As the recession subsides many companies will begin to consider taking on new staff. For organisations that employ contract workers, there are perhaps a number of top candidates among the temporary staff that have already demonstrated proficiency for the job, are fully trained and have a good understanding of how the company operates. If this is the case, when the time comes, how can the employer ensure that their offer of full time employment is an attractive one?
As with any employment proposition, benefits and incentive schemes are key in attracting and retaining top talent. As such, contract workers should be included in these schemes as a method of bringing them one step closer to the organisation and its culture. If they are rewarded appropriately for the work that they have done on a temporary basis, they will be more likely to consider the employer as one that they would be happy to commit to on a full time basis.
However, there are complexities in the legal status of contract employees that mean that they will not be eligible to be included in all benefits schemes. Also, it is difficult to set long-term motivation strategies for temporary staff. Employers need to navigate their way through this system in order that contract workers are given the best treatment of benefits and, consequently, will view the proposition of full time employment as all the more attractive.
By managing the motivation of contract workers effectively, employers could find themselves sitting on a gold mine of future talent that can be recruited and fully integrated into the company with minimal cost.
