Break Your Temp Contract The Right Way
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The Correct Protocol
If you find yourself in a situation that requires breaking your temp contract, follow these steps:
- First, speak to your temp agency rather than the employer for whom you work. Remember, the agency cuts your check. Also, the employer is the agency's client, and you should do everything possible not to damage the relationship between the two.
- Give the agency as much notice as possible so an appropriately qualified individual can be found to replace you in the workplace.
- Try to complete as many assigned tasks as possible for the employer before you leave.
- After the agency notifies the employer of your decision, work with both entities to ensure a smooth transition between you and your replacement.
Don't Burn Your Bridges
No matter how well you handle your early leave, be aware that it may damage your future with the agency. According to Elizabeth Parks, executive director of Special Counsel, a staffing agency, even the smoothest, most well-planned exit can cause ripples.
“Would you make your first call to fill a position to someone who had cost you some of your livelihood once before, even if it was for a justifiable reason?” says Parks. “Probably not. Every time an agent sends you out for a temporary position, he is placing the employer's opinion of the agent's personal judgment at risk. If you let the agent down in this regard, the employer loses a little bit of faith in the agent's judgment.”
