As we approach the end of the year, there’s definitely a lot to be thankful for – family, friends, and pumpkin pie, to name a few. But if you’re a business leader, Q4 can feel less like a holiday feast and more like a high-stakes juggling act. Between year-end financial reporting, holiday campaigns, and prepping for a new year, your team might be feeling stretched thinner than your Thanksgiving gravy. Here’s the good news: hiring contract professionals can help you get through Q4 with all the trimmings, ensuring your business stays on track without overloading your internal teams.
According to Scott Pullen, Sherpa AVP for Staffing Services, “most business leaders want to ensure that they’re compliant within their industries and the holiday season adds pressure to meet those deadlines. Strategically, it just makes sense for leaders to bring in contract/temporary employees to keep their businesses fully functional and giving them some breathing room to manage year-end tasks.” Let’s dig into why this strategy can be a game-changer in our functional areas of Accounting, Finance, HR, Marketing, Business Transformation, and Administrative Support.
Accounting and Finance: Serve Up Seamless Year-End Financials
The year’s end brings a buffet of financial tasks – audits, reconciliations, and reporting, to name a few. Contract accountants and financial analysts can step in to take on these responsibilities, ensuring everything is buttoned up while your internal team focuses on strategic planning.
Bonus: They’re ready to hit the ground running, so there’s no need to invest time in extensive training.
Human Resources: Streamline Processes with Expert Support
Our conversations with many HRBP’s detail a Q4 that is chock full of tasks ranging from year-end performance analysis and reviews to compensation planning and advice to benefits administration and open enrollment. The workload also includes workforce planning, which can involve reviewing talent gaps, hiring needs, restructuring and reorganizing if need be. In addition (and like end of year accounting work), there is always an assortment of compliance and reporting requirements to wrap up.
It goes without saying, Q4 is labor intense for HR professionals. Many of our clients find that hiring contract professionals in functional HR areas can lighten the load and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
Think of it as having an extra set of hands to pass the mashed potatoes.
Marketing: Add Seasonal Spice to Your Marketing Campaigns
The holidays are a high-stakes time for marketing teams. Whether you’re rolling out festive campaigns or prepping for a strong start in January, hiring contract professionals in marketing can bring fresh ideas and specialized skills to the table. They can help execute on time and on budget campaigns, with a flair that resonates with your audience. They can also review analytics from digital campaigns, evaluate website traffic and content engagement in order to make recommendations that will help generate business in the coming year.
Business Transformation: Drive Performance With Proven Specialists
For many businesses, Q4 is prime time for wrapping up system upgrades, change management initiatives, and other large-scale projects. Contract professionals in Business Transformation can lead these efforts with precision, ensuring you meet critical deadlines and set your business up for success in the new year. Our Business Transformation team has assisted clients in diverse industries including Healthcare, Financial Services, Insurance, Construction and more. Many of our consultants are long-term resources who have worked through us and successfully multiple engagements. Adding proven talent like these resources can be a real recipe for a winning year-end.
Administrative Support: The Icing on the Cake
The administrative demands of Q4 – scheduling, coordinating holiday logistics, and more – can pile up quickly. Contract and Temporary administrative professionals are the butter that keeps the whole operation running smoothly, allowing your team to focus on bigger priorities.
Three Reasons Why Contract Professionals Are the Secret Ingredient
There are many advantages to hiring contract professionals, but in the interest of brevity, we’ll touch on the three we hear most frequently from our clients.
- Flexibility: Scale your workforce up or down as needed and be more responsive to economic shifts.
- Speed: Get skilled professionals onboard quickly to tackle urgent projects.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Pay for expertise without committing to long-term hires. According to Forbes, part of the cost savings are due to the fact that Healthcare benefits, 401(k) plans, PTO and vacation days aren’t the responsibility of the business. Additionally, there is less of an investment in training and on-boarding a proven resource.
Stress Less and Make This a Q4 to Be Thankful For
At Sherpa, we know Q4 can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’re here to provide the skilled professionals you need to tackle the season with confidence. Whether it’s crunching numbers, streamlining HR, launching impactful campaigns, managing projects, or keeping operations smooth, our contract talent is ready to make a difference.
Reach out to Sherpa today, and let’s make this your most successful Q4 yet. Together, we can ensure your business finishes strong and starts the new year with a full plate of possibilities. You can submit urgent hiring needs right here!
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Sherpa!
