Christopher J. Dwyer, Author at The Future of Work Exchange

The Skills-Based Organization and the Staffing Outlook for 2023

Contingent Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Talent Acquisition by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/19/2022

There’s no question that the world of staffing has entered yet another period of uncertainty. Besieged by the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic and then, thankfully, amped by a greater need for workforce flexibility and an increased utilization of contingent workers, the staffing arena faces a watershed year ahead.

Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research has discovered that 82% of businesses leveraged more extended talent in 2022 than 2021, proving that:

The extended workforce’s great bump in utilization wasn’t just an anomaly due to the pandemic’s impact on fluctuating talent needs.
Non-employee talent remains a viable and strategic way to not just augment staff, but truly drive mission-critical endeavors with high-quality, top-tier skillsets and expertise, and;
With direct sourcing, AI-enabled hiring, and digital recruitment paving the way for the Future of Work movement, the realm of extended talent translates into an opportunity for businesses to thrive during even the most challenging of times.

Glider.ai is a Best-in-Class, next-generation artificial intelligence platform that has disrupted the staffing and recruitment technology markets. Glider AI’s unique talent intelligence platform provides its users with fully-automated tools to boost candidate assessment and allow hiring managers (and other talent management executives) to remotely execute deep, skill-based recruitment strategies with a robust layer of strength and rigor.

The solution recently polled over 130 staffing, recruiting, HR, and contingent workforce leaders on their intentions, challenges, and general perspectives on the talent arena.

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Future of Work Predictions for 2023 (Part III)

Business Leadership General Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/15/2022

Welcome to an exclusive series here at the Future of Work Exchange that will feature predictions, insights, and trends for 2023 that will shape the Future of Work in the months ahead. We polled technology and solution provider executives and asked them how they believe the world of work and talent will continue to evolve in 2023 and beyond:

Tony Buffum, VP of HR Client Strategy, Upwork

“The idea of leveraging on-demand talent to enable faster, more efficient business outcomes isn’t new; however, in 2023, we will see many organizations shift their mindset in evolving their talent strategy to include Talent Access. Organizational leaders that think of talent as a resource that is accessed, rather than just acquired, will see the speed, flexibility and agility they need now more than ever. Access to on-demand talent with highly-specialized skills will enable them to reduce risk, drive cost savings and at the same time, protect their people from burnout.”

Vanessa Miller, Vice President, Talent Technology, Atrium

“Per Upwork’s 2022 Freelance Forward Report, freelancing has hit an all-time high, comprising of 60 million Americans. 39% of the entire workforce is freelancing, 3% up from 2021 and represents a number that continues to climb year over year since 2014 and has accelerated in recent years due to remote work being here to stay. Given independent work is becoming more and more popular, it is confirmed this population wants independence and autonomy in the work they do. Their appreciation and to talent marketplaces that bring quality work to them will grow. Technologies and service companies will, more than ever, be investing in solutions to cater to this trend in 2023, in both technology + engagement channels, i.e., EOR/AOR. I think we will see more creative ways from workforce solutions firms to partner, build, or buy platforms that have “figured out” how to make engagements seamless for independent talent. Firms that are not investing in this area will be left behind.”

“More contingent labor programs will be owned and/or influenced by talent acquisition/HR vs. solely procurement more than ever. While there may not be a complete ownership shift from procurement to HR/TA (which we’ve seen at several companies in 2022), there will be more collaboration within these departments in 2023 to work cohesively to improve/enhance the overall contract talent candidate experience. Here at Atrium we love to see this, because, in the end, the talent wins!”

Antonluigi Gozzi, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, LiveHire

“I wonder if we have entered a new era: post-COVID, post-globalization, mid-high inflation, high cost of capital. We had the era of the global conglomerates and multinationals (GE, IBM, etc), we had the exiting era of big tech and visionary founders (which eclipsed many of those earlier conglomerates in value creation), and I wonder if we are now in the era of rationalization and productivity growth.

Capital and human capital (labor) productivity have been in secular decline, in my view due to tech exuberance and cheap capital, we really have thrown money at the problem time and time again. We know, however, that the only sustainable improvement in living standards, innovation, and against demographic challenges, is driven by productivity, which have been in structural decline for so long. This has caused large expansion of public and private debt-to-income ratios, and is unsustainable. So, in the world of work, I think we will be all seeking healthy growth and not “growth at all costs.” Also, at a personal level, people are rebalancing priorities, so they are looking for better individual productivity: get paid more per hour so they can work less hours and be more flexible. This, however, works only if the company is also getting more value for each dollar in wages paid.

