Non-employees Are People Too

Employee engagement is a hot phrase these days and with good reason. A Hays Canada survey shows that nearly 50% of Canadian workers barely tolerate their jobs, and it does not take a genius to figure out they are not as productive as they can or should be. But if employee engagement is so important, it should stand to reason that non-employee engagement is also important. What do I mean by non-employee? In an environment of hiring workers on a demand basis or as virtual employees, or because employees themselves are only looking for freelance, do we ever think about engaging them about their work? The short answer is we probably don’t as much as we should.

Today’s on-demand workers are not a one-size-fits-all bunch. They may be contractors who are in the office, or contractors who telecommute; they may work full-time hours or just a few as needed. They are gig workers who are at the ready, anytime you want them, just like that, happy as a robot. Except – they are not robots, and maybe they will not show up with a smile on their faces just because you want them to.