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Christopher J. Dwyer

The Future of Work Exchange LIVE 2024: The Future of Work is…Human

“The Future of Work is many things: technology, innovation, evolution, and transformation. But most importantly, the Future of Work is human.”

It was a bold statement but one I was comfortable making during the welcome address at the Future of Work Exchange LIVE executive roundtable in Boston last week (at the historic and elegant Harvard Club venue), the third annual event (hosted by Ardent Partners) that brought together swaths of procurement, HR, talent acquisition, contingent workforce, and recruitment professionals.

Lori Hock, Raleen Gagnon, and Rebecca Valladares discuss how AI can push role-based hiring into skills-based hiring.

Given the audience, as well as the natural Future of Work undercurrent permeating the event’s core sessions, it only appropriate to view “the human factor” as a natural link to the day’s core themes and topics, such as AI in talent acquisition, skills-based hiring, direct sourcing, extended workforce management, and the evolving workplace.

Benjie Hanson, Dawnette Cooke, and Craig Coe discuss data-driven extended workforce management.

Highlights of the event include:

  • Some wonderful commentary on artificial intelligence and its place in the evolving concept of skills-based hiring by Lori Hock and Rebecca Valladares (Opptly) and Raleen Gagnon (TalentEdge AI). The three longtime industry thought leaders took the audience through moving from role-based to skills-based hiring and highlighted the criticality of AI as the foundation for this transformation; Hock and Valladares provided real-world context around the continued evolution and influence of artificial intelligence (and how AI is a “rising tide” in today’s fast-paced talent acquisition arena), while Gagnon gave some robust commentary on AI in action for talent acquisition and workforce management.
  • A riveting panel discussion on the data-driven evolution of extended workforce management, courtesy of Beeline’s Craig Coe and Benjie Hanson and TalentProcure’s Dawnette Cooke. Hanson illuminated the power of data-infused extended workforce management (with Coe adding Beeline customer examples of this in action), while Cooke provided some incredible commentary from her deep expertise as a solutions leader.
  • A compelling look at direct sourcing and its future, heralded by Guidant Global’s Robin Sanders, WorkLLama’s Kevin Leete, and Splunk’s CWM program lead, Ashley Wilson. Sanders gave an incredible perspective of direct sourcing from the MSP purview, buoyed by years of Guidant’s stance as a pioneer in the field. Wilson provided real-world context around her current experiences with direct sourcing within Splunk’s extended workforce program. Leete, as he has done in years past (this is his third appearance at FOWX Live), converged progressive direct sourcing commentary with technology- and innovation-led examples of how the strategy (and its associated functionality) can revolutionize hiring.
Ashley Wilson, Kevin Leete, and Robin Sanders comment on the future of direct sourcing.

As always with FOWX Live events, a highlight of the day was the opportunity for the conference’s attendees to not only engage and interact with each other, but share best practices, discuss challenges, and learn from each other at interactive roundtable conversations on topics like extended workforce management, direct sourcing, artificial intelligence, technology and innovation, and new hiring strategies.

And, too, another endearing attribute of that “human factor”: the ability to converse, engage, and network with so many incredible leaders across the talent technology ecosystem, as well as the HR, talent acquisition, and procurement professionals who live the Future of Work 24/7.

At the end of the day, it’s the connections we make with our colleague. It’s the handshakes and hugs, the smiles and conversations. It’s meeting people in-person for the first time after only hearing voices and seeing faces on a screen. It’s the feeling of knowing that this industry, for all of the incredible innovation and technological advancements happening almost daily, is about the human connections we make with each other.

 

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The Reality (and Future) of Direct Sourcing

In the ever-evolving realm of workforce management, every “hot” topic comes with its fair share of buzz. Yet, amid the hype machine that often surrounds emerging strategies, the question arises: does direct sourcing fit the mold, or is its true significance more profound than the proclamations of technology providers, executive leaders, and industry pundits (like us!) over the past few years suggest?

One of the primary challenges in understanding the true impact of direct sourcing revolves around the complexities inherent in such a program and the precise definition of genuine direct sourcing. Do enterprises that meticulously curate their talent and channel candidates into a talent pool truly encompass direct sourcing within their core workforce strategies? Does a comprehensive approach to direct sourcing, encompassing segmentation, integration into primary recruitment streams, and the facilitation of talent nurture, necessitate automation to earn its place as a cornerstone program?

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Introducing a New Subscription Model from the Future of Work Exchange.

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

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Talent Sustainability and Workforce Scalability: The Hallmarks of Direct Sourcing

When we think of “sustainability,” it often brings to mind the idea of businesses operating in a way that benefits the environment, the broader community, and society at large. However, in the realm of the workforce, sustainability takes on a different meaning. It’s about a business’s capacity to maintain a self-sustaining ecosystem of talent by adeptly tapping into dynamic talent sources and channels. Direct sourcing, with its multifaceted intricacies, plays a pivotal role in this concept of talent sustainability.