In hiring, for example, this will mean that we will be much more deliberate about human capital additions, team composition, skills, and competency gaps. I think businesses will embrace the idea of hiring slowly, having more “fit and slim” organizations, achieving more with less, and be very deliberate about culture, team composition, and specialization. I would think that the type of work arrangement (contract, freelance, employee) and work locations (on site, hybrid, remote) will matter less, as we live in a more liquid society. However, the need of specialization and team self-determination and self-management will matter more than ever, in a Future of Work that becomes ‘agile by necessity and not by choice’.”

Rocki Howard, Chief Equity and Impact Officer, The Mom Project

“DE&I is vital to the future of work, with equity being the most important driver when it comes to talent and their choice of employer. Talent is looking to receive fair and sincere treatment and transparent communication. In our recent Werklabs report we found that companies with effective DE&I program have rated: 57% higher retention, 51% recommend their organization and 39% more productive.”

Athena Karp, CEO and Founder, HiredScore

“Talent scarcity, labor market challenges, and increased business pressure will drive HR leaders to promote solutions that leverage connected-HR-capabilities that converge recruiting, people development, and workforce planning to solve the hardest workforce problems.”

“HR will leverage their seat at the strategic table to drive the organization to expand the way the business collaborates and drives workforce goals and connects with the HR functions in a proactive way, putting their organizations ahead of competitors and unlocking strategic HR capabilities.”

Taylor Ramchandani, VP of Strategy, VectorVMS

“In 2023 with unemployment extremely low and the skill gap continuing to grow, organizations are going to have to continue to be creative in how they are sourcing talent. We will see an increased adoption of talent pooling and direct sourcing technology and a greater emphasis on the candidate experience. The extended workforce will have to be proactively sourced, nurtured and provided a reason to want to engage with one organization over the next.”

The Future of Work Exchange Podcast, Episode 705: A Conversation with Athena Karp, CEO and Founder of HiredScore

Podcast by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/14/2022

An all-new episode of the Future of Work Exchange Podcast, sponsored by Beeline, features a discussion with Athena Karp, CEO and Founder of HiredScore. Athena and I discuss the power of artificial intelligence in talent technology, its impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), and what lies ahead for the Future of Work movement in 2023.

Tune into Episode 705 of The Future of Work Exchange Podcast below, or subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio.

Future of Work Predictions for 2023 (Part II)

Business Leadership Direct Sourcing General Insights HR Talent Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/12/2022

Kevin Akeroyd, CEO, Magnit

“2023 will mark the year when the three largest opportunities within contingent workforce management stop being ‘discussions’ and ‘buzz words’ and start gaining real adoption and driving real value for companies. The C-suite is finally paying attention and necessary corrections are coming fast in these critical areas:

Direct Sourcing. In the current economic environment, saving $300-$400 million out of every $1 billion in staff augmentation contingent spend that goes to the disintermediary vs. to the talent or the enterprise’s bottom line is simply too much to continue to ignore.
SOW. This another area where $300-$400 million out of every $1 billion in professional services procurement contingent spend in known/acknowledged waste is simply too much to continue to ignore.
Data/Analytics. The industry spends billions on annual survey data to edify FTE salaries, which is 50% of their workforce. They spend virtually nothing to edify Contingent Labor rates, which is the other 50% of their workforce. That has to, and will, change, starting in 2023.”

Amy Doyle, and Global Leader, Talent Solutions TAPFIN

“Talent practices and strategies will need to keep better pace with increasingly rapid evolution of work. What worked to get us here is quickly losing impact. Mere execution – driven by growth of our ecosystems is not enough; organizations and solution partners alike are prioritizing the value of strategic partnerships in enabling agility and collaborative innovation.”

Kevin Poll, SVP of Strategy and Business Development, WorkLLama

“I think a big trend for 2023 will center around how companies are branding themselves to all talent and delivering similar experiences to candidates, regardless of how a person engages with the company (full-time, SOW, contractor, freelancer). As companies move towards an omni-channel talent acquisition strategy, a consistent candidate experience is critical. Not only does it increase engagement and referrals, but a positive candidate experience can also turn even rejected candidates into brand ambassadors, increasing the quality of future candidates and lowering cost-to-acquire. Without a total talent approach to finding, attracting, and nurturing candidates, companies lack a holistic talent strategy, which can hurt their bottom line.”

