10 Ways To Train And Engage Your Gig Workers

Now, more than ever, we are responsible for training, engaging and managing the performance of Gig workers too

The world of work is embracing the new contingent workforce. HR executives expect that 50% of the corporate workforce will be made up of people who are not permanent, full-time employees in the coming years. 

Despite this, 85% of HR leaders admit to investing insignificant time in this agile talent. If half of our workforce will comprise contractors, part-time workers and casual workers, we’re missing a trick if we’re not addressing their needs.
 

The contingent workforce, with its growing number of gig workers, is also receiving more legal recognition and protections. For instance, changes in regulation mean that ride-sharing app Uber now has to recognize its drivers as “workers” and not self-employed, showing that the status of the contingent workforce is changing.

That means that more than ever before, we are responsible for training, engaging and managing the performance of these workers, while also respecting their time constraints. Below, we will explore 10 ways you can better support your contingent workforce.

1. Respect Contingent Learners’ Time

Contrary to popular belief, contingent workers aren’t “lazy millennials.” Many contingent workers have chosen this route for maximum flexibility in their working lives, and many are experienced workers with multiple jobs. Contingent workers don’t work for you 24/7, and their role with you is often only one part of their working lives. That’s why it’s vital to respect their time and make learning “brutally efficient” as part of the learner social contract, according to senior learning strategist Lori Niles-Hofmann. 

This means no unnecessary or irrelevant courses and instead, short, sharp content designed to fit within the time constraints of contingent workers.

2. Write Like a Journalist

Take inspiration from the content people already engage with, such as news sites, blogs and social media. Clear headlines, attention-grabbing multimedia content and relevant metaphors and analogies contextualize content and make it more engaging for learners. Instead of giving your contingent workers pages and pages of dry content, make what you give them count.

3. Design for Digital

Most contingent workers won’t be constantly chained to a desk - and this is becoming less and less common for full-time workers too. Think of Uber drivers or Door Dash food couriers - they spend most of their time on the go. Ensure all of your content is mobile-friendly and accessible across devices. A mobile-first, bring your own device (BYOD) strategy will help you include your contingent workforce in all of your learning efforts, making it easier for them to fit learning in during downtime.

4. Take a Data-first Approach

The very nature of a contingent workforce means that you may not know as much about them as you’d like. That’s why it’s vital not to assume anything about them, from the way they engage with content to their previous experience or training history. Observe the “digital body language” of your gig workers, such as their most active times on your learning platform, where they tend to drop off and what they’re searching for to better understand what they need.

5. Sniff out the Snake Oil

The relatively new challenge of a contingent workforce may nudge many learning teams to apply new solutions. Artificial intelligence, virtual reality and the mythical “learning styles” all sound fun, but is this really what your gig workers need? Your contingent workers will appreciate the ability to get in, learn what they need and get out, without all the bells and whistles of the new shiny thing in learning.

6. Identify True Motivational Models over Gamification

Unfortunately, much of the gamification used in learning is little more than a novelty, which distracts your learners from the real matter at hand. Gamification can be incredibly costly when the true value comes from the motivation it can drive. Instead of timed quizzes every Wednesday at 8.00 a.m., when your gig workers may not even be working for you, dig deeper into what really motivates them and build this into your learning program.

7. Resources, Not Courses

Regardless of your audience, not everything needs to be a course, but this is particularly important for your contingent workers. Instead of expecting someone who may only work for you for eight hours a week to sit through a one-hour course, think about creating a more appropriate blend. This may consist of videos, podcasts, infographics, news articles or even a mobile app for quick, easy access to your learning.

8. Treat Adults as Adults

It can be tempting for learning professionals to slip into the role of a “teacher,” designing content for their “students.” However, your contingent workers are your peers, and your learning should reflect this. Respect their prior experience, and match the tone to the content you are covering. If in doubt, ask yourself if you would select the content you’re creating from a Google search - if not, why would someone else?

9. Think Campaigns

The role of learning professionals isn’t simply to churn out course after course. Behavior-change campaigns will help engage workers over time and allows you to nudge them to adopt your desired new behaviors. Deliver content in small amounts and often keep reiterating the most important points. Identify the “influencers” in your organization to deliver these messages to your contingent workers.

10. Develop Your Own Skills

When it comes to tackling new training challenges, learning professionals need to learn to put on their own oxygen masks first. Developing your own skills will ultimately help you better support the needs of your contingent workforce. Vital new skills for learning professionals include marketing, community engagement, data analysis, journalism and design thinking - all of which will help you better design and tailor content to your increasingly blended workforce.

Crucially, adaptability will be the key to helping you meet the needs of your changing workforce. The nature of a contingent workforce means that things change quickly, and what works for one group may not work for another. Listen to the data, constantly iterate and think quickly and efficiently to create a program that will suit the requirements of your people. An integrated talent experience platform, supporting learning, engagement and performance management, will help you adjust your entire people management program around your gig workers to maximize your chances of success.

Lars Hyland is a respected thought leader in the fields of HR and learning technology and the Chief Learning Officer of Totara. He leads the drive for the adoption of Totara’s open Talent Experience Platform, working in collaboration with a worldwide network of expert partners. Lars has over 30 years of experience working with a wide range of organizations to build workplace learning experiences that raise people’s performance, productivity, and engagement. Connect Lars Hyland