How to embed a contractor into your team
Contractors are integral to the tech sector as a way of keeping overheads low and standards high on projects, day-to-day operations and much more.
Airbnb, Google, and Uber actually use more contractors than they employ permanent staff! The key to their success? An onboarding process that functions like a well-oiled machine! Many organisations still use contractors on an as-needed basis and often their onboarding process can be equally ad hoc. However, just like with permanent employees, having a fully-realised onboarding process for your contractors can ensure they reach full productivity and start generating ROI significantly faster than they would without it.
That’s why we’ve created a quick guide to help you create an onboarding strategy to get your contractors up to speed and contributing quickly, so your transformation projects can get underway faster.
Best practices for onboarding contractors
Follow these tips to ensure you have a process in place for every contractor you engage, helping them adjust that much quicker to your culture, your specific project requirements, and your expectations.
Before they start:
Get the majority of the paperwork completed before their start date
Having the paperwork in place prior to the engagement start date will allow your contractor to feel more confident in their role and remove any ambiguity over status determinations, compliance, and tax requirements, etc.
Grant all accesses they may need
To ensure your contractors can start working on your projects as soon as possible, make sure you know what access they’ll need to do their jobs. This can be anything from access to the back end of your website, administrator permissions to social channels, or even keys to areas of your offices (if you’re working back in the office).
If your contractors are working remotely, they will need the same security set up you would give to a permanent employee to ensure your files, data and property are properly protected from any cyber threats too.
Create a welcome pack
A welcome pack can be a great way to set the tone of your engagement from the get go. If you have all of your processes, procedures and an outline of your ethos and culture in one place, your contractor will be in no doubt of what they can expect from you and will feel reassured in collaborating with your team.
On the first day:
Revisit the project outline and expectations
This can be particularly useful if the contract was signed significantly earlier than the start date. By just revisiting the project’s outline, deadlines, and KPIs you will ensure the best possible outcome and there will be no ambiguity over what is expected from your contract employee.
Run through any necessary training
Contractors are unlikely to undertake training prior to the contract’s start date, so on their first day be sure to have any required training set up to be completed quickly.
During the first month(s):
Schedule check ins
By having regular check ins to assess progress and any appropriate KPIs, you’ll ensure you keep your projects properly on track and avoid any potential problems that could derail the project if left unchecked for too long.
Ask for feedback
Asking for feedback will allow you to further perfect your contractor onboarding process and maximise your contractor engagements further!
Independent contractor onboarding checklist:
- Contractor paperwork index
- List of necessary passwords, accesses, codes, files, software, equipment, etc.
- A welcome pack with an outline of who to go for what, where to access HR documents and policies, etc.
- A bank of resources to refer back to for project overviews and strategies
By having an effective onboarding strategy in place for contractors, you’ll find it’s easier to scale your workforce as and when you need to with additional, agile tech and digital resources.
A trusted recruitment partner with an established network of contractors, like Energize Group, can help you engage digital and tech contractors who are assessed on their skills and project experience, allowing your projects to benefit from the right skill sets. We can also support your onboarding process and any national or local compliance requirements you need to meet.
Get in touch and let’s find the right IT and digital contractors for your project
With a global network of more than one million candidates cultivated over 14 years of recruitment expertise, Energize empowers organisations as you access high-value local contractor talent. Our specialist Consultants are experienced in supporting projects and scaling businesses with the experts they need.
The Energize Group offers niche, premium staffing solutions on both a permanent and freelance basis to customers in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, and the United States of America.
Providing you with the best-possible recruitment experience is what drives us. We pioneered service standardisation within the recruitment industry via our implementation of Net Promoter Score®, and through our continual pursuit of customer excellence, customers choose Energize time and again, forming lasting relationships and enjoying a more effective hiring process.