10 tips for contractor onboarding and orientation

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Onboarding and training employees so they can have a better understanding, overall, of a company’s expectations and procedures is critical. But what about contractors? How can you ensure their safety or productivity at your company? Contractors are not your regular employees. They do not work for you full-time; it is easy to think it is not necessary or even worth the effort to onboard them properly.

Benefits of proper orientation

Since contractors are a part of your team only for a brief period, getting them adjusted as quickly as possible can save you time and money. If you do not try early on, you might be stuck managing someone who does not follow procedures or complete tasks up to your standards. In this article, we will share 10 tips on how to onboard contractors effectively, so they are productive and safe from day one.

According to Gallup’s research, only 12% of employees strongly agree that their organization does an excellent job onboarding new employees.

Here are some tips for painlessly onboarding contractors:

  1. Conduct a kick-off meeting to initially agree on expectations and a certain period for the job.
  2. Get to know your contractors. It is more productive for everyone to know who the new employees are so that they feel safe and welcome in their unfamiliar environment.
  3. Have an orientation checklist. Know all the relevant information that your contractors may need ahead of time and provide it in a simple and easy-to-understand way.
  4. Make sure the contractor has a tour of the workplace.
  5. Provide appropriate training so they understand what is expected of them and how they can conduct their jobs safely in your facility.
  6. Check whether they have the required certifications and the validity of their certifications and training for the job at hand.
  7. Have them sign any necessary paperwork.
  8. Connect them with a mentor for any questions they might have. Set up a schedule for check-ins and feedback sessions.
  9. Equip the contractor with the necessary tools. If there are any equipment, resources, skills, or training opportunities available at your company, confirm that they are accessible to all employees.
  10. Finally, try not to overload contractors with too much information. It is more inclusive and effective to have multisensory sources for information.



Each contractor that you bring to your company will have different needs and expectations, but the more thought and care that you put into the onboarding process, the easier it will be to ensure their safety and efficiency.

Ceren Dulgar

Ceren is a marketing enthusiast who is fascinated by the expansive world of EHS. You can catch her reading about the latest EHS news or advocating workplace safety.