Contingent Workforce Management Best Practices

Over the past few years the number of people joining the ranks of the contingent workforce - contractors, temporary personnel, short-term engagement professionals and project-based workers, has increased dramatically In fact, the Advisory Council of the U

Over the past few years the number of people joining the ranks of the contingent workforce - contractors, temporary personnel, short-term engagement professionals and project-based workers, has increased dramatically. In fact, the Advisory Council of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) estimates that contingent workers make up over 30% of the workforce. Since 1990 the number of workers employed as temporary employees alone has tripled from 1 million to 3 million, and is expected to quadruple in size to 12 million over the next 10 years.

As organizations increasingly rely on contingent workers, many are finding it a challenge to manage this critical component of the workforce. Some specific challenges faced by companies include: confusion in responsibilities between procurement, which is concerned with price and volume; and HR, which focuses on quality of hire. Moreover, in many organizations, individual hiring managers manage their own contingent workforce needs, resulting in multiple, redundant vendor relationships, non-uniform pricing and tremendous overall losses in time and money.

There are several steps that companies can take to make the best use of contingent employees to ensure mutual satisfaction. First, the morale of the contingent employee is greatly improved if they have access to the same services as regular employees. Things as simple as being permitted to park in the same lot, get purchase discounts, and eat in the company cafeteria can help make the experience for the contingent employee more pleasant. Additionally, companies can go a step further and open up corporate training to contingent workers, allowing them to increase their skill-set and enriching their experience.

Providing contingent employees with performance reviews after the project is completed is another way to improve relationships with non-core staff. Not only does the employee get much needed feedback to improve, but the company also prepares the employee for success in subsequent projects.

While managing the contingent workforce can be challenging, it does pose some obvious benefits. If a company chooses to outsource payroll and HR for their contingent workforce through a third party employer of record, they benefit from standardization of procedures and administration. Because of the economies of scale reached by outsourcers, companies experience cost savings and high service levels. Additionally, because HR administration is handled by this third-party team of experts, contingent workers can begin working on projects immediately without getting delayed by reams of paperwork. Furthermore, many HR outsourcers offer thorough background screening checks and security clearances that are required by larger companies.

Companies also benefit by centralizing their HR administration and eliminating redundant relationships and non-uniform pricing amongst contract workers. For example, many larger companies have decentralized hiring managers that bring on contingent workers for specific projects, without knowing whether that employee has worked in other departments or if the job was completed to the supervisor''s satisfaction. Outsourcing contingent employees through a third party employer of record allows companies to have a centralized database where they can see which contract employees have worked for the company in the past and how well they performed. Additionally, many states have laws limiting 1099 contract workers to work no more than 1000 hours per year or risk penalties for misclassification. By having employees centralized through an employer of record, this risk is mitigated.

Once companies understand how to manage contingent workers and provide them the same respect as their core staff of regular employees, it becomes apparent that the benefits of outsourcing far outweigh the risks.

Ms. Elizabeth Rice, SPHR, is the President of Innovative Employee Solutions, a San Diego-based company specializing in payroll and HR administrative services for the contingent workforce. Ms. Rice has more than 20 years of experience in HR and executive management.