This is focused more towards an end client/ business. How can companies keep their contract workers happy and make them feel part of the team?
This sounds cynical, but really, we’re just being practical when we say that keeping your contract workers happy matters more today than it did two years ago. The increasing labor shortage has put things in perspective for most employers. We know how much our workers—including contractors—mean to us. Keeping your contractors happy and making them feel like a part of the team is challenging. But we have some tips that will help.
How Do You Keep Your Contract Workers Happy?
Employee Engagement Also Means Contractor Engagement
Even before the pandemic, most employers would say that they wanted to keep their employees happy—and that included their contractors and even freelancers. But how can you motivate these teams when they aren’t full-time workers? Can you motivate someone when they’re only there for a short time? If a worker doesn’t have benefits and perks, how can they feel a part of the team? A contractor can be a huge benefit to your team if you manage them well. But it’s a complicated process of trying to handle regular employees, let alone a short-term team. What can you do?
- Build the relationship. Get to know your contractors and encourage your full-time workforce to do the same. You don’t want this to be a purely transactional relationship. Make them a part of the team.
- Provide feedback. Any worker will perform the work more effectively with feedback. Even spending a few minutes at the beginning, middle, and end of the assignment will engage the contractor in the success of the organization—and themselves.
- Pay top dollar. Show these flexible workers that they matter and pay them as well as you can. Treat them fairly and they will want to do their best on your behalf. Contract arrangements can be messy when you’re handling them in bulk. Make sure you work with an employee of record (EOR) like FoxHire to handle contractual details properly.
Also, make sure your onboarding process is as thorough as for any employee. It’s easy to skimp on providing contractors with what they need to get started in the job. But if you do that, they’ll be less engaged and productive.
Do’s and Don’ts of Working With Contractors
If you’re the employer, there are a few do’s and don’ts when working with contract workers to consider:
Do
- Engage with them upfront by getting to know them.
- Ask them what their goals are for the job.
- Make them feel like they belong to your team.
- Let them know their work matters.
- Pay them well.
Don’t
- Forget to give them feedback just like any employee.
- Fail to follow the terms of the contract.
- Treat the relationship as purely contractual.
These days, even finding contractors is harder than ever. It’s hard to manage these relationships and the contracts that govern the arrangement. Contractors are selecting the best packages of pay and benefits for these shorter-term roles. The problem for your business is that you traditionally do not offer benefits to anyone but your full-time teams. What can you do to ensure that these tricky contracts are handled properly and that your job offers a competitive pay and benefits structure?
Are You Taking These Steps To Make Contract Workers Happy?
FoxHire is an EOR designed specifically to tackle these problems on your behalf. We handle the backend administrative functions associated with engaging contractors. We’re here to help your organization successfully use these arrangements to your benefit. Click here to find out more about what we do and how we can help your business.
