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

Consumerization Will Continue to Shape the Future of Work

Business Leadership Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/14/2022

This past weekend, my family and I had the opportunity to watch the new Pixar movie, Turning Red, in the comfort of our own home instead of in a crowded movie theater. Now, I know this isn’t a unique scenario, as many facets of film have been changed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney+ has been a forerunner of the “the premiere is my home” line of blockbuster films over the past two years (in fact, one vivid early pandemic memory I have is rewatching Onward over and over again with my kids during those early lockdown weeks), allowing its users to access new feature films on-demand and from the comforts of the living room.

Other major films, such as The Matrix Resurrections, Black Widow, and Dune, proved that the pandemic also accelerated specific elements of consumerization, mainly the concept of on-demand and digital access to entertainment. We can all remember, as well, vying for coveted Peapod and Instacart delivery slots in the spring of 2020, which was a critical element of consumerization borne from necessity: the age of social distancing meant that many of us would rather pay a slight premium for doorstep delivery of our normal groceries instead of traversing to stores in a pre-vaccine, pandemic-led world.

The very concept of “consumerization in business” is not a new idea; for the past several years, business professionals have desired the same style and accessibility of tools, technology, and applications both in a working environment and as consumers. There was a speed in which e-commerce ran that, for many years, left enterprise technology woefully behind in terms of operating capacity. The move to the cloud, combined with a digital transformation renaissance, has changed that. Consumerization has firmly entrenched itself into the most critical tenets of the Future of Work movement.

In light of and because of the pandemic’s acceleration implications, business leaders expect the speed of the consumer in how they operate the inner-workings of the enterprise. Talent should be engaged and sourced within hours, not days or weeks. Project visibility needs to be extracted in real-time. Budgets and financial data should be proactively garnered, not requested. There is a “fluidity” that we take for granted as consumers: we buy items on Amazon with just a click, we order pizza for delivery in less than a minute’s time, and we can schedule a taxi ride just as quickly.

The consistent rate of innovation and transformation within the consumer world of technology has been creeping into the business arena; all the pandemic did was firmly push it into the fray. Two items stand out (amongst many) in this discussion, leading businesses to focus on these attributes of how they blend a consumerized culture with evolving technology.

Self-service configuration and the journey behind the UX.

Technology serves many, many purposes for the average business, however, at its entry point, it serves only one: that of the person using it. Automation in the world of the consumer must be fast, self-serving, and have a purpose; if it wasn’t, the average person would not utilize their mobile devices for the vast, vast majority of his or her daily processes (communications, content, commerce, entertainment, social networking, business networking, etc.). And so it must be for the business realm: enterprise technology needs to be applicable and accessible to all of its users while also supporting the “journey” (or purpose) within its overall user experience.

Every user must complete a specific task while leveraging an enterprise system. With this in mind, the consumerized aspects of today’s business technology should herald an overall UX that aligns with that “journey,” enabling professionals to harness the power of innovation at their very fingertips. In the same vein, the ability to mold technology into a more agile offering (something we’re absolutely experiencing in the world of workforce management automation) that is tailored to an individual user’s needs, wants, and preferences is what will help the typical enterprise in 2022 navigate not only the complexities of digital transformation, but truly thrive through innovation.

UX and self-service configuration are inherently linked, of course, with the two attributes of technology continuing to be optimized to benefit the user, the customer, the supplier, the partner, the hiring manager, etc.

Consumerization has, for several years now, danced with the business arena. Today, it’s not a matter of when this concept will shape the Future of Work, but rather, to what extent.

Moving from Direct Sourcing 1.0 to Direct Sourcing 2.0

Direct Sourcing by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/09/2022

Direct sourcing has dominated discussions around talent, work, and staffing for the past few years because, when executed well, it can deliver incredible value to the greater organization through hard benefits (such as cost savings and a quicker average time-to-fill rate) and soft benefits (greater talent quality, better engagement with highly-skilled candidates, etc.).

