How to Ethically Employ Contract Workers

-

 

Outsourcing labor to full-time, third-party contractors has become increasingly common. While some want the flexibility a contract role can provide, research shows that these workers—who are more likely to be Black, Indigenous, Latinx, women, and nonbinary—often do the same work as their directly employed peers while making less money, receiving fewer benefits, and experiencing significant job precarity. As a leader, you can pursue the following strategies to reduce harm and mitigate company liability when it comes to contract work. 

  • Fair pay. To ensure your contract workers receive family-sustaining pay, be explicit about how much you expect staffing agencies to pay them. Make sure you’re paying them the same rates as full-time employees who do similar jobs.
  • Workplace safety protocols and worker voice. Create clear channels for contract workers to report problems, and include them in company-wide communication streams. This will boost morale and your organization’s accountability around how these workers are treated. 
  • Pathways to direct employment. Provide contract workers with development training and meaningful career pathways to full-time employment. This has the added benefit of building a pre-qualified, diverse pool of talent for your company.

Popular posts from this blog

Handling a Condescending Coworker

-
  Working with a condescending colleague is irritating at best and detrimental to your career at worst. How can you deal with an overconfident coworker who always talks down to you?     First, take a moment to (internally) roll your eyes. Try to be ligh the arted about it. Remember:   The ir attitude has more to do with   the m than it does with you.   The n decide whe the r it’s really worth it to speak up. Is this a recurring pattern, or just a one-time occurrence? Distinguish between interactions that are mildly irritating and those that affect your well-being or prevent you from doing your work.   Next, try to separate what   the y said from how   the y said it. If you choose not to address   the ir condescension, respond to   the   information or feedback   the y’re communicating, and disregard   the ir tone.   Finally, schedule a conversation about how   the ir communication style affects you. Plan wha...
Read more

Overcoming Overthinking

-
  Overthinking can take three forms: rumination, overanalyzing, and future tripping. Here’s how to spot and handle each one—before they cause you to spiral, stress, and ultimately burn out.   Rumination.   This is a mental loop where you dwell on past events, particularly negative or distressing ones. If you tend to fixate on negative feedback, bring up past failures in conversation with others, or you’re overly cautious about work, you might be a ruminator. To diffuse your rumination, set aside 15 to 30 minutes to grapple with these negative thoughts. This will help you compartmentalize and stop yourself from ruminating constantly throughout the day.   Overanalyzing.   Procrastinating, over-relying on others’ approval, and experiencing difficulty prioritizing are all tendencies of overanalyzers. To break the cycle, shift your aim from “perfect” to “good enough.”   Future tripping.   If you spend excessive energy planning for every possible scenario, o...
Read more

How to Productively Disagree with Colleagues

-
  Disagreements in the workplace don’t have to fuel conflict. If you handle them well, they can be opportunities to build closer relationships and come up with better ideas. Here are some strategies for navigating these difficult conversations. First, approach the exchange with a willingness to learn, rather than a persuasive or combative attitude. Be humble. It’s possible that you’re missing something, and an open mind will invite your counterpart in instead of pushing them away. On the flip side, don’t underestimate their interest in learning from you. Give them the benefit of the doubt until they prove that they haven’t earned it. This kind of generosity will make the exchange more pleasant for both of you. Finally, be explicit about your intentions. For example, before making your own argument, you might say: “This is an important topic. I’m curious to hear what people who disagree with me think about this issue.” Then you could close your own argument with: “I recognize that n...
Read more