Inclusivity in the Temporary Workforce
The key to any strong team is cohesion. Players and coaches must work in concert to achieve greatness. The same goes for our workplaces – team members and
managers must all feel like they are on the same team working toward the same goal. Each person has an important role to play within the team and they should embrace their roles while respecting the roles of others. Sometimes though, it’s tough for employees to embrace others who may be different from them – either in culture or in employee status.
One of the biggest issues facing employers today is the shortage of workers. Add to that the shifting demand and evolving marketplaces, and many more employers are having to rely on temporary staffing solutions. This can lead to a disparity in worker feelings toward each other – current employees may resent the temporary employees, or the other way around. That can lead to an unsettled workforce and a decline in productivity.
Wisconsin’s technical colleges are partners with their local employers. When employers stepped forward with this problem, Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) Continuing Education | CVTC responded with a training program developed specifically to address this issue.
Angela Eckman, Campus & Business Development Manager at CVTC’s Chippewa Falls and Neillsville campuses, spent eight years working in the staffing industry prior to joining the Technical College System where she worked with businesses to place temporary labor to help fill their workforce needs. “While in that role, I’d often hear feedback from the temporary labor pool about how it was so hard walking into a business not knowing much about who they are or what they do, not to mention having the fear of not knowing anyone there.”
The “Inclusivity in the Temporary Workforce” training course from CVTC was developed to help employers and supervisors explore what inclusion is and how it increases all staff productivity and performance when utilizing outsourced labor options. With a focus on short-term and temporary employees, it provides tools everyone can use to make their own company more inclusive and representative in a global world.
“Combined with the overwhelming anxiety the temporary worker feels in starting a new job, there is also an intense amount of pressure to stand out and shine in hopes of “earning” a longer opportunity with the company,” said Eckman. “There is a need, most prominently in the human resources community, for employers to appeal more to the temporary worker population in hopes of establishing a talent pipeline to fill open positions. “Given the investment made by the company to bring in temporary labor to cover production demands, it benefits the company to motivate and inspire these employees to want to work at their business long-term.”
Wisconsin’s technical colleges are uniquely positioned to help employers because they both serve their local communities. Your local technical college can be a good partner to help identify and resolve staffing needs within your business. Visit www.WTCSystem.edu/colleges to connect.
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