Many companies make the mistake of treating their outsourced workers as an afterthought–tools that are useful for the time being but which are not really part of the core organization. With so many companies increasing their outsourcing, this is a flawed attitude to take. Good business means carefully tending to all of your relationships, in-house or outsourced. Below are 4 ways to show appreciation to outsourced workers.
Food Boxes
While it can be hard to reward outsourced workers with physical gifts who are not in the same city as you, there are ways around it. All employees appreciate consumables as a reward for their efforts. If you have outsourced workers in Australia, for instance, there are services that provide snack boxes that are delivered right to your workers’ door.
If you have outsourced workers in places where that kind of thing is impractical or doesn’t exist, almost anywhere in the world you can think of has delivery and take out options. You can show your appreciation by covering the cost of lunch once a week and allowing your outsourced workers to avoid having to make food that day. Those kinds of gestures can have a big impact.
Create a Culture of Recognition
One way to show appreciation to workers, in-house or outsourced, that is universally well-received is to recognize people for their efforts. Praising workers for a job well done and letting them know their contributions matter and have an impact are great ways to increase job satisfaction and engagement.
Another effective way to show appreciation is by creating a culture in which employees are encouraged to publicly congratulate, praise and reward one another with social capital. There is a growing industry of rewards and recognition software out there that provides precisely these capabilities.
Include Them
It can be difficult to make sure all outsourced employees are included in company extracurriculars like parties, reunions and other events, especially when outsourced positions in many industries are defined by high turnover. But, if you have outsourced employees that have been with you for some time, a good way to show them that they are appreciated and make them feel like part of the team is to include them in any large company events, meetups or festivities.
If you pay for your employees to meet in a particular destination each year, it might be worthwhile to extend the invitation to some or all of your outsourced employees as well to let them know that you consider them part of the family.
Keep Them in the Loop
Outsourced employees can sometimes feel disposable or like they are only quasi members of the company. One way to combat this and to show them that they truly are appreciated is to keep them abreast of business changes and events, particularly with respect to how their roles influence business outcomes and success.
Conclusion
Outsourcing is becoming more common, and as globalization and digitization continue to reshape the workforce and reduce the importance of geographical boundaries, more positions will be outsourced. These employees often require and certainly appreciate the same kind of inclusion and relationship building that on-site employees do. Keep the above ways to show appreciation to your outsourced workers in mind and build a culture in which even those employees working independently of the organization still feel a part of it.