Competition for labour in today’s business market is constantly growing. This is largely driven by a shortage in skilled workers, which is affecting almost every industry across both the US and Canada.

In fact, the Society for Human Resource Management claims that around 83 per cent of organizations are currently struggling to find workers with the right skills. Meanwhile, a report by American Action Forum (AAF) found that, by 2029, employers in nearly every US state will face significant shortages of qualified workers due to an ageing population.

So, what’s the solution to this shortage in skilled workers? Successful companies are turning to the contingent workforce.

The use of the contingent workforce is becoming increasingly popular for the benefits it can bring to small, medium and large organizations. Your company can realize a variety of benefits from the contingent workforce, such as:

• Increased flexibility.
• The acquisition of top talent in your industry.
• Cost savings.
• Faster and more efficient hiring processes.
• The ability to assess business needs on an ongoing basis.
• Improved company culture.
• And many more!

For your business to attract the top contingent workers in your industry, it’s not only important to work with a managed services provider (MSP) which will ensure you have a proper contingent workforce management strategy in place - it’s also vital that you position your firm as a contingent workforce ‘employer of choice’.

HCMWorks has created a list of five quick tips that will make contingent workers feel supported and appreciated, helping your business to become a more attractive proposition to contingent workers:

1 - Ensure their experience with your company is seamless

Whether your company is operating in the B2B or B2C sector, you’ll know just how important the customer experience (CX) is for the success of your brand. That exact principle can be applied to the contingent workers that work with your company.

Contingent workers who have a high-quality experience with your business, from the hiring process, onboarding, payments to their final day, will be far more likely to work with you again in the future and recommend your organization to other highly-qualified contingent workers.

2 - Keep them up to date with your company’s current objectives

Just because a contingent worker comes into your organization for a specific project and then leaves, doesn’t mean they don’t care about your company’s values, goals, mission and current objectives. In fact, since contingent workers choose which companies they want to work with, your brand’s values will play a huge role in whether they accept your offer.

By sending contingent workers information about your brand values and keeping them up to date with your current objectives, you’ll be far more likely to keep non-permanent workers satisfied and passionate about the work they are doing for you.

3 - Recognize temporary workers for their contributions

You aren’t legally allowed to give contingent workers the benefits that a permanent worker would receive from your organization, but that doesn’t mean you can’t recognize the hard work they do for your business.

By simply recognizing their work, whether that be through positive feedback or the opportunity of being able to work with your company again, talented contingent workers are more than likely to accept future roles and recommend your brand to their peers.

4 - Ensure you stay in touch

Contingent workers have the luxury of being able to choose where they work from and when, and that means the large majority of temporary workers you recruit will be working remotely from outside of your office.

To ensure they are engaged, not only with your company but also your team, your business will need to remain in constant communication with them. This may include investing in new technologies to ensure your internal teams can properly collaborate with external workers.

5 - Offer them future opportunities

Hitting your workforce targets isn’t just about meeting your immediate needs, it’s about creating a highly talented workforce that can be engaged in short notice to prepare you for future requirements.

That’s why to truly engage and satisfy contingent workers, your organization should offer them future opportunities - whether that means offering them future contingent work or hiring them with an eye to full-time employment (temp to perm hiring). By doing this your business will have constant access to the most talented workers in your industry.

Are you looking for more tips to become a contingent workforce employer of choice, or simply want to ask HCMWorks how we can improve your contingent workforce management strategy? Contact us today. We are more than happy to answer any questions you have.