Sunil Bagai, CEO, Prosperix

“2023 will be about volatility as some companies downsize and others ramp up. Amidst this chaos, businesses will be seeking to increase workforce productivity in lieu of financial constraints, improve visibility and insights into their entire workforce, and find a balance between local, remote and offshore teams.

A few tenets will remain strong in 2023, including the intentionality of remote work so it is flexible and meets the social and performance needs of the business. Additionally, the pursuit of meaningful work will be more prevalent as bad managers, lack of business transparency and poor culture drive individuals into new work environments that are more aligned and enriching.”

Jessica “JJ” Reeder,

“Productivity is passé. As the world faces a global crisis in employee engagement (Gallup reports only 20% of workers are engaged) and as many companies tighten their budgets, the question to ask is not “How much are we producing?” but “Are we producing the most effective outcomes?”

Organizations with people-first organizational cultures are attracting the world’s best talent by promising healthier work-life integration, flexible schedules, and an investment in professional development. What that translates to is employees exerting a greater sense of control over when, how, and where they work, but with a higher quality of output and higher probability of long-term retention.

In 2023, companies that want the best people doing their best work will understand the importance of planning, goal-setting, and focus on shared objectives. Rather than overworking people to the point of burnout, we’ll see more great leaders steering their teams toward a vision, and empowering them to reach it.”

Steve Dern, EVP of Talent Solutions, Evaluent

“Direct sourcing will include not only technology implementation, but the strategic inclusion of diversity EOR/AOR suppliers who can provide curation services, allowing traditional talent acquisition teams to focus on the internal hires that remain mission critical. As direct sourcing yields benefits to evergreen hiring needs, these solutions will expand their reach across the enterprise. A key component of this success will rely on the proactive marketing of the brand and culture of the organization, positioning itself as a destination of choice for both potential employees and contingent workers alike.”

Corporate Mental Health and the Future of Work

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/12/2022

Mental health and wellness have unfortunately long been neglected attributes of the corporate world. However, in a business climate that places the utmost emphasis on talent retention and a focus on becoming “destination of choice” workplaces, this concept is changing quickly. As awareness of the importance of mental wellbeing grows (and employee burnout continues to rage), enterprises are beginning to realize that managing employees’ mental health is not just a moral imperative, but it also benefits the greater business in multiple ways.

The World Health Organization has found that one in four people globally will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives; and, the cost of untreated mental health issues to the global economy is estimated to be in the trillions of dollars. Poor mental health, from a workplace perspective, often results in disengagement, increased absenteeism, a lack of productivity, and more frequent turnover.

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Future of Work Predictions for 2023 (Part I)

Business Leadership General Insights Talent Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/08/2022

Brian Hoffmeyer, SVP of Market Strategies, Beeline

“The extended workforce industry has spent years talking about total talent management. In 2023, due to new technologies and service offerings, we will see more and more enterprises truly implement it, capturing all of their workforces in one place and using that data to make better tactical and strategic decisions.”

Brian Salkowski, COO, Guidant Global

“Throughout 2023 we expect a slower pace of growth across the workforce solutions industry and the US jobs market will become increasingly uncertain as the year progresses. Many organizations are concerned about what lies ahead for the next 12 months and the possible impact on business growth, profitability and shape. Customers are therefore likely to focus on cost-saving and value-driving measures, for example, supply chain consolidation, increased focus on internal skills mapping, upskilling and mobility, and the expansion of MSP remits to include uncontrolled and costly services procurement spend. There will be greater scrutiny on how work gets done and by whom, to optimize business innovation, productivity and fulfillment. Finally employers will continue to dial up their focus on driving social value through DE&I and ESG measures. The most successful organizations are likely to be those that think differently and act boldly.”

Sean Ring, VP of On-Demand Talent Solutions, People 2.0

“2023 will be the tipping point for Enterprise adoption for both Direct Sourcing Technology/Programs as well as Global Freelance Marketplaces. This will be driven by the need to find cost savings in a period of economic contraction in tandem with the desire to find high quality talent that can be deployed in agile/flexible/On-Demand models which reduce fixed costs generally associated with acquiring and retaining full-time employees.”

Darren Topping, Director of Solutions and Insight, Lorien

“It has been an interesting couple of years from a people and hiring perspective to say the least, and now all eyes turn to what 2023 has in store. Could we see a genuine great resignation? As the cost-of-living crisis in the UK pushes workers to look for higher salaries and with organizations not having the means to meet them, could we finally see record-breaking numbers of movement? Or, as an alternative view, could the slowdown of hiring and potential redundancies cause candidates to decide to stick in their current position and ride things out until the economy recovers?

