John Yuva, Author at The Future of Work Exchange

Examining the Leading Workforce Management Priorities in 2025

Contingent Workforce Direct Sourcing General Insights HR Talent Acquisition Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 06/12/2025

Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange (FOWX) conduct a variety of workplace and Future of Work research. In this new series, we’re taking a deep dive into a chart from a recent research effort and providing analysis to bring you the latest technology trends impacting today’s workforce.

This week, we’re looking at 2025 workforce management priorities, with a chart (see below) that offers a compelling snapshot of how enterprises are reshaping their workforce strategies to thrive in a fast-changing, increasingly digitized economy. At the heart of these priorities lies a clear and deliberate shift: enterprises are placing greater emphasis on agility, innovation, and value creation through a more strategic use of external talent, automation, and direct sourcing. Each of the top three priorities — optimizing utilization of external talent (92%), amplifying digitization, AI, and automation (89%), and implementing direct sourcing strategies (81%) — reflects not only a response to near-term workforce pressures but also a broader, long-term transformation in how work gets done.

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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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Enterprises Prioritize Total Talent Management Investment

Contingent Workforce Direct Sourcing General Insights Procurement Talent Technology and Innovation Uncategorized by John Yuva on 06/05/2025

This week, we’re looking at the level of automation and technology support across several workforce domain areas. When looking at those areas currently automated or supported via technology, it reveals a fragmented landscape where a couple domains are much more digitized than others. However, when comparing planned automation and tech support over the next 18 to 24 months, it’s clear most organizations are prioritizing automation in the near future.

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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.

Employee Burnout Alive and Well in Today’s Enterprises

Contingent Workforce General Insights by John Yuva on 05/15/2025

When we refer to the Future of Work, we’re often talking about a better overall workforce experience. Certainly, a workplace that considers employee purpose, well-being, and work/life balance. In essence, the Future of Work should help prevent one of the leading causes of workforce distress and loss of talent — employee burnout. Yet, with increasing return-to-office (RTO) mandates and enterprises doing more with less, HR, talent leaders, and managers must be more vigilant on what could become an employee epidemic.

The State of Burnout in 2024/25

In its 2024 State of Work in America survey, Grant Thornton cited economic and global factors for the growing mental and emotional toll that today’s workers are experiencing. Some notable statistics from the survey include:

In the last year, 51% of survey respondents have suffered burnout.
The top causes of burnout include mental and emotional distress (63%), followed by long hours (54%).
A decline in overall well-being was reported, with mental (32%) and financial (30%) health declines being the most notable.
When citing the most stressful aspect of working at their organization, 40% of respondents cited people shortages, followed by poor communication (34%).

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Best Practices for Direct Sourcing: Insights from Industry Leaders

Business Leadership Direct Sourcing Podcast Talent by John Yuva on 05/08/2025

When it comes to implementing and optimizing a direct sourcing program, the collective insights from industry veterans offer a roadmap rooted in experience, strategic foresight, and operational nuance. Across the board, one message rings clear: Success is not about checking a box, it’s about building a robust, thoughtful, and collaborative framework that aligns with broader organizational goals.

The following is based on a FOWX podcast (listen here) and sponsored by Worksuite, featuring host Christopher J. Dwyer, senior vice president of research at Ardent Partners and the managing director of the Future of Work Exchange, as well as a panel of industry experts from Opptly, Beeline, Raise, and Talent Solutions.

Start with Collaboration and Clarity

There must be emphasis on the importance of collaboration. With multiple stakeholders involved in most direct sourcing ecosystems — MSPs, curation providers, VMS platforms, tech partners, payroll providers, and clients themselves — navigating this complexity requires more than good intentions.

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Direct Sourcing: Moving Beyond the Buzzword into Strategic Workforce Value

Direct Sourcing General Insights Podcast Talent Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 05/01/2025

Direct sourcing has only grown as a hot topic in the workforce management space. What began as a promising trend has now evolved into a proven practice — no longer just a buzzword but an integral part of modern talent strategies. The question facing organizations today is not whether direct sourcing has value, but how it can be effectively implemented and scaled for sustained impact. Leaders across the industry are aligning on the fact that, with the right approach, direct sourcing offers tangible, long-term benefits, particularly in building resilient, agile, and skills-focused talent ecosystems.

At its foundation, successful direct sourcing requires a comprehensive vision that captures all elements of the contingent workforce. This includes ensuring full visibility into contingent labor through vendor management systems (VMS) and managed service providers (MSP). Without this holistic view, companies risk making tactical decisions in a vacuum, limiting their ability to evolve workforce strategy. When organizations manage only a subset of their non-employee labor, they lose critical insight into how work is being done, and more importantly, how it should be sourced.

