In today’s working environment, flexibility is key! Did you know in the current working society, 43% of white-collar jobs are contingent? They are growing more than full-time positions. Hiring a contingent worker is 9% higher today than a year ago. The demand keeps growing and it’s estimated that 52% of workers will have contingent work on their resumes by 2023. So what is a contingent worker, you might ask? Anyone who is a;

-Temp Employee

-Fix-Term Employee

-Contract Employee

-Freelancer Employee

What are the benefits of a Contingent Worker?

Did you know that 32% of companies plan to replace full-time employees to reduce spending some time within the near future? New job models will also emerge for more flexibility. Companies today are looking for more contingent workers. The reason is they tend to meet skillset needs, attract new generations because of the flexibility allotted, and tend to adapt to demands rather quickly. Europe has been doing this for years. And the benefits to a corporation are fewer taxes and overall spending per employee. The benefits for an employee are the freedom to not be obligated to one company and the flexibility to provide their services to different organizations. This can actually help increase your hiring potential because of the skills gained in a shorter amount of time. And in turn, your resume showcases those attributes, allowing for better earning opportunities in the long run.

How to screen for your organization?

Often, Freelancers earn more than their traditional jobs. When looking into hiring a contingent worker, there are some legal things to consider. A contingent screening strategy for one and the importance of it. When possible, a potential contingent worker should be screened by a screening agency. Screening agencies can really provide a better overall screening process. Which in turn, can ensure that your potential worker is a good cultural fit for your business. Things they will consider when making sure that someone aligns with the business motto of any corporation are as follows:

-Interviews

-Assessments

-Background Checks

-Verification Process

Every business has different needs for a smooth operation. A contingent worker may just be one of them for your business. However, your workforce looks, make sure to explore all options. You could just find the perfect gem of an employee outside of your normal business model.

It’s very important that before you as a business owner open your doors back up and start having your employees come back to work on a full-time basis, that you go over your attendance policy and employee handbook to make sure that any changes that have occurred during this unforeseen time, has been updated for documentation purposes. Another factor to consider is that a lot has changed in the last 9 months. This means that incorporating flexibility into your workplace may need to be considered accordingly. Allowing for employees to work from home a few days a week, flexing out the employees schedule a day or two at times, changing hours of operations, this can be so beneficial as it reduces attendance concerns that can include disciplinary action and/or termination. Remember, not everyone has been able to get back to the norm. Lots of employees have children underage that are still remote learning, daycares are still closed and after school programs are still on hold for many. The reliability that parents had prior to the pandemic, isn’t currently there at the moment. And although your organization is going full speed to start back-up, some employees unfortunately just don’t have this option. So it’s important to make sure you as a business owner/manager are providing flexibility but at the same time, not allowing for your employees to abuse the system. A guideline in place can make all the difference for your organization, by reducing turnovers which in turn, saves you time and money on recruiting and training someone all because you weren’t able to provide that flexibility in the first place.

So I’m sure you can relate to the following; what’s next? Is this something that’s right for me, the team, the clients or the organization overall? These are all legitimate questions that an organization can ask at any time, let alone during a pandemic. It’s important as a business owner to lay out what works for your organization and foremost for your clients as this ends up being a collaboration in order for your business to thrive in any situation. The first thing you need to understand is that change is good. I understand the saying that “If it’s not broken, then why fix it?” This may hold true to somethings but sometimes modifications are essential within an organization, even if minimal. You can still keep the same idea, a niche that has set you apart from your competitors and has provided your business with a strong foundation but would you pass up an opportunity for an even more content workforce and/or operation? This is why strategic planning in the workplace is of the essence.

Things to consider, have a timeline drawn upon how you foresee your organization in 30, 60, and 90 days. Make sure to evaluate your organization every quarter and if in a pandemic or unforeseen crisis then every few weeks is very important as rules, laws, guidelines are ever-changing, along with customer preferences, products, ideology, and foremost the employee’s needs within the workplace. Make sure to also research and connect with all outside parties that are the foundation of your organization. And remember to stay focused but be realistic always. In doing so, you are getting that 180-degree functionality instead of the 90, which can make a world of difference in today’s workplace society.

