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Follow These 3 Tips to Keep Your Temporary Employees Engaged

Temporary employees play a critical role in your company’s success. After all, you call on them when you’re in a pinch: Your seasonal workload is overwhelming, a customer deadline is looming, or a business-critical employee is suddenly absent or has resigned. And, they show up ASAP, prepared to hit the ground running. So, it’s not only important to bring them up to speed quickly, but remember: they may also be candidates for a permanent role in the future. Regardless, you want them to have a positive impression of your company, as they spread the word among their peers and contacts.

For all these reasons and more, you need to keep your temporary workforce members engaged. These three tips will help:

Provide robust onboarding and training.

Start engagement with temps – as you should with full-time employees – at the first point of contact with them. This is especially helpful if a person will be working remotely or at a satellite site. Throughout their tenure at your company, starting there, use interactive communication to make them feel comfortable and at home.

Apps that allow commenting, likes and sharing offer the best experience for an increasing number of employees. Give temps access to these platforms.

Provide as much information as possible, at the earliest possible stage. For instance, send training documents and product information in advance of their first day on the job.

Make them feel like part of the team.

Temporary employees may feel like outsiders. The more interaction they have with their FTE coworkers, the better.

Integrate temps into your culture. Involve FTEs in this effort. Ensure they don’t feel threatened by temporary workers but rather understand that they are there to help. This will motivate FTEs to connect with temps organically and help them mesh seamlessly into your company.

Lead by example. Welcome temporary employees yourself. Learn their names, give them a company email address and a fully-equipped workstation, and include them in team meetings.

Give them credit and recognition.

Recognition motivates people and gives them a sense of pride, accomplishment, and ownership. Engaged employees understand that their work is vital, and they appreciate knowing they are part of your organizational success.

Tie temporary employees’ perks directly to your company. Extend the same discounts and exclusive products to them as you do to permanent team members. This is a great way to incentivize temps and instill in them a sense of pride in your organization.

Share quantifiable goals with temps. Check-in with them frequently to monitor their progress. And reward their milestones, both big and small.

To meet your staffing needs in administration, customer service, IT, accounting, finance, legal support, healthcare, and production in the Central Valley region, consider a partnership with PrideStaff Modesto. We’ll help you identify and quickly meet all your talent acquisition requirements: temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct hire. Contact us today to learn more.