What to consider when virtually onboarding contractors

Virtual onboarding has become a very necessary recruitment technique recently as attitudes change entirely towards the importance of the workplace. Many now consider being in the workplace to be unnecessary all the time, and there is greater acceptance of flexible working or working from anywhere policies. Whilst many have mastered the technique of onboarding a new, full-time employee and integrating them into their teams and timeframes, onboarding contractors can be a different game entirely.

Why are contractors useful in insurance?

Contract or temporary employees have gained increasing importance due to the pandemic in many industries and markets, including insurance! Contractors can come in many shapes and forms and can mean anything from independent consultants to temporary employees provided by an agency. As insurance companies have to make the difficult decision to examine what resources they need, many embraced the furlough scheme and many made the difficult decision to make redundancies.

Since then, in order to keep overheads down, many companies are investing in contractors, indeed 2 in 3 (67%) employers think temporary workers are becoming an increasingly important way for them to access the key skills they need, up 14% from before the pandemic.

3 considerations when virtually onboarding contractors:

1. Do your groundwork with a welcome package
   Do your preparation and compile a document that has all the useful information they may need upon starting at your company, this can include anything from a guide to using internal systems and processes, and outline or introduction to the company or a presentation.This will help introduce the contractor to the tone of the company so they can adjust their work and expectations accordingly. If they know they are working with a company that supports and welcomes new employees – be they permanent, contract, in house or remote workers – they will be more inclined to work hard and enthusiastically.
2. Set clear expectations and check in regularly
   This can come either as part of your induction pack or as part of an introductory or preliminary onboarding meeting. Creating a clear outline of what deliverables and responsibilities they are expected to achieve will dispel any ambiguity or vagueness and help them plan their first week better. Outlining clear deadlines and timeframes will also help.After this initial meeting, it is important to check in regularly, or outline when you would like to receive updates and progress reports.
3. Make virtual introductions
   Virtual employees can struggle to connect with their larger team which can make them feel isolated and impair teamwork and collaboration. This is usually experienced with the view that in a permanent position they will eventually meet their team and this issue will be resolved. As contractors are only employed for a set amount of time, connecting can become more of an issue.Having a friendly introductory virtual meeting via a video conferencing tool where you introduce the whole team and explain their duties and how they will work with or support the contractor will help to alleviate this problem and make people more comfortable talking to each other.If you are looking to onboard a number of contractors in a short space of time, Davies Resourcing can help source qualified candidates and advise on how best to onboard them remotely.