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Key Providers for 2022: Beeline

Solution Providers Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 11/03/2022

The Background:

Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research has found that nearly 65% of businesses plan to adopt extended workforce management technology by 2024, an idea that signals the natural evolution of contingent workforce management (CWM) into something more expansive and dynamic. Of course, when nearly half (47.5%) of the average organization’s total talent is considered “non-employee,” there needs to be some level of innovation in how businesses tackle their growing extended workforce.

The advent of extended workforce platforms, which meld Vendor Management System (VMS) functionality with progressive HR, talent acquisition, and contingent workforce management functionality, has been a powerful facilitator of control, visibility, and, most importantly, a better candidate experience.

Enter Beeline.

Why They Were Selected:

In the traditional world of VMS technology, it was typically rare to see “talent” prioritized as much as cost savings or compliance. However, as the business arena changed and the evolution of talent began, enterprises required their technology to become candidate-centric models.

Beeline is a platform defined by innovation. Over its tenure as the largest independent provider of VMS technology, the company was a forerunner for Future of Work elements such as direct sourcing, workforce intelligence, and advanced, AI-fueled talent analytics. Today, 18 months after introducing its extended workforce offering, Beeline has become a talent-centric solution that is tailored for the next generation of workforce management solutions.

In Their Own Words:

Beeline powers the future of work with the world’s first extended workforce platform. Our intelligence-driven, cloud-based platform manages more than 30 million contingent, shift-based, project-based, and independent workers and enables total talent visibility into the entire workforce.

As the pioneer of vendor management systems (VMS), Beeline understands the Future of Work is fueled by technology that enables the limitless potential of every business and every individual. Our AI-powered software delivers insights and tools needed to manage the modern world of work.

With the most seasoned team of contingent workforce solution professionals around the world, we help businesses across more than 120 countries meet their most critical talent needs. To learn more, visit www.beeline.com.

The Outlook:

Beeline’s acquisition by Stone Point Capital earlier this year was just a precursor to the platform expanding its overall reach, with a recent move to snatch up Utmost a clear indicator that the company is all-in on capturing the essence of the Future of Work movement. Beeline has considerable runway due to its robust suite of offerings, one of the most powerful instances of AI-fueled analytics in the space, the industry’s deepest ecosystem, and an overall commitment to a talent-centric technology model that is very much aligned with the direction of the market as its continues to evolve.

Beeline represents the next great generation of not just workforce technology, but also people technology. It is an idyllic and innovative platform that enables flexibility, insights, and true business agility. The company’s core offerings are deep and expansive, touching all facets of the transformative world of work and talent: services procurement, SOW management, candidate experience enhancement, recruitment, direct sourcing, global worker intelligence, and extended workforce management. And, as the industry moves closer and closer to achieving real “total talent management,” it will be solutions like Beeline that pave the way.

Believe the Hype: Direct Sourcing is a Key Element of the Future of Work

Direct Sourcing Events Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on 10/31/2022

I can remember a moment back in January 2020, an era that seems so very long ago. At that point, the world looked so much different: we weren’t so worried about a global pandemic, nor we were masking up whenever we left the house. We weren’t bombarded by 24/7 news on social media about mass suffering and sickness. And, as we know all so well know, the way we looked at our workforce was much, much unlike the way we perceive talent today.

Ardent Partners’ 2020 State of Contingent Workforce Management research study found that, when polled regarding their top priorities heading into the new decade, direct sourcing and talent pools were #1 and #2, respectively. There were many executive leaders that participated in that study who saw the writing on the wall: talent acquisition needed to change and so did the ways businesses engaged top-tier skillsets and expertise.

Call it omniscient, or call it plain luck; no matter how we describe these pre-pandemic insights, those forward-looking business leaders were onto something. In elegant, MSP-led programs in Europe years ago, direct sourcing took the form of “contingent RPO,” in which businesses built their own talent pipelines via pseudo-agencies that they controlled and operated outside of traditional staffing supplier relationships. So, while direct sourcing isn’t a new concept, it certainly feels like that when we consider the incredible growth of these programs and the attention and focus paid to the concept over the past few years.

