Contractor or Employee?

Contractor versus employee is a debate with a long history in Oil and Gas. Many companies struggle to correctly identify their needs, resulting in expensive severance packages or severely overworked employees. Given the current market, both of these outcomes can damage companies financially and negatively impact company culture.

So, let’s jump right in – what is it you really need? To delegate tasks most effectively, it’s helpful to identify the nature of the tasks themselves. Do you have a pipeline of long-term needs? Does the work need to be done under your supervision? It depends on whom you ask – but in this industry, the answer to both of these questions is often ‘no.’

Luckily, hiring an industry-qualified contractor eliminates the need for employee supervision while also taking a project off your plate, and allows you to rest in the knowledge that a trained professional is on the job. If your project volume inherently ebbs and flows, a contractor knows this is part of the job. Flexibility is the bread and butter of a contractor’s career, which enables them to take varying task capacity in stride.

For specialized business advice or help on a project or process, you’ll want objective analysis from a knowledgeable consultant. Ensuring ready access to a consultant with a proven history of understanding the subtleties of the Oil & Gas industry is far less costly than on-boarding less experienced employees. This is precisely the reason a niche contractor is also a great fit as a consultant.

In the event you already have new employees on the payroll, consider hiring a contractor for training purposes. Disrupting a senior staffer’s daily workload to oversee new employee training often results in tension for everyone involved. However, this isn’t a problem for a contracted trainer adept in the Oil & Gas sector. Spare your new and established employees the strain of on-boarding and get a contractor on the job.

A number of companies in Oil & Gas would be greatly served to take advantage of a contractor for more tasks than they realize. Not only would your projects benefit from the craft of an industry professional, but access to an expert consultant’s perspective would provide a great deal of value to your company resources.