When the workload exceeds what your employees can handle, or you need specialized skills you don’t have on staff -- part-time, temporary, seasonal or freelance workers can fill the gap -- without blowing your budget. But to get full value from contingent workers, you need a plan to manage them efficiently.
The proportion of contingent workers -- part-timers, temps and freelancers -- is expected to grow from about 30 percent of the workforce today to more than 40 percent by the end of the decade, according to the Intuit 2020 Report by Emergent Research.
Because different legal requirements apply to compensating different types of workers, it will take a little bit of planning, and you will need HR and legal experts to ensure your contracts and payment systems comply with the applicable laws. However, you need more than that to effectively manage people who aren’t a full-time part of your team.
You need systems in place for these actions:
Onboarding
Even when these workers have the critical skills you deem necessary for a position with your small business, they will need to understand how to work effectively within your company. Take the time to outline your expectations, explain the tools and resources available, and introduce even temporary workers to key employees and customers with whom they will interact; collaboration will be key here. Ensure that all workers receive the training they need, in areas ranging from safety to legal requirements in your business. It doesn’t matter if they are only working for a short amount of time. The Institute for Work & Health finds that the risk of injury is actually greater for short job tenures and in the first month of any new hire.
Communication
Contingent workers may be out of the loop for how your business communicates with employees. They may not attend meetings or receive all-employee emails, so develop a system for passing along need-to-know information, such as policy changes. Also take time to clearly outline the goals for each assignment. For people working offsite, determine the best ways and times to communicate with each other -- whether it’s daily phone check-ins, email or instant messaging.
Project Management
Particularly if freelancers are working off-site, you need systems in place to ensure team members can communicate about projects, understand deadlines and receive timely updates in order to keep up their productivity. Online project management programs such as Basecamp and Trello are popular because they’re free/cheap, and they work.
Scheduling
Businesses that try to keep labor costs low by making last-minute schedule changes can have this approach backfire, a Deloitte consultant warns. Unpredictable schedules can lead to missed shifts, low morale and high turnover. Talk with workers about their schedule preferences and the needs in your business, and give them as much advance notice of work hours as you can. Programs such as ShiftPlanning and NimbleSchedule can allow you to automate scheduling.
Coaching
Today’s temp could be your next full-time employee when a position opens -- if you invest in developing the skills of contingent workers. So, take the time to train and offer feedback to part-time and freelance workers. It can pay off down the line when your business grows and you decide to add a full-time position.
Follow these steps and you’ll soon find that any part-time or freelance workers can be integral members of your small business, working to help keep efficiency and productivity high. All it takes is a little planning and collaboration.