If you feel that onboarding independent contractors safely and productively is your biggest management challenge, you’re not alone as many managers feel the same way. The level of difficulty that orientation training for new employees poses should come as no surprise. Contractors spend less time with you than direct employees. They have different skill sets than direct employees, and they often work at different locations. Sometimes, they may even speak different languages, but nevertheless, it’s an important job to on-board them safely and productively.
Onboarding contractors is a challenge—especially if you’re using the traditional classroom model of onboarding employees. Put simply, the classroom model is no longer able to meet today’s demanding work environments, especially when it comes to safety orientation training for new employees. This model pulls workers away from their jobs, cuts into production schedules, and fails to address the different learning styles of workers. Additionally, the classroom model is also time-consuming to schedule and a nightmare to administer for managers.
That’s why more companies today are turning to online technology to conduct contractor orientation sessions, particularly safety orientation training for new employees. The online teaching model refers to any learning effort that takes place over the Internet or on a computer. The
American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) estimates that nearly one-third of learning content made available to workers is in this form. This number will increase as more and more Millennials enter the workforce. Comfortable using technology to learn things, they’ll soon dominate workforces worldwide.
Benefits of Online Contractor Onboarding
So why exactly should managers opt for doing online orientation training for new employees? Because it provides a combination of benefits that other learning models simply can’t match. Online onboarding is especially effective when it comes to safety training. This type of training is too critical to leave to chance especially when working as a contractor is involved. Independent contractors are more prone to onsite mishaps than direct employees. Below are the top benefits of an online orientation training plan:
- Boosts employee accountability, responsibility, and tracking
- Standardizes onboarding efforts (including safety orientation training)
- Accommodates different learning styles
- Increases effectiveness and efficiency
- Lowers logistics and training costs
- Increases awareness of company vision/expectations
- Boosts productivity of employees and those working as a contractor
- Increases retention through frequent knowledge testing
- Compresses contractor/employee learning time
Training management software quickly embeds contractors in your company’s culture by providing health and safety orientation training. What’s more, it supports compliance efforts by making documentation and contractor records readily available. Better documentation delivers huge benefits, such as the ability to measure cost and effectiveness, the calculation of future needs, and the chance to recognize higher performing contractors, which boosts employee morale.
Despite these benefits, many managers still haven’t adopted training management software. Reasons for doing so can vary. Some managers feel that their existing approaches to onboarding work just fine—at least until something happens. Others like to “see the whites of employees’ eyes” when onboarding contractors—which is often necessary in high-risk environments. Then there are those that say their workforces won’t accept the change or aren’t comfortable with the online delivery method.
Common Pitfalls of Online Contractor Orientations
While the above concerns are valid, using an online orientation training plan for orientations can transform contractor onboarding. However, it’s important that managers avoid the common pitfalls that often plague companies to succeed with an online onboarding platform. These pitfalls can derail your efforts to establish an effective program. Here are five common pitfalls you need to avoid when kicking-off an online onboarding program for contractors:
Failing to adapt content to the delivery method — Transferring classroom materials directly to an online platform seldom works, but it’s something many companies do. Classroom-orientated materials are meant to be delivered by an instructor. Transferring these materials to your online program without adapting them to the delivery method leaves gaps in the content that can confuse contractors when delivered. For example, online slides must explain their content the same way an instructor would in a classroom, so you may need to add text to the slides you’re transferring.
Complicating the learning process — Forcing learners to “bite off more than they can chew” reduces engagement and retention. It also complicates the learning process. So, keep it simple. Deliver content in small, bite-sized chunks that learners can process at their own learning pace. That enables them to absorb the information before moving on. If you have videos, break them up into smaller viewing segments. Additionally, asking questions throughout delivery ensures that learners pay attention.
Not making content relevant and engaging — Different groups of workers need different types of content to stay focused and engaged. So, use a spreadsheet to create different groups of employees. Then target the information specifically to each group’s needs. Factors to consider when developing online content that’s relevant and engaging include:
- Location (site specific)
- Role and tasks
- Risks/hazards of the job
- Language
Also, use graphics, audio, and video whenever possible. By doing so, these engaging materials helps keeps learners interested. Lastly, test your content! By getting constructive feedback from your contractors, you will understand what is working and what is not.
Failing to update content — Change in business is inevitable. So, you can be sure things like industry regulations and compliance laws will change. Work sites also change, which means on-site hazards will change. Review and update your content regularly, especially when it comes to safety, otherwise , your content loses relevancy and effectiveness.
Making feedback difficult — Feedback is critical to improving your online orientation plan. Without feedback from your audience—whether it be independent contractors, temporary workers, or direct employees—you can only guess if your onboarding program is doing its job. To generate feedback, consider doing the following:
- Sending follow-up emails to contractors asking for feedback
- Providing easily accessible feedback boxes for contractors
- Including surveys at the end of onboarding sessions
Generating feedback provides valuable insights on how to improve your onboarding efforts, helps keeps learners interested, and produces ideas on what new content to add to your program.
Avoiding these five pitfalls is critical when launching an online onboarding program for contractors. Tripping over one or more of these pitfalls can derail your efforts to kick-off your program. They also can derail your efforts to keep learners focused and engaged. But successfully sidestepping them can help you transform your contractor onboarding program, especially when health and safety orientation training is involved.
Onboarding contractors is a top management challenge these days. It’s an even greater challenge if you’re still using the traditional classroom model of teaching since it doesn’t meet the demands of the modern workplace anymore . Plus, it’s a nightmare to schedule and administer and costly. Launching an online learning platform can
boost the effectiveness and efficiency of orientation training for new employees, making it the smart move to make especially when it comes to safety training.
