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Why Hybrid Work Works

Business LeadershipTechnology and Innovation by Featured Contributor on

[Today’s guest contribution was written by Tim Minahan, EVP Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer at Citrix.]

Employees given the flexibility to work both in an office and at home report higher levels of engagement, productivity and well-being.

Whether businesses like it or not, hybrid work is here to stay, and employees like it. And whether they believe it or not, the model is working. Research shows that hybrid workers – those who work partly in an office and partly remote – are more productive and engaged than employees who are entirely office-based or fully remote. They also report better well-being – both physical and mental – and feel more positive about their organization.

Despite the evidence and clear benefits that hybrid work can deliver, many companies are still grappling with whether and how to implement it. Some business leaders feel that real work can’t get done outside the office. But if implemented properly, flexible work models can lead to a more productive, healthy workforce.

More Productive

As revealed by Work Rebalanced, a poll of 900 business leaders and 1,800 knowledge workers around the world conducted by Citrix, 69 percent of hybrid workers feel productive, compared to 64 percent of remote workers and 59 percent of in-office employees. Further,

  • 69 percent of hybrid workers feel engaged, compared to 56 percent of remote workers and 51 percent of in-office employees.
  • 73 percent of hybrid workers are positive about their personal performance, as compared to 69 percent of remote workers and 65 percent of in-office employees.

More Connected

Hybrid workers also view their jobs and employers more favorably than their peers.

  • 71 percent of hybrid workers surveyed say they have a strong emotional connection to their team and immediate colleagues which motivates them to work harder, compared to 63 percent of in-office employees and 60 percent of remote workers.
  • 70 percent of hybrid workers say they have a strong emotional connection to their organization and leadership team, compared to 60 percent of remote workers and 58 percent of in-office employees.
  • 69 percent of hybrid workers would recommend their employer, compared to 60 percent of remote workers and 56 percent of in-office employees.

More Balanced

The pandemic has upended the way people work and driven stress to record levels. But one thing is universal: when employees experience a state of well-being at work, they can unlock their potential, work purposefully and creatively, and make meaningful contributions to the success of the entire organization. Hybrid workers lead the way here too, with 70 percent of those who participated in Work Rebalanced reporting good well-being, compared to 61 percent of remote workers and 60 percent of in-office employees.

Empowered by Technology

When it comes to enabling hybrid work, technology is a key driver of success. Employees want access to tools that allow them to work where they want and how they need to be their most productive. And they expect their employers to deliver it.

Of critical importance is removing the noise and distractions from work that technology can create. As uncovered by Work Rebalanced, the average employee spends around 54 minutes a day dealing with technology challenges. The typical employee, for instance, needs to navigate four or more applications just to execute a single business process, and accessing them requires remembering multiple passwords and navigating a host of different interfaces.

It’s frustrating and slowing them down. But with the right solutions, IT leaders can simplify and streamline work technology to ensure that employees have the space for ‘deep work’ and focus.

The Hybrid Work Stack

Many organizations are already making efforts to do so, leveraging digital workspace solutions that allow them to:

  • Unify work – Whether at home, on plane or in an office, employees have consistent and reliable access to all the resources they need to be productive across any work channel, device or location.
  • Secure work – Contextual access and app security, ensure applications and information remain secure—no matter where work happens.
  • Simplify work – Intelligence capabilities like machine learning, virtual assistants and simplified workflows personalize, guide, and automate the work experience so employees can work free from noise and perform at their best.

IT departments are now much more focused on really understanding and meeting employee needs with the work technology that they provide and are taking more of an employee-led, design thinking approach when it comes to work tech infrastructure.

And the move is paying off, especially among hybrid workers. According to Work Rebalanced, hybrid workers feel more empowered by their work technology, with 68 percent saying that their work technology enables them to perform effectively, compared to 65 percent of remote workers and 60 percent of in-office employees.

The Future of Work

Hybrid work is the Future of Work. And as Work Rebalanced makes clear, it can create significant, positive outcomes for employees and employers alike. If given the flexibility, trust, and power to choose where and how they work best, employees will thrive. And companies that grant it will accelerate their innovation and growth.

Tim Minahan is the executive vice president, business strategy and chief marketing officer at Citrix, a leading provider of digital workspace solutions.

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How Hidden Biases Can Affect Hiring And Diversity Initiatives

Diversity and Inclusion by Featured Contributor on

[Today’s guest contribution was written by the team at Prosperix.]

Businesses often pride themselves on their diversity initiatives in the workplace, but the hidden danger of recruiting bias means limiting your candidate options during the hiring process. Maybe you don’t even know you’re doing it, but everyone has internal biases, whether consciously or unconsciously. Besides the most common bias that is already being tackled, like gender bias in hiring, the workplace is rife with unconscious bias, and since you aren’t aware of it, it’s hard to stamp out. It’s detrimental to both current and prospective employees, recruiters, and the companies themselves. Unconscious bias can inhibit diversity, recruitment efforts, promotions, and the retention rate in companies. For being an unknown factor, bias has a lot of harmful side effects.

