Why businesses need to do more to look after their consultants

While they are often billed as experts in their field, external advisors need assistance when it comes to learning the lay of the land at any firm which they are tasked with helping. Will Larcombe, co-founder and director of Stellarmann, explains how clients can prepare their consultants for success.

Most companies today have clearly defined wellbeing policies in place for their employees, with schemes for volunteering, mental health days and even counselling services now commonplace within large organisations. But when it comes to contractors, it’s a completely different story. By definition, consultants are outsiders from the regular workforce, not included in any in-house framework, and it’s often assumed that they will take care of themselves.

IR35 regulations reinforce this view by indicating that contractors who are included in company wellbeing initiatives risk being seen as part of the permanent team where tax is concerned. But neglecting the wellbeing of contractors is exactly where a project can begin to unravel.

Most teams for big infrastructure change projects are a hybrid of in-house employees and third-party consultants or contractors. It’s an effective model and can be symbiotic, with in-house staff learning from contractors and vice versa. But its success depends on the entire team remaining motivated and positive throughout. Providing support for just one section of your team can be detrimental to performance and can damage the project as a whole.

For companies that are serious about the wellbeing of their consultants there are a few things to be aware of around the pressures that are unique to the role. A good place to begin is to consider the terms of engagement that are set out within a contract. A vague contract that is not specific about goals and deliverables can make it impossible for an individual to assess the likely length of the job or the number of hours they may be invoicing in a given month. With no paid sick leave or holidays, consultants already live with a level of uncertainty, but having no fixed point to head towards can be unnecessarily stressful.

Isolation is another issue to look out for. Contractors are often based off-site, working with people they may never have met face to face. Even if they are required to come to an office, it is not always easy to strike up relationships with a group of people who already know one another. With no pastoral line manager, it can also be harder for project leaders to spot any grievances that could otherwise be nipped in the bud. If these are allowed to develop unaddressed, the result can be a disengaged consultant. And as all experienced managers know, a disgruntled team member can throw an entire project off course.

Here are a few things to look out for that might indicate a developing problem. If project leaders spot any of these, it’s time to take action.

• Changes in communication. For example, if a contractor is usually responsive and suddenly becomes unresponsive or their communication style changes significantly.
• An unexpected drop in work performance, such as missing deadlines, or a decrease in the quality of work.
• Changes in behaviour. Someone appearing quieter than normal, for example, or showing other changes in their usual patterns of behaviour.
• Non-verbal communication. This can be harder to spot if someone is working remotely, but it’s not impossible. Changes in body language can also be spotted during video calls - so encourage “video on” meetings when possible.

Setting up a robust wellbeing programme for a diverse collection of consultants, possibly distributed around the world, is never going to be easy - but it can be done. The key is to consider consultant wellbeing as a parallel but essential addition to any in-house framework.

There are simple ways to achieve this. Many companies work with an external partner, for example, that can manage the wellbeing of consultants on behalf of the organisation. This ensures there is a clear distinction from the in-house team, for employment status purposes. Whichever route is taken, prioritising wellbeing is always an investment worth making. Without it, a project with even the most talented group of individuals can still run aground.

Stellarmann consists of a team of 30 operational staff in its London and Brighton offices – and a network of over 150 associates – and works to deliver transformation projects in the insurance and financial services sectors.