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With staffing costs high and the labor market still tight, companies need to focus on retaining their workers. This rule applies to both your business’s permanent employees as well as its contingent workers. In the end, the myriad benefits gained by keeping your entire team inspired and engaged remain numerous.
So let’s take a closer look at why retention matters when considering any contingent workforce management solution. We also cover a variety of useful strategies to retain your talented contingent workforce. Leverage these insights to keep your business productive and profitable no matter the economic situation
What are the Advantages of Retaining Your Contingent Workforce?
Facing a double hit of a recession and the Great Resignation, businesses must focus on retaining employees in 2023. Importantly, the costs of a risky staffing process need to weighed against the adverse effects of a skills gap. Few companies want their growth potential to be siphoned by an acute lack of professional talent.
Even with a potential recession looming, the demand for talented professionals remains high. Wise businesses leverage a contingent workforce management strategy to manage their employment levels during a labor shortage. Notably, these organizations also need to strive to keep their contingent workers in the fold.
The reasons for adopting a contingent staffing solution remain numerous. For instance, any skills gap or talent shortage ultimately hampers the productivity of nearly all modern businesses. Increasing or maintaining your company’s productivity levels requires the retention of your entire staff – permanent and contingent.
Additionally, the costs of engaging your organization’s staffing process remain high, as noted earlier. Adopting a contingent workforce solution for your hiring needs ultimately reduces the expenses spent on talent acquisition.
Finally, building a high-quality workforce benefits from a mix between permanent and contract workers. Retaining both ensures your organization employs the right combination of talent. This flexible staffing approach helps you foster a culture of productivity and excellence at your business.
Strategies for Contingent Worker Retention in 2023
Ensuring your contingent workers stay engaged and inspired in the coming year requires you to be proactive. Ultimately, worker morale transcends the “employee” designation. Whether a worker is permanent or on a contract need not matter. Keeping them productive greatly influences the success of your business.
So check out these helpful strategies to improve your company’s retention rate when it comes to its contingent staff. In the end, these ideas help ensure everyone truly feels a part of the team. Some of these same concepts also apply to your permanent employees.
#1 Improve the Candidate Experience for Contingent Workers
A well-considered candidate experience remains a critical differentiator when competing with other companies for talent. While this concept typically applies to hiring permanent employees, it also maters when considering contingent workforce management. Having a mature candidate experience provides a great first impression to any contingent worker.
So if your business partners with a contingent staffing solutions provider, make sure they offer a top-shelf candidate experience. When vetting potential contingent staffing partners, closely analyze this aspect of their operations. In the end, it might make a crucial difference when trying to retain your business’s contract talent. Remember, a partnership also helps optimize your company’s own staffing process whenever you need to add a worker.
#2 Keep Your Contingent Workforce Engaged
Whenever your company onboards a contingent worker, make sure you treat them like a permanent employee. Fostering a culture focused on valuing your entire staff – employees and contract workers – definitely helps your retention rate. When a temp worker feels they are truly contributing to your success, they become more engaged as a result.
Proactive management and an open communication policy definitely help improve contingent worker engagement at your business. Ensure your managers understand the importance of always making contingent workers feel welcome. Your senior level employees also need to follow a similar approach. These positive interactions from your management and senior staff plays a key role in making contract workers feel inspired.
#3 Show a Commitment to DE&I Efforts to Retain Contingent Employees
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) greatly matter to the modern professional. Of course, both permanent employees and contingent workers largely share similar opinions on this topic. In fact, this is especially the case when considering female professionals. A recent study noted 76 percent of women respondents rank DE&I as very important when considering potential employers.
So be sure to highlight your company’s focus on DE&I when onboarding new contingent workers. If you partner with a contingent staffing solutions provider, make sure they fully understand its importance when presenting candidates. In addition to attracting contract workers, this approach ultimately makes it easier to retain them over time.
#4 Include Contingent Workers in Conversations About the Company’s Future
If you want your contingent workforce to feel like contributors to your business, keep them in the loop. When you hold an “all employee” meeting discussing future plans for your organization, don’t exclude your contract workers. The same concept also applies to emails and other communication channels. An open communication policy makes perfect sense when hoping to retain your best and brightest – contingent and permanent.
Take a similar tack by involving them in company training opportunities. Identify members of your contingent staff with the most to gain from professional development. Also consider a mentorship program between your senior employees and temporary staff. Expect the morale of your contract workers to greatly increase as a result.
#5 Conduct Anonymous Exit Feedback Surveys
Timely feedback also plays a crucial role in understanding the overall mood of your contingent workforce. Anonymous feedback surveys help provide this information to your management team.
Remember to use surveys throughout a contingent workers time with your business. Exit surveys definitely help offer meaningful feedback. However, it’s also important to take the pulse of your contingent team when they are working at your company.
Attract, Engage, and Retain Contingent Workers in 2023 with Anserteam
If your business wants to partner with a contingent workforce solution provider, consider the experienced team at Anserteam. We enjoy a status as a preeminent managed staffing service provider in the state of Texas, supporting your business with the professional talent you need for success. Our industry expertise helps you attract and retain top-shelf contingent professionals.
Schedule a meeting with us at your earliest convenience to discuss your business’s current and future talent needs. We offer useful business insights and a robust supply of professionals to supercharge your business operations.
