Since they might be out the door at the drop of a hat, temporary workers unfortunately don’t get the same welcome wagon that permanent hires receive.

In fairness, it’s human nature not to get attached to someone who you may never see again, and all too often temporary workers get little more than a handshake or two on their first day.

However, not making temporary workers feel welcome at your company is a major mistake. Research has shown time and again satisfied workers are more productive workers. If you want the temps at your company to do the best they can, make them feel as welcome as possible.

Making temporary employees feel welcome is also the right thing to do on a human level. Think about it: How would you feel if you were in a situation where you didn’t know anybody and nobody made the effort to make you feel welcome? It’s not a great situation to find yourself in, so why would you put someone else through that?

In the interest of doing the smart and right thing, here are a few suggestions on how you can properly roll out the welcome mat for temporary workers this summer.

Emphasize communication from the start

If you don’t engage temporary employees from the outset and show them the resources that are at their disposal, they will have a hard time getting up to speed in their first few weeks.

Also, you should have regular discussions with your new temporary workers. You should find out how temporary workers feel about their performance, if they properly understand their duties and if their job is sufficiently challenging. This kind of regular communication builds up strong connections and makes temporary workers feel at ease about approaching you with any difficulties or concerns.

Incorporate them into your culture

Treating temporary workers like regular workers lessens the sense they are only there temporarily and makes them feel more like a valuable part of the team. Immerse new temps in your company culture by asking for their input and any personal goals they want to accomplish while they are with your company. Be sure to involve your new employees in any social activities, both inside and outside the office.

Keep them focused on achieving goals

Temporary work can feel aimless in certain situations, and that lack of direction can be demoralizing. Develop a mini-agenda that explains what you want temporary employees to learn, work on and achieve – complete with goals and performance metrics so these workers know if they are succeeding or failing.

Temporary workers want to work hard for your company, you just need to put a structure in place that allows them to do so.

At Action Group, we work with our client companies to ensure our contract workers do their jobs successfully. If your organization is currently looking for a custom staffing solution, please contact us today.