When you want your team to flourish, engagement is critical. While many companies go above and beyond to ensure their permanent staff is motivated to succeed, that level of attention isn’t always paid to temporary employees. As a result, your contingent workforce might not feel like a part of the “big picture,” and that can be discouraging.
Luckily, that’s a situation you can remedy. By taking the right steps, you can enhance engagement, ensuring your temporary workers feel connected and valued. If you don’t know where to begin, here are some tips that can help.
Connect the Work to the Company’s Goals
Nearly any task is more meaningful if the employee believes it is making a difference. If you want to make sure your temporary workers are motivated to exceed expectations, then make it clear how their efforts impact and advance the company’s goals.
Now, the objectives must be more meaningful than merely improving profitability. Instead, your contingent workforce needs to be able to see how their work helps customers, their community, and other groups they value. That way, they feel like their job is about more than handling a task, connecting them to the bigger picture.
Integrate Short-Term Hires with Permanent Employees
It isn’t uncommon for temporary employees to be somewhat separate from permanent staff members. At times, this is intentional, though it can also be incidental. After all, long-term team members have a connection, one that may have taken time to forge. Contingent workers are effectively newcomers who won’t be around permanently, and that may create a situation where permanent employees forgo reaching out.
However, by integrating your short-term hires with your long-term staff, engagement and productivity can rise. Usually, the best way to accomplish this goal is to ensure every employee works closely with members of the other group. This can help them get to know one another, allowing them to craft relationships.
Involve Temporary Employees in Team Meetings and Events
When temporary employees aren’t involved in team meetings or group events, they feel separated from the company. This isn’t ideal if you want them to be at their best, as it makes them wonder if they aren’t valued or viewed as assets. Plus, it may prevent them from seeing how they fit into the organization as a whole.
Ideally, you want to involve your contingent workforce in group events and meetings. Whether it’s a team lunch or a progress update, give them a chance to be involved. That can help strengthen relationships, promote a better dynamic, and enhance your company’s culture.
Ultimately, all of the tips above can help you make sure your temporary employees feel like part of the big picture. If you’d like to find out more about how you can set your short-term hires up for success, the skilled team at The Advance Group can help. Contact us today and see how our engagement expertise can benefit you.