(I also have to give immense credit to a dear friend of mine, Jeff Nugent. Here’s a post from 2014 in which he discusses the benefits of direct sourcing. Yes, 2014!)

In the business arena, ideas and strategies that attract so much attention are inevitably destined to fail to live up to the hype. There may have been a moment or two a couple of years ago when it seemed that direct sourcing could have headed down that same fateful path. However, it very much did not, due to three main reasons:

Talent pipelines and talent communities became the lifelines of businesses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as they required flexibility and scalability regarding their workforce.
The candidate experience, which became ever-so critical, followed a core element in Best-in-Class direct sourcing programs: talent nurture capabilities, and;
Businesses required a steady flow of both active candidates and passive candidates to power through The Great Resignation.

Heading into 2023, the very realm of “hiring” will take on new meaning as businesses contend with a variety of issues that could impact their organizational pathways in getting work done…and, of course, merely surviving. The war in the Ukraine continues to rage and disrupts global trade. The Great Resignation is turning into “The Great Resettling” as workers begin to discover how they want their careers to unfold. The specter of an economic downturn hovers, with recessionary fears sparking precautionary layoffs and major transitions by organizations. And, yet another COVID winter surge is just up ahead.

For enterprises today, direct sourcing isn’t just a concept that’ll ease some measure of talent shortfalls. Direct sourcing is, and has been, a key element of the Future of Work movement. Whether it’s the ability to traverse omni-channel talent engagement, building deep, segmented talent pools, fostering core talent communities, or developing enterprise-wide workforce scalability, direct sourcing remains a powerful strategy as the world of talent and work continues to evolve.

Join Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange on Thursday, November 10 at 2pm ET for our next exclusive webcast, Scale Your 2023 Hiring Initiatives With Direct Sourcing. Register for this exciting new webinar and learn more about the impact of direct sourcing on talent acquisition and recruitment in the months ahead.

Key Providers for 2022: Worksome

Solution Providers Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 10/28/2022

The Background:

The extended workforce, according to Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research, comprises over 47% of the average organization’s total talent. This is a far cry from even the beginning the decade, when the contingent workforce was a smaller portion of enterprise talent.

One of the hallmarks of the modern extended workforce is the dynamic makeup of this type of labor, heralded by businesses being enabled with an omni-channel experience that traverses beyond staffing suppliers and agencies. Freelancers, independent contractors, and gig workers all encompass the powerful skills and expertise represented by non-employee talent, and, not all of these workers are managed correctly, accounted for, or engaged seamlessly in today’s volatile business climate.

Enter Worksome.

Why They Were Selected:

The Future of Work Exchange colloquially uses the phrase “digital staffing” to define a wide array of solutions that don’t fit neatly into traditional workforce technology (such as MSP or VMS). Digital staffing platforms typically offer VMS-like functionality with additional “flavors” that make them appealing for businesses that need specialty offerings for initiatives related to freelancer management, direct sourcing, digital recruitment, and more.

In a very, very short amount of time, Worksome has grown from a Freelancer Management System (FMS) with a talent marketplace foundation to an agile workforce management platform that offers end-to-end functionality for HR, extended workforce management, compliance and risk mitigation (particularly worker classification), workforce intelligence, etc.

In Their Own Words:

Worksome is the new standard in external workforce management, providing a faster, more agile way for companies to work with freelancers and contractors–with less admin, less risk, and a better experience for everyone–trusted by 1,500+ companies worldwide. Worksome offers streamlined administrative operations so businesses can find, contract and pay external workers in one click, while giving the insights needed to continuously optimize external workforce operations. With Worksome’s award-winning compliance solution, customers benefit from built-in background checks, instant worker classification, and automated contracts – as well as automated payments and integrated billing to ensure efficiency. Visit www.worksome.com for more information.

The Outlook:

This summer, Worksome reported 3x year-over-year growth, proving that the solution has become a true player in the extended workforce management technology market. And, with the recent news that the platform has expanded into seven new markets, including Germany, France, Australia, Singapore, Canada, Ireland, and the United Arab Emirates, Worksome is positioned for even bigger things in the months and years ahead.