As the overall labor market evolves in the wake of rising worker resignations, smart businesses will prioritize the need for deeper assessment and validation of skillsets and place a greater emphasis on the candidate and hiring manager experience. The starting point for most will be to build on their existing direct sourcing capabilities and work to develop Direct Sourcing 2.0 capabilities, such as:

Leverage digital recruiting processes to engage and communicate with candidates. Recruitment marketing has been a key tool for talent acquisition teams that target both active and passive candidates with specific messaging regarding open positions. Digital recruitment marketing leverages this same thinking but also invites active and passive candidates to join branded portals (and talent pools) by crafting distinctive communications that speak to career paths, worker values, desired cultures, etc.
Harness the power of AI to more effectively validate candidates’ skill, expertise, fit, and overall alignment. Candidate assessment can be enhanced and improved by adding AI capabilities into the mix. Managers simply do not have the time, resources, or energy (especially in today’s frenetic market) to deal with a “bad hire.” Virtual recruiting has made skills validation more difficult and candidate fraud more commonplace. AI-led direct sourcing tools can augment the way that enterprises gain peace of mind over who and how they engage candidates before hiring.
Nurture talent pool candidates with next-generation strategies that take into account timing, trust, and mobile-enabled messaging. Sometimes it is not just how frequently hiring managers communicate with their talent pool candidates, but when they do so that can make a world of difference in the ability to “close” a candidate. Talent nurturing within Direct Sourcing 2.0 programs entails more advanced approaches including text-first messaging, better and deeper communication with candidates, and outreach that can build trust between employer and worker.
Scale direct sourcing to become a repeatable set of processes that can drive value across the full enterprise. Direct sourcing programs typically start small, with a specific segment of worker categories before expanding into other critical areas of the enterprise. Direct Sourcing 2.0 is the culmination of expansive, innovative strategies and solutions that can take direct sourcing to the next level by increasing the number of high-impact, talent-based positions that fall under the scope of the program.

The path to Direct Sourcing 2.0 is also rooted in the idea that data should drive talent-led decision-making. Most next-generation direct sourcing programs leverage AI-driven functionality to enable a more robust picture of available skillsets, improve the matching of available skills with open positions and project requirements, streamline the assessment of candidate skills and expertise, and enhance worker intelligence. The majority of businesses see AI and advanced analytics as a catalyst for Direct Sourcing 2.0 over the next two years.

Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange make the case that an employer’s brand can be a catalyst for talent transformation because it can be used to attract talent and maintain an allure as non-FTE workers shift in and out of enterprise projects. Direct Sourcing 2.0 builds on brand concepts and pushes them to a higher level by using AI and analytics on candidate data to improve messaging, and gain a clearer picture of the worker expertise available in today’s transformative labor market.

The New “MSP Solution Advisor” Report: The Link Between MSPs and the Future of Work

Solution Providers Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/08/2022

If you missed last week’s announcement, Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange were excited to reveal the publication of its 2022 MSP Solution Advisor report. Ardent and the Exchange have covered the core areas of the workforce solutions market over the past several years, publishing deep assessments of the Managed Service Provider (MSP), Vendor Management System (VMS), direct sourcing, digital staffing, and talent marketplace technology arenas.

Our Technology Advisor and Solution Advisor research studies fulfill several key objectives: provide a deep evaluation of the market’s leading technology platforms and solution providers, help procurement/HR/talent acquisition executives better understand the current offerings across the industry, unveil a deep framework of core differentiators and strengths across these complex solutions, and, enable business leaders with the proper insights and intelligence to guide them on their solution selection journeys.

As I wrote recently, the MSP model has a pivotal place within the Future of Work movement:

“The Future of Work demands that business operations be dynamic, repeatable, and scalable. And, to boot, nearly half of the total global workforce is considered “extended” or “agile” in some manner. For service-oriented solutions like MSPs, the question becomes, “How does this model fit into the Future of Work movement?”

The answer is actually quite simple: an evolved model that blends traditional managed services with technological overlays for various “pieces” of the extended workforce lifecycle, combined with key integrations and partnerships with innovative platforms that address niche areas of talent engagement and talent acquisition.”