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Revisiting Empathetic Leadership and Measurement

Business Leadership General Insights by John Yuva on 04/24/2025

Empathetic leadership remains critical in today’s remote, hybrid, and in-person workplaces. This topic was part of an Afterhours interview, sponsored by Utmost and hosted by Neha Goel, the company’s vice president of marketing, that featured our own Christopher J. Dwyer, architect of the Future of Work Exchange and host of the Future of Work Exchange Podcast, as part of its Contingent Workforce Radio series.

Neha and Christopher discussed a variety of issues related to the state of talent and the future of work (click to listen to the full interview). This is an excerpt from that conversation. (Note that this excerpt has been edited for readability.)

Neha Goel: As we explore the human element in the workplace, let’s talk about another tenant of the Future of Work — empathetic leadership. Is this something you are seeing put into action? And can empathetic leadership be measured in a meaningful way?

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DEX and the Harnessing of Digital Tools

Direct Sourcing General Insights HR Solution Providers Talent Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 04/17/2025

One of the defining characteristics of the Future of Work is digitization. With the growth of automation, generative AI, and large language models, it’s even clearer how technology is imperative to a cohesive and efficient workforce. What this means for the individual employee is more daily immersion in various technological platforms and solutions. For that to occur, upskilling will be a critical aspect for workers as they harness more advanced technologies to communicate, collaborate, and execute their roles. A term that continues to grow in importance is digital employee experience (DEX).

DEX is a term that describes worker effectiveness in using digital tools. DEX is a growing area as companies adopt more digital tools to augment their dispersed workforces. Companies want to ensure the tools they have integrated into the workplace are intuitive and enhance worker productivity.

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Part Two: Procurement 2025: BIG Trends and Predictions — A Future of Work Perspective

Contingent Workforce Direct Sourcing General Insights Talent Acquisition Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 04/10/2025

Did you miss Ardent Partners’ recent webinar, Procurement 2025: BIG Trends and Predictions, that delivered a series of insightful predictions designed to help procurement teams in all industries and regions focus on and prepare for what is important while remaining proactive and agile?

The session featured Ardent Partners’ Founder and Chief Research Officer, Andrew Bartolini, and Senior Vice President of Research, Christopher Dwyer, as well as experts from Ivalua and Beeline, as they explored trends and predictions that procurement teams in all sectors and regions can leverage to better prepare and strategize for what lies ahead in 2025.

As part of the webcast, Christopher Dwyer spoke about the trends and predictions within the Future of Work space.

In this two-part series, we provide some webcast highlights of that discussion and a link to the full event.

The Role of Data in Supplier Management and AI Transformation

With the increased focus on supplier management, the role of data has become more crucial than ever. Organizations are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to improve risk management, supplier performance, and overall procurement efficiency. However, AI is only as effective as the data it processes. A fundamental challenge that persists in supplier data management is the inconsistency and fragmentation of data across multiple systems. Organizations must prioritize creating a consolidated and accurate data foundation to maximize AI’s potential in supplier management.

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Part One: Procurement 2025: BIG Trends and Predictions — A Future of Work Perspective

Contingent Workforce Direct Sourcing General Insights Talent Acquisition Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 04/03/2025

As part of the webcast, Christopher Dwyer spoke about the trends and predictions within the Future of Work space.

In this two-part series, we provide some webcast highlights of that discussion and a link to the full event.

Driving Forces in the Future of Work

The Future of Work is undergoing a transformative shift, driven by three major forces: the evolution of talent engagement, the advent of new technology, and a shift in business thinking. As organizations navigate this rapidly changing landscape, several key trends and predictions are emerging that will define workforce strategies in the years ahead.

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Millennials and Gen Z Transforming Frontline Work, Part 3

Contingent Workforce Events Talent Talent Acquisition Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 03/27/2025

Did you miss Ardent Partners’ recent webinar, Shifting Expectations: How Younger Generations are Transforming Frontline Work, that shed light on how the frontline workforce is undergoing a dramatic transformation as Gen Z and Millennials become the dominant demographic, creating new challenges for procurement and talent acquisition leaders managing their flexible workforce.

Moderated by Ardent Partners’ Andrew Bartolini, the session featured industry experts, Christopher Dwyer, SVP of Research at Ardent Partners, and JB Nussbaum, VP of Enterprise Sales for Network, who explored the evolving demographics of frontline workforces and the external workforce strategies to optimize shift fulfillment.

In this three-part series, we provide some of the webcast highlights and a link to the full event.

Let’s explore Part Three and the key takeaways around how businesses navigate the evolving workforce management landscape, two major themes emerge: the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in automation and the generational shift in workplace expectations. Organizations must assess their tolerance for AI and adapt their strategies to align with the needs and motivations of a younger workforce while leveraging mobile-first solutions to drive efficiency.

Establishing AI Tolerances in Workforce Automation

The increasing role of AI in workforce automation has prompted organizations to define their tolerance levels for integrating artificial intelligence into their operations. Different companies exhibit varying degrees of comfort with AI adoption, influencing how they implement automation in sourcing and talent management. Organizations must establish clear guidelines to ensure AI-driven processes align with company values and operational goals.

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