The utilization of freelancers and independent contractors has grown considerably, especially in a business arena that demands workforce agility, top-tier skillsets, and on-demand access to Best-in-Class talent. Worksome’s powerful functionality enables progressive, end-to-end automation for all facets of freelancer and contractor management while improving the overall candidate experience for these types of non-employee workers. As an “all-in-one FMS” solution, Worksome is built for the Future of Work era. As more and more enterprises require real-time visibility into the deeper elements of their workforce, aim to engage and source external workers much more quickly, and crave the necessary automation to handle both tactical and strategic workforce management processes, Worksome will continue to shine as a robust platform that provides dynamic value.

Key Providers for 2022: Prosperix

Solution Providers Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 10/18/2022

The Background:

The world of talent and work is on an upward trajectory, with a vast majority of businesses actively anticipating the adoption of revolutionary strategies, platforms, and solutions to truly optimize the way they get work done. According to Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research, not only do 72% of enterprises expect to implement a “total talent acquisition” strategy before 2024, but 76% of businesses also anticipate extending HR- and talent-acquisition-like competencies and experiences into their extended workforce management programs within the next 18 months.

What does this mean? Enterprises across the globe crave innovation from their workforce management technology and services, essentially requiring an extra edge of progressive functionality that can transform contingent workforce programs into initiatives that resemble the Future of Work in terms of candidate experience, hiring manager experience, direct sourcing, talent intelligence, etc. In essence, what the business arena needs now is automation that enables agility, scalability, and flexibility.

Enter Prosperix.

Why They Were Selected:

During its near-decade run as Crowdstaffing, the solution now known as Prosperix revolutionized the technological concepts behind digital staffing, direct sourcing, and workforce management. Under the Prosperix brand, the company is doing the same with the Future of Work. Prosperix is known for its innovative VMS Network approach to Vendor Management System (VMS) technology and dedication to enhancing both the candidate and hiring manager experiences.

Prosperix’s unique approach to the talent acquisition and workforce management technology market is further enhanced by the arrival of its new, bundled service offering, Prosperix Xponential. The idyllic blend of tactical and strategic elements of Xponential provide businesses with the necessary power to manage all facets of today’s dynamic workforce, from talent engagement and the candidate experience to managed services, payrolling, and access to the solution’s deep network of candidates and suppliers.

In Their Own Words:

Prosperix is accelerating innovation in hiring and workforce management, enabling every business to build an extraordinary workforce. Our end-to-end software incorporates network effects, automates processes, and simplifies human interactions, while delivering actionable insights and improved outcomes. With our best-in-class solutions, we fuel our client’s biggest dreams by elevating human, workforce, and business prosperity.

Prosperix’s innovations, including the industry’s first (and patent-pending) VMS network and the newest addition, Prosperix Xponential, are garnering attention and giving clients the ability to achieve exponential scalability, agility, resilience, and business outcomes. We serve clients from a wide range of industries such as financial services, insurance, technology, entertainment, and utilities. They engage tens of thousands of contingent workers in professional and non-professional roles including IT, marketing, sales, finance, HR, customer support, manufacturing, and healthcare technology.

Founded in 2012 in Silicon Valley by CEO Sunil Bagai, our company has evolved into one of the industry’s leading technology providers, but with a significant difference – we focus on the combination of technology and people to build a prosperous ecosystem. By balancing the needs of businesses, suppliers, and workers, we help every client establish and maintain a high-quality workforce that meets current and future hiring needs. Visit www.prosperix.com for more information.

The Outlook:

When the company announced its rebrand last year, the main focus was on the “prosperity” of workers and the businesses that employed them. The innovative approach was certainly a progressive marker of where the world of work was heading, as two-plus years removed from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, enterprises find themselves requiring fresh ways of attracting, engaging, and managing talent from various sources, whilst realizing that a talent acquisition and HR focus was the ideal means in leveraging today’s evolving workforce to truly thrive during challenging times.

