, 2001), possible challenges for WPL for individual ANs were demonstrated.…”

“…However, our previous study indicated some potential challenges for WPL related to ANs not participating in development work nor describing colleagues as "really close" (Berg Jansson and Engström, 2017). Similarly, Augustsson (2016) discussed how highly skilled TAWs do not partake in decision-making, i.e. COs marginally use their capacity and thereby also " [.…”

Strange things happen at sea: training and new technology in a multi-billion global industry

“…Furthermore, there is also the pressing question of how it is that in such a globalised and casualised workforce continuous professional development is being attained. Many seafarers are employed on temporary contracts see Ellis et al (2012) 2 and there is evidence in other sectors that employers are more reluctant to provide in-house training to temporary workers than their permanent workforce (Augustsson 2015). This pattern is likely to be exacerbated in relation to more expensive, externally provided, training courses.…”