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Christopher J. Dwyer

Key Providers for 2021: WorkLLama

Solution Providers by Christopher J. Dwyer on

The Background:

Just a few years ago, direct sourcing was a niche strategy employed by a small percentage of enterprises that desired to harness the power of private talent pools. Today, direct sourcing is one of the hottest priorities in the world of talent and work, becoming a top-three priority within workforce management (alongside talent intelligence and workforce agility).

Direct sourcing is a key contributor to the overall success of extended workforce management, especially in the face of the monumental change that has occurred in the world of talent and work over the past 18 months. The impact of direct sourcing automation adds an additional layer of impact to the average direct sourcing initiative; these platforms assist companies in targeting the right candidates, ensuring that enterprise requirements are aligned with targeted skillsets, and, most importantly, supporting the overall adoption of direct sourcing processes and strategies across all functional realms. Too, referral management is a powerful weapon for businesses that desire to push additional candidates into the funnel. Some direct sourcing solutions today offer robust candidate referral functionality, which is also enabled and optimized within mobile applications, that can drive additional talent engagement without the organization spending more of its time or resources.

Enter WorkLLama.

Why They Were Selected:

Future of Work Exchange research finds that businesses that leverage direct sourcing automation significantly reduce time-to-fill rates, boost overall workforce cost savings, and enhance the relative quality of total talent. By curating talent into private talent pools (that are then segmented by geography, skillsets, etc.), hiring managers are enabled with unfettered access to top-tier candidates without recruitment or staffing supplier fees. However, while the “first phase” of direct sourcing (“Direct Sourcing 1.0”) continues to drive incredible value, today’s direct sourcing platforms offer more than the traditional processes associated with direct sourcing initiatives.

“Direct Sourcing 2.0” is the next generation of direct sourcing strategies and is fundamentally rooted in the linkage between key technological arenas, a renewed focus on the candidate experience, and a seamless connection between talent pools and the projects and roles that require specific expertise. Just as the market itself evolves in the wake of continued worker resignations, a greater emphasis on the candidate and hiring manager experience, and the need for deeper assessment and validation of skillsets, businesses must begin to build on their existing direct sourcing strategies and programs to effectively develop “Direct Sourcing 2.0” capabilities.

WorkLLama’s end-to-end workforce management platform reflects the greater innovation happening within the direct sourcing technology landscape, offering a vast array of functionality not only related to the continued enhancement of direct sourcing and its ultimate adoption within enterprises across the world, but also in the way that it promotes “Direct Sourcing 2.0” automation through candidate experience management, hiring manager experience automation, next-generation talent nurture capabilities, and offerings that speak directly to the direct sourcing revolution.

In Their Own Words:

WorkLLama is a talent community platform that helps companies leverage their brands to create powerful candidate, employee and client experiences to source, engage and retain top talent. Its technology makes it possible to foster meaningful, more human connections with talent, leading to exceptional and inspired branded talent communities that fuel business success. WorkLLama drives digital transformation through social referral management; seamless candidate engagement; Sofi, its AI conversational bot; integrated, omnichannel communication; on-demand staffing; and direct sourcing solutions. 

WorkLLama’s vision is to give recruiters and employers the how (and why) of putting candidates first. We automate and optimize the hiring process to create time/space for real human connections to grow. We want to see employers, staffing firms + recruiting tech get serious about serving people’s needs with bolder, more meaningful human experiences. To put a bold underline under the HUMAN in human resources.

The Outlook:

Direct sourcing today means so much more than it did just a couple of years ago. Businesses must understand that there are various “layers” to direct sourcing (beyond talent curation and talent pooling) that require nimble and innovative technology (especially candidate referral management, talent nurture processes, candidate assessments, etc.). WorkLLama has demonstrated its powerful ability to transform workforce management through an agile convergence of adaptable direct sourcing technology and next-generation functionality, as well as its firm commitment to both the candidate and hiring manager experience.

WorkLLama’s innovative platform represents the next progressive wave of direct sourcing, in which “2.0” functionality, strategies, and capabilities push these programs and transform them into perhaps the most crucial workforce-oriented initiatives in the evolving world of work and talent.

