Looking for staff to cover a short term vacancy? Or a specialist for specific tasks? Or a team of professionals for a specific project? ‘Flexpreneurs’ play a crucial role in meeting these immediate needs with expertise and agility.
These versatile professionals, with their unique skills and flexible approach, can swiftly adapt to requirements and contribute significantly to ad hoc or short-term projects. For a deeper understanding of who ‘flexpreneurs’ are and why they are critical in modern workplaces, check out our earlier blog, ‘The Rise of ‘Flexpreneurs’ – Helping organizations remain agile in times of economic uncertainty.
The Contingent Workforce penetration rate is expected to grow by 30% by 2028. And businesses need to prepare for this with enhanced scalability and efficiency in their workforce management systems.
The allure of flex workers can quickly turn into a nightmare if certain critical mistakes are made. Missteps in managing these workers can lead to costly delays, productivity losses, and even reputational damage.
Are you making these common mistakes in your contingent staffing strategy? Read on to discover the big mistakes to avoid, and best practices to ensure your contingent workforce is a valuable asset, not a liability.
6 Common Contingent Staffing Mistakes You are Probably Already Making
‘Flexpreneurs’ can be the secret sauce to achieving business agility, but one wrong move and you could find yourself in a hiring disaster. Discover the top mistakes you might be making with your contingent staffing and learn how to turn these pitfalls into powerful practices.
1. Job Description Ambiguity
Just like with any hiring, a poorly designed job description and specification can attract the wrong candidates and result in employing the wrong people. Many organizations fail to provide a clear and detailed job description, leading to mismatched expectations. Some job descriptions are unclear, vague or have confusing requirements, while some fail to outline specific technical skills, project goals, and responsibilities. Most often companies just repost old and sometimes borrowed job descriptions, without putting much effort into listing out skills required for success in a role. Many don’t update job descriptions, despite rapidly evolving technologies, processes, and roles. As a result, job descriptions tend to be static and outdated.
This impedes the progress of finding the best talent as top candidates may be reluctant to apply for a job that isn’t explained well.
Clear, detailed job descriptions are essential to ensure you find the right fit for your contingent staffing needs. It serves as a roadmap, guiding both employers and candidates toward a mutual understanding of the role. Clearly defined job descriptions help attract the right talent, set accurate expectations, and reduce the risk of misunderstandings. By outlining specific responsibilities, necessary skills, and performance metrics, organizations can ensure that they hire individuals who are well-suited for the job, ultimately leading to higher productivity and job satisfaction.
Pro Tips
- Craft comprehensive job descriptions with the help of all stakeholders involved to ensure all aspects of the job including specific technical requirements and project goals are clearly defined.
- Update job descriptions regularly, ensuring they are fluid and adaptable to evolving needs and market trends.
2. Hit the Ground Running? Not Without Proper Onboarding!
Onboarding is essential for integrating new employees into an organization, why should this be any different for contingent workers? Often there’s a prevailing notion that contingent workers need to be productive from day one, ignoring the need for proper onboarding and training. Organizations fail to introduce these workers to the company culture, policies, procedures, and their specific job responsibilities, leaving them feeling lost and undervalued. The end result of which is poor performance and high labor turnover.
A streamlined and well-communicated onboarding process is essential for attracting and retaining valuable contingent talent. An effective process ensures they understand their tasks, know where to find necessary tools and materials, and have clear points of contact for any clarifications.
Contingent workers are also viewed as short-term hires, leading organizations to skip onboarding or conduct a rushed onboarding to save time. When onboarding contingent workers for quick and urgent projects, it’s sometimes necessary to avoid lengthy hiring processes. It’s important to develop an efficient yet thorough onboarding process that ensures due diligence without unnecessary delays.
Pro Tips
- A personalized welcome goes a long way in setting flexprenuers up for success also encouraging them to return for future engagements.
- For time sensitive projects, having a ready database or pool of pre-screened, contingent workers who can be quickly onboarded when needed, is key. Also avoid overwhelming the new hires with excessive information. Develop a concise, need-to-know onboarding package designed just for flex workers.
3. Broken Communication Channels
Organizations often fail to establish clear communication channels and regular check-ins with flex workers that can lead to project delays and misunderstandings. Fractured communication channels with no clarity between managers and contingent staff result in important messages getting lost along the way. Organizations often fail to communicate the what, when, and how leaving the temp worker unclear on expectations, workloads or timelines.
