After a year of economic uncertainty and hardship, more companies are relying on temporary workers than they did in previous years.
According to the 2010 ERC/Smart Business Workplace Practices Survey, 9 percent of organizations have contingent workers. Compare that to 5 percent and 6 percent in 2009 and 2008, respectively.
After a difficult year, full-time employees may need some reassurance about the current state of their work environment. It should come as no surprise that employees may still be worried about job security.
“If you’ve had layoffs and people are nervous, you need to communicate what is going on with your employees,” says Laura Bennett, CEO and co-founder of Embrace Pet Insurance. “It’s a management situation. If people mistrust management, there is a whole other issue going on.”
Employees will respond better if you allow them to voice their concerns and ask questions. Explain why the company is using contingent workers and what role the existing employee base can play.
The worst thing you could do is keep them in the dark. The leadership team also needs to lead by example. If you have a positive attitude about the new additions to the work force, so will existing employees.
“It’s really about the culture — we try to have a friendly environment,” Bennett says.
Temporary workers are contributing to the productivity of the company and Bennett tries to make sure they know how valued they are by the company.
“Don’t treat them as temps,” she says. “We make sure they are invited to birthday celebrations and know what is going on in the company.”
Bennett’s approach usually results in positive experience.
“Temps are a great way to meet needs and hire new people,” she says. “We hire temporary workers because there is a lot of work to get done and the full-time employees are usually happy to have the help.”
How to Reach: Embrace Pet Insurance, (440) 386-2406 or www.embracepetinsurance.com