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For HR, The Path Forward is Clear: Optimize How Work Gets Done

Business LeadershipHRTalent by Christopher J. Dwyer on

The Future of Work has many extensions, all of which touch various enterprise functions in some profound manner. As this movement became more associated with the evolving world of talent, enterprise functions such as HR and talent acquisition found that much of the focus on the workforce-related elements of the Future of Work fell to them to enhance.

HR sits in a unique position within today’s transformative business arena: they have the ability to influence how works gets done through a mixture of extended workforce management, its expertise regarding human capital, and, most importantly, total talent intelligence. For the past decade, the very realm of “total talent management” has been mired in conversations around “myth vs. theory vs. reality,” with many organizations believing that there is no true secret formula to managing all workers through a single, centralized umbrella of strategies, solutions, and systems. However, the concept of total talent intelligence, in which businesses have broad-range, on-demand visibility into its total talent network, allows them to effectively understand which resources or skillsets are required for a new project, role, or initiatives.

In essence, total talent intelligence is the “gateway drug” to total talent management. Just a couple of weeks ago, I joined extended workforce management system provider Utmost for a webinar that also featured VP of Marketing (and longtime friend), Neha Goel, who succinctly stated that total talent intelligence served as an ideal gateway for businesses seeking to develop total talent management programs.

The webinar also highlighted the five strategies every HR executive needed to include in their 2022 planning, such as the recalibration of the Future of Work, building towards “talent sustainability,” and reimagining “HR psychology.” Another nugget from the webcast: the fact that 61% of HR executives are actively building towards “talent sustainability” translates into a greater desire to have the appropriate skills for when unknown future needs arise (and, of course, developing a self-sustaining flow of expertise when combined with direct hire and other recruitment strategies).

The event also highlighted the “talent revolution” muddying today’s evolving staffing landscape and how it translates into an escalated war for talent. A multifaceted talent engagement approach for HR moving forward, as Neha and I discussed, must include brand, culture, purpose, and flexibility. HR and hiring managers must blend human and digital elements in navigating this evolving talent landscape to truly encapsulate the notion of work optimization.

For the HR function, this is the true Future of Work. The revolution of talent occurring in the labor market today necessitates that HR leaders inject innovation, transformative thinking, and next-generation technology to spark a renewed emphasis on how work is addressed and done. [Click here to check out a recording of the Future of Work Exchange webinar with Utmost.]

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Mental Wellbeing’s Critical Role in the Future of Work

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Over the past 18 months, empathy and wellness became two of the most critical Future of Work attributes amongst concepts that have (for several years) been accelerating the art of work optimization. Mental wellbeing, however, was often considered an afterthought in pre-pandemic times as many business leaders remained focused on more traditional aspects of the greater organization (as well as the more technology-led aspects of the Future of Work movement).

The truth is that so many of us were historically focused on hardline metrics and benchmarks regarding productivity and how work was addressed and done that many business leaders forgot about the most critical component of all when it comes to the Future of Work: the human element.

While there are many lessons to be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, ranging from the viability of the hybrid (and remote) work model and the continued impact of agile talent (as well as how crucial digitization is in managing operational enterprise processes), there is one experience that should become a permanent foundation for how business leaders manage moving forward.

Mental wellbeing should be front-and-center in every leader’s plans for 2022…and every year after that. In fact, mental wellbeing within the workforce goes hand-in-hand with the trends towards empathy and empathetic leadership; empathy and wellbeing together, then, form a Future of Work-led convergence of non-technological elements that can truly transform the way workers structure their careers and better manage work-life integration.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) estimates that nearly 44 million people in America experience mental illness on average every year. And, to boot, NAMI also estimates that roughly 75% of all chronic mental illnesses begin by age 24…coincidentally, the age when most adults are at the very beginning of their career journeys.

If we are going to look at the impact of mental wellbeing from an archaic point-of-view, fine, let’s do that (but for only a moment): workers that are suffering from a mental illness are more likely to be disengaged from their work, less productive within the scope of their roles, and more likely to miss key milestones and delivery dates. The more important thing to do, though, is look at this from a human element: workers suffering from mental illness are more likely to have the problem exacerbated by stress from their jobs, more likely to require professional and medical assistance, and, unfortunately, more likely to engage in extreme and self-harmful behavior (such as drug and alcohol abuse, and, unfortunately, suicide).