Clear, consistent and constant communication is what can make or break a temporary staffing framework. Open and transparent communication channels keeps everyone aligned and ensures that contingent workers feel important and in the loop.
Therefore, companies must ensure frequent, transparent and two-way communication between full-time workers, managers and contingent workers so that they feel engaged and a part of the team.
Pro Tips
Establish clear pathways for communication between all workers and managers to ensure seamless collaboration and regular updates to keep everyone on the same page.
Implement collaboration tools, project management software, and regular team meetings to facilitate efficient information exchange. Encourage contingent workers to share their feedback and insights, as their diverse experiences can provide valuable perspectives.
4. The Feedback Gap
Constructive feedback is essential for contractors to improve and align with project goals. Unfortunately, organizations often neglect to provide regular feedback, leading to misaligned expectations and underperformance. Instead of offering valuable feedback, businesses sometimes choose to cut their losses with freelancers and contractors who have under-delivered, opting to move on to someone else. Sometimes feedback is given only during the consultant’s exit, making it too late to implement and improve.
Clear, fair and actionable feedback, positive or negative, should be shared with flex workers regularly to help them better align with project goals. It can help guide contingent workers towards better performance, ensuring they understand what is expected and how they can meet those expectations. This not only enhances their productivity but also fosters a sense of engagement and commitment to the project. Ultimately, investing time in delivering thoughtful feedback can transform underperformance into excellence, benefiting both the contractor and the organization.
Best Practices
- Establish a regular feedback loop for contingent workers, encourage an open-door policy for feedback and improvement discussions.
- Skilled contractors will appreciate the opportunity to adapt their approach to meet your needs, and for continued opportunities with your organization, so provide feedback every step of the way for desired outcomes.
5. The Cultural Fit Oversight
Many organizations, particularly service firms, often overlook the importance of cultural fit when hiring contingent workers. In contrast, Global Capability Centers (GCCs) have implemented robust processes to ensure cultural alignment, recognizing its significance in maintaining seamless operations. Even for contract roles, assessing cultural fit is essential to ensure team dynamics and productivity. Ignoring cultural fit can lead to disrupted team dynamics, lower productivity and increased turnover.
For short-term roles, ensuring that contingent workers fit into the company’s culture is paramount. It leads to workplace harmony and enhanced levels of productivity. To ensure a cohesive team dynamic, organizations should take proactive measures to integrate temporary staff effectively and foster an environment of inclusivity and collaboration through clear communication and expectation setting.
Pro Tip
To ensure that contingent staff make a good cultural fit, incorporate cultural fit assessments during the hiring process – using behavioral interview questions, situational judgment tests, and cultural alignment surveys to gauge how well temp workers resonate with your organization’s values and work environment. This approach will help in securing candidates who will seamlessly blend into the team and contribute positively from day one.
6. Poor Hiring Experience
A subpar hiring experience can rapidly tarnish a consultant’s view of an organization.Whether it involves a disorganized hiring process, unclear job expectations, extended waiting periods without updates, or a lack of respect for their time and expertise, consultants can end up feeling undervalued and frustrated. Flex workers, who are often highly networked within the industry, can easily share negative experiences, potentially harming the organization’s reputation and deterring top talent from considering future opportunities.
No worker, temporary or otherwise, should have a negative experience with an organization. Contingent staff often face being undervalued and seen as disposable. Organizations must treat contingent workers as valued human assets. It is imperative that no worker feels isolated due to the nature of their contract.
In today’s environment, finding new workers to replace those dissatisfied with their experience is becoming increasingly difficult due to skilled worker shortages. This makes it more critical than ever to prioritize the contingent worker experience, giving it the attention and care it deserves.
Pro Tip
- Prioritize creating good experiences for consultants at every touchpoint—from initial contact to project completion. Show appreciation for their time and interest, with regular feedback every step of the way.
- Respond to any negative reviews and outline action steps taken to address those issues. This shows future candidates that you take problems seriously and are committed to creating an excellent experience for everyone.
Conclusion
In an era where agility and expertise are paramount, ‘flexpreneurs’ offer a valuable solution to address immediate staffing needs and drive project success. When done right, ‘flexpreneurs’ not only fill critical gaps but also contribute to a culture of collaboration and excellence. Adopting these best practices will ensure that contingent workers are set up for success and your organization remains adaptable and competitive.
Ready to elevate your contingent staffing strategy and make the most of your ‘flexpreneurs’? Contact us today to discover how we can help you create a seamless, efficient, and productive contingent workforce. Let’s turn your staffing challenges into opportunities for success.
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