Prosperix’s VMS Network is a Best-in-Class platform that effectively serves as an agile convergence of digital staffing technology and next-generation VMS functionality. The amalgamation of direct sourcing, candidate experience management, end-to-end contingent workforce management, and digital staffing, combined with the newly-bundled Xponential offering, position Prosperix as a powerful platform that represents the very best of Future of Work-era technology.

Key Providers for 2022: Utmost

Solution Providers Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 10/13/2022

The Background:

Heading into 2022, Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange identified, amongst other key pressures, two major issues for businesses across the globe: 1) the need to “reimagine” workforce management processes and strategies in the wake of worldwide disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic (as stated by 84% of enterprises), and, 2) a greater need to automate key elements of talent acquisition and workforce management with new and innovative technology (as indicated by over 70% o enterprises).

Today’s workforce management solutions cannot simply rely upon the automation required by organizations during pre-pandemic times, but must now offer a wide range of disruptive, intelligence-led functionality that can lead businesses into the Future of Work era.

Enter Utmost.

Why They Were Selected:

Utmost’s inception was positioned as an extended workforce platform that was buoyed by its seamless integration with Workday to provide users of that software with an agile means of managing both traditional and non-employee workers. Today, it is an end-to-end Vendor Management System (VMS) powerhouse that leads with innovation and talent-fueled functionality. In just four short years, the company blossomed into one of the market leaders in the extended workforce technology landscape, owed to its total talent intelligence capabilities, convergence of HR- and procurement-led functionality, and unique product vision that will enable its clients to traverse into a new era of total talent management and work optimization.

In Their Own Words:

Utmost transforms the VMS by managing the entire extended workforce lifecycle from sourcing to paying all workers in one global talent network for high-growth, dynamic companies. A network of enterprises, workers, and suppliers ensures speed of sourcing/deployment, and Utmost Front Door provides a single place for managers to request workers or work to be done across every channel of sourcing. Utmost supports all talent categories (staff augmentation, service providers, freelancers, SOW, consultants, etc.) in a single module with flexible workflows to cover complex and changing business needs. Utmost was founded in 2018 by industry leaders Annrai O’Toole, Dan Beck, and Paddy Benson, and is backed by Greylock Partners and Mosaic Ventures. Visit www.utmost.co for more information.

The Outlook:

Utmost offers a variety of robust functionality that bodes well for its future in the VMS technology market; its “Front Door” offering is an omni-channel portal (augmented by a seamless user interface) that serves as a dynamic module for finding, engaging, and sourcing Best-in-Class talent, while its native integration with major HRIS platforms is a boon for those business leaders seeking to harness the relative power of total talent intelligence.

Utmost represents the next evolutionary step in the journey of VMS software, as its integration-friendly platform and intuitive functionality position the solution as a powerful offering for organizations seeking a next-generation source of agile workforce management automation. By placing “work” and the overall “talent experience” as the nexus of the platform, Utmost remains a Future of Work-led VMS platform that will only continue to thrive in the months and years ahead.

On-Demand Webinar: The Five Things You Must Know About the Future of Work

Events by Christopher J. Dwyer on 10/12/2022

Last week, Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange hosted an exclusive webcast, The Five Things You MUST KNOW About the Future of Work. During the event, we discussed how the Exchange defines the Future of Work movement, the innerworkings of work optimization, the technology-fueled and non-technological attributes of the Future of Work, and so much more. If you happened to miss the event, we’ve got you covered. Check out The Five Things You MUST KNOW About the Future of Work on-demand webinar below, and stay tuned for details about our next exclusive event.

The Future of Work is not Static, So Where Is It Heading?

Events by Christopher J. Dwyer on 10/05/2022

The latest episode of the Future of Work Exchange Podcast (listen here) discussed how the Future of Work movement is and will never be “static.” In essence, the continued evolution of talent acquisition, the unrelenting pace of new innovations and technology, and the complete transformation of business leadership will always be moving forward in some sense, especially considering the breakneck pace of the economic, political, and social aspects of the corporate arena.

