How to Build a Better Relationship with Your Temporary Employees

With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and various other economical factors, the number of temporary employed workers is at an all time high.  Companies across the U.S. are discovering the value of utilizing contracted staff to achieve their business goals.  However, in order to utilize temporary employees to their fullest potential, it’s essential to build a great manager-employee relationship.  Here are a few tips to building a strong working relationship with temporary employees.

Relate whenever you can.
When you hire temporary employees, it’s important to keep in mind that they come from many different backgrounds and career paths—even more so than your full-time hires.  Some temporary employees are trying to avoid resume gaps between positions, while others make a career out of contract work.  Because of this, in order to really foster a relationship with temporary employees, you have to look for ways to relate to them.  Find out what each employee desires, their projected career plan, and what they hope to get out of the current position.  This allows you to relate to the employee’s ambitions and keep them motivated by having them work on projects that are beneficial to both their career goals and the organization.

Take note of subtleties—especially emotions.
The key to building relationships with your employees is showing how much you care about them as people—not  just as workers.  Stay in tune with their attitude towards the job.  The biggest complaint organizations have about temporary employees is that they aren’t as motivated as full-time staffers. If you take note of the subtleties, and treat the temporary employee the same as a staffer, you’ll be able to tell when an employee’s attitude goes south, and keep them from damaging workplace morale.

Show your appreciation.
It’s important to keep in mind that temporary employees aren’t eligible for many perks that their full-time counterparts are.  Without a promise for a future within your company, no paid vacations, and not being eligible for benefits—employees might not give 100% effort. Try finding other non-monetary ways to keep temporary employees fulfilled and show appreciation.   Recognize their hard work in the all-staff meeting, offer flexible hours, or let them work half-days on Friday.  These are all ways that will show you truly appreciate the work they’re doing.

Ask for feedback.
Give temporary employees an opportunity for their voice to be heard. Temporary employees can provide an outsider’s perspective on problems the organization is struggling with that someone too involved in the organization can’t see.  If you focus on the issues that are important to temporary employees, they’ll feel valued and speak highly of your company.

Temporary employees can be a great addition to your organization, as long as you put in the effort to make them feel included.  If you’re currently looking to staff up your organization, let the recruiters at BOS Staffing help.  For more than 35 years we have helped clients throughout Northeast Georgia and nationwide complete find not notch talent and manage their workforces more efficiently. Contact us today to get started.

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