You're dissatisfied with a contracted employee's work quality. How can you ensure your standards are met?

To ensure standards are met when dissatisfied with a contracted employee's work quality: Provide specific feedback. Clarify expectations clearly. Offer necessary support and resources. Monitor progress closely. Collaborate on solutions. Document discussions. Review contractual terms. Schedule follow-up assessments. These steps help improve performance and meet desired standards effectively.

encourage assertive communication, clearly state individual needs and expectations, and give constructive suggestions. Instead, I help them to effectively provide needed support and resources that foster the prospects of their success. This benevolent attitude establishes team responsibility with expertise regarding expectations and quality.

Set the stage and tone when you provide clear expectations before a contract starts. Establish what kind of contractor you are looking for to begin with. And when you start reaching out, you'll find the contractor in at least the right ballpark. From there, you can explain to them what you and the client are expecting from them. You do this right before the assignment starts and there will be less confusion and conflict down the road.

If you're not happy with a contracted employee's work quality, giving constructive feedback can help fix it. Start by having a straightforward talk about what’s wrong and how it doesn’t meet your standards. Give specific examples and explain what you expect. Listen to their side and discuss any problems they’re having. Offer tips and resources to help them improve. Set a follow-up meeting to check on progress. By being clear and supportive, you can help them meet your quality standards.

Candidate/contractor not doing great on an assignment? You have to address the matter as soon as possible. The longer the poor performance/behavior lasts, the worse it gets for everyone involved. The performance of any contractor from your agency is a reflection of your firm. To prevent your brand from being tarnished, call out the candidate for their poor performance. Depending on the situation, you may have to approach the matter directly. While other situations demand a more consultative or coaching approach. Why are there shortcomings? How is the contractor feeling about the assignment? Keep these things in mind as you provide the necessary feedback to constructively improve their performance.

Actual performance held up to metrics does keep people accountable. However, it can also be discouraging. Depending on the context, it may be best to provide a coaching approach on this when metrics are low. Don't assume that poor performance metrics really means a lack of effort. Uncover the why behind low-performing metrics to then determine how to best approach the contractor with feedback.

Anything negative can always be spun into a positive. Any failure can be used as a learning opportunity. And the same can be said for providing feedback/criticism to candidates. Be mindful of how you offer training/support to contractors; you don't want to seem condescending. But the truth is, how people react is on them. It's one of the few things we all have control over; how we react. A competent contractor will heed your words and take action to implement new strategies.

If a contractor is not changing their bad habits and is actively performing below par, it's time to consider letting go of them. Or they could be considered for another opportunity that is a better fit for them. But this is all depends on context. If a contractor is struggling in a project because they aren't used to the work, it's time to reevaluate whether or not you should replace them with someone who is. You are working for the interests of everyone involved; it's best not to prolong the pain of poor performance to avoid hurting people's feelings. Most importantly, you have solutions to deliver to clients. That takes priority over candidate preferences, unfortunately.

In my experience you go to the agency they are contracting through and express your concerns of what needs to be changed. Then allow it time to change. Then replace candidate if not performing. The key is to give them a fair chance to course correct first. Then they will have a back up ready if needed.

Open dialogue is important in this situation because it gives the contractor a voice and lets them feel like they have a safe space to speak. Hear them out. Maybe they feel like they didn't receive the proper training and that's why the quality of their work is suffering. After you hear them out, it's time to come up with a collaborative approach on how to get them back on track at work.