That’s why viewing mental health at work from purely a productivity standpoint goes against the grain of being more “human” in how we manage the workforce. As the pandemic lingers and the collective trauma weighs on those suffering from mental illness, now is the time to build the business response to this epidemic:

  • Provide (and communicate the availability of) mental health support through wellbeing resources. Businesses will often state that they have built-in resources for workers to leverage if needed. However, there has been a collective failure on the part of leadership to actually (and consistently) communicate the availability of those resources to their staff. Amongst many lessons learned over the past 18 months, there is a clear need for enterprises to invest in mental resources in order for their workforce to feel supported. Does the business healthcare plan cover tele-therapy? Are psychiatrists and LMHCs part of the overall medical network? Workers require fast and easy answers to these questions.
  • Eliminate the negative stigma around mental health and related conversations. The very concept of mental health is still unfortunately a taboo topic in both the personal and business arenas. However, it doesn’t have to be, nor should it be. Mental health is just as critical as physical wellbeing; for far too long, many people (both within the personal and business realms) considered mental health to be far less important than physical health, when, in fact, the two are inherently linked. It is encouraging to see public figures, such as Atlanta Falcons star wide receiver Calvin Ridley and tennis hero Naomi Osaka, step away from the globe’s biggest sports to focus on mental health. As mental health and mental illness become destigmatized, there is hope that more and more individuals will speak up when they need to refocus on their own emotional wellbeing without fear of negative feedback from colleagues and managers.
  • Involve various stakeholders in the architecture of mental wellbeing strategies. It shouldn’t fall solely to the HR group to facilitate the development of workplace wellbeing, especially as it concerns mental health initiatives. While human resources can be responsible for the foundation, other key stakeholders should provide their best perspectives. At its core, a mental wellbeing strategy should revolve around core mental health policies, execution of those policies, and ways that illness can be monitored so the appropriate steps can be taken for intervention and support. The ultimate point is this, however: whatever strategy or program is built, it needs a strong backbone that is supported by various groups across the enterprise. If mental health is to be taken seriously, then business leaders across all functions need to be prepared for issues as they arise and understand that aspects such as risk mitigation are just as critical as worker rehabilitation.
  • Understand that mental wellness takes many forms, particularly depression, anxiety, burnout, etc. Mental wellbeing isn’t just linked to an imbalance of emotions, but rather a full “tree” of conditions that are all linked to overall mental health. Depression and anxiety may be pre-existing illnesses that are likely to be exacerbated by working conditions, while burnout occurs in even the most stout of workers that may not have historically shown signs of mental illness. “Accommodation” is ultimately the key here; business leaders must understand that mental wellbeing is a critical attribute of the Future of Work, and thus doing what they can to support and accommodate workers as they experience mental illness is a foundational way to ensure that talent can get the help they need and be ready to contribute to the greater organization when they are ready to do so.
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FOWX Notes: November 5 Edition.

General Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Some picked-up pieces from across the exciting world of talent and work:

