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A Contingent Worker Vs FTE: 5 Challenges for Managers

Contingent vs FTE decisions for managers

Is having a mix of contingent and full-time workers stressing you out?

A contingent worker is often a valuable aid for a business. One study finds that 40.4% of workers are contingent in the United States. These workers don’t follow the same long-term schedule a full-time employee will.

Every business faces a challenge at some point. It can feel overwhelming to manage an ever changing workforce. Learning how to overcome the challenges of managing different worker types is essential.

Here are five challenges you’ll face managing contingent workers vs full-time employees.

1. Which Contingent Worker to Hire?

Your business hires full-time employees for different departments in the company. There are various types of contingent workers to consider.

The first type of contingent worker comes in to fill worker gaps. A fill in worker knows the working partnership is for a short period of time.

A value added worker is one who prefers contracting without full-time employment.

The third type of contingent employee is one with specialized skills, a leader in their field. These workers are often brought in on a project basis. Recruiters find these specialized workers for small and large scale projects.

2. Ensure All Parties Learn the Same Onboarding Information

The last thing you want in the workplace is misinformation. What makes matters worse is if your company is the one misinforming employees.

You’ll need to ensure contingent and full-time workers have the same onboarding information. Contingent employees that have questions can ask employees who’ve already seen the material.

Not every company can keep their handbook the same for decades. Ensure all workers stay informed on any company-wide changes.

3. Keeping Track of Workers

Contingent workers may find themselves in the field rather than the office. There is a wide array of technology to use with a contingent workforce.

Keep track of all workers through using a human resource management system. Enterprise resource planning software is often used with contingent workers. This software helps a business manage where and when workers need to handle their tasks.

4. Collaboration During Meetings

Many full-time employees have the standard meeting schedule down. New workers need time to adjust to where, when, and how many meetings your company has.

The contingent workforce often feels like a group of new kids at a school. Include a workspace where contingent and full-time staff can interact with each other.

Ensure every contingent worker has a line of communication with full-time employees. Having current employees shadow contingent new hires is a great idea.

5. Building the Right Relationships

Over the next three years, 83% of executives plan on hiring more contingent workers.

The era of the contingent workforce having small numbers is coming to an end.

You have an endless amount of possibilities when planning a work event. It’s best to include food and games with these events, make a day out of it. Social events are a way to let contingent workers and full-time employees mingle.

Are you in need of contingent employment? Please get in touch with us to find out how to land a career in the IT and engineering fields.