From the course: Managing Temporary and Contract Employees

New paradigms for talent acquisition

From the course: Managing Temporary and Contract Employees

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New paradigms for talent acquisition

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- After interviewing a hundred corporate military, entrepreneurial, academic, and nonprofit leaders in the past year, I have learned that most organizations were designed for an environment that no longer exists. And part of that new environment is the on-demand economy. Case and point, a recent study showed 47% of business leaders said they want to hire contractors for management, senior executive, and even C-suite roles. We've hit a perfect storm today, where we have to adapt to the new reality that we don't just have full-time loyal employees for life. People don't want to be tied down, and they're very skeptical when it comes to placing their loyalty in one organization. We now have a mix of part-time, temporary, and contract workers on our teams. They're gig workers, working side hustles, and they're from different regions and different time zones speaking different languages, and some are from vastly different cultures. As the employer, you now have to earn loyalty and trust, and there are ways you can do this to build an unconventional and uncommon team that still accelerates performance. The problem and opportunity is most organizations haven't made the necessary adjustments to their structure, policies, processes, and incentives to effectively engage this new kind of worker, because they don't know what changes are required to lead a permeable team. The challenge for you is to create an environment that fosters agility, yet balances flexibility with the right amount of control. Consider developing a process for hiring gig workers, which should include your own current employees and contractors, along with a recruiting incentive. Your team knows better than anyone who will be a great fit, and this will save you a ton of money with recruiting fees. Ensure your process of selecting gig workers is the same as it is for all team members. If they're joining your team, it doesn't matter if they're a W-2 or a 1099, they are all working towards the same common purpose. The process of onboarding gig workers should be the same as employees with one caveat. Have an extra session that is just for the temps. Be very specific about the expectations. If your agreement requires 10 hours a week, show them an example of a 10 hour a week, and what could be accomplished in given time blocks. When it comes to managing gig workers' performance, ensure you're very clear on why they're an asset, and how their work is key to the team's big objectives, and overall success. Temporary and contract employees can provide a robust advantage, and when properly selected, onboarded and managed, they can enhance your team with unique expertise. And the plus is, you're able to try out future, full-time hires to create and boost your team's performance.

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