With the Contingent Workforce gaining momentum, let us explore the new form and lowly dissected aspects of the same on employee & workforce fundamentals.
Contingent work is gaining tremendous limelight due to its ability of being flexible and independent. From being something that was frowned upon, contingent work has gone on to become a legit career choice. According to an Intuit Report, more than 80 percent of large corporations are planning on “substantially increasing” their use of a flexible workforce in the coming years.
Example – Torchlite, the freelance marketplace for Salesforce, is the brainchild of Susan Marshall, who has worked with several top-notch companies and their engineers to deliver efficient software to the market. Susan believes in facilitating a long-term relationship between professional freelance experts and the companies with the help of Torchlite.
But what is a contingent worker?
Well, the contingent worker definition also calls them freelancers, independent contractors, and outsourced consultants. But, they are all non-permanent workers that are hired by firms on a per-project basis.
Contingent Workers are highly in demand, especially given the present economic climate, where employers are seeking ways to sustain and stay afloat in the market. Businesses are finding it difficult to commit to full-time employees and contingent workers are their best resort.
With the rise in demand of contingent workers, there is a witnessed dip in the engagement of this workforce. Freelancers are hired independently and treated as an external element in the organizational ecosystem, displaying the need of formulating strategies to engage and retain these external employees.
How can HRs ensure an Inclusive Environment for the contingent workers?
Creating an inclusive environment for the independent contractors is unchartered territory because permanent and non-permanent workforces have always been considered separate entities, even though they both work towards the same ultimate goal. It has often been noticed that the internal employees are reluctant to share the data or offer their insights to the freelancers because they might see them as outsiders or a threat to their job. This can lead to disengagement in the corporate climate of the firm. What HR managers can do in such a situation is that they can host ‘get to know each other’ sessions and team activities to get the employees comfortable and engage with each other. It is extremely essential to educate your internal employees about the significance of being inclusive and welcoming for workforce collaboration.
Why is it necessary to build long term relationships with the contingent workers?
Even though gig workers are temporary and work part-time, there is no doubt that they are highly talented professionals. Businesses are always on a lookout for a skilled talent pool and contingent workers can be a huge contribution to the talent pipeline. They can offer service differentiation and be flexible in their methods and functionalities to fit to those of the organization that they are working for. HRs need to develop, build, and sustain a lasting relationship with their contingent workers as they tend to be integral for several of the business processes and engaging them with the resources of your organization will act as a catalyst to building meaningful relationships with them.
What is the impact of enhanced experience on the productivity of contingent workers?
When an organization succeeds in offering an enhanced work experience with the right workforce collaboration and optimized engagement channels and pathways, it also succeeds in boosting the productivity of its employees, regardless of them being permanent or non-permanent. Giving outsourced contractors the confidence of being indulged in the activities of the organization will instill a feeling of belongingness and accelerate their productivity.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tanvi Tirthani
Content Contributor, HRTech Cube
Tanvi Tirthani is a content writer and strategist with a special foray into technology. She has been a keen researcher in the tech domain and is responsible for strategizing the social media scripts to optimise the collateral creation process.