Can Kaizen Help My Contingent Workforce?

Kaizen is a concept that many companies have applied to their in-house workers. What some companies may not understand is how Kaizen can help businesses improve the way that they manage and direct their contingent workforce. If you are wondering, "Can Kaizen help my contingent workforce?" the answer is a resounding “yes.”

How Kaizen Can Be Used By Contingent Workers

Even though people may traditionally think of Kaizen as it applies to full-time employees, the fact is that Kaizen is a concept that was designed to be universal. Just as Kaizen can be applied in almost any industry, it can also be applied to any group of workers. No matter how long they are going to be working on a given task, or what their specific status is within the organization that they are employed by.

Read this for a quick breakdown of what Kaizen is: Workforce Management Solutions: What is Kaizen?

The reason that Kaizen is applicable to contingent workers is because this is a workforce that is especially measured on performance. In fact, contingent workers are hired and retained based on the way that they perform. Companies pay a set cost for their contingent employees and get a varying amount of return based on how well the contingent worker does.

Another reason that Kaizen can be used by the contingent workforce is because of the very nature of contingent workers; they are outside of the organization. Contingent workers are often brought on in the first place because they give the company a perspective outside of their own; they bring expertise that full-time employees sometimes do not have. Part of the nature of Kaizen is allowing everyone who is involved with a process to provide input, whether they are a full-time employee or not. By adhering to the principles of Kaizen, businesses can open themselves up to expert opinions from their contingent workers that they may not have been able to get anywhere else.

How To Apply Kaizen

Kaizen can be applied to contingent employees in several ways:

• Giving your contingent workers the ability to provide input on the processes that they are handling: they may be able to give suggestions that your organization never previously thought of
• Letting your contingent employees sit in on meetings that directly impact processes they are involved in: even if they are not giving suggestions, allowing them to be a part of the process will help them become more integrated into the company
• Incorporating the results from your contingent workers’ employment into the way that you analyze your business in the Kaizen process: don’t forget to include the projects and tasks that your contingent workers take on when you are observing the results as well as the processes that your business needs to be conscious of

You may also be interested in: How 5 Companies Used Kaizen Effectively

With the right approach, any business can make sure that the Kaizen principles are being applied to their contingent employees. Even if you are only beginning to incorporate Kaizen into your organization, your contingent workers must be a part of this process if you want to maximize its positive impact on your company output.