The key to unlocking the potential of your contingent workers

Once seen as mere stopgaps filling in until a permanent solution could be found, the changing business landscape has gradually changed organisations’ perception towards the contingent workforce. With tightening cost controls, contingent workers help organisations handle increased workloads without adding to their headcount.

With 43%  of workers in Asia Pacific agreeing that workforce preferences are shifting towards contract-based roles, the prevalence of contingent staff working alongside permanent employees will be a fixture at most, if not all, workplaces – from event promoters working with permanent employees at a roadshow, to freelance designers sitting with an advertising agency’s team of full-time account executives.

The increasing importance of contingent workers now mean that they will need to be managed with a similar amount of detail and attention once reserved for permanent employees. And this responsibility will lie on middle management.

Why managers?

Managers work with their teams on a day-to-day basis and know their teams best. With a larger proportion of contingent workers, managers’ focus will have to extend to these team members as well.

Granted, the long-term career development of those at an organisation for a few months should not be as much a priority as that of permanent employees. However, with 1 in 2 casual and temporary workers preferring to be treated as an individual than as part of a team, it is clear that contingent staff value a personalised work experience as much as permanent workers do.

Understanding the entire team’s immediate needs, regardless of individual’s work statuses, would better inform managers on the best way for the team to work together.

Below are 3 areas that managers need to look at to give their teams the best chance for future success:

#1 Integrate contingent staff

Managers have the responsibility to integrate contingent staff with their wider team. Team chemistry among both permanent employees and contingent staff will also foster better knowledge transfer in both directions, whether it is the former’s inside knowledge or the latter’s specific expertise.

#2 Align different aims

Managers will need to find ways to align contingent workers’ short-term aims with that of the longer-term goals of the organisation and its permanent employees. Keeping the entire team engaged and collaborative will keep productivity levels high and their focus on the goals ahead.

#3 Retain for the entire period

Managers need to ensure contingent employees remain for the entire contracted period, reducing the likelihood of disruptions to team dynamics or project timelines. In the longer term, these efforts nurture the type of supportive environment needed for contingent workers to thrive, in turn boosting employer branding to continually attract high quality and skilled contingent staff.

Empower your managers today

As middle management evolves with changing workforce demographics and business needs, so too should organisations’ view of them. This is all the more relevant when 51% of casual and temporary workers prefer their manager’s values over that of their organisation.

As the importance of our managers grows, they will need to be better equipped and trained to manage the needs of contingent workers, which is naturally very different to that of permanent employees with a longer-term view.

The faster organisations realise the significant impact and influence that managers have on their entire teams – be it permanent or contingent employees – the faster they can empower their managers with the right tools and resources to keep their entire team engaged and productive.