As our thoughts turn to 2023, one prediction from me is that demand for technology talent will remain high, and will still outstrip the availability of candidates in the market. Organizations will need to continue to focus on both a compelling Employee and Contractor Value Proposition to appeal to the broader market, as well as continuing to invest in environmental objectives as part of an overall CSR strategy if they are to be successful in growing and maintaining their tech teams. Discussions around hybrid working haven’t gone away, and I also expect to see further clashes in 2023 between organizations attempting to adopt a full-time office position and those candidates who have been comfortable in a mostly remote culture.”

Stay tuned for the next edition of this insightful series!

What Trends Will Shape the Future of Work in 2023?

Events by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/06/2022

It’s a great question, and, fortunately, the Future of Work Exchange has some answers. Join us on Wednesday, December 14 at 1pm ET for an exclusive webcast that will discuss the six major trends that will shape the Future of Work in the year ahead.

Next week, we’ll highlight the high-impact trends that promise to transform the way enterprises think about work, talent, leadership, and business operations. Tune into the webinar to learn:

How “non-technological” strategies, such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), will have a massive impact.
Why direct sourcing and omni-channel talent acquisition will play major roles in 2023’s talent acquisition initiatives.
How the transformation of business leadership (including conscious leadership styles) will be required for workforce management.
The roles of extended workforce, VMS, direct sourcing, and MSP solutions on talent engagement and workforce management, and;
How businesses can best prepare to thrive in 2023 by leveraging the power of their talent and talent strategies.

Click here to register for next week’s event and join us for an exciting webinar that will highlight the trends that will impact how we work in 2023. Tune in!

Key Providers for 2022: Talent Solutions TAPFIN

Solution Providers Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/02/2022

The Background:

The Future of Work dictates one main measure: enterprises must evolve alongside specific global factors or fail to thrive in an increasingly-dynamic business arena. The world of talent and work has certainly played a major role in this progression, with many attributes of workforce management, talent acquisition, and talent engagement forcing businesses to reimagine the ways they find, source, and manage their candidates and workers.

Today, businesses require robust solutions that enable them with the proper tools and strategies to tackle this new world of work; “traditional solutions” are no longer considered as such, with Managed Service Providers (MSP) evolving in parallel to the ecosystem around them by providing deeper offerings such as direct sourcing, DE&I support, advanced services procurement, and next-generation talent acquisition.

Enter Talent Solutions TAPFIN.

Why They Were Selected:

Powered by staffing giant Manpower Group and driven by over 40 years of industry-leading success, Talent Solutions TAPFIN has long been a dominant player in the workforce management landscape. Its robust blend of contingent workforce/MSP, RPO, and Right Management offerings positions the company as a leader in the extended workforce industry.

The solution’s innovative PowerSuite technology stack allows the company to effectively blend its Best-in-Class offerings, while TAPFIN’s powerful IntelliReach analytics portal and data visualizer converges artificial intelligence-led data with various third-party sources (client, suppliers, market, etc. data) to provide customers with scenario-building and predictive analytics capabilities.

An early dynamo in the direct sourcing space, Talent Solutions TAPFIN also offers robust services and technology in this arena through the PowerSuite stack and a comprehensive ecosystem of top direct sourcing platforms.

In Their Own Words:

ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for hundreds of thousands of organizations every year, providing them with skilled talent while finding meaningful, sustainable employment for millions of people across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands – Manpower, Experis, and Talent Solutions – creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across more than 75 countries and territories and has done so for over 70 years. We are recognized consistently for our diversity – as a best place to work for Women, Inclusion, Equality, and Disability and in 2022 ManpowerGroup was named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the 13th year – all confirming our position as the brand of choice for in-demand talent.

Talent Solutions TAPFIN brings together our RPO, TAPFIN, and Right Management offerings to deliver technology-enabled, innovative workforce solutions to our clients. Our integrated solutions provide end-to-end, data-driven solutions for talent attraction, acquisition, development and upskilling, and retention at scale.

The Outlook:

Talent Solutions TAPFIN is a pioneer in two distinct senses: 1) it is still considered an original powerhouse MSP-led organization that was one of the first distinct managed service leaders in the market decades ago, and, 2) it has evolved its offerings in such a way that it is a true, Future of Work-oriented MSP that can provide innovative value to the modern business in many meaningful ways.