With major shifts in the enterprise workforce management arena over the past decade, MSPs have had to update and enhance their core value propositions to match the dramatic change happening within the total world of talent and work. The result is that today MSPs are more agile than they have ever been, with many providers in the market offering their own unique technology stacks from which client organizations can develop deep direct sourcing programs, digital staffing accessibility, enhanced management of services and SOW-based labor, and, most importantly, building an innovative bridge to the Future of Work.

The 2022 MSP Solution Advisor not only highlights the core service-based offerings of 11 major providers, but also details how their solutions drive progressive value across a series of modern workforce management approaches, including agile talent acquisition, total workforce (or talent) management, and enhanced talent advisory and consulting services. This industry guidebook will serve as the definitive guide for businesses seeking new insights on the mature MSP solutions market, allow them access to the necessary information to guide solution selection journeys, and enable contingent workforce program leaders to better understand how each MSP offering differentiates itself from the competition.

Yet Another Phase of the Pandemic Sparks More Hybrid Work Debate

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/07/2022

It’s actually quite incredible when you really think about it: over the past several months, we’ve gone through several phases of the COVID-19 pandemic:

A Delta variant-led wave of cases and hospitalizations that rivaled last winter’s surge.
A brief lull, in which the Thanksgiving holiday kicked off what should have been a time for families to kickstart holiday plans that looked much different than 2020.
An Omicron variant-fueled surge that saw double and, at times, triple the amount of caseloads of the worst of the previous winter’s wave.

And now, we’re heading into the spring months (in the Northern Hemisphere) with yet another state of optimism that is actively guiding our personal and professional lives. The CDC has new facial covering recommendations based on risk levels predicated on county-level hospitalization rates and caseloads per 100,000 citizens.

If you watched the State of the Union address last week, you may have noticed that very few individuals in the room wore facial coverings during the event. As someone who routinely masks up in grocery stores and other indoor venues (even after three Moderna doses and while living in a heavily vaccinated state), this was something that I figured could bother some people…however, it’s clear that the greater direction of this pandemic is heading into a phase that promotes less restrictions and mandates.

And, speaking of the SOTU address: President Biden did at one point during his speech mention the much-vaunted “return-to-office” plans, stating, “It’s time for America to get back to work and fill our great downtowns again with people. People working from home can feel safe and begin to return to their offices. We’re doing that here in the federal government. The vast majority of federal workers will once again work in person.”

While the President was obviously ecstatic about the direction of the pandemic and wanted to capture this moment in front of a gigantic live audience, I fear that many business leaders will take this as a sign that it’s okay to rush workers back to offices without actually thinking of the flexibility and productivity gains that their talent has experienced over the past two years.

The conversations were due, especially from the moment that the first signs of the Omicron surge were beginning to slow just a few weeks ago. And now, business leaders face an existential question: how do they balance the need for in-person collaboration with the specter of talent retention risk hanging overhead? Is there a fine line between a return-to-office mandate and a softer approach, such as recommended office days? Will a too-quick, sudden “return to the days of old” alienate the workforce?

Future of Work Exchange research found that, on average, upwards of 43% of the typical enterprise’s total workforce operated in a remote or hybrid capacity heading into 2022. That number is probably much higher considering where we are today after the Omicron surge. Asking such a wide swath of the workforce to make such a critical call about their workstyle at this point in the game is, to be very, very blunt, asking too much.

While we don’t need to rehash the benefits, all of the signs are clear: workers enjoy flexibility, they enjoy the enhanced work-life integration, and they are fruitful in how productive they can be when they’re not wasting hours of each day on a commute. Business leaders cannot, and should not, expect total adherence and a willingness to leave what has been working so well over the past two years.

These articles, even though they are optimistic at heart, aren’t helping the situation. What we sometimes forget is that there’s a stark difference between feeling safer in a movie theater or restaurant now versus up and abandoning a workplace structure that has become the norm for the past 24 months. I wasn’t joking last week when I stated that, for real, we weren’t going back.

