Investing in Contractors: Is there value? I by Andrea Hall
A problem project, a time-constrained piece of work, no bandwidth in your team to take on any extra, or a different skill set required to finish a piece of work... There are many reasons organisations bring in contractors. They are often seen as the part of the workforce that serves the function to plug those gaps for a set period of time and usually end up casually being let go when the work is done, with maybe a short speech, a cup of tea, and a slice of cake with the team.
Who are these contractors though? Where do they come from? Why are they needed? Where do they pick up their skills, experience, and knowledge to bring into the organisation? By this, I am not referring to consultants, who we may (possibly not unreasonably) expect to have a history within the relevant discipline for which they have been contracted to assist, but contractors who are brought in to manage a myriad of multi-disciplinary projects or contracts, community engagement or IT initiatives. Where and how do organisations expect these contractors to stay abreast of developments in business, industry, and technology? Who provides the training, and who foots the bill for the training?
Quite often a direct line manager may see the value and benefit in offering a contractor a training opportunity, particularly if the contract spans 12+ months, but often times budgetary constraints and/or senior management decisions prevent the investment, either because of the financial cost to the organisation and/or time taken away from the contracted work required to allow for that training opportunity to be undertaken. Is there, though, a change of thought and approach required here? Should we, as organisations, view investing in upskilling contractors as a form of ‘paying forward’? Instead of expecting contractors to arrive with knowledge and all the latest skills, should we pay it forward, and invest in the future of the workforce?
If you are an organisation that regularly uses contractors, wouldn’t you want to reap the benefits of their previously funded training next time you employ someone on a fixed-term contract? Then, during their time with you, help them to learn and develop more. Who knows, it may even mean that in the long-term there is some financial benefit in terms of more value for money in the daily rate (you may even be able to pay less for a skilled contractor).
In this current climate, where wellbeing has come to the forefront in many organisations, also featuring in the CSRs of global brands why, as can still be the case, should we still be treating a contractor as a not fully integrated member of the team? Is it possible that they would be more committed to the project, and the organisation and benefit more from the arrangement if some investment was made in their development? If the opportunity is there for a contractor to bring and deliver their best, impart their knowledge, experience, and skills, wouldn’t you want to be the organisation that benefits from it before you let them go with a short speech, cup of tea, and a slice of cake?
Andrea Hall is based in London UK and has worked as a project manager in the public, private, and third sectors for over 20 years, recently taking on a new role moving over into supply chain management.
"Andrea is looking forward to sharing her knowledge, skills, and experience from working as a contractor on many varied projects, but also the knowledge, skills, and experience she is gaining from this new, permanent role, and from the opportunities to learn provided by her time on the Business Transformation Fellowship apprenticeship."