Onboarding is an essential step in staffing efforts. In fact, new hires’ first few days almost decide their fate in the organization. First impressions do last in the case of new hires and the onboarding process. Thus, organizations should look into their onboarding steps and approaches, be it for permanent or temporary employees.
To have a successful onboarding for temporary employees, you must take good care of them so that they won’t feel any different from the rest of the organization’s workforce. Below are some tips on how you can build an amiable yet professional relationship with your project-based, seasonal employees.
Inform their respective departments of their arrival.
Successful onboarding requires effective planning. That includes involving the contractor’s department on the first day. Most organizations’ pitfall is unknowingly emphasizing that the employee is there merely for work. In fact, nearly half of new hires quit their jobs in four months because of a faulty or nonexistent onboarding process.
Even if your organization is not big on team-building events or celebrations, a sense of community is important to showcase to new hires. Thus, you may want to include these steps in the onboarding process to make a temp’s arrival day something they can consider when deciding to renew a contract with you:
- Prepare the temporary employee’s desk. They might be expecting an empty cubicle. But surprising them with a fully prepared desk on their first day will put a smile on their faces and a good feeling about where they are. Necessary computer login details on a short note, a pen and notepad, and an onboarding kit are just a few welcoming gifts you can give to them.
- Introduce them to other team members. A short 15-minute meeting won’t hurt the eight hours of work time. It can do wonders to onboard temporary employees. The agenda can include a quick rundown of names, and then the new hires can introduce themselves. This will also remind the temps that they can reach out to people for office-related assistance.
- Come up with a mentoring system. While communicating that temps can approach anyone for help is a good step, pinpointing specific people who can be the temp’s mentors narrows down the number of who to approach for problems. You may ask the department head to identify a senior employee the temporary employee can turn to right away if they have questions.
Streamline the necessary paperwork they have to do.
Many employees commit the mistake of forgetting human resources paperwork because they know they can always attend to them later. This is an error that temporary employees cannot afford to make because they don’t have much time with the organization. Especially for payroll and benefits, it’s a hassle for a temp to have to go back and forth days after their contract has lapsed to settle things due to missed paperwork.
Temporary employees will highly appreciate some effort on your behalf to streamline the paperwork right at the start. One way to collect documentation efficiently, especially for seasonal employees, is to use electronic forms. You can send invites to fill them out through email or direct messaging, speeding up the collection process. Even if they’re at home, they can fill out the forms if urgent info is needed.
Another way is to dedicate their first day just to employee introductions. Likely, temporary employees aren’t needed in operations yet on their first few days. So their first day can be focused on filling out their paperwork and the introductions mentioned above. You can also send a requirements list earlier so that aside from the paperwork, temps can also clear out what human resources should receive from them.
Make sure a strict training plan is implemented.
If your temporary employees turn out to be some of your best hires, you can renew their contract or even offer permanency with the organization. This scenario would be highly possible if temps are trained well in their first few weeks or days. Are there existing training plans for contractors the organization can readily follow?
As the search for temporary employees happens, ask department chairs if they have a strict training plan. The training plan can be a mix of human resource and role-specific training. Monitoring progress should also be quantified and qualified. A meticulously composed training plan avoids retraining in the future.
Constant communication and check ups will be greatly appreciated.
Permanent employees tend to see temps as “outsiders” and don’t make an effort to include them during office functions or even in simple gatherings, such as during lunchtime. This instance adds to lowering the morale of temporary employees during their stay in their organization. While temporary employees’ contracts can lapse, this does not mean they must not be treated like any employee. This is when communication can help.
During your orientation with the seasonal employee, give them dates when you’ll be checking in on them through a short conversation. These can be weekly during the last few minutes of the workweek. They can be administered with the help of the temp’s supervisor. Give the temporary employee a chance to speak up about their difficulties. Chances are, even if they don’t have a bad experience, they’ll appreciate having someone check on them.
Also, communication does not stop at the temp’s contract lapse date. Keep tabs on them by sending them updates about job openings in your organization to see if they can apply. Regularly communicating with former temporary employees will make onboarding easier in the long run if your organization hires the same temp. In such cases, there is no more need to do onboarding.
ACS PROFESSIONAL STAFFING CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES.
Implementing effective talent acquisition, whether for temps or permanent employees, takes a lot of well-planned steps and precise judgment. If your organization experiences struggle in this aspect, you might need the help of a staffing agency that knows what they’re doing. ACS Professional Staffing is your foremost solution for these.
Even if you only need short-term employment goals, ACS Professional Staffing has a long-term vision for your organization. With a plethora of industries we have served, we can be your premier staffing partner in streamlining your manpower processes, such as professional placement, payroll, and contingent staffing.
ACS Professional Staffing searches every nook and cranny of recruitment and human resources to give you confidence in your new hires and their future with your organization. Be part of 20 years of expertise in the human resources industry. Contact ACS Professional Staffing now.