Being optimistic about the current state of the pandemic is one thing. Transforming that optimism into a reason to bring millions upon millions of workers back into the office when the remote and hybrid infrastructure has revolutionized how work is done? That is something much, much different. The move to remote and hybrid work was a reactive measure when it was first needed in March 2020. Two years later, it’s become a permanent fabric of the Future of Work.

FOWX Notes: March 4 Edition

General Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/04/2022

Some picked-up pieces, news, and insights from across the evolving world of talent and work:

Filtered bolsters its leadership team and drives $10M in funding. The Boston-based Direct Sourcing 2.0 and automated technical interview platform announced this week that former Yahoo!, HotJobs, and Jobvite CEO, Dan Finnagan, has joined the solution as its Chief Executive Officer. Finnagan will oversee the platform’s expected surge in growth in the months and years ahead as Filtered continues to win new Fortune 500 business. The company also announced a $10 million round of financing financing led by AI Fund, Silicon Valley Data Capital, and TDF Ventures, as well as appointing Usama Fayyad, Executive Director of the Institute for Experiential AI at Northeastern University and Chairman at Open Insights, to its Board of Directors.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped to 215,000 for the week ending February 26. The 18,000-claim drop marks the lowest weekly figure since January 1 and an optimistic stat heading into the end of Q1 2022. Although there are nearly 11 million job openings across the United States, there is hope that the economic upswing in the year’s early months will result in bigger job gains. However, as “The Great Resignation” and the “Talent Revolution” continue to hang overhead, we will cautiously await the latest BLS report on voluntary quits to SOMETHING.
Workflow automation platform Catalytic was acquired by PagerDuty, Inc. this week. Congrats to Sean Chou and the Catalytic team, who founded an intelligent automation solution in 2018 that blends efficient AI-fueled optimization and RPA-led process automation. The Catalytic platform will be an interesting addition to PagerDuty’s robust digital operations management offerings; Catalytic’s “no code” software will bring a seamless means of managing and automating collaborative, workflow, purchasing, onboarding, and many other processes across the business spectrum.
LiveHire recently announced partnerships with Tundra Technical Solutions and Broadleaf. The Live Hire-Broadleaf partnership, announced last week, will enable both solutions to build on direct sourcing optimization through LH’s Best-in-Class platform and Broadleaf’s longstanding MSP services, respectively. And, this week, Live Hire also announced its partnership with Tundra Technical Solutions, a union that will converge LH’s direct sourcing automation with Tundra’s talent curation expertise.

Just a reminder, as well, that Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange announced the publication of its 2022 MSP Solution Advisor earlier this week. If you are interested in learning more about our deep evaluations and assessments of the industry’s Managed Service Provider (MSP) solutions market, this report is your go-to guide. Click here or on the image below to download the new research study.

“The Great Resignation” is Not An Economic Trend

Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/03/2022

Here’s a definition of “The Great Resignation” from old friend Wikipedia:

The Great Resignation, also known as the Big Quit, is an ongoing economic trend in which employees have voluntarily resigned from their jobs en masse, beginning in early 2021, primarily in the United States.

While I understand that Wikipedia is easily editable and can sometimes contain basic misinformation regarding history, politics, etc., what is represented in the above definition is unfortunately a common line of thinking in today’s frenetic world of business.

Even though aspects like “flexibility” and “remote work” are buried in that Wikipedia entry, the focus on economic thinking muddles The Great Resignation into a conversation around employees wanting more financial power as they traverse year three of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Remember, my friends, there’s a much clearer reason for this Big Quit, and it has little to do with money: it’s a “Talent Revolution,” and we’re all witnessing it first-hand as enterprises face staffing shortages, business leaders grapple with new models of working, and workers focus their energy on finding positions that bring value and purpose into their lives.

The Future of Work Exchange has been incredibly bullish about the Talent Revolution over the past few months, and rightfully so: placing the focus for tens of millions of voluntarily resignations squarely on economic factors misses the greater concept at hand…that the modern-day workforce has empowered themselves to transform the symbiotic links between “talent” and “employers,” all in the quest for more flexible, purposeful, and meaningful work.