Are You Guilty of These Common Biases?

The good news is that once you know about your own hidden biases, you can take steps to correct them with knowledge and training. This means that you won’t always be affected by them, or, if you are, at least to a lesser extent. What exactly are these biases that might be affecting your hiring decisions? Listed below are some of the more prevalent ones:

  1. Confirmation bias: Confirmation bias means you only take in information that confirms your beliefs and ignore everything else. It also means you don’t look for details or under the surface since you believe your first impression. If you see a well-dressed candidate or resume or both, and you think that means they are a good candidate, then you will ignore anything negative about them after that. This generally means that you form your opinion, positive or negative, based on one detail (like from a resume) and simply see everything as confirming that opinion or as unimportant if contrary.
  2. Affinity bias: This is where you identify with a candidate based on a similar or likable trait, so you act warmer towards them during the interview and speak better of them afterward. There was no fundamental basis for this warmth, just a feeling, which is subjective and can hurt other candidates.
  3. Similarity bias (Ingroup bias): Similarity bias means you want to hire those most like you (same group interests or hobbies, etc.). While this is a great way to make friends, it’s not a successful tactic for hiring the best, unless they are applying for your job. You need to remember that most jobs have different competencies and, on top of that, you want diversity in the workplace.
  4. Projection bias: You believe that others share your own goals, beliefs, etc., and so you think they’d be suitable for the company you are hiring for. But people have their own priorities and goals that have nothing to do with you and yours, so assuming this just leads to confusion and disappointment.
  5. Halo effect: The halo effect is where you think that since the person is good at A, they will also be good at B, C, and D. But you need to see if they have the requisite skills and not judge the candidate based on one trait.
  6. Pitchfork effect: This is the opposite of the halo effect where you see or hear something negative and then assume all of the candidate’s other traits are negative too. For example, during an interview, if the candidate answers the first couple of questions badly, you think they’ll answer everything that way and assume they’re not qualified for the job.
  7. Status quo bias: The status quo bias is where you like everything the way it is and want it to stay that way. There are two sides to this coin: a) You are only looking for past experience to find a good candidate, which means you miss out on someone just entering the field, but who could be perfect. This means you keep focusing on those already in the field while ignoring fresh talent.  Alternatively, if you are filling a previously held position by someone you liked, you’ll try to get a carbon copy of them in the next hire, which adds internal blinders to your search for the best candidate.
  8. Nonverbal bias/Effective Heuristic: This is where you judge a candidate’s ability to do the job based on a superficial trait like tattoos or body weight. However, a one-dimensional characteristic doesn’t mean you can perform a full analysis to see if they are qualified. (It’s also dangerous on legal grounds, beware.) For example, if you think CEOs should be tall, then you will discount anyone shorter than your assumed cut-off height.
  9. Expectation Anchor: If you are convinced that an earlier candidate was the best for the job,  you don’t consider any of the later candidates even while still conducting interviews.
  10. Contrast effect: The contrast effect happens when you see a ton of resumes or interviews in a row, and so you start to compare how they are to the previous candidates, even though you should be comparing individual skills and experiences to the job posting only.
  11. Conformity bias: This bias is where, if you form a different opinion than the rest of a group, you’re more likely to change your mind to agree with them. This can be seen as the “Majority rules” idea or the “Mob mentality” that happens when a group of people form and one idea takes hold even when not everyone agrees with it.

There are quite a few biases you need to be aware of which makes hiring an even more difficult process. As, you don’t even realize that you might be missing out on the best candidates when you believe your first impressions and take things at face value.

Tips to Overcome Unconscious Hiring Bias

Refine Job Descriptions

Different words attract different candidates. Hence, it is essential to choose the right words while writing job descriptions. Job descriptions act as a primary filter and can in fact influence both the hiring process and the candidate’s opinion of the business brand, even before they get into the interview. While writing your job descriptions pay attention to making them standardized, job role-specific, and inclusive of supporting all forms of diversity.

Use a Hiring Marketplace

Hiring Marketplaces offer businesses a wide variety of candidates to choose from, with varying sets of skills and diversities. An open marketplace encourages anyone to apply and helps remove intrinsic bias. Rather than scrutinizing a worker’s background, this model gets to the heart of what matters most: finding talent that performs and produces results at the highest level. Moreover, modern-day Hiring Marketplaces built using the latest technology help in bias-free candidate matching by using smart algorithms and assessments to objectively match the best candidates with the right skills and motivations to the relevant jobs.

