The demand for senior interim managers is on the rise, according to research from the Interim Management Association and affirmed by recruitment agency Capita Professional Recruitment.
The study of 16,000 senior interims working in the UK found that the amount of interim managers has increased by 93 percent since the pre-recession levels of 2006, with a substantial increase in top level contract roles in recent years.
Stephen Hoban, director of Capital Professional Recruitment, said:
“We have seen interim demand go through the roof in recent years, so it is unsurprising that the IMA predicts that the sector is tipped to become a £2 billion pound market in 2015. While every successful business relies on a strong backbone of permanent professionals for stability and continuity of strategy and vision, organisations which fail to consider flexible staffing solutions when bringing on board senior talent are certainly missing a trick.
“The use of contractors effectively allows businesses to ‘lease’ expertise that they would be hard pushed to secure on a permanent basis. Furthermore, if harnessed correctly, these skills should be retained within the business long after the interim has moved on.”
In response to the study, Hoban has outlined the top five reasons why he believes the use of interim staff is so popular.
- Access to specialist knowledge – interims offer ambitious businesses access to specialist skills and experience that would be near-on impossible to secure on a permanent basis.
- Expertise without permanent headcount costs – Bringing on board interims allows organisations to invest in talent as and when they need it to efficiently manage projects or a temporary increase in workload.
- No alternative motives – Professional contractors have a keen eye for spotting internal politics. They are consequently able to rise above the noise to put in place processes which benefit organisational outcomes rather than personal agendas.
- They’re ‘people people’ – independent contractors are, by their very nature, great communicators who find it easy to slot into an organisation, build rapport, and get the job done.
- Gain a new perspective – interims are able to offer a fresh point of view, untainted by familiarity and convention. They are able to share best practice across the brands they work with, driving change, innovation, and productivity.
Steff joined the HRreview editorial team in November 2014. A former event coordinator and manager, Steff has spent several years working in online journalism. She is a graduate of Middlessex University with a BA in Television Production and will complete a Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Westminster in the summer of 2015.
