Managing a Contingent Workforce: Everything Leaders Should Know
The world is rapidly changing, both due to the still ongoing health crisis, but even more so because of major shifts in how individuals view employment and collaboration. We’re looking at a surge of remote, freelance, and on-demand, project-based work relationships that eliminate the need for on-site and full-time employment, at least to an extent. Some industries are more open to such changes, while others remain steadfast in their preference for full-time engagement.
If you, as a business leader, run a company that doesn’t strictly depend on full-time employees, or you experience seasonal demand increases, you know that contract workers are your best bet. However, that means that you also need to know how to onboard, manage, choose, and rehire contingent staff at the right time and with the right strategies. Let’s cover some of the most potent tactics for managing your contingent workforce in line with your full-time workforce and make the most of these relationships moving forward.
Create a hiring strategy
Although flexible and non-permanent by nature, contingent workers do have their own dedicated work schedule and thus, limitations as to the amount of work they can take on at any given time. That said, any business leader who works with contingent employees knows that you cannot just approach them at the last minute and expect them to always be prepared to jump on a project for you and get it done, preferably yesterday.
If you have seasonal workload oscillations and you know that you can expect, for example, more work to come your way in the summer months, preparing yourself and your contingent workers for that surge is a must. Make sure to outline a long-term strategy that will help you collaborate with contingent workers and hire them in time, without having to find people on short notice.
Onboard with the location in mind
Contract workers have different expectations depending on where they live, their work hours, and existing collaborations, especially if their work demands their physical presence. That is why so many companies around the world, especially in Europe, with ample competition to deal with, do their best to create a dedicated onboarding and management strategy for their local workers.
With that in mind, a number of companies might consider looking into professional contingent workforce solutions from Europe knowing that this will solve all of their problems at once. This idea is practical and easy to organize, particularly if you want to have lots of people on board, no matter how many projects you are working on. These solutions will help you pay close attention to your new staff and make sure they know what they need to do and how to integrate into your company adequately. In the end, you will see no difference between your contingent workforce and your other employees, and that is the best way to move forward in these cases.
Show appreciation for all employees
Now that you have planned your workload needs for the upcoming period and that you have a dedicated hiring strategy, it’s also time to create a plan for contingent employee recognition. In fact, your overall benefits scheme should be tailored in such a way to accommodate both your full-time and your contract-based staff.
It’s one of the most effective ways to motivate your team no matter if they work for you full-time or not, and whether or not they will continue working with you in the future. For example, see if your contingent workers would like certain perks like access to your in-house training and mentorship programs. Perhaps giving them tickets to a cultural event or even just a care basket with baked goods can make a difference, especially if you add a hand-written thank-you note.
Seek feedback and learn
Like your permanent employees, your contract workers have ideas and suggestions, as well as potential criticism that your own business can benefit from. As a true leader, you should be prepared to hear them out, and to find ways to incorporate their feedback into your business model, if it can help improve your relationships and work output.
Set up regular reviews and feedback sessions that can help your contingent workers share what their experiences have been like so far. Their views can truly give you invaluable insights into your culture and promote your business as well as cultural growth and diversity.
Measure and track your contingent management
Finally, all of these strategies and solutions when it comes to contingent workforce management will have little merit if you don’t track how well they turn out. Use your project management as well as other communication tools to monitor these collaborations and to spot bottlenecks, issues, and recurring problems.
This is one of the smartest ways you can leverage the knowledge you obtain to foster better, more transparent bonds and higher productivity in the years to come. Learn how your contingent relationships are making a difference and how you can improve, so that you can make measurable changes in your organization.
Contingent workers, just like your full-time employees, have their own specific needs and preferences, and it’s up to you to adapt your collaboration strategy to work with them in a productive and mutually beneficial manner. With these simple, but effective ideas in mind, you can transform your entire workforce management approach and make it more flexible to suit your contingent workers as well as your permanent staff. In doing so, you’ll run a better, more efficient organization that will allow all of its members to thrive.