Making Temporary and Gig Workers Feel Welcome

It is another day, another episode, I’m your host, Wanda Thibodeaux, and this is the Faithful on the Clock podcast, where we sit down once a week to tackle a topic about getting your faith and work aligned. This time, we’re taking a look at the gig and freelance economy and figuring out how to make even your temporary people feel at home in your business. So let’s get started.

So I want to start today’s show just by giving you some statistics about the gig economy so we can all understand just how big this issue actually is. And I encourage you as always to go ahead and use the links in the show notes, but for 2020, the United States had 34 percent of workers involved in the gig economy. So about 1 out of every three. And you know, we’re not really sure how things are going to look after the pandemic. But there are a lot of reports–for example, there was an article in the New York Times–that pointed out that, you know, as people got laid off, they needed work, they had the push they needed to finally start doing their own thing. And there’s also this element that, whenever you have a crisis of any kind, that does uncover or build up new needs. So entrepreneurship is actually really hot right now as people are seeing these new opportunities and reevaluating what they want out of work. Some projections are saying that, by 2023, more than half of the American workforce will be gig workers or will have worked independently at some point. And companies are figuring out that it can be really cost effective to have someone who’s a specialist come in just when they actually need those specific services, rather than to have them on payroll the entire time.

Now, as these shifts happen, your company is going to have to fundamentally change to accommodate all the temporary and gig workers coming in. For example, personalized HR services are going to become more and more critical, you’re going to have to customize benefits more, that kind of thing. But flexibility becomes paramount, because you have to constantly adjust to new people coming and going. You know, the legacy kinds of setups, they’re not going to have as much weight. And I think if you plan well, you can navigate those kinds of logistical, the nuts and bolts kinds of challenges really effectively.

What I think is more difficult is rebuilding your culture to cope with this revolving kaleidoscope of people. You know, how do you create an environment where people really are warm and they understand–because contract workers, gig workers, it can be so stressful. Anybody who’s ever come into a new job knows how awkward that can be, you don’t even know where the bathroom is or if you can get a cup of coffee. And your permanent team has to be empathetic and sensitive to that.

So the first thing I think you have to tackle is this us versus them mentality, this idea that the gig people don’t really fit or aren’t worth the time to get to know just because they’re only gonna be there for a few days or weeks or whatever it is. You can look back at stories through the whole Bible of the concept of hospitality and how much people would go out of their way to make people feel comfortable. They’d feast, give the guest clean clothes and everything, the whole nine yards. And the idea is just, you know, we’re all playing for the same team. We’re all God’s kids. Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 4:14, Paul recollects how he was treated, and he says, “you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.” And so God wants you to see that and have an inviting attitude.

So when you bring in someone on a temp basis, you know, maybe you’re not gonna go kill a fatted calf and have a party for three days. But pick one of your permanent people to be an ambassador, who can be the person that the new hire goes to for a tour or goes to lunch with the first day, or who they can go to if they have questions. Because then not only does the temp person have somebody to lean on, but you’ve also got your permanent worker stepping up for some leadership and getting to shine a little bit. Now, as the number of temp workers you’ve got goes up, you might even consider hiring someone whose sole responsibility it is to be this kind of support. But if you’re not there yet, you know, you just pick a person you know will represent you well and who will have great integrity with that new hire. And just have them check in each day or once a week and see how the temp worker is doing. But no matter who you’ve got as the go-to person, you just make it really clear to your permanent people exactly what the new hire’s role and value is, how they’re going to contribute to the project or the business. And then go ahead and celebrate their successes in memos or in meetings just the same as you would anybody else.

The second thing is, make sure you have great documentation. Temp workers, trust me, as a freelancer myself, I can testify that they are gonna get confused, they’re gonna forget things or details you tell them. And even though you can confront a lot of that with a good ambassador and connecting them with people on the team, you don’t want them to interfere with the other things the team has to get done, because that just creates conflicts you don’t need. So just putting things in writing, giving them handbooks or websites to go to, having a knowledge base for them to refer to, you know, it can answer their questions without slowing down productivity, and it saves them some embarrassment because, if it’s something simple, they can just go and figure it out, they don’t come off as totally clueless to the people who have been around the block. Within this, I think a lot of people do policies and procedures well, they’re clear on those kinds of expectations, but clue people in to the lingo, too. You’d be surprised how much jargon you use every day that’s unique to the industry or your individual company, so just say, hey, here’s our little cheat sheet, you’re gonna hear this around. And then they can hop into your conversations and be a lot more engaged right off the bat.

The third thing I will say is, give your temp people their own space. I understand, square footage is expensive, everybody’s kind of experimenting with layouts, you can have people share a desk on alternating days if need be. But there’s nothing I can think of that kind of psychologically messes with a person’s sense of belonging or value than not even knowing where they can sit or hang their coat. And that’s one of the reasons some people found it so hard to follow Jesus, too, because Jesus, like Luke 9:58 says, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He was telling people, you know, you follow me, you’re not gonna have a place to settle in the way you’re used to, you have to be willing to trust and rethink what you believe is important and not look back. So you know, we do have this natural inclination to want some permanence and familiarity. And when you say, this is your area, your desk, you know, you let the temp workers kind of make their mark and set it up however they’re comfortable, it really does kind of become this cornerstone foundation where things feel more solid and they’re more at ease about going to work. People get a sense of being grounded from having that home base, which I think is incredibly important.

Lastly, I think people don’t really think of the exit process for temp workers when they think about being welcoming. It’s kind of odd to do that, right? But remember, these are people, you might call on them again in the future, it doesn’t have to be goodbye forever. So I think the way you send people off matters. You know, give them time to get contact information from people, ask them how everybody on your team can stay in touch…keep them in your address book and go ahead and hook them up with other teams if it makes sense. Because that outgoing impression of you, first impressions count, but that last impression, that can leave a really big emotional imprint. That’s the one they’re really going to remember and talk about to others. And so you want them to leave with a feeling like they still have a relationship with you, that they still can interact with the people they know from your company.

So those are my four big things. And the final thought I want to leave you with is, temporary work, it’s got it’s perks. But it can be so, so difficult. You don’t have a guarantee of any real income stability for the long term, you have to figure out insurance, all those kinds of things. And I can tell you, from my own experience, there are times you just want to scrape your own eyes out with a spoon. So if there are supports you can offer that can take the edge off, like short-term enrollments or that kind of thing, please go ahead and do it. I guarantee the temp workers are going to be grateful and have a better experience for it, and I…I might have to crunch some numbers for you, but I think that what you’ll gain in reputation and productivity more than will recoup your costs in most cases.

So let me just close out with a prayer.

God, gig work is becoming the new normal. So I pray that every time someone new walks through the door of our businesses, we see them as brothers and sisters, because they are. I pray that we’ll recognize the talents and gifts you’ve given them and be respectful, and that we’ll work hard to pay attention to the need they have for friendship. Let us be mindful and always ask what we can do to help. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

And just like that, the episode is, as they say, in the can. If you haven’t told someone about the show, send them our link, faithfulontheclock.captivate.fm, and make sure you go there and subscribe yourself, too. Next week, the topic is ESG–that stands for environmental, social, and governance, and it all looks at how you’re approaching sustainability. What can YOU do to succeed in these areas and protect the planet as customers increasingly demand that you do? Until you hit play again, be blessed.