Does The Great Resignation have economic consequences? Of course, let’s not kid ourselves. Staffing shortages are ravaging the financials of businesses, play a pivotal role in certain aspects of today’s inflation crisis, and, of course, contribute to product and supply chain disruptions across the world. (Also, as a side note: rising energy costs and fuel expenses are another complicated layer to the business arena today, as is the ongoing crisis in the Ukraine and its global financial and supply ramifications, as well.)

But these are consequences of a larger issue, one that has only been exacerbated by a global health crisis that has unfortunately shined a very, very bright light on the inequities and rigidity of today’s workplace and workforce structure. There is an underlying inequity in how workers are treated, how they are paid, how they are provided benefits, and how flexible their roles are considering the tremendous change in the world of talent and work over the last two years.

The Talent Revolution was always on its way; it’s unfortunate that it has resulted in an across-the-board, jarring “Big Quit” that has shaken the way businesses deal with extreme staffing shortages. However, there’s a reason better working conditions and flexibility have become so critical: this is the power the workforce should have.

Every worker deserves a position that serves and aligns with his, her, or their purpose. Every worker deserves the flexibility to attend to personal and private needs and achieve a better work-life integration. And, every worker deserves equitable treatment, safe working conditions, and a positive culture that inspires them to thrive, think, speak, and innovate.

The Future of Work Exchange Podcast, Episode 612: A Conversation With Tim Minahan, EVP of Strategy and CMO of Citrix

Podcast by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/02/2022

This week’s Future of Work Exchange Podcast, sponsored by PRO Unlimited, features a discussion with Tim Minahan, EVP of Strategy and CMO of Citrix. Tim and I discuss the impact of hybrid work on the Future of Work movement, the link between digital workspaces and the extended workforce, and what the future holds for remote work.

Tune into Episode 612 of The Future of Work Exchange Podcast below, or subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio.

Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange Launch Definitive MSP Report

Business Leadership Contingent Workforce Solution Providers Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/01/2022

New Study Evaluates the Leading Managed Service Providers (MSPs) for the Workforce Solutions Market

BOSTON, MA, March 1, 2021 – Ardent Partners, a leading research and advisory firm, along with the Future of Work Exchange, a top destination for executives focused on the evolution of work and talent, announced today that its new 2022 MSP Solution Advisor report, which evaluates the Managed Service Provider (MSP) marketplace, is now available. MSPs, as the most mature offering in the greater workforce management solutions market, are continue to drive innovation in the rapidly shifting labor market and Future of Work landscape and tailor their services to suit the needs of a dynamic, agile, and extended workforce.

“The world of talent and work has changed tremendously over the past two years, forcing enterprises to reimagine their core talent engagement, talent acquisition, and extended workforce management strategies,” said Christopher J. Dwyer, senior vice president of research, managing director of the Future of Work Exchange, and author of the new MSP Solution Advisor report. “This report will help readers identify the MSP provider that best-fits the needs of their agile workforce and educate them on the different approaches that each provider takes towards key workforce management areas, including direct sourcing, SOW management, services procurement, and reporting and analytics.”

The 2022 MSP Solution Advisor is the leading assessment report for MSPs that guides HR, procurement, human capital management, and talent acquisition leaders through a deep solutions landscape by discussing the key functionality, capabilities, competencies, offerings, and performance of the main providers in the MSP industry. The new report highlights dozens of feature-specific offerings and market differentiators from which Ardent and the Future of Work Exchange evaluated the industry’s top MSP solutions.

The Ardent analyst team identified and selected eleven key providers – Atrium, Evaluent, GRI, Guidant Global, KellyOCG, nextSource, Pontoon Solutions, PRO Unlimited, Randstad Sourceright, RightSourcing, and Talent Solutions TAPFIN – in the MSP solutions market for admittance to this research study.

“Since 2010, Ardent Partners has been a guiding voice for professionals managing their extended workforce management programs and the solutions that they use to drive them,” said Ardent’s Chief Research Officer, Andrew Bartolini. “The new MSP Solution Advisor report is a reflection of this expertise and delivers a clear and insightful report that is a must-read for leaders seeking to optimize their extended workforce.”