Improve Interview Processes

While conducting an interview, it is important to stick to a structured process so that everyone answers the same standardized questions. This makes it easier to compare candidate abilities without being influenced by superficial traits. It is also helpful to ask behavioral questions to see how candidates have reacted in the past to assess possible future situations.

Additionally, try to have many pairs of eyes on the interview, either with a transcript or with a panel interview. You could even try to have live or recorded phone or video interviews so that more people can hear the candidate and weigh in on the matter.After conducting the interview, take a minute to see if you are dismissing or pushing forward a specific candidate. Is this action based on actual concrete data from their resume, skills test, or interview, or is it based on something else like a gut feeling or a physical characteristic? If it’s the latter, then you are being biased. Once you recognize a bias, you need to get back on track for an objective analysis. You need to train yourself out of making decisions based on superficial traits (appearance, culture, comfort level during the interview, etc.) and look deeper. If you still have issues, you need to ask better questions during the interview or look into interview training. You need to avoid making snap decisions since they are not the best way to hire someone. Don’t forget to test your conclusions. This is where reference checks come in. Always verify that the candidate is who and what they say they are.

Explore Digital Solutions to Curb Hiring Bias

Just as we can’t remove emotions from people, we can’t suppress their biases. However, by deploying the right digital workforce solutions, businesses can eliminate hiring biases to a great extent. Prosperix aims to help businesses identify and conquer all forms of hiring biases to onboard exceptional professionals — regardless of who they are or where they came from. Our solution is a combination of the latest technology catalyzed with our white glove MSP/VMS services that guarantee organizations the best hiring outcomes. We reinforce technology with active human curation to handpick and thoroughly vet candidates before presenting them to businesses. Since we are a certified tier 1 diverse supplier, all hires made through Prosperix’s VMS count towards tier 1 diversity spend, and our built-in AI makes hiring outstanding candidates easy, matching you to the most capable suppliers and candidates in real-time.

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The Industry Is At A Crossroads

Technology and Innovation by Featured Contributor on

[Editor’s Note: Today’s article is a guest contribution from Neha Goel, Vice President of Marketing at Utmost.]

We are interconnected in all aspects of our lives, and work is no exception. We have become global citizens, and organizations are utilizing talent outside traditional full-time employees in record numbers. In fact, a company’s workforce is becoming inherently external, made up of episodic, variable, and dynamic engagements.

People are choosing careers that are no longer hierarchical or linear, and demanding flexibility in how and where they work. Similarly, companies want to capitalize on collaborating with a talent ecosystem that can deliver speed and value with highly-skilled, hyper-specialized workers.

Today, this looks like a large and complex network of extended global workers, spanning staff augmentation contractors, Statement of Work (SOW) project-based workers, independent consultants, freelancers, gig workers, and consultants. Now, it’s up to the enterprise to determine how best to capitalize on this new world of work.

Many companies are doing just that. New data from LinkedIn (via Forbes) finds there has been a 60% increase in “future of work” job titles and a 304% increase in titles where “hybrid work” has been included in the past two years. The job title Head of Future of Work was listed as one of the most in-demand job titles available today.

Once you have the people in place, leadership also must get on board with how all talent wants to be engaged. Today’s market “requires leaders to develop a much deeper empathy for what employees are going through and to pair that empathy with the compassion—and determination—to act and change,” said a recent McKinsey article on the role leaders play in understanding attrition. “Only then can employers properly reexamine the wants and needs of their employees—together with those employees—and begin to provide the flexibility, connectivity, and sense of unity and purpose that people crave.” Our findings support this to be true.

Finally, the next challenge becomes finding a technology that can support the risk, size, and complexity of today’s workforce. This must be done in a way that makes it easier to find, engage, and attract top talent while meeting them how and where they want to work.

As I’ve said before, it’s not just about managing suppliers and vendors and merely augmenting a contingent workforce management agenda on the world of talent, but rather looking at how to manage the workforce effectively in optimizing how work gets done.

Whether you believe in acquisition and consolidation of the VMS/EWS market to expand functionality or are skeptical of the “FrankenSuite” approach and believe a purpose-built system is favorable, many organizations find themselves at a crossroads now that almost half their workforce is made up of non-employee labor with no seamless, scalable way of managing it.

As companies compete for greater access to on-demand, agile, highly specialized talent at better rates, faster access to information and analytics, and the ability to meet today’s workers where and how they want to work is imperative.

Whatever companies decide, it’s clear workers need to be redeployed faster, have agency over their information (with PII and diversity top of mind for all parties), and have a positive user experience that makes it easy to come in and out of companies and projects with ease. This is the new world of work, and if companies don’t embrace the changes quickly, they may be left behind when it comes to finding talent that ensures their success in the market.

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The Future of Gig Work

Talent by Featured Contributor on

[Today’s guest contribution was written by Tim Minahan, EVP Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer at Citrix.]

