How can you hold contractors to account while keeping the relationship intact?

Are you building a strong contractor relationship?

We get it. You value your contractors – they offer valuable skills to help you build your business. Contractors also help you fill the busy periods and manage your productivity.

You want to be able to keep your contractors happy, whilst also holding them to account and managing productivity. It’s a two-way street – but who knows what the road rules are?!

How to build strong contractor relationships using targeted contract management tools

Thankfully, Rapid Global can help you navigate! We know building strong contractor relationships is an important factor in making it all work. There can be expensive consequences if a contractor relationship is not properly established!

So, let’s look at some key strategies that will help ensure you can hold contractors to account while building strong relationships with contractors.

1. Contractor selection process

It all starts at the beginning. It’s much easier to manage contractors when you hire the right ones to begin with. Ensure you have a strong contractor selection process through appropriate pre-qualification strategies. There are many ways to implement this, such as using strong recruitment and HR processes, as well as setting up an efficient and centralised contractor lifecycle management system.

Also, make sure you know why you are hiring, and why the contractor wants to work with you. If you have a need for certain skills, how can these be fulfilled?

2. Agreements that suit both parties

You should already have all your contractor agreements set up and checked by legal teams. Contractor agreements are not scary documents designed to trick anyone or catch anyone out. They are a vital part of ensuring you are aware of your responsibilities and rights as well as making sure each contractor knows theirs.

Many hugely successful companies hire contractors to perform services rather than – or as well as – hiring employees. It’s a great way to get the skills you need in your business for the time required. But it’s important that everyone knows the rules and regulations with legalities, such as paying tax and ensuring suitable workers compensation insurance.

3. Ensure engagement through smart strategy

If your contractors are engaged and happy at work, you are more likely to have a productive workforce. This is because satisfied workers take less time off, communicate well with other team members, and will often look for ways to improve their own skills. Engaged contractors need to feel part of a team and confident that their skills are valued. So, make sure you onboard your contractors correctly right from the start. Set up induction and training processes that really bring each contractor into the team and show them not just health and safety policies, but also your company culture and vision.

4. Detail scope of work to reinforce productivity

Another important factor in holding contractors to account while keeping the relationship intact is to develop a comprehensive scope of work (SOW). This prevents miscommunication or presumptions which can send projects off course!

A SOW is usually a document or online system that contains details of what is expected from the contractor, all project timelines, plus measuring tools (i.e. key performance indicators) to ensure project deliverables are met. Also, remember to set aside a little time to give regular feedback.

If contractors are fully aware of the full scope of their role, then you can keep productivity high and easily manage risk. Clearly defined roles help prevent wasted time from people not knowing what needs to be done next! Well implemented and managed systems also help build loyalty as contractors feel you value them and your business is a professional place to work.

5. Contract management tools to help your business thrive

So, now you have a really great recruitment strategy, agreements that suit all, plus an in-depth and welcoming induction process. Now follow up by setting up some simple contract management tools that will keep everyone on track.

These might include audit management tools or incident reporting systems. It’s also advisable to set up simple tools to track time on site and project progress – this means that contractors don’t feel they are being ‘watched’, but you can keep productivity on track.

Contact us at Rapid and see how easy it is to set-up great contractor relationships while implementing strong contract management tools. We help businesses of all sizes, across all industries, to improve their work practices.

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