As businesses invest in building strong values and a distinct company culture to differentiate themselves in both the customer and talent markets, a growing contingent workforce raises concerns about whether these efforts are sustainable, writes Jodie Ratcliffe, HR director, Matrix Workforce Management Solutions.
Companies that are investing in building integrity, ethics and upskilling into their culture in an effort to attract the best talent, close skills gaps and future-proof are facing a conundrum as the contingent workforce continues to grow. How can the visions and values they are working so hard to embed flourish?
The answer lies in changing the traditional way of handling non-permanent employees. To enable agility, flexibility and scalability in a highly competitive global marketplace, where responding rapidly to customer demand is critical, smart companies are increasingly making temporary staff integral to their workforce.
As such, the first thing that needs to go is the ‘them and us’ approach. ‘Value’ is the watchword here. A careful balance needs to be struck between ensuring that temporary staff hit the ground running and deliver value quickly, and that they understand the essential values of the business, and also know they are valued.
Temporary staff may only be with businesses for limited periods but it’s important to build a loyal, committed and talented contingent workforce that will keep coming back. Think of the time and effort this saves, not to mention the business benefits it brings. Such efforts demand an ‘onboarding light’ approach that quickly gets temporary staff up to speed with culture, engaged with key stakeholders and trained as required for the job in hand, essentially setting them up to succeed.
Lay a baseline
HR leaders must create a consistent baseline experience for anyone coming into the business, whether permanent or temporary, both when recruitment and onboarding. This should include successful integration into relevant permanent teams, to ensure that temporary workers are treated as one of the wider team. Making temporary staff feel an important part of the business helps to optimise the value they bring by enabling them to make key contributions to projects, such as sharing fresh, innovative ideas and perspectives, to use their talents fully.
A heightened level of integration should also extend to both performance and conduct. It is crucial to communicate clearly that, while working for the business, temporary staff are expected to reflect and project the company’s values meeting the same standards as permanent colleagues. The aim should be to foster a unified team and culture where the same rules apply to everyone, irrespective of their employment type. Importantly, avoid using the word ‘status,’ as it implies that temporary workers are somehow below permanent staff, undermining the overall goal of integration.
Connect and collaborate
Ensure that contingent workers are fully connected within a business. The high level of technology innovation today should not only mean that workers have the right tools at their disposal such as computer, applications, etc, but also that they are digitally connected to their colleagues and stakeholders. This should make collaboration through meetings and chat groups quick and easy, optimising both integration and performance. To ensure this, HR should establish a baseline level of connectivity, both technological and physical, for anyone entering the business.
Further value can be added by including temporary workers in feedback surveys. Adding to the pool of ideas in this way can be of significant benefit. Meanwhile, including all workers in reward and recognition programmes deepens integration and drives motivation and loyalty.
The contingent edge
Ultimately, to maintain a strong, consistent culture, and drive future success, HR should ensure that temporary staff are successfully onboarded, integrated and connected with permanent employees and key stakeholders, and that they share many of the current full-time benefits, where appropriate. This will optimise performance and deliver a vital regular talent resource that provides the agility, flexibility, scalability and competitive edge that is essential for success in the modern fluctuating business environment. Yes, a delicate balance needs to be struck, but recognising and actioning this now ensures companies stay ahead and futureproof.
Originally published HR Magazine | October 2024
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