Hybrid work has opened the door to a new kind of “gig with benefits” that may upend the model. And that’s good news for Corporate America.

Workers are leaving jobs like never before, and it’s causing a shortage of talent that has companies around the globe reeling. According to a recent survey conducted by Citrix, 40 percent of 1,000 knowledge workers in the US have left at least one job in the past year or are considering doing so. It’s been dubbed “The Great Resignation.” But it’s really “The Great Transformation.”

Contrary to what’s being reported, workers aren’t bailing for traditional reasons like more money or a better title. The majority are jumping ship for jobs that give them the freedom to do meaningful work from the location of their choice and provide equal opportunities to contribute and advance their careers. As revealed by the Citrix survey:

Money isn’t Everything

Make no mistake: salary and benefits are important. But they aren’t what’s inspiring workers to seek new roles. Among those surveyed who have changed jobs in the last 12 months, more than half took a pay cut. And 60% joined startups and accepted equity in exchange for salary.

Flexibility is Key

Today’s workers want flexible arrangements that allow them to choose where they work best. An overwhelming 80% of respondents to the Citrix survey said it was “very” or “somewhat” important that they be able to “work from anywhere,” and 55% said they would take less money to do so.

Employee Experience has Never Mattered More

Modern employees want to engage in innovative work, be productive and make meaningful contributions to the business that are valued without interference from complex technology and processes. And they’re likely to move on if they can’t:

  • 60% of workers have left jobs for positions that provide more opportunities to innovate and try new things.
  • 38% bolted because they were not engaged in or passionate about their former role.
  • 31% were frustrated by overly complicated technology and processes.
  • 47% believe they can do more meaningful work in their new roles, and;
  • 13% saw it as a way to inject certainty into their future and regain some of the control they’ve lost during the pandemic.

If all of this sounds familiar, it should. In 2009, a similar exit took place as workers across the knowledge economy began pursuing consulting and freelance work, creating the so-called “Gig Economy.” They left for many of the same reasons workers are moving on today. But the stage is set to bring them back.

In addition to why workers leave, the Citrix survey sought to understand what makes them stay. And it found:

  • 41% feel their benefits are competitive and beyond financial security, provide for their physical and mental well being.
  • 40% can work flexibly.
  • 27% are afraid to make a change given the ongoing uncertainty.
  • 12% will lose stock options or a retirement plan if they leave.

All of this bodes well for Corporate America.

In embracing hybrid models for work and digital technologies that empower people to work when, where and how they choose, companies can create a new class of “gigs with benefits” that provide the flexibility and autonomy that freelance, contract and gig workers crave along with the stability that has become increasingly attractive as the pandemic wears on.

And in doing so, they may lure back some valuable talent with the skills to keep business going and growing.

Creating the Space to Succeed

With the right digital workspace solutions, companies can remove the friction from work that frustrates and slows employees down. And this is critical, because when employees feel empowered by the solutions they use rather than hamstrung by them, they can focus, innovate and deliver value.

Narrowing the Digital Divide

They can also narrow the new digital divide that hybrid models threaten to open by creating an equitable environment in which employees can engage and collaborate in a transparent and efficient way regardless of where they are located.

Whether at home, in the office or on the road, digital workspaces provide employees with consistent, secure and reliable access to all of the apps and information they need to perform at their best.

Winning the Battle for Talent

The balance of power has shifted. Employees are no longer demanding flexible jobs that allow them to innovate and move forward, they’re commanding them.

To remain vibrant in one of the tightest labor markets the world has ever seen, companies need to come to grips with this and get on board with the new, flexible work models that will drive the Future of Work and leverage them to cultivate a workforce that is flexible, agile, and empowered to adapt to changing conditions and move their business forward.

Tim Minahan is the executive vice president, business strategy and chief marketing officer at Citrix, a leading provider of digital workspace solutions.

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Fueling Innovation Through Hybrid Work

Business LeadershipTechnology and Innovation by Featured Contributor on

[Today’s guest contribution was written by Tim Minahan, EVP Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer at Citrix.]

Given the flexibility and tools to work when, where and how they choose, employees can deliver transformative ideas and results.

The shift to remote work may have been sparked by a public health emergency, but the same technologies that unlocked new ways to ideate and collaborate out of necessity have given rise to some surprising benefits.

Video meetings put every face in the same-sized box, regardless of seniority. Virtual communication tools gave introverts more opportunities to be heard. Neurodiverse and disabled employees, for whom office work might have introduced anxiety or physical challenges, suddenly could participate on their own terms. And all of this has opened the door to greater innovation.

According to “The Era of Hyper-Innovation,” 93 percent of business leaders say that increased digital collaboration has amplified more diverse voices, resulting in richer idea generation. And as hybrid work becomes the norm, the vast majority expect enhanced equity and collaboration to continue and fuel an era of hyper-innovation.

