For the last several years, remote work has been steadily increasing. However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the landscape of remote work suddenly and permanently. For those companies that were still wavering on whether or not they could accomplish their goals with a remote workforce, the necessity of remote work for the workforce’s health and safety proved quickly that it could.

Employers are no longer limited by the candidate pool that’s in their general vicinity. Remote work makes it possible to have employees in any zip code. However, the challenge lies in recruiting for these positions as some businesses’ outreach may not extend as far as they need it to. Job placement services for remote workers can help take the stress out of finding the perfect candidate without being limited by geography. 

The Difference Between Contractors and Employees

Employers often have the choice between hiring contractors and employees when it comes to remote work. These categories are outlined by the U.S. Department of Labor and by the Internal Revenue Service. Below, we outline the differences between these two employment categories.

An employee is a worker who is not only on the payroll of a company but is also eligible to receive wages and benefits such as health insurance and paid time off. As an employee of the company, you are also completely covered by state and federal labor laws. When it comes to employees, even remote workers tend to be relatively local to the company.

Contractors, on the other hand,  are independent workers that receive wages from the company but not benefits such as health insurance or paid time off. Contractors can be employed anywhere in the world. 

While the hiring process of an employee and a contractor are similar, the way they are paid once employed are different. Employees must be paid on a regular pay date according to state and federal laws. How a contractor is paid depends on the terms of the contract between the contractor and the business. Because of the lack of benefits in a contract job, employers can save a lot of money by building a contract workforce over a full-time employee workforce. 

Improve the Contractor Experience

Employees and contractors are not interchangeable when it comes to how they are managed by a business. Contract employees don’t operate the same way as full-time employees, so how you recruit and onboard them shouldn’t be the same, either. Since remote contractors aren’t limited by location when it comes to finding work, they may have multiple opportunities available to them.

To attract the best talent that the whole world has to offer, it’s important to stand out from the competition. One vital way to do this is by having special recruiting and onboarding processes that simplify the task for someone working exclusively through technology. It’s also important to develop ways to help contract workers integrate with any employee teams or other contractors you hire. Being remote doesn’t mean they don’t have to be part of the team. It just means businesses have to be creative about how they are included. 

In order to retain the talent you’ve worked hard to recruit, make sure to be in tune at all times with the unique needs of a contract worker.

Challenges of Finding Contract Workers

A lot has changed in the workplace in the last few years when it comes to employees and how they operate within the company. It’s only natural that you may be hesitant about hiring contract employees because you’re comfortable with the traditional ways of recruiting and interviewing candidates. 

However, statistics prove that times are changing, and your company needs to adapt to survive the direction the business world is going. Using a remote contractor job placement service like Epic Placements can help ease the anxiety of recruiting and hiring a contract workforce. Our placement services specialize in connecting your business with the perfect candidate, whether in your area or not. 

Are you ready to cast that wider recruitment net? Contact our team today to discuss how our remote contractor job placement services can help you find the perfect fit for your company without geographical barriers.