  • Yesterday morning, the Biden administration announced more details regarding sweeping vaccine mandates for businesses with over 100 employees. In short, employees that are not fully-vaccinated by January 4 will have to produce a verified negative test on a weekly basis and wear masks in the workplace beginning December 5. Positive cases must be removed from the workforce. Fines are hefty: approximately $13,653 for a single violation, and nearly ten-times that amount ($136,532) for businesses that “willfully violate standards.” There is no clarity on the burden of testing costs, however, it is noted that some unions may negotiate employer-paid testing.
  • Employers must provide paid time off for employees to receive vaccines and for any potential side effects. This is an encouraging rule, as there are many, many workers across the country that were vaccine-hesitant only because of the inability to take paid time off. This opens up, potentially, the opportunity for millions of people to comfortably schedule vaccine appointments and not be forced to worry about an unpaid day off.
  • Great quote on the future of hybrid work by Zoom CMO Janine Pelosi during an interview with Digiday: “That word is getting thrown around a lot, but it goes back to the consumer having choice in when or where they spend their time physically or virtually. It’s taking breaks. It’s understanding, at this point in the pandemic, what I do with my time. If I’m going to have a really early start and I know I’ve got some later things, you can bet I’m going to workout in the middle of the afternoon and I’m not going to have a stitch of guilt about it. It’s taking time to go for a walk, have meetings over Zoom phone. I don’t feel that everything always has to be on video. I prefer video, because you miss those connections and it definitely helps to bring those together. But it’s thinking about your day a little bit differently than what you would have if you had been in an office, physical environment.”
  • Congratulations are in order for Talmix, who recently celebrated their five-year anniversary. The solution provider, one the market’s leading digital staffing marketplaces, were recently featured here on the Future of Work Exchange. Check out some highlights from their five years in a blog post by Talmix CEO Sandeep Dhillon.
  • Many businesses often forget that independent contractors and freelance professionals are attempting to get their own businesses off the ground. HoneyBook’s $250 million in Series E funding will go a long way towards contributing to the platform’s main objectives, such as enabling these workers with automation for workflows, client list management, and, most critically, payment and cash flow management.
  • Fiverr continues its reach deeper into the B2B realm by acquiring Tel Aviv-based Stoke Talent, a Freelancer Management System (FMS) that specializes in providing users with both online and “offline” freelancer management benches. The $95M transaction will allow Stoke Talent to operate independently while subsequently supporting (and vice versa) Fiverr’s new products and services regarding agile talent.
  • I’ll be presenting (virtually) on Day Two of the Checkr Forward conference next week. “Are You Missing Half of the U.S. Workforce?” will feature commentary from both Scott Jennings (Checkr’s Director of Industry Strategy & Market Development) and me, as well as some new Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research on the evolution of the agile/extended workforce. Do check it out!
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Upwork’s New “Virtual Talent Bench” is the Convergence of Direct Sourcing and Digital Staffing

Solution Providers by Christopher J. Dwyer on

As the Exchange frequently defines, the Future of Work movement is based on three core interconnected principles: 1) the evolution of talent engagement (and talent acquisition), 2) the advent of new and innovative technology and automation, and 3) the transformation of business thinking. While each of these attributes on its own serves a powerful purpose in the progressive world of work and talent, it’s when they intersect that businesses can drive enhanced value.

Upwork, one of the industry’s largest and market-leading digital staffing players, recently introduced its “Virtual Talent Bench” offering, which essentially converges the full spectrum of Future of Work attributes into a solution that enables real workforce scalability while optimizing how businesses get work done. The Virtual Talent Bench is a powerful offering that blends key elements of the digital staffing model (talent marketplace functionality and deep candidate networks) with direct sourcing (curated talent “benches” that can be engaged and hired in an on-demand fashion).

“Our goal is to help businesses and independent talent get work done, and done well. We know independent talent want to build long-lasting work relationships with clients, and businesses want an easy way to work with the talent they love time and time again,” said Sam Bright, chief product and experience officer, Upwork. “We launched Virtual Talent Bench to help businesses find and engage a fleet of highly-skilled independent professionals through an easier way to discover, access and organize their go-to freelancers. From sign-up to superuser, we’ve designed and created a simple experience for clients to not only find new, talented freelancers, but also remember their strengths, flag their special skills, and organize them however they like.”

Upwork’s multifaceted approach towards talent engagement and contingent workforce management allows its users to leverage the Virtual Talent Bench to develop talent pool-like “benches” of freelancers and non-employee workers that can be tapped into in an on-demand manner. The VTB places scalability firmly within its core by allowing Upwork clients to quickly reengage high-quality talent in an agile fashion. This is functionality akin to direct sourcing automation, only with Upwork’s vast talent marketplace powering the candidate engagement process and seamlessly integrating “curation-like” functionality into the Virtual Talent Bench. And, by surfacing individual talent profiles and projects based on past searches and job needs, Upwork users can derive more value from the solution’s “Discovery” module, with these results embedded within the Virtual Talent Bench for direct access when building freelance teams for future projects.

With this new solution, Upwork is firmly entrenching itself as a forward-looking platform that embraces the Future of Work. The convergence of direct sourcing and digital staffing, combined with the ways talent engagement is evolving, is one major reason why the Virtual Talent Bench is an ideal feature for the transformative world of work and talent.