To capitalize on this, leaders will need to abandon some long-held perceptions and think outside the box when it comes to where and how work gets done.

Believing Doesn’t Mean Seeing

Proximity bias, or the tendency to favor those who are seen most often, is one of the greatest obstacles to equity and innovation in the hybrid workplace. It’s nothing new. Research shows that prior to the pandemic, employees sitting closer to leaders may have enjoyed more opportunities for advancement. And according to a study out of Stanford, many managers still see in-person employees as harder workers and higher performers, and grant them more promotions, bonuses, and other opportunities.

But proximity bias doesn’t have to persist. With the right technologies and work policies to support them, it can be overcome. Among the actions leaders can take:

  • Ensure in-person and remote employees get equal time with managers. Whether meetings with employees are planned or ad-hoc, keep track of them, and create a system to ensure each group is getting equal attention.
  • Develop objective performance metrics rooted in outcomes, not visibility. This will help reduce the power of proximity bias when evaluating employees for assignments, promotions, and bonuses.
  • Facilitate bonding experiences that everyone can participate in.Talk with employees to figure out how they want to build stronger relationships with co-workers. Consider creating virtual “break rooms” where employees can drop in for a water cooler chat. Or work with employees to form virtual interest groups or clubs.

Technology Should Liberate, Not Frustrate

To harness the innovative potential of distributed employees, organizations need to adopt solutions that remove the frustration from work and enable them to collaborate with their peers easily and effectively, whether they are working from home, in the office, on the road, or anywhere in between.

  • Go digital. Digitize all documentation and workflows to ensure equitable, impactful collaboration. Moving to a cloud-based digital workspace solution that serves as a unified hub for collaboration can help with this process.
  • Establish guidelines to support equitable use. If one employee is remote, consider running the entire meeting virtually to create a more level playing field for participation.
  • Conduct an IT audit to compare the remote and in-person experience. Using surveys, focus groups, and IT tickets, identify gaps. Then, make an action plan to close them.
  • Invest in tools that allow for synchronous and asynchronous collaboration. Synchronous collaboration tools, like Zoom or Teams, are important. But equally important for innovation are tools that enable employees to do solo deep work or contribute to the team on their own time, wherever they may be. Provide for both.

Beware the Digital Divide

Business leaders are optimistic about the potential of hybrid work to send innovation into hyperdrive, and with good reason. But the model is not without risk. If not carefully implemented, it has the potential to create a new digital divide that, left unchecked, could establish two classes of workers and infuse the workplace with inequity and bias.

To narrow the digital divide that hybrid work threatens to open, companies must implement technologies and work policies that provide for an equitable environment, in which both remote and in-office employees can equally engage and collaborate in a transparent and efficient way. A shared digital workspace, for instance, provides a common and transparent environment in which teams have consistent access to applications and information and can efficiently collaborate on projects to get work done, wherever it needs to get done.

Innovation isn’t an inevitable consequence of hybrid work. It stems from giving employees the space they need to do their best work, on their terms. Leaders that understand and adapt to accommodate this can foster such environments and help their employees – and ultimately, their companies – innovate and succeed.

Tim Minahan is the executive vice president, business strategy and chief marketing officer at Citrix, a leading provider of digital workspace solutions.

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Why You Should Seek to Collaborate, Rather than Control, with Procurement Processes

Contingent WorkforceProcurement by Featured Contributor on

[Today’s guest contribution was written by Paul Vincent, Global Head of Services Procurement at Randstad Sourceright.]

No one volunteers to wear a straightjacket unless they are a magician.

It is now almost 25 years since I had my defining services procurement experience.

I was working for a global corporation, and, after spending 11 years in different buying roles, I switched to product management and took responsibility for a portfolio that generated about $200M revenue per year. While in this role, I was asked to spearhead a comprehensive change agenda that included reflecting on the external service providers we contracted at the time.

To achieve this objective, I worked closely with the procurement professionals who supported my new division. I had not worked with this team before but I was confident that we could easily collaborate.

I was so wrong.

During our first meeting, I asked for their opinions and ideas on how to best assess the performance of the incumbent suppliers. “We can do anything you want, Paul, as long as it is already written in the service schedules,” I was told.

But the service schedules didn’t seem to be as well defined as they could have been. I looked at this as an opportunity to get creative with the benchmarks.

“Of course, Paul, as long as we don’t ask the suppliers to do something new. We can’t risk them raising the price,” they suggested.

“We should also start to proactively look for alternative sources of supply,” I said.

“No, we can’t do that yet,” they replied.

“Why ever not?”

The procurement team explained that the contracts were not near enough to term and they didn’t want to waste time qualifying any new suppliers until they started the retendering process.

“But I want to explore what is available in the market,” I said, “and I am sure you have other suppliers you can recommend?”

