Extra Help, Inc.
Retaining contingent workers and keeping them engaged seems to be even more challenging than retaining permanent employees.
In the past, contingent workers were a dime a dozen and any staffing agency would be happy and capable of picking up the slack of another. Now, the contingent workforce is larger than ever and is continuing to grow every day. With that growth & paired with a tight labor market, staffing agencies are working smarter than ever to fine-tune the candidate experience while maintaining positive client relationships. High quality contingent workers are becoming a
The ultimate goal is to: Attract, Maintain, Retain.
Attracting Contingent Workers: We want our contingent workers, or candidates, to feel valued and minimize the negative connotations associated with temporary work. We try not to oversell our opportunities and our candidates appreciate that. They know we will try to make the best match between their skill set and our opportunity.
A great way of attracting great candidates is to communicate in a way that lets them know we can relieve their pain points.
Job seekers’ pain points consist of:
Submitting applications to a black hole
Amount of time it takes to fill out applications
Impersonal feel of the application & hiring process
What can be done to alleviate these pains?
Being transparent about the process and next steps or phases for the candidate
Simplifying the actual application process
Ensuring initial communications begin about the job seeker—addressing their needs & experience–before the job opportunity
Communicate with candidates on their terms. Be accessible to them, making it easier for them to know where they stand with you in the application/ hiring process.
Maintaining Contingent Workers: It’s time to put the emphasis on the candidate and culture match for all employees, whether permanent or contingent workers.
Cohesion between permanent workers and contingent workers is difficult when someone is not present to act as a liaison and set those expectations. This cohesion is important to both the client and candidate as it can create positive relationships, collaboration, and innovation.
What can be done to bridge the gap?
Candidate recognition program extended to permanent and contingent employees
Benefit offerings for contingent employees
Employee engagement opportunities for contingent employees
Mentor program between permanent and temporary employees
Retaining Contingent Workers: People are motivated by the same
What can be done to ensure contingent workers last?
Involve contingent workers in trainings, communications. Our clients who do this have lower turnover rates!
Be transparent about the scope of the job opportunity and company’s culture
Recognizing things that may be an issue, such as transportation, and be a resource to help resolve or get ahead of such issues
Conduct a “Stay Survey” including contingent workers asking, “What can we do better?” to attract, maintain, and retain
To
But do these things really tie into the culture they experience day in and day out with their job?
Original source can be found here.