Should You Be Nervous if the Company Hires Outside Help?

If your employer announces it is enlisting outside help—in the form of, say, consultants or freelancers—your first reaction might be to panic. And while it is possible you might have reason to be nervous, you shouldn’t automatically fear the worst before you get the facts.

Yes, companies do sometimes bring in outside help as a way to see if this would be a cheaper alternative to staff employees. But it is also common for consultants to be brought in when there is a short-term project that requires specialized expertise. Try and find out if the outside help is hired for a specific (temporary) project—and if so, you can probably relax.

Either way, you should try and get the maximum benefit from the consultants’ presence. The whole reason they have been enlisted is because they have considerable knowledge in an area that is valuable to your company. Try to learn as much as you can from them. But don’t take without giving in return. Make a point of being as helpful as possible, doing all you can to help the consultants get settled in and become comfortable with the office environment.

You should also contribute by cooperating fully with the consultants and fulfilling your obligations to the project. This might mean providing lots of information, along with answering the many questions the consultants will likely have.

This article has a few more tips on working with consultants.

Has your employer enlisted outside help for a project? Share your story in the comments.

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