“Well, not really, Paul,” they said. “We are so busy that we can’t monitor the supply market ourselves, so we typically ask stakeholders like yourself to nominate any additional suppliers for the tender.”

I took this as great news and thought it meant I could identify some new suppliers that we could hold exploratory meetings with.

“No. As we just told you, we can’t do that until we start the retendering process.”

This left me frustrated. I felt like the team wasn’t hearing my needs. I was the product owner and I wanted to begin this work. I also wanted to start meeting with the current suppliers to better understand our return on investment from working with them.

“You mean you want to challenge their pricing?” they said.

“No, not necessarily — I just want to know what we’re getting for our money.”

“Well, we would need to have that discussion with them. You are not empowered to talk commercial terms with suppliers, only the procurement team is.”

“But, I am the budget holder. I have a business need for their services. I am accountable for what they deliver. Why can’t I speak with them?”

“Sorry, Paul, you can speak to them about operational matters but when it comes to any commercial topics, you need to leave that to us.”

“I told you already I don’t necessarily want a price reduction, I just want to understand what value they are giving me.”

“Well, we need to be careful about that. You see, if you start asking them to increase their value then they might want more money. So we can avoid that if we control the conversation.”

And so, there you have it. Twenty-five years ago I first encountered that word “control” in a procurement/stakeholder context, and I have been allergic to it ever since.

Despite me being in charge of a product portfolio that brought in $200M a year, despite being accountable for decisions that affected hundreds of operations personnel, and despite being the budget holder of millions, apparently I couldn’t be trusted to speak to a supplier. Through the eyes of that procurement team, I was a maverick because I wanted to go outside of their process to instigate sensible and necessary business actions. I can still vividly remember the exasperation I felt at how little the team seemed to care about what was important to me. There was no collaboration.

In the 25 years since, in my various roles, I’ve seen many services procurement experiences play out similarly. And this naivety has infected managed services providers (MSPs), too.

Don’t set yourself up for failure.

How many procurement professionals are still viewing an SOW management solution as a way to stop their business stakeholders from doing something? How many MSPs focus their solutions on controlling or reining in perceived maverick or rogue behavior?  If you have spent any time walking in a stakeholder’s shoes, you will agree that this mentality often leads to failure.

Ardent Partners’ and the Future of Work Exchange’s annual buy-side research, similar to many other contingent workforce research initiatives, consistently cites stakeholder resistance as the number one reason why services procurement solutions fail. And the number one reason stakeholders resist a services procurement solution is because, in reality, way too many of these programs have the characteristics of a straitjacket. So, who can blame them?

How to drive stronger collaboration.

In 2007, I returned to procurement, first as a global category leader and then a consultant. My experiences as a stakeholder had a transformative effect on the contribution I was able to offer to my internal and external clients. Here are the three key things I always tried to keep front-of-mind to improve outcomes:

  1. Be oven-ready for new stakeholders. When primary stakeholders and budget holders rotate, as they very often do, there is a window of opportunity when the procurement team can be significantly valuable during their acclimatization period. What are the current supply arrangements? What are the issues of the day? How could the new stakeholder be a catalyst for increasing supplier value? Maintain a storyboard that can be ready at a moment’s notice. Being oven-ready like this also ensures the procurement lens is outwardly- and future-focused.
  2. Always seek to improve the procurement process. It is critically important that you are regarded as a champion for effective and not outdated buying practices. Stakeholders will want speed and simplicity. Suppliers will want to minimize their cost of sale. True business partnering happens when all parties are invested in each other’s success, so the more you demonstrate a collaborative center of gravity, the more you can expect your stakeholders and suppliers to positively reciprocate.
  3. Don’t expect anyone to volunteer to wear a straightjacket. The word control means to “to exercise restraining or directing influence over someone or something.” Through the lens of a services procurement solution, this means that reluctant participation is all you will be able to realistically expect. Better outcomes will result with stronger collaboration, rather than control.

The only way a services procurement solution can be sustainably successful is if it is insight-led and purposefully designed to enable the stakeholders’ objectives, not to control what they can and can’t do.

Connect with Paul on LinkedIn, or visit Randstad Sourceright for more information on their solutions and offerings.

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Why SOW and Services Procurement Should Matter To Your CEO

Business Leadership by Featured Contributor on

[Today’s guest contribution was written by Paul Vincent, Global Head of Services Procurement at Randstad Sourceright.]

The origins of modern commerce can be traced back to the eighth century in India, where early organizations, called shreni, first started to emerge. Shrenis were associations of crafts persons and merchants and the people who worked for them performed various functions. They provided services such as training, the purchasing of raw materials and the distribution of finished products.

In all the time that has followed since, the world of business has undergone tremendous amounts of change. But the one constant is that few, if any, commercial organizations are ever likely to be totally self-sufficient. They will always need to spend a proportion of their operating costs on some form of external services support.