Sometimes leaders will ask the question, “What IS the Future of Work, really?” However, the question we should all be asking ourselves at this very moment is “Where will the world of talent and work go in the months and years ahead?”

To this end, the Future of Work Exchange is excited to host an exclusive event tomorrow (Thursday, October 6 at 1pm ET) focused on the five things that every leader must know about the Future of Work. I’ll be joined by Ardent Partners’ Chief Research Officer, Andrew Bartolini, as we discuss what’s ahead for the extended workforce, the technology that supports strategies such as direct sourcing and remote work, the impact of non-tech attributes like conscious leadership, and so much more. Register below…and I hope to see you there tomorrow!

The Five Things You MUST KNOW About the Future of Work

Events by Christopher J. Dwyer on 09/28/2022

The Future of Work means different things to different people. Depending on function, geography, role, etc., some business leaders may prioritize something like digital transformation as a core Future of Work facet, while others will point to non-technological attributes such as conscious leadership and the true hallmarks of the Future of Work movement.

No matter the position within the great organization, the truth is that the Future of Work continues to expand in size, scope, and impact, with each of its “accelerants” and “arms” transforming the many ways businesses get work done.

For today’s procurement, HR, and talent acquisition executives, the world of talent and work remains a core priority. As global issues such as inflation, the specter of a recession, and a continuous war for talent continue to impact businesses, it is critical for enterprise leaders to understand the strategies, solutions, and technologies that can revolutionize the ways that work can be optimized.

Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange are excited to host a complimentary webinar, The Five Things You MUST KNOW About the Future of Work, on Thursday, October 6, at 1pm ET.

This webcast will cover the critical capabilities that enterprises can unlock to truly optimize the way they address talent acquisition, extended workforce management, and, most importantly, work optimization.

We will discuss the ways businesses can leverage the innovations and Future of Work accelerants required to not only survive these changing times…but also to also thrive as dynamic organizations in the face of consistent evolution.

Key Providers for 2022: SAP Fieldglass

Solution Providers Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 09/27/2022

The Background:

The extended workforce comprises over 47% of the average company’s total workforce, according to recent Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research. In addition to the growth of this talent over the past several years, businesses across the globe require the proper technology and automation to ensure that non-employee labor can effectively drive value across the greater organization.

While the Vendor Management System (VMS) model is not a new solution, many of these platforms have undergone radical evolution in the face of continuous business change…especially during pandemic times, when the extended workforce became a cornerstone of operational survival. In fact, the innovation in the world of VMS technology has become a veritable linchpin to truly thriving in a business arena that essentially requires progressive functionality, Best-in-Class data capabilities, and a commitment to the Future of Work movement.

Enter SAP Fieldglass.

Why They Were Selected:

Over the past two years, SAP Fieldglass has reconfigured its core functionality to reflect the ongoing transformations within the greater world of work and talent, introducing several key innovations to its wide-ranging product suite. Through its deep integrations and connections to SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Ariba, and other facets of the SAP line of technology, SAP Fieldglass is enabled with the ability to effectively manage all facets of total talent in the face of a transformative world of work.

SAP Fieldglass has demonstrated its pledge to progressive, Future of Work-era automation through a blend of industry maturity and next-generation product offerings. Its configurable, integrated workplace (SAP Work Zone) merges SAP technology (such as SAP Ariba and SAP SuccessFactors) with other critical enterprise systems to generate a holistic, end-to-end view of a user’s total workforce, while the solution’s Active Guidance functionality is perhaps the industry’s deepest proactive insights tool.

In Their Own Words:

SAP Fieldglass, a longstanding leader in external workforce management and services procurement, is used by organizations around the world to find, engage, and manage all types of flexible resources. Our cloud-based, open platform has been deployed in more than 180 countries and helps companies transform how work gets done, increase operational agility, and accelerate business outcomes in the digital economy. Backed by the resources of SAP, our customers benefit from a roadmap driven by continuous investment in innovation. To learn more, visit www.fieldglass.com.