“In our recent Future Workforce Report stemming from a survey of U.S. hiring managers, we uncovered that 40.7 million Americans expect to be fully remote in the next five years. What’s more, 53% of businesses say that remote work has increased their willingness to use freelancers and 71% of hiring managers plan to maintain or increase their use of freelancers in the next six months, creating more hybrid workforces,” said Bright. “Offices have reopened, but many professionals aren’t willing to give up the flexibility of working remotely. Over one-third (34%) of workers who were remote are not excited about returning to the office, and of the 10 million Americans currently considering freelancing, 73% cite the ability to work remotely or flexibly as a reason why.”

“As remote work projections remain strong and businesses plan to continue engaging more independent talent, we’re already planning to expand features in Virtual Talent Bench to enable more collaboration and better organization in the months to come, including features allowing clients to invite an entire talent bench to submit a job proposal.”

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Key Providers for 2021: Bench

Solution Providers by Christopher J. Dwyer on

The Background:

Given the many advancements and accelerants happening in the greater world of work and talent, the very notion of “interconnectivity” has become a critical way of businesses, workers, suppliers, and services to interact in an on-demand manner without the barriers of old. And, with digital transformation sparking many more businesses to reevaluate existing processes and systems with the goal of being more dynamic, there is increased pressure for both organizations and highly-skilled workers (and services) to “meet” each other in real-time.

Enter Bench.

Why They Were Selected:

The Bench platform, otherwise known as a “Digital Ecosystem Enablement Platform” (DEEP), is a robust solution that empowers the development of trusted networks of capabilities and services by connecting customers, businesses, partners, and suppliers quickly and seamlessly. Bench’s unique offering allows businesses to monetize supplier partnerships, consolidate talent and service networks, and complement existing products/services with well-aligned partners.

Bench excels in enabling a seamless ecosystem that promotes communication and discovery amongst an organization’s total network of suppliers, contractors, and talent…meaning that when a customer requires a complex approach to a critical project, the Bench platform can efficiently catalyze collaboration between partners whilst maximizing the value of automated time-and-materials processes, SOW management, etc.

In Their Own Words:

Companies of all sizes are reimagining every aspect of their business models, creating demand for Information, Community, and Technology (ICT) services at an unprecedented pace and scale. The intensity of competition is forcing ICT businesses to not always engage partners/suppliers to receive design input, availability and competitive pricing.

Add to the mix a rapidly changing services landscape, and many simply walk away from opportunities.

In an ideal world, these businesses need to make informed decisions, backed by robust data and real time market intelligence, to bid on opportunities with confidence.

  • Do we have the capacity and competencies in house to deliver?
  • Which partners/suppliers can augment our capacity and competencies?
  • How can we engage suppliers/partners early in the sales cycle to help shape solutions?
  • Are we getting the best price from the most qualified supplier/partner?

Unfortunately, the answers are trapped in spreadsheets, emails, and ad-hoc sales processes. Answers which are typically out of date and require considerable time and effort to find.

The net effect of this is many businesses commit proposals to customers and then hope they can deliver at the mercy of their suppliers/partners. Or worse still, they simply miss out on opportunities “leaving money on the table”.

Why? The answer is simple. There’s no fast, easy, seamless way to engage their services and partner ecosystem early in the sales cycle. Until now.

The Outlook:

Bench does not fit the “typical” mold of a modern-day digital staffing technology platform. However, it utilizes its powerful ecosystem functionality to boost the collaboration between a business, its services architecture, its suppliers, and total talent in responding to new sales inquiries. In a world that relies on digitization and dynamic technology to connect various pieces of contemporary business, Bench stands out as a truly innovative platform that has the potential to revolutionize how enterprises transform their business models.

In a Future of Work-driven world that prioritizes flexibility, digitization, and interconnectivity, Bench is well-positioned to help enterprises reimagine their services, products, and solutions with its robust digital ecosystem enablement model.

