Beyond the social costs, critics say there are other implications of a temp-heavy workforce. On both sides there is much less commitment. This may backfire. The costs of having employees not as committed to your company may or may not be offset by the labor savings. It may impact productivity as well.
Some workers describe a workforce divided on the basis of employment status.
According to King, who requested anonymity, while the rest of the staff at one Silicon Valley firm went to lunch, she was directed to stay behind and answer the phones. On some assignments she felt as if regular employees were reluctant to teach her too much of their job for fear they might be replaced by her. That's the kind of tension one-time electronics production manager Rich Loveman says he also saw on the job. Loveman worked in Silicon Valley for 13 years before switching to real estate, in part because of the transformation he was witnessing in the workplace. To me, as a production manager, it seemed to be a waste of time.