Over the past 10 years, flexible contract work has increased by 56 percent.¹ More companies and industries and leveraging contractors for internal work such as change management as well as to fulfill the needs of customers, such as the auto repair shops that contract with insurance companies to serve customers. This type of contract work provides increased flexibility and a wide range of skill sets - it can also lower a company’s total payroll and benefits expenses by at least 20-50 percent annually.²
But contractors have one major downside compared to full-time employees: they’re typically not up to speed on company policies or procedures. They may also need additional industry and compliance training, depending on the services they or your company is providing. All of that requires that companies onboard contractors effectively, training them on necessary company policies and compliance needs.
By setting up a contractor portal using LMS software, companies can provide contractors with the training they need to be successful.
Deliver Convenient Contractor Training With an LMS
Here are a few ways to train contractors with LMS software:
1. Provide online compliance training and certification -- Compliance isn’t just important for permanent employees, but also for contractors. The article Are You Onboarding Contractors Correctly? stated,
“Not having your paperwork in order or neglecting to educate your contractors in basic legal and policy requirements could land you in hot water with the law – or at the very least in messy disputes with other businesses or workers.”³
Compliance paperwork can become overwhelming, especially for large companies that employ many contractors. That is why it’s important that compliance training and related materials be digitized. LMS software helps companies manage compliance on a large scale, allowing contractors to participate in on-demand compliance training and be certified or re-certified as needed.
2. Offer incentives for non-mandatory training -- Some contractors may be required by law to complete certain types of training before working for your company, such as compliance and safety training or anti-harassment training. But there are other valuable online courses that are often not mandatory for contractors (for example, customer service training). To encourage contractors to participate in these training courses, demonstrate how it will benefit them directly. A contributor to eLearning Industry wrote,
“One way to incentivize 1099 workers to take a training course is to offer them a badge or qualification to put on their profile that advertises their skill qualifications to potential customers. When a contractor completes a course, your company could also open up access to additional job opportunities, or offer the chance to be listed in a registry of certified service providers.”4
The more training contractors receive, the better equipped they will be to serve your customers and grow your company.
3. Create an online resource library -- Both new and long-term contractors must adhere to the same policies. Getting new contractors up to speed with their peers and keeping long-term contractors up to date with policies and procedures can be simplified with an online resource library.
An online resource library makes onboarding new contractors easier because all important documentation is available in a central location. Contractors and their teams can access it at any time to review materials, find answers to their questions, and educate themselves about standard operating procedures. A resource library also makes it easy for your company to distribute updated documents.
Using LMS software to set up an online resource library provides a self-help experience where contractors don't always need to contact the company for help. And by finding resources on their own, they will save company administrators time.
LMS Software Makes Contractor Training Easier for Companies and Workers
By using LMS software, companies can make the contractor training process easier for administrators and convenient for contractors, which could potentially increase contractor loyalty. If enterprises don’t wish to directly train contractors, they could use a third party for this purpose.
Find a few more tips for providing contractor training using LMS software in 3 LMS Solutions for Training Contractors.
References:
1. SHRM. Employing independent contractors. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/employingindependentcontractors.aspx.
2. Pacific Crest Group. Benefits of hiring independent contractors versus employees. https://www.pcg-services.com/benefits-hiring-independent-contractors-employees/.
3. Cognology. Are you onboarding contractors correctly? https://www.cognology.com.au/onboarding-contractors-correctly/.
4. eLearning Industry. 1099 training: 3 ways to get contractors to take your courses. https://elearningindustry.com/1099-training-3-ways-get-contractors-take-courses.