It’s a challenge, to say the least! The challenges first come from the safety aspect, which can be costly and time-consuming. These are though essential to avoid future discrepancies and dissatisfaction between the employer and the employees. One of the challenges is finding a balance between everything. The first thing is to secure the workplace for a smooth transition for your employees coming back to the work site and or location. This can look like special machines set up throughout the main entrances or workstations, where a temperature screening is able to scan quickly to see if a fever is detected for anyone coming into the facilities. Next, is to set up stationary sanitation sections throughout the workplace. Also, designs on the floor with arrows indicating social distancing, one way in, one way out in buildings, signs through the workplace for best practices when in proximity, mask mandating, and last but not least workplace spacing of desks, in conference rooms and in break rooms are key. Your work environment has now completely done a 360 and you’re not sure where to go from here? Next thing is to decide a date, communicate that out to your employees and a manual on COVID-19 guidelines within that email or readily available at the employee’s workstation should be accompanied. This is to make sure that everyone feels comfortable within their surroundings and in turn, can be productive because of the organizational leadership/guidance shown in providing a sense of security to their employees. Remember though that organizations should always be flexible with their working environment. Make sure to still offer to your employees telework if possible, flexible schedules and remote opportunities even if it’s not on a full-time basis, unless there is suffice documentation that supports the accommodations of an employee(s) that need to do so on a permanent full-time basis.

In today’s ever-changing world, Diversity and Inclusion are more important than ever. And as they say, knowledge is key. With the newly elected President and the formation of their cabinet, there is a melting pot of scholars, doctors, lawyers, scientists from all different cultures, and a vast number of women joining as well. I often see D & I, as a way to understand different backgrounds, cultures, and the needs in today’s society. I myself have learned so much from employing a different America in my current and prior leadership roles that have provided me with the insight to better understand diversity in the workplace and the importance of having a diversified workforce. 

A diversified workforce brings new insights and experiences that can only add value to an organization. I truly believe that the success of a business is based on the melting pot of people from all walks and experiences of life. So can’t the same be said for the overall workplace, team? Think about what diversity in the workplace can do for you. The benefits it can provide in the long run. Also, make sure that your organization provides the resources to assist with a multicultural atmosphere. 

How can this be achieved? First, by offering culture awareness training including guest speakers to teach ways of acceptance through guidance, mentorships and outside organizations that can provide incentives with participation benefits. These can be discussed with management and outside leadership to bring those opportunities together for the employees. Also, diversity and inclusion webinars are exceptional as well. This can help to bring together different backgrounds for a positive and accepting workplace, in turn eliminating any hostility between employees. And remember as mentioned, knowledge is the key to success and even more so in a diversified work environment.

So you have finally decided to expand your team or fill an open position within your organization. Congrats! You’ve taken the first steps to recruiting. Now what? Now the sourcing through the applications received begins, and that can be a task in itself. The next thing to do is to really make sure that the qualifications that are needed, are in accordance to be able to accomplish what the job description entails. It’s important from here, to connect with the Hiring Manager or Director of the Department in question, to make sure that the needs of the team, department or organization as a whole are fulfilled through the open position. This can be tricky as a majority of the time, not all the requirements will be attained from the applicants applying for the position. This doesn’t mean that the candidates aren’t qualified. This just means that the candidates may have different qualifications then what is being requested from the open position. But the qualifications that the applicant(s) depict can still be aligned and a great fit for the position that is being sought out within the organization. This is why it’s very important to sift through the applications thoroughly and really look at years of experiences, all similar experiences that align to the position, and in-depth experiences that can be an attribute to the position. Do you see a common theme here, “experiences” and the importance it can have in the different areas of a job description? It’s important to keep in mind that just because a candidate doesn’t have a degree or any certifications required for the role, doesn’t mean that they are underqualified by any means. I’ve hired employees that didn’t have a full degree or all the minor non-mandatory certifications, but had all the qualifications and expertise and ended up being very knowledgeable and some of my best and professional employees, then the ones that were hired with a Masters degree or PhD and lacked the life and work experiences that were really essential to the position. Remember, don’t be quick to put an applicant aside who doesn’t necessarily meet all the qualifications that the open position asks for. You just could be letting go of the future right-hand person that would have been extraordinary for your department or organization.

Outsourcing Human Resources assistance for a company can be of value but a challenging choice to make. Does the enterprise need a full-scale HR Department, or just minor adjustments to what the enterprise already has, in which then an HR outsourcing company can be of the essence.

At times, hiring a full HR Department, may not be the best solution for every business. In truth, for some organizations it may not make sense at all to do so because of the costs associated and the structure of the business in general. For anyone considering the additional HR assistance for a business, the first thing to do is to see where your business stands in terms of growth. From here, you can get a better understanding of just how much HR outsourcing you need to help maintain your business overall. 

The best thing about HR outsourcing is that you can choose what you want for your organization and when you want it. You can customize your HR assistance to your business needs. When doing your research for what will work best for your business, make sure to look for HR Consulting companies that provide different packages that can be determined by the size of an organization and/or the demand that your business is currently operating at and how you foresee the continued growth for your business. 