TAPFIN was one of the first MSPs to go to market with a remote work offering when the COVID-19 pandemic hit; in today’s frenetic world of work, the ability for an MSP to blend remote and hybrid work support into the fabric of its core solutions (such as how users engage, source, onboard, and track remote candidates) is a pure differentiator.

In addition to the aforementioned offerings, other attributes of Talent Solutions TAPFIN’s arsenal such as its advanced services procurement offering (which blends internal expertise and vested partnership approaches to boost negotiation power and enhance supplier relationships) and embedded DE&I prove that the solution is the ideal complement to a Future of Work-led business world.

The Future of Work Exchange Podcast, Episode 704: A Conversation With Sean Ring, VP of On-Demand Talent Solutions at People 2.0

Podcast by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/01/2022

An all-new episode of the Future of Work Exchange Podcast, sponsored by Beeline, features a discussion with Sean Ring, VP of On-Demand Talent Solutions at People 2.0. Sean and I chat about omni-channel talent acquisition, the future of direct sourcing, the talent-led revolution, and what the Future of Work has in store for 2023.

Tune into Episode 704 of The Future of Work Exchange Podcast below, or subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio.

Flexibility Shouldn’t Go Backwards

Business Leadership HR Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on 11/28/2022

Take a trip back to a moment in time with me. It’s around this time last year, and you may be in the grocery store, at the mall, or catching the last few hours of Black Friday sales. Facial coverings aren’t as prevalent as they were a year prior, an era before COVID vaccines, treatments, etc., however, many people still feel more comfortable wearing masks in any public setting.

It’s sometimes hard to believe that we’re well over two-and-a-half years removed from the first days of the COVID-19 pandemic. For many of us, we can still close our eyes and recall the anxiety, the worry, and just how uneasy everything felt.

Of course, in late 2022 now, we can look back on the scariest of those times and point to them as a dawn of a new era of work, talent, and business. Future of Work accelerants were already well in play when the country (and world, for that matter) began to “shut down,” however, it was the pandemic’s quick impact that kicked many of those concepts into high gear.

Perhaps the biggest Future of Work accelerant to arise was the global notion of flexibility. With newfound measures to keep in-person contact to an absolutely minimum, those businesses that once eschewed remote work were now forced to allow their employees and contractors to telecommute and work virtually. Those enterprises that had long embraced these work models, on the other hand, found it easier to survive in chaotic times.

The first rumblings of “return to office” planning occurred at the beginning of 2021 when the United States government rolled out the biggest vaccine campaign in medical history. Many executive leaders were eager to “get back to normal” and began the process of shifting from remote-heavy environments to hybrid workplaces.

While these blended models were ideal for balancing proximity collaboration and in-person coordination with the many advantages of the remote work environment, some leaders took encouraging virus occurrences (such as lower case rates, enhanced uptake of vaccines, etc.) as a sign that the global workforce was ready to the office full-time.

As we discussed here on the Future of Work Exchange oh so many months ago, that very notion of flexibility wasn’t a fad, nor was it a temporary state of workplace thinking. The move towards enterprise flexibility was a permanent one that could not be reneged, renegotiated, or scaled back in any profound way. One of the positive outcomes regarding the workforce over the past two years was hidden under the guise of The Great Resignation; people weren’t just quitting their jobs…they were sparking a talent revolution.

In 2022, and certainly even more so in 2023, workers demand better working conditions, enhanced benefits, empathy-led mentorship and leadership, and, most importantly, flexibility. This concept of flexibility doesn’t just translate into allowing professionals to sometimes work from home or build in specific remote days around in-person office days. No, flexibility is so much more than that, and, until executive leaders understand that flexibility is a path forward that cannot be reversed, there will continue to be staffing shortages, dearths of expertise, a lack of effective skillsets, etc.

Those leaders that are clamoring for a full return-to-office plan in January (or even sooner, if you’ve purchased a social media giant and want to destroy its culture) are banking on economic uncertainty to re-balance the scales with the workforce-at-large. However, with nearly two job openings for every available candidate in today’s market (a fluctuating number based on fluid conditions), there won’t be a labor market crunch anytime soon. So, in essence, flexibility is an attribute that every worker will want now and forever, leaving business leaders in a position in which the culture of its workplace becomes ever-so-critical when engaging the top-tier talent they need to thrive.

Workplace culture cannot be forced. And this is why the realm of flexibility is so critical to enterprise success today and in the future. Enterprises that preach and practice flexible workplace conditions have embraced the transformation of work; the idea of flexibility, then, can’t be jammed back into its bottle. Workers have realized that flexibility is what they want, desire, and require…and there’s no turning back from that.