ATTRACT AND RETAIN TOP INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR TALENT

As third-party contractors become more critical to modern businesses, so do the acts of attracting and retaining them. Competition for hiring contractors is becoming more intense than ever. In order to separate your business from the rest,  you’ll need to engage enough workers to keep up with customer demand. You’ll also need to know how to retain that talent in the long term.

HOW TO FIND TOP INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR TALENT

Unlike employees, an independent contractor chooses their clients and moves on to the next. To ensure they want to choose you in the first place, implement these strategies below:

1. Have Clear Expectations

Established contractors have their pick of the litter. They’re aware that if you’re not going to provide clarity, someone else will. With that in mind, contractors are unlikely to ask you for things like office location, working hours, communication preferences, or time-off because they don’t need to. Since the nature of their work is flexible, you need to explain what you want.

2. Create an Onboarding Process

Independent contractors typically have their own onboarding process for clients, but they still need to know what you require from them before they take your job. In the job description (or welcome email), explain what the contractor needs to complete the job (programs, files, software). It’s a waste of the contractors’ time to ask for this information, so be prepared.

3. Offer Outstanding Benefits and Pay

One of the benefits of paying an independent contractor is fewer taxes and little to no benefits. Still, it’s good practice to offer them anyway or make up the difference in their pay. Failing to do either will result in a bad reputation and a bad retention rate. Constantly appearing on job sites for the same position is a giant red flag to freelancers that you’re a terrible employer.

4. Send an Interview Thank You Gift

Using plant delivery to send a gift after an interview will show them that you care for your hybrid workforce. While plants are a great unisex gift, you could also offer gift cards, stationary, free-trail for software, and other such items to make an impression on potential workers.

HOW TO RETAIN TOP INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR TALENT

Independent contractors are used to moving from one contract to another, so if you want to keep them long-term, you need to carry out the following procedures in your business.

5. Create a Positive Work Environment

Contractors aren’t tied down to you, so if they hate working with you, they have the opportunity to move on without it affecting future job prospects. However, if you have a positive relationship with your contractors by making them feel valued, they’re more likely to stay in your workforce.

6. Embrace New Technology

If you want to employ contractors, you need to purchase the best software. New technology can help all of your employees get their work done faster. At the same time, the more your contractors accomplish, the happier they’ll feel, which increases their likelihood of staying.

7. Develop a Strong Work Culture

56% of workers ranked a strong workplace culture as more important than salary, though a high paycheck won’t hurt. There are many ways to improve culture, such as listening to your employees, defining your company’s structure, and expressing gratitude for a job well done. Always remember that the talent you have is a reflection of the business you run.

8. Include Contractors in the Decision Making Process

Employers are more likely to look at their permanent employees for help with decision-making, but know that your independent contractors are a part of your team. Your decisions impact them, so always ask for their input when you plan to change your process. Remote workers will have a different spin on how to improve a process because they work in a different environment.

Kathryn Hopkins

Originally from New Zealand, Kathryn joined CXC in 2012, where she worked with the New Zealand and Australia offices, before moving to the United States in 2014, where she now resides in Los Angeles. Having a background in sales and marketing in a range of industries, including the recruitment and tech sectors and working for top brands including Microsoft, Sony, Qantas and Deutche Bank gives her a well-rounded approach to business and understanding of the successes and intricacies at all levels. Kathryn now heads up marketing for CXC in North America and has been key in developing CXC’s online presence and brand awareness, focusing on contingent workforce, gig economy, workforce trends, future of work and global compliance.