How to Make Temporary Employees feel Like Part of the Team

When you welcome a temporary employee into your workplace, it’s a good idea to help the person integrate into the social fabric and make connections, even if she won’t stay here for long. Most employees and team members won’t feel a strong urge to invest in this relationship since they know it won’t last. But they should be encouraged to reach out and be friendly. Here are a few ways you can help make this happen.

Generate some hype.

Before the temporary employee arrives, let your existing team know her exact start date and what she’ll be doing or working on while she’s here. Explain some key details about her background, and highlight some of her past accomplishments and achievements. Give your current team members a few details they can use to spark conversation and a few reasons to be interested in or impressed with the newbie. The rest will fall into place.

Prepare the necessary resources.

Make sure the temporary employee has a workstation and some assigned tasks ready and waiting when she gets here. If you put this off until the last minute and leave her standing idle during her first few days, she may face an awkward feeling that can be hard to manage alone.

Navigate lunch on the first day.

If you’d like your team members to have lunch with the new employee on the first day, let them know. In fact, let them know exactly what will be expected of them before and after lunch as well. Who will show the new hire around the workplace? Who will greet her in the lobby? Who will train her to use the company software system? If not you, choose someone else and make sure they have time to prepare.

Ask your employees to be on their best behavior.

Actively encourage your teams to reach out to the new person (or new people) and remember their names. Ask them to introduce themselves and be friendly, and ask them to take a few minutes out of the busy day to check in with the new person and make themselves available to provide help or answer

questions. You may assume that this is a natural behavior, but employees can often feel busy and bound by their routines. Encourage them to break out for just a minute.

Be clear and proactive with warnings and explanations.

If there’s a safety area that can’t be entered without a hard hat, don’t wait until the new person enters the area to tell them about it. If there’s a behavior that’s off-limits, a required protocol for entering the building, or specific task that needs to be checked off on Tuesday afternoons, tell the new person (or assign someone else to tell them) before the need arises. For more on how to make a temporary employee feel welcome, turn the staffing team at Extension.