How to Manage Outsourced Employees [10 Rules]

It’s hard enough managing your employees and your own to-do list simultaneously. So when you add outsourced employees into the mix, things naturally get a little more complicated. Since most outsourced employees are only temporary, you may wonder how to incorporate them in your company culture, and how much time you should invest in training.

Luckily, learning how to manage outsourced employees is undoubtedly something you can perfect over time. So how do you train an outsourced employee? Check out our guide for expert tips.

1. Paint the Bigger Picture

Your outsourced employees are probably coming in with a very narrow scope of their job description. Unlike employees who have interviewed for a full-time or long-term position, they may not have researched your company or spent time understanding your brand at large.

Hence, it’s vital to paint the bigger picture for these workers. Where do they fit in on the grand scale? How does their role affect the tasks of others within your company? What role does their department play in serving your clients or customers?

2. Provide Intuitive Instructions

As with any new employee, your outsourced employees are likely to have a lot of questions when they’re starting out. But the best outsourced employees will work hard to find answers before they have to ask you for help.

You’ll make it a lot easier on these workers and yourself if you provide easy-to-understand, intuitive instructions. This might come in the form of a handbook, training videos, an FAQ resource, or a go-to employee who can guide them through their first few days in the job.

3. Give Them Necessary Tools

Many bosses hand over the reins to outsourced employees without considering all the tools they’ll need to be successful. This leaves employees destined to make more mistakes than average, simply because they don’t have access to everything they need to do their job as well as possible.

Avoid this misstep by setting them up for success right from the start. Make sure you have all equipment, training materials, and information available to them before you have them get to work.

4. Recognize Their Contributions

It’s easy to dismiss outsourced employees as temporary workers that don’t matter as much as the rest of your team. They’ll only be there for a little while, and they’re not really part of your company, right?

But this type of thinking will limit the potential of even the most dedicated outsourced employees. Instead, you should think of every worker as someone of equal value to the makeup of your business. Show you care by recognizing and rewarding their contributions, just as you would any other employee.

5. Teach Them to Represent Your Brand

An outsourced employee has the task of representing your brand, no matter what role they play within your business. Even janitorial staff or those hired to file paperwork have some impact on the atmosphere in your office, so it’s essential to teach these workers what your brand and work culture is all about.

Sure, it may take some extra time to teach these employees about your branding, but the investment will definitely pay off in the long run. You’ll have a more integrated, seamless work atmosphere that sets your company apart from the competition.

6. Meet Regularly

Do you ever onboard an outsourced employee, then never see them again until it’s time to say goodbye? If so, it’s time to change your ways. So why should you meet with your outsourced team often? You may not consider these workers as part of your in-house team, but their role is significant, and you need to treat it as such by meeting with them regularly.

Check in to see how they’re doing, evaluate their progress, and provide ongoing training, just as you would with any other employee. The time spent nurturing your relationship with outsourced employees will be crucial to your business’s overall success.

7. Have Multiple Communication Channels

Many outsourced employees are working in another building or even another time zone—which means it’s vital that you provide multiple ways to communicate with these workers. If these employees are going to work just as you’re leaving the office, you’ll need to have clear guidelines about how and when to check in with one another.

Email, project management systems, live chat, and video conferences are just a few ways you can easily communicate from a distance. Having consistent, seamless communication will help you avoid major mistakes or problems in the long run.

8. Deliver Valuable Feedback

If an outsourced employee does something wrong, you may brush it off as something that doesn’t really affect your company that much. Likewise, when an outsourced employee does something really well, you may not go out of your way to praise them for a job well done.

But delivering valuable feedback is an essential part of how to manage outsourced employees. If you’re wondering how to motivate outsourced employees, providing meaningful critique is one of the best ways to do it.

9. Have a Backup Plan

Things don’t always go according to plan, whether within your control or not. If you have workers who are across the globe or only temporary, there may be circumstances where instructions get lost in translation, or other situations prevent things from going as envisioned.

In these situations, it’s smart to have a backup plan. What will you do if someone doesn’t have access to complete a task? Who will be there to make sure things get done the right way? Be prepared for any possible outcome, and you’ll avoid the stress that comes when things don’t go as originally planned.

10. Be Patient

When you’re learning how to manage outsourced service providers, patience is key. Grant patience to your new employees, because there may be many hiccups as you integrate them within the greater scope of your company.

Similarly, grant patience to yourself—especially if you’ve never done this before. Working with outsourced employees certainly comes with a learning curve, but the benefits are well worth it. You’ll save valuable time and resources by investing a few weeks in the process.

Adapting Rules for Other Outsourced Employees

Not all outsourced employees are the same: You may be working with a contracted marketing team, remote workers, or offshore workers. In these cases, it’s important to adapt these rules as you see fit. Your circumstances may require you to get creative with how you communicate, motivate, and reward your outsourced team. Just remember to experiment and ask for feedback—you’re sure to find what works best for your company soon enough.

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