Many companies are choosing to meet a substantial portion of their staffing needs with temporary workers. This can be practical for many reasons, and of benefit both to the contingent workers and to the employer. However, some human resources administration professionals find the workplace comprised of both permanent and contract workers to be a difficult situation.
Temporary workers often have different requirements, and certainly a different status, than their permanent peers. This is natural and often legally necessary. The technicalities aside, however, every employee at a company is working toward the same goals and should be treated with the same attitude. Showing basic respect to contingent workers is more than enough to make them feel welcome. Managers might make an effort to find out more about their jobs and lives, thank them for their work and invite them to company functions. In doing so, they can help integrate temporary and contract workers into the company as a whole.
As contingent workers make up more of the average company's staff, integration becomes more important. Furthermore, temporary workers are often hired for permanent positions, and an employee who is already comfortable at a company means an easier onboarding process.
