Amelia Tsui | April 9, 2018 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
FINAL QUESTION 
What are findings and practices associated with measuring and taking steps to increase the engagement of 
contingent workers? 
INTRODUCTION 
Over the past few decades, the workforce has been shifting to include a larger number of contingent 
workers. While the corporate agenda regarding these temporary workers has been to cut cost and shirk 
some legal responsibilities, these past years show there is greater interest a greater interest in labor 
flexibility or tight market for specialized skills. In order for companies to attract and retain their valued 
professional contingent workforce, there needs to be greater focus placed on their integration with the 
firm. (1) 
COMMON PROBLEMS 
According to a technology contractor based in Seattle, companies often fail to give contract workers the 
“big picture” surrounding their assignments, and how the project is progressing. Without the sense of 
larger purposes of work, it is more likely that contractors will do the bare minimum for the client. An 
example of what frustrates and disengages contractors is when they think they are doing a good job at an 
appropriate pace, and the company suddenly reports that the project is behind schedule (1). This 
disconnect also goes both ways. If the employer does not fully understand the expertise of their contingent 
worker, they might not get the most from their talents (1). Workers are more excited when they are given 
a project that is up their alley.  
Understanding Contingent workers 
Some contingent workers say they are seeking better work/life balance; others want to create or design 
their own careers by choosing the kind of work or projects that create a unique set of skills, making them 
more desirable prospective employees. Contingent employment can expose individuals to a broad variety 
of challenges, demanding constant learning and new skills, which make work more interesting for them 
(6). To better engage contingent workers, we must look at why certain professionals prefer to work as a 
contingent worker. Contingent workers choose this status due to flexibility, lack of office politics and 
diversity of assignments. (1). Involving free agents in strategy discussions or team meetings can increase 
loyalty and promote extra effort. As such, it becomes important for companies to create an environment 
that helps contingent workers achieve this level of flexibility. 
BEST PRACTICES 
 
 “Contingents must be included in processes that are traditionally reserved for full-time, permanent 
employees: onboarding, corporate learning, expertise sharing, performance reviews, and succession 
planning” (2). Some additional strategies to include contingent staff are as follows.  
● Include contingent workers in any structured after work or off-site social events 
● Recognize contingent workers birthday’s just as you would any internal, full-time employees. This 
shows you are invested and paying attention to their work. (5) 
● Compensation: Compromising with and understanding the contingent workforce is important to 
cutting costs while also maintaining a fair work environment. Example: Offer comprehensive 
medical insurance benefits (applicable to W-2 payroll-ees only), have a good understanding of 
current labor market, and be fair and transparent when discussing wages. External tools such as 
http://www.peopleticker.com/solutions​ can also help with finding the right compensation for the 
current labor market.  
● Communicate: Design a performance management system where you are requesting feedback and 
seeking to understand the professional goals of your contingent staff members (this can be 
especially effective to understand someone’s desire to perform work for you in the future). 
Example: at the midpoint of their assignment, take some time to talk about next steps, and what 
financial/ work options they might have within the company (5).  
● Inform your team of any new workers who might be joining. Create a clear picture that the 
contingent worker must be welcomed and feel comfortable. Some examples of how to engage a 
contingent worker is to invite them to lunch (5) 
● Alignment and consistency is key (4). 
● When contingent workers complete their projects, they should perform a transfer of knowledge and 
conduct exit interviews.(7) 
CONCLUSION 
At the end of the day, the big picture of what people want has not changed that much. There is still a 
prioritization of 1. Wages, 2. Health Insurance, 3. Work-life Balance, 4. Opportunities for Growth, and 5. 
A sense of purpose (2). It is important for companies to ensure they have the appropriate types and 
appropriate amount of benefits, as high rankings on “great workplace” listings can attract high quality 
stars. However, at the same time, companies might want to take note that high-quality candidates have 
some similar characteristics. High quality job candidates are attracted to companies that align with who 
they are, and encourage them to do what they do best (11), rather than focusing on immediate 
requirements, such as pay and benefits, work hours and work demands, or personal and family needs.  
 
REFERENCES 
 
1) Ed Frauenheim- Director of Global Research and Content at great Place to Work 
http://www.workforce.com/2012/08/03/contingent-workers-why-companies-must-make-t
hem-feel-valued/  
2) Guest, S. (2015, August 31). SAPVoice: The Rise of The Contingent Worker. Retrieved 
April 09, 2018, from 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2014/12/19/the-rise-of-the-contingent-worker/#6ffe223
02a82 
3) The rise of the contingent workforce – attracting ... (n.d.). Retrieved April 9, 2018, from 
3) 
https://insightsresources.seek.com.au/rise-contingent-workforce-attracting-managing-eng
aging-transient-staff 
4) The Unstoppable Rise of the Contingent Worker. (2016, June 27). Retrieved April 09, 
2018, from 
https://www.innovativeemployeesolutions.com/blog/unstoppable-rise-contingent-worker/ 
5) Erickson, T. (2014, August 07). The Rise of the New Contract Worker. Retrieved April 
09, 2018, from h​ ttps://hbr.org/2012/09/the-rise-of-the-new-contract-worker 
6) Understanding the Contingent Workforce | TEKsystems. (n.d.). Retrieved April 9, 2018, 
from 7) 
https://www.teksystems.com/en/resources/thought-leadership/it-industry-trends/the-conti
ngent-workforce 
 
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 
A. Global Focus: 
https://insightsresources.seek.com.au/rise-contingent-workforce-attracting-managing-engagin
g-transient-staff 
There is a need to ​engage​ contingent workers, and your workplace culture should be visible from 
both outside and within. (3) 
 
Toni Jackson, Director APAC at SAP Fieldglass, a company that draws on a contingent 
workforce while also providing the technology to help other business manage their own casual 
workers, says, “People who are highly skilled want to take control of their own career. They 
want to be their own boss, so you need to work to attract the best talent and your brand has never 
been more important.” (3) 
David Brown, partner of Consulting at Deloitte and national Human Capital Practice in 
Australia, says “If you can be clear on the culture that you are creating, people will know what 
the value proposition is” (3) 
Next, it is important to evaluate how you ​manage​ contingent workers. 
Brown says “It’s a two-edged sword in that you build up a strong capability and competency in a 
set of the people, but that corporate memory is walking out the door every time you churn. I 
think what the better employers are doing is trying to create a stickiness - while they will use 
contingent workers, they still want them to stay connected to their organization, so that after 
moving on to another gig, they will keep coming back.”  
Using ​Technology​ to assist with the planning and managing of contingent workers: 
Brown says, we’re seeing the big HR cloud platforms, like Oracle, significantly enhancing their 
workforce analytics platforms” 
B. Technology 
PricewaterhouseCoopers has created their own marketplace engagement of independent workers. 
Independent workers complete a profile and can use the platform to engage with managers 
seeking project based talent across all business units. ​https://talentexchange.pwc.com/ 
Freelance Management Systems: 
https://www.workmarket.com/ 
https://www.upwork.com/ 
C. Other Readings 
 
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/human-capital/us-hc-rewards-for
-contingent-talent-may-2017.pdf 
https://www.mbopartners.com/uploads/files/state-of-independence-reports/StateofIndependence-
2017-Final.pdf 
https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/people-organisation/pdf/recent-talent-trends-forcing-strategic-appro
aches.pdf