With more than 1,200 years of practice under our belt, you would think that we’d have the procurement of external services down to a fine art. Requirements would always be well-considered and clearly articulated. Service providers would know exactly what they have to do and how their customers will be judging their performance. Price negotiations would always be fair and equitable. And all parties would be working seamlessly together to create bi-directional best value.

Unsurprisingly, this is not the reality of the business world we live in.

Buying services involves people, and people have different perceptions of value. People have different tolerances of quality. They have differing levels of budget, knowledge, patience, urgency, and ambition.

Every day we talk to organizations who would like to buy services better, who know they should be buying them better. Some are not sure what they need to do and how to do it. Some know what to do but they never quite get around to doing it. Some are ready and willing, but they are waiting for someone else to make the decision for them before getting on with it.

And this is precisely why services procurement should matter to your CEO. 

Firstly, because a CEO is ultimately responsible for maximizing shareholder value. And if they are to do that, then they need to be aware of what might be diluting it too.  It is highly likely that the assumed ROI of procured services is being negatively offset by the inefficiencies and procrastination embedded in your organization’s buying processes.  For example, according to the World Commerce and Contracting association (formerly IACCM), the most frequent source of claims, disputes and disrupted relationships is due to poorly drafted contracts, most notably around the scope and objectives of the work.

Here are five insights that your CEO should have ready access to:

  1. How much is your company spending on external services in their entirety?
  2. How much is your company spending on different types of services?
  3. How has your company’s spend profile changed over time and what is driving that change?
  4. Who are your company’s key suppliers and how strong are your relationships with them?
  5. How do your company’s buying processes compare to recognized best practices?

If these insights are not readily available to your CEO, then it is implausible to claim that shareholder value is being maximized.

The second reason why services procurement should matter to your CEO is because they are the guardians of your organization’s reputation. There are increasing legal and compliance risks associated with the engagement of external service providers, such as disguised employment off-payroll, and so it is crucial that executive leadership are not only wise to these risks but that they implement appropriate and workable mitigation strategies, too.

The third and final reason is because CEOs need to ensure their organizations are continually scanning the market for competitive advantage. Organizations that purposefully adopt a win-win approach to their engagement of external service providers are much more likely to become a customer of choice. Customers of choice are much more likely to be given access to the most current, innovative, and progressive thinking from their service providers because the relationship is mutually beneficial.

Clearly a CEO should not be spending their time down in the weeds of spend analytics, contract negotiations, and supplier relationship management. However, at the macro level, if they can’t be certain your organizational approach to buying services is fit for purpose, it could have serious repercussions for the long-term health of your business.

Connect with Paul on LinkedIn, or visit Randstad Sourceright for more information on their solutions and offerings.

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Guiding Principles for The Future of Work

Business LeadershipContingent WorkforceHRSolution ProvidersTalentTalent AcquisitionTechnology and Innovation by Featured Contributor on

[Editor’s Note: Today’s article is a guest contribution from Sunil Bagai, CEO of Prosperix.]

When describing the Future of Work, it’s worth keeping in mind a quote from the sci-fi author William Gibson: “The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed.”  Over the past two decades, we’ve all seen industries transformed by technology – travel agencies barely exist anymore, taxis are in a battle with Uber and Lyft for their very existence, and we can purchase virtually anything from groceries to cars online. Travel, transportation, commerce, and entertainment, have all become infinitely more frictionless (and often more affordable) experiences.

All of these examples occurred in established industries that had seen sustained success – and stagnation of technology and business innovation. Many players in those industries were utterly caught by surprise and got left behind. Their customers abandoned them, and why wouldn’t they? It’s not just the application of data and technology to solve problems that’s changed – our perceptions of what’s possible need to change as well.

For businesses to evolve from where they are today to where they aspire to be in the future, they must think and act differently. To help businesses realize their highest potential and deliver meaningful impact, they need new ways of building and managing a thriving workforce.

The world of hiring, and contingent hiring in particular, has been a world of silos and limited data for a long time. That’s led to a particular view of contingent hiring, one that’s full of inefficiencies and process issues. Ferrying data between an ATS, VMS, Talent CRM, and other solutions leads to leakage and an inability to treat hiring as a holistic process. As technology solutions continue to merge traditionally siloed functionality, a world of possibility is opened up for the future of work. Below are some of the principles that guide us at Prosperix, that we believe will create a future that leads to prosperity for all of the stakeholders in the hiring ecosystem.