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When Both Leaders and Workers Truly Accept “Change,” the Next Era of the Future of Work Begins

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on

I can remember the day clearly. It was an overcast and rainy Saturday afternoon in April 2020. It had been nearly a month since I left my home office; the only person in our household who routinely cycled back and forth was my wife, an essential worker that traversed five or six days to a veterinary hospital just south of Boston. We (my wife, two kids, and I) ran a couple of errands and ate lunch on the road, the four of us masked in stores and other places of businesses. My heart sunk knowing that this, wearing a facial covering to interact, would be the reality for an uncertain amount of time.

Even now, today, I will fully admit: I was not ready to accept the change in front of me. The business side of my mind was firing on all cylinders, since the hybrid and remote work models were second-nature to me. The world around me, though? It was tough to look at pandemic-ravaged world in which facial coverings, social distancing, etc. were the norm. It was heartbreaking to hear my now-five-year-old say in his sleep, “I miss my friends.”

The thing is, though, is that “change” is a constant. The sooner we all accepted that the so-called “Next Normal” was upon us, the sooner we could move on from merely surviving and look ahead to thriving in these evolving times. Today, my kids pop on facial coverings the second they step out of the door every morning. I have a mask in my jacket pocket, the glove compartment, etc. for anytime I need to head into a grocery store or retailer. We’ve all made due to move forward.

The business world and our personal lives are connected, as we’ve learned over the past eighteen months. That same concept of “change” has been a constant no matter where we are; for the corporate world, change and evolution are inevitably linked as attributes that must be embraced to truly move forward. The question is, however: why can’t both business leaders and workers get on the same page regarding change?

The “talent revolution” is upon us, taking the form of “The Big Quit” and “The Great Resignation.” There are literally millions of job openings across the country (and across the world). Many business leaders understand what it takes to build that bridge to the next generation of its workforce; many, however, are not and are not willing to change their thinking.

Hearing JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon say that the remote workforce isn’t sustainable is the opposite of the Future of Work mindset. Hearing Catherine Bessant, Bank of America Vice Chair, Global Strategy, tell CNBC that BofA is a “work-from-office culture” is also the complete opposite of the flexibility that was supposed to be a foundational concept in today’s evolving world of work. Goldman Sachs’ CEO David Solomon called remote and hybrid work an “aberration” just earlier this year.

Many, many other business leaders are aligned in this unfortunate way of thinking. If there’s anything, anything at all, that we should look back on as a business lesson from the pandemic, it’s this: work can be done anywhere, talent can be found anywhere, and the dynamic catalysts of innovation and creativity can be found anywhere…not just in an office. There’s a level of “proximity innovation” and “proximity collaboration” that cannot be fully duplicated when workers are coordinating remotely, however, the core connection between people remains strong, as does the will to work together no matter if team members are six feet or 600 miles away.

While it is true that many roles cannot be performed remotely, the fact is that there are many that can be, and it’s within those positions that businesses should offer flexibility and hybrid workplace options. Better yet, this is yet another fantastic instance when we can say this: the business world has changed forever. In that CNBC article, Dimon was quoted as saying, “Yes, the commute; you know, people don’t like commuting, but so what.”

But so what? This is one of several reasons why we are currently living in a business world in which talented professionals are playing a waiting game with their careers, leaving their existing positions, and/or targeting potential roles based on factors beyond compensation…such as flexibility. While due credit goes to Bessant for confirming that empathy will be a key focal area for her and other leadership within BofA, there’s still a major gap that unfortunately is present in too many organizations around the world.

Workers have, for the most part, become accustomed to change. They know what’s ahead for them personally and for their careers; they know what they want out of their professional lives and they know how they want it structured. While many business leaders have bought into adaptation and offer flexible workplaces, thinking, and cultures, too many have not.

It’s only when both sides can truly accept the change at hand and the evolution of the business world that the next great era of the Future of Work movement can begin.

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Determining the Value of the Agile Workforce

Uncategorized by Christopher J. Dwyer on

I can vividly remember a conversation with an HR executive back in 2014. She and I were in a spirited discussion regarding the growth of her enterprise and how quickly her team needed to bring in new talent to support that rampant expansion. Her contingent workforce volume had doubled in just a couple of years, and she caught onto my public proclamation that, by 2020, close to half the workforce would be considered “non-employee.” I still keep in touch with her all of these years later, and she still points the contingent workforce as a big reason why her organization was able to bring in the necessary skills and expertise to grow effectively.