Click here to download the new MSP Solution Advisor study (or click on the image below), which will be followed by the VMS Technology Advisor in the spring.

How Does The MSP Model Fit into The Future of Work?

General Insights Solution Providers by Christopher J. Dwyer on 02/28/2022

As solutions, they have been around longer than any other workforce management offering in our industry. As brand names, there may be no bigger logos than those synonymous with some of the largest in our space. And, as the extended workforce continues to grow in size, impact, and scope, they have evolved to meet the dynamic needs of businesses across the globe.

The Managed Service Provider (MSP) model has long been a powerful force across the contingent workforce management and traditional recruitment spectrums, offering an end-to-end, outsourced array of tailored, customized, and global offerings that help businesses tap into key staffing suppliers, standardize extended workforce management operations, and enhance the overall approaches to how talent is engaged and managed.

The non-employee workforce was once less than 20% of the average company’s total talent, as recently as a decade ago. With the stratospheric rise of this labor over the past ten-plus years, we’ve collectively experienced and leveraged a slew of both innovative, consistently-progressive outlets (such as VMS and extended workforce platforms), solutions that are actively capturing the power of direct sourcing, and digital staffing and talent marketplace offerings that enable real-time access to top-tier talent and expertise.

The Future of Work demands that business operations be dynamic, repeatable, and scalable. And, to boot, nearly half of the total global workforce is considered “extended” or “agile” in some manner. For service-oriented solutions like MSPs, the question becomes, “How does this model fit into the Future of Work movement?”

One just has to look at the current landscape of MSPs ruling the day: some are some of the most mature in our industry and are revolutionizing the way services and technology interact, such as Randstad Sourceright and KellyOCG. RSR is reimagining SOW management and services procurement, as well as its bringing its unique TalentUX tech overlay to areas like direct sourcing. KellyOCG’s digital Helix infrastructure could be a gamechanger.

PRO Unlimited is advancing a “platform approach” that solves every need of the current workforce management program while pushing the criticality of data and intelligence; the solution has made incredible strides within direct sourcing, and other key facets of extended workforce management. Talent Solutions TAPFIN is refashioning the market with a fresh approach to SOW management/services procurement and integrated, data-led offerings around workforce advisory and direct sourcing.

Solutions like GRI offer near-unrivaled, powerful, and self-service analytic modules that help clients design better business outcomes (GRI is also a robust provider of Managed Direct Sourcing (MDS) solutions).

Organizations like Atrium and nextSource are transforming how direct sourcing and tech-led approaches can help the mid-market thrive. RightSourcing is actively helping a struggling industry (healthcare) take advantage of an evolving labor market whilst offering wide-scale support for those medical facilities that need it coming out of the latest COVID surge.

Pontoon continues to lead with its innovative service delivery models and technological foundations, while Guidant Global is building on its vast expertise, global reach, and progressive direct sourcing offerings. Even newer solutions, like Evaluent, are proving that there’s incredible room for innovation in our industry.

Tomorrow, Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange will unveil the 2022 MSP Solution Advisor, an industry guidebook that will serve as the definitive guide for businesses seeking new insights on the mature MSP solutions market, allow them access to the necessary information to guide solution selection journeys, and enable contingent workforce program leaders to better understand how each MSP offering differentiates itself from the competition.

Welcome to the Future: The Future of Work Exchange Podcast is Here

Podcast by Christopher J. Dwyer on 02/24/2022

As we announced yesterday, the Contingent Workforce Weekly podcast has been renamed as The Future of Work Exchange Podcast. We are beyond excited to continue having great conversations with leading experts in the field and delivering insights that will impact your extended workforce management programs. Consider it a “new and improved” podcast, bringing you the same great content, with double the Future of Work focus.

The Future of Work Exchange Podcast is sponsored by Pro Unlimited and available to stream each week on this site or simply subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or anywhere you get your podcasts.

Check out this week’s episode: Episode 611: A Conversation with Dan Beck, Co-Founder and COO of Utmost.