The Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review

November 19, 2015 Know How to Manage and Motivate Independent Contractors Managers want to do right by their people, but the expectations are different when you're managing contractors. How do you motivate and engage people who aren't full employees? Understand what they want. Ask your contractors why they're interested in working for your company. Knowing what they're hoping for in the assignment will help you understand them. Set expectations. Be clear about what you want from them, including deadlines for their deliverables. Build the relationship. Talk to them about their family, their interests, and other projects they're working on. Make them feel part of the team. Invite them to important meetings, bring them into water-cooler conversations, and add them to the team email list. Give feedback. There's no need to do a formal review, but telling them what you think of their work will improve performance and your working relationship. Adapted from “7 Tips for Managing Freelancers and Independent Contractors,” by Amy Gallo.

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