Today’s agile workforce comprises 47% of the average organization’s total workforce, a far cry from the days when it was just a sliver of the overall talent pool. The agile workforce of 2021 has driven incredible value for businesses around the globe. Consider that 82% of businesses stated that the contingent workforce enabled workforce flexibility and scalability over the past year (according to Future of Work Exchange research), and, consider that 70% of businesses believed that the agile workforce enabled adaptation to changing times, as well as business continuity.

The agile workforce of 2021 is a powerhouse of skills, expertise, and value. And it’s why the Future of Work Exchange is teaming up with myBasePay this coming Thursday, November 4 at 11am ET, for an exclusive webcast on the value of the growing contingent workforce. I’ll be joined by myBasePay co-founder and CBO, Angela Alberty, as well as LiveHire’s EVP of North America, Karen Gonzalez, for an engaging discussion on major contingent workforce trends and the path ahead for agile talent.

Click here on or on the image below to register:

 

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Leadership Must Change if Businesses Want to Thrive in 2022

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Many business leaders across the world were dealt an unfair hand when the COVID-19 pandemic hit nearly 18 months ago. Faced with a massive loss of revenue, customer trust, and enterprise sales, executives were also forced to lay off or furlough chunks of staff during the worst public health crisis of our lifetime. When uncertainty and the unprecedented impact of a pandemic hits your business, your staff, and your personal life, as well, there’s not much room to positively maneuver around it all.

We’ve experienced many Future of Work “accelerants” over the past year-and-a-half that have enabled new discussions on the best ways for enterprises to get work done. Yes, of course, remote and hybrid work have dominated those conversations, however, there’s so much more to the story that has a direct impact on how leaders, well, lead.

Future of Work Exchange research points to several expected shifts in business leadership over the next several months and into 2022:

  • 83% of enterprises expect business leadership to prioritize an inclusive workplace environment. Diversity is just one (very big) piece of the arena known as “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Business leaders now seemingly understand that inclusion, which extends to how they structure a welcoming and open workplace environment, is the only path forward for both talent acquisition and talent retention. Potential candidates should feel at-ease knowing that they could potentially join an organization that welcomes their background, differences, disabilities, etc., while existing workers are more likely to stay if they know their workplace is safe, welcoming, and prioritizes openness and communication. Inclusion is just as critical for new talent as it is for current talent.
  • 80% of companies anticipate more empathy-led leadership. Empathy is a routine, featured topic here at the Future of Work Exchange, and for good reason: empathy, quite literally, is the only way forward. Empathetic leadership is what is sorely needed for executives to earn required trust from their staff and for workers to feel “connected” to the greater organization and to also feel supported in their current roles. Empathy-led leadership involves organizational leaders asking questions, actively collaborating, and prioritizing communication with their workforce. In 2022, this will make or break the average enterprise, especially as conversations around worker burnout continue to dominate headlines.
  • 77% of organizations believe business leaders will structure workforce management on flexibility. While we just highlighted how the Future of Work is more than “just flexibility,” the agile nature of today’s forward-thinking organizations provides a robust template from which today’s leaders can leverage to effectively plan for the year ahead. Yes, remote and hybrid work plays a valuable role in the greater concept of flexibility, however, it traverses much deeper than whether or not workers are physically in the office or at their kitchen table. Flexible work models, such as shorter work weeks, adjusted hours, or agile task-sharing, also play critical roles in how business leaders rethink the many ways to get work done.
  • 72% of businesses expect business leadership will focus on understanding personal perspectives of workers. This attribute could be the most crucial of all, given where we are in the greater timeline of a public health crisis. When the pandemic hit, no one fully knew what to expect; what followed was tragedy, horror, and unease. From a business leadership perspective, it created a truly emotional toll on the workforce, forcing executives to enact cognitive empathy to fully understand what it was like to juggle a lack of daycare, remote learning for children, sick or dying relatives and family members, and general uncertainty regarding job security. If leaders truly understand “where” workers are mentally and emotionally, it allows them to be more flexible in their management style and how they support that talent. In the months and years ahead, this higher level of understanding will go a long in helping business leaders build a trusting workforce that feel like their leaders want to fully support them during uncertain times.
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