Through the strategic application of direct sourcing methods and technology, along with the continuous upkeep of internal talent communities and talent pools, companies can construct a seamless pathway towards talent sustainability.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

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The Next Great Era of the Hybrid Workplace

“We’re not putting that genie back in the bottle” is a phrase I’ve used at least two or three dozen times over the past few months whenever I’m asked about the realm of remote and hybrid work and how return-to-office (RTO) mandates are impacting these attributes. No matter how the economy shifts and no matter how far the pendulum swings back in favor of the employer, the phrase will always be true.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a watershed moment for humanity. And it was also a turning point in the business world.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

 

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How Will Chat GPT-4o Impact Talent Technology?

“The new voice (and video) mode is the best compute interface I’ve ever used,” said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman yesterday at the company’s launch of its latest AI model, GPT-4o (“omni”). “It feels like AI from the movies; and it’s still a bit surprising to me that it’s real. Getting to human-level response times and expressiveness turns out to be a big change.”

OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-4o, seamlessly blends voice, video, and text to redefine the AI interaction experience, striving for a natural and intuitive engagement. Beyond mere text processing, this model comprehends and reacts to both audio and visual inputs, ushering in a more human-like interaction. Moreover, OpenAI’s efforts in enhancing responsiveness are evident as GPT-4o boasts reaction times in milliseconds, mirroring the pace of a genuine conversation.

There’s a ton to unpack in Altman’s excitement, but there’s a key word in there that means so much for the world of talent technology: expressiveness. And it will take artificial intelligence to the next level in regards to how businesses find, engage, source, manage, and retain talent.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

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The Age of AI in Talent Acquisition

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an indispensable part of the toolkit for every business professional, whether they are involved in automating internal processes or enhancing customer experiences through AI-driven tools. However, in the realm of talent acquisition, AI emerges as a true powerhouse, poised to transform the way organizations engage with talent, streamline candidate selection, and elevate the overall hiring experience.

From a business and hiring perspective, AI plays a pivotal role in modern direct sourcing programs. Enterprises can harness the capabilities of AI to revolutionize candidate engagement strategies. With AI, organizations can pinpoint the ideal candidates for specific roles or projects by considering a multitude of factors, such as their experience, expertise, portfolios, and even their soft skills. The candidate matching attributes of AI rely on extensive skills taxonomies and innovative skills DNA, which in turn expedite direct sourcing and transform it into a comprehensive talent acquisition tool.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

 

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The Power of Digital Workspaces in 2024

Digital workspaces are increasingly becoming powerful additions to the realm of remote and hybrid work. In the simplest of terms, these digital spaces allow employees to work remotely or from anywhere with an internet connection, rather than being tied to a specific physical location.

In recent years, the adoption of digital workspaces has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced many companies to adopt remote work policies. However, even before the pandemic, the trend towards digital workspaces was already on the rise, driven by factors such as the increasing availability of advanced communication and collaboration technologies, the rising costs of real estate, and the desire for greater flexibility and work-life balance.

Today, the digital workspace model is now permanent, no matter how many executives believe they can ignore the spectrum of flexibility that has become synonymous with post-pandemic working.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model from the Future of Work Exchange.

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

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Revisiting the Blueprint for Direct Sourcing Success

Over the past few years, direct sourcing has emerged as perhaps the hottest talent-led strategy in the world of both talent acquisition and contingent workforce management. In pre-pandemic times, businesses understood that expanding their talent engagement efforts on building internal talent communities (via enterprise-led “agencies” that eschewed middle entities like staffing suppliers) was a powerful way to infuse new skillsets into the greater organization. During the pandemic, direct sourcing served as a robust means of keeping candidates engaged during uncertain times and augmenting workforce scalability. Today, direct sourcing represents the very future of talent acquisition.

With an ever-increasing number of talent channels, including digital staffing marketplaces, traditional staffing vendors, professional services, talent networks, and social media platforms, the ability to match project requirements with available skillsets has never been easier. However, it has also never been more competitive or difficult.  Businesses that harness the power of direct sourcing and talent pools have the ability to develop an agile workforce which can be the key differentiator needed to advance and grow in a marketplace that rewards dynamic, talent-led responses to new business pressures and challenges…especially what could be ahead as 2024 unfolds.

With so many organizations yet to undertake this journey, it is imperative to revisit these guidelines for direct sourcing success:

  • The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

    Introducing a New Subscription Model from the Future of Work Exchange.

    To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

    Click here to learn more.

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The Chief People Officer’s Future of Work Impact

The role of the Chief People Officer has undergone a significant evolution in recent years. Once seen as primarily a human resources (HR) role, the Chief People officer is now increasingly viewed as a strategic business leader who plays a critical role in driving organizational success during these challenging times.

The Chief People Officer was once primarily responsible for handling day-to-day and tactical HR tasks, such as hiring, benefits administration, and managing compliance with local and federal labor laws. However, as enterprises continue to become more complex and competitive in a globalized and digital age, the role has expanded to include a much broader range of strategic responsibilities that are directly responsible for the overall success of the modern organization.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model from the Future of Work Exchange.

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

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