  • Empowerment – This principle has two components. One is that a seamless candidate experience needs to be an integral part of the hiring process. We’re moving from a model where candidates are out of the loop to one where candidates feel like they are a part of the process, leading to better outcomes. Additionally, a commitment to foster equal and democratized access to opportunities and growth, while uplifting those in need of greater assistance, is the path to a future where everyone prospers.
  • Alignment – Alignment between hiring managers, talent acquisition teams, talent suppliers and candidates is enabled by technology solutions that unite formerly disparate systems. When stakeholders are not focused on solving process issues, they are able to think strategically about their hiring program.
  • Ecosystem – A culture and environment that fosters balance, sustainability and harmony amongst all stakeholders, with keen understanding that prosperity for each member benefits the whole and there is a necessary inter-dependency that requires a high level of compassion, cooperation and collaboration to thrive individually and collectively.
  • Diversity – Valuing diversity recognizes differences between people and acknowledges that these differences are not only a valued asset, but a necessity to achieving great results and outcomes. Diversity occurs when systems are designed thoughtfully to be inclusive and access is democratized, allowing anyone of any background and status to succeed and attain prosperity. Diversity can also provide greater choice and variety in options and opportunities.
  • Transparency – Transparency enables greater visibility, accountability and allows for fixing of inequities by sharing information openly amongst stakeholders. Fostering a transparent environment, as opposed to a siloed process structure, increases trust and partnership over time.
  • Flexibility – In a fast-changing world, there is greater need for solutions that are dynamic, agile, adaptive and can meet the needs of the moment by being responsive and nimble. Flexibility ensures that organizations can thrive in the most challenging of times because resilience and elasticity are designed-in as foundational elements.
  • Innovation – The world is changing exponentially. To stay relevant and thrive in this fast-changing dynamic, it is essential to embrace innovation. The right innovation is a tremendous catalyst for growth and prosperity as well as facilitates resilience from the ongoing turbulence of a constantly changing environment.

The future is already here, it’s just not everywhere yet. To learn more about our vision for the Future of Work, reach out to us at solutions@prosperix.com.

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Preparing for Tomorrow’s Workforce

Contingent WorkforceHRTalent by Featured Contributor on

[Editor’s Note: Today’s article is a guest contribution from Neha Goel, Vice President of Marketing at Utmost.]

Tomorrow’s workforce is changing at a pace we have not experienced in past decades. The pandemic expedited what was already happening in the market: emerging technologies leading to automation and digital transformations; the desire for flexibility in how and where people work; a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I); and globalization. It’s become clear organizations require a shift in how they think about and manage their entire workforce.

The Future of Work, which Ardent Partners defines as work optimization via the transformation of business operations, talent usage, seamless and comprehensive workforce management solutions, and flexible enterprise thinking, requires a change in how companies are tracking, managing, accessing, engaging, and reporting (i.e., spend, worker type, performance) on talent at an enterprise level.

Disparate systems make it difficult for companies to have visibility into their entire workforce. Even if an organization has a vendor management system (VMS) to track their contingent labor, they support as little as 10% of the total external workforce, which is now made up of project-based workers, freelancers, independent contractors, gig workers, and outsourced resources not captured in a VMS.

The Time is Now

As the non-employee utilization rate nears half of the total workforce (nearly 47% of the total workforce, according to Ardent), and more than 80% of large corporations planning on substantially increasing their use of a flexible workforce in the coming years, the time to prepare is now. The fastest-growing part of the workforce is the one that is currently not being tracked, which poses huge challenges for organizations.

This impacts activities like on/offboarding, classification, tenure, performance, payment, and reporting if only a portion of your total workforce is captured in your current ERP, VMS, and project-management tools. More importantly, it becomes impossible to assess and engage your total workforce in a scalable way without a single system of truth.

The Workforce is Changing

By 2025, 75% of the workforce will be made up of millennials — the most diverse group in American history, with 44.2% identifying as “non-white.” This should be a wake-up call for organizations who are not putting their DE&I initiatives at the top of their priority list. Having a platform that allows organizations to easily access, attract, retain, and report on diversity measures to meet their goals is crucial.

Millennials are also the first “digitally-native generation,” according to Pew Research, which means they expect to interact with work in the same way they interact in other aspects of their lives like ordering meals, rides, movies, and other services. They are demanding flexibility, engagement, diversity, career advancement, and a cultural fit regardless of how they are employed — be it full-time or contingent.

Future-Proof Technology

Together, all of these factors require organizations implement a technology platform built for the extended workforce. This can mean anything from connecting to new sourcing channels in an agile way to configurable back-end processes to managing distributed teams in a worker-centric way.

Utmost helps organizations fully engage and optimize their entire extended workforce. Built as a native application on the Workday Cloud Platform, Utmost provides a seamless experience for Workday customers to gain full visibility into their changing workforce composition, quality, and spend in an agile and scalable manner.

We believe the Future of Work is getting “the most from your all,” meaning the enterprise is getting the most out of its workforce, and talent has all the tools in place from their employer to bring their best selves to work. We believe this combination will set organizations, and their most significant competitive advantage, their talent, up for success.

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