Retention strategies for contractors

When you’re in the business of hiring contractors, it can be easy to think of candidates as being easy-come, easy-go. But for many of our industries, we’re noticing contractors are increasingly driving the market and having more choices than ever when it comes to selecting their next project. Because of this, businesses need to do more to stand out and attract skilled candidates, particularly if you want to retain the best contractors for future projects. With a recent study revealing that 83% of employers find attracting and retaining talent to be a growing challenge, now is the time to focus on how you can keep top talent coming back for more. Here’s how to do it. 

Provide access to resources

By nature, contractors can usually come into a job and hit the ground running. Because of this, they tend to miss out on training, development and education that permanent employees receive. While temporary workers might not need the same level of on-boarding and training that a brand new employee does, they still require support and guidance to feel confident and welcomed on the work site. This is particularly true of contractors who you’d like to re-hire for future projects.

Make sure contractors can access any company information and shared resources they need to perform their duties, and ensure a smooth induction process by having all their company supplies ready and actionable from day one – this includes PCs, email address, key cards and so on. Try to be as inclusive as possible to make them feel like part of the team – this could be as simple as including them on company-wide emails and inviting them along to after-work drinks.

Manage your contractors well

Different organisations have different approaches to managing their contractors, and using a third party company to help organise everything is one of the easiest ways to go about it. At Quanta, we manage monthly timesheets and expense forms for our contractors and are in touch throughout the duration of the contract to ensure both candidate and client are happy. We’re hands-on with international mobilisations and provide contractors with everything they need to know about a new company and location before they start work.

It’s important that contractors feel comfortable on site and in their work. They need honest, regular feedback, updates on expected timeframes (particularly in regard to how long a project is expected to run) and clear guidelines around deliverables. Make sure you offer a competitive rate, as contractors can be more financially driven than other employees, and ensure payment is prompt.

Keep in touch

As your recruitment provider, we’ll keep in touch with contractors you’ve loved working with and will notify you – and them – when opportunities come up that are suitable. No matter how long it’s been since they’ve worked for you, a contractor who has had a positive experience with a great company will always be interested in another project, so be sure to keep lines of communication open and always end a contract on good terms. After all, you never know when you’ll need to call upon the skills of any individuals again.

Whether you’re looking to find your next skilled contractor or you’re a candidate looking for a great new project, we can help you find the right solution. Contact us here to find out how we can work together.