An HR Consultant, can help provide the guidance needed to help best determine the next appropriate option for your organization. HR outsourcing is beneficial in that it can provide clarity on policy, reduced costs, and reduced risks as well as guidance just to name a few.

Does your employer offer useless benefits? 

Oh those words themselves, useless benefits, can put a damper on things! When we get hired, benefits can outweigh salary a lot of the time. Remember, life-work balance is important in today’s employment market. And if an employer can offer the best of both worlds, well that’s just amazing! But if the perks of the benefits outweigh the salary, we have a winner. Because in the end, the benefits will more so make up for where salary may be lacking and then some.

We’ve all run into them from time to time. At first, the benefits that you hear about seem amazing and the possibilities are endless. Then as time passes, one realizes that the benefits that were supposed to be well beneficial, have actually just been sitting there collecting dust and not a benefit at all to you or your employees, if you’re the employer. And furthermore, only to realize that other benefits could have been more useful if you were educated about them prior and what they could do for you and your family in the long run. 

Two of the most useless benefits I have found from what companies have recently offered were; 

-Employee Discount Programs.

-Wellness Fitness Programs.

Let us start with the “Employee Discount Programs.” I have seen where employers have pushed about the discounts and how much one can save and what it can really do for the employee overall. Instead, I have often found that there really aren’t any discounts to be had because either the employee didn’t spend what was needed to be spent to earn the employee discount, to begin with, or they didn’t use it in a timely manner and adhere to blackout dates and restrictions that can apply. The 3rd parties that your employer works with to provide the employee discounts are actually higher in a lot of instances regarding no discount benefits to be had and the perks just aren’t there at all after a thorough analysis. Oftentimes, employers have an agreement with these 3rd party companies and at times even pay to be part of the organization, club, or supposed discount program, only to find that company funds are being wasted because the usage isn’t there and employees are dissatisfied in the long run for not seeing these supposed benefits that should be provided if one works with an organization that offers it. 

Why would anyone want to go through their company to take advantage of the “Employee Discount Program,” only to find that outside their company, there are more benefits with an abundance of cost savings and overall lesser restrictions to the employee? Hence where the “Employee Discount Program” is really of no benefit. If companies are going to offer things like this, more research needs to be implemented and it has to be worth it for all parties involved. Whether it be offering further discounts to the employees to utilize these “Employee Discount Programs” within the organization that has more benefits than going outside of the organization. Or providing incentives that can entice the employee(s) to utilize the programs. Whether that be in the form of flex time, additional perks at work, or even free lunch at times when a certain amount of usage of the employee discount program is met by the employee. I’ve seen it all and some have actually been positive experiences while some have unfortunately not. But if you don’t try you won’t know what will work for your organization and for the employees in general. These are things that really need to be discussed amongst all the parties to be involved in this decision process so that to provide a successful experience overall.

The second benefit that I have found to be useless is the “Wellness Fitness Program,” and the supposed health benefits. Now to be fair, I can’t say it’s completely useless. I myself took advantage of such a program through my employer and lost 20 pounds. And I’ll always be grateful for the program. I think it’s great when an employer advocates for the health of their employees! I’ve seen it where there are incentives involved for weight loss with monetary perks or benefits like 30, 60, or 90-day free gym memberships, and even where free meal plan services were provided to the employee for 6 months! All this based on if consistency was shown every month, to entice the employee to keep up with their fitness goals, etc. When the “Wellness Fitness Program” does fail it’s because employers don’t keep up with the employees that are participating in the program and engage with them in the process on a regular basis overall. This is very simple to achieve and can be done with weekly face-to-face meetings, text team group check-ins, ZOOM meetings, and having the teams meet up to participate in outdoor activities, etc. Also providing weekly email newsletters on a fitness regime, healthy recipes, acknowledgments of employees and their accomplishments, see where I’m going with this? Engagement! Although there can be challenges like when companies operate remotely or there are several employees in different time zones. But it still can be done if consistency is made a priority, especially with the advanced technology, apps, and overall communication styles that are offered today.

For employers, it’s important to do the research as mentioned and see what’s out there. There are so many different benefits that really have proven to be successful to employees and an organization overall. Remember, a happy employee equals a happy and profitable organization. For employees, research is needed on your part as well. If your acceptance for employment with a company comes down to a few things like the “Employee Discounts Program” you may want to add or negotiate further on this especially if you are coming from a prior employer that did things differently or offered things that really were of benefit to the employees. It doesn’t hurt to provide some professional feedback and it could even give the organization further ideas to improve their program in turn. A win-win for everyone.