The Outlook:

SAP Fieldglass is well-positioned to become an idyllic, Future of Work-oriented workforce management platform due to its robust integrations with other key SAP solutions (particularly SAP SuccessFactors), scale of offerings that provide real-time and AI-augmented visibility, and inherent flexibility that cascades down into how its users manage the complexities of today’s agile workforce.

With its Visualizer analytics tool, strong services procurement automation, assignment management technology (for enhancing control over the burgeoning light industrial contingent workforce), and abilities to drive both total spend management and total talent management, SAP Fieldglass is a force in a Future of Work-driven business world.

Upwork’s “Work Without Limits” Conference: Thriving in a New World of Work

Events Solution Providers Technology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on 09/26/2022

“The world of work is changing faster than ever before,” said Upwork Chief Sales Officer Eric Gilpin at the start of the talent platform’s annual “Work Without Limits” summit in Chicago. Gilpin’s opening thoughts echo the evolution of work and talent over the past two-plus years, as Future of Work-era accelerants (and the desire to truly optimize how work is done) rapidly shape the way businesses around the globe operate.

*Eric Gilpin, Upwork’s Chief Sales Officer, kicks off the 2022 Work Without Limits event. (Photo credit: Upwork)*

Hayden Brown, President and CEO of Upwork, kicked off the conference reminiscing about what it was like when she finally made it to the corner office and when she got an office with a door for the first time in her career. Today, Hayden says, “Every employee can have their own corner office.” There are after all, new rules for work.

One of the major benefits of this new world of work is that control has been democratized. How, where, and even when people complete their work is in more of their control, and this is a huge benefit to all businesses, said Brown. She challenges the notion that the traditional workplace was what drove success, arguing that this misplaced nostalgia is actually caused by the Mandela effect, where false memories can sometimes be shared by multiple people. “The office was not the secret sauce [of business],” says Brown, and “It is time for business leaders to lead instead of react,” and find the true drivers of business value.

*Hayden Brown, Upwork’s President and CEO, discusses the new rules of work. (Photo credit: Upwork)*

Brown continued her keynote by asking a few challenging questions for business leaders – “Will a location mandate get you the results you want?” and “Are you giving your team the what they need to succeed – the best tools and the best talent?”

The workforce game has changed forever and given the distribution of workforces and of talent overall today, talent access is the key to the new game, part of the new playbook that companies must use to succeed. Contractors will continue to play a larger role in business and the new rules of work must incorporate that view.

Brown believes that Upwork address all of the classic concerns (security and privacy, workforce reliability, cultural concerns, etc.) that business executives may have regarding this tectonic shift in how work is done and the broad shift to non-FTE workers. In today’s world, the leaders that get ahead on this major shift will win…and boldness will be rewarded.

*Jonah Berger, Professor at Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, talks about changing the mindsets around enterprise transformation. (Photo credit: Upwork)*

The WWL event featured a variety of industry leaders sharing their thoughts regarding the new world of work:

“Data gives us the opportunity to be predictable,” said Vito Labate, Vice President, Global Industry Marketing Leader at Capgemini during a panel discussion hosted by Upwork CMO Melissa Waters. In a chat centered around the changes in marketing, this panel highlighted how the application of top-tier freelance talent is a true differentiator (especially within their industry, where personalization is a key factor for clients).
“Companies have become a bit more comfortable with distributed and remote teams,” said Deb Elias, Director, Product Strategy and Operations at Chargebee. “Technology has played a critical role in how non-co-located team members to collaborate.” Upwork’s Chief Product and Experience Officer, Sam Bright, led a spirited panel discussion on how “the impossible” could be achieved via new Future of Work concepts (and technology!) in functions like product development and engineering now that they have access to highly-skilled, global talent.
“We’re not just listening…we’re counter-arguing,” stated Jonah Berger, Professor at Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania during his afternoon keynote address. “We have to allow for agency; we have to give them back some of that freedom and control.” Berger’s fantastic presentation focused on how business leaders can stop “selling” change and begin changing the mindsets around transformation…a crucial factor considering just how much the world of work has changed over the past few years.