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Podcast Recap

Talent Experts on FOWX — The Current and Future State of Direct Sourcing and More

Business LeadershipDirect SourcingDiversity and InclusionHRPodcastSolution ProvidersTalentTechnology and Innovation by John Yuva on

Our “Talent Expert Series” on FOWX features podcast excerpts of today’s Future of Work thought leaders who appear on The Future of Work Exchange Podcast. The series continues with an excerpt from Season 7, Episode 15 featuring Christy Forest, CEO and Executive Director at LiveHire, who discussed the current state of direct sourcing, the future of this high-impact strategy, the reality of total talent management, and much more.

Click to listen to the full interview. Note that this excerpt has been edited for readability.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

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

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

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Talent Experts on FOWX — Trends and Strategies in 2024

Business LeadershipGeneral InsightsPodcastSolution ProvidersTalentTechnology and InnovationUncategorized by John Yuva on

Our “Talent Expert Series” on FOWX features podcast excerpts of today’s Future of Work thought leaders who appear on The Future of Work Exchange Podcast. The series continues with an excerpt from Season 7, Episode 14 featuring Jen Torney, Global Vice President of Client Experience and Partnerships for Talent Solution TAPFIN, and Brian Hoffmeyer, SVP of Market Strategies for Beeline, as they discuss talent trends and strategies for 2024.

Click to listen to the full interview. Note that this excerpt has been edited for readability.

Chris Dwyer: Jen and Brian, thank you so much for joining me today. Before we jump into 2024, what surprised you most about 2023?

Brian Hoffmeyer: Good question. It means you think we’ve been doing this for so long that nothing surprises us anymore. One interesting thing is that Beeline is pushing heavily into what we call the mid-market, which are smaller companies with under a billion in corporate revenue. What’s been surprising and educational are the needs of mid-market companies and how similar they are to larger enterprises we’ve worked with around contingent labor. The mid-market is using more contingent labor and looking to balance cost, quality, and how long it takes to find people. So, there are similarities there. Equally interesting is how the mid-market is looking for this very turnkey, fast-to-deploy, nimble solution. That’s been very educational for everyone.

Jen Torney: Those are great points, Brian. Two things surprised me most. The first was a disappointment. With the legislation we saw in 2023 around affirmative action and the pace of change around diversity, the attention toward it is evolving. Thankfully, there are a lot of champions in the industry making sure there’s still a focus on diversity.

The second was the chaos of the economy and the impact on our clients’ workforces. There were layoffs, then rehiring, then layoffs. It’s never been that unpredictable. It was a lot of change, which shouldn’t be all that surprising with the last couple of years we’ve had. But the unpredictability that happened was interesting.

CD: As we move through 2024, what are your biggest predictions for the year?

BH: We’re going to see real total talent management start to happen and I’m excited about that. I also believe we’re going to see an AI correction if you will, where companies are realizing that the providers they’re relying on are not using AI in the right way and exposing them to risk. And because areas like large language models (LLMs) are growing so quickly in a variety of industries, we can expect some form of regulation put around them. This is already occurring in the EU.

JT: I couldn’t agree more on the AI aspect. There’s a sort of false understanding of what providers are even doing with AI. There’s a lot of hyperbole. In terms of predictions, I’m going to throw my hat in the ring and say there won’t be a recession … but maybe a slow recovery. I may very well be wrong. It might still be a tricky year. I do think there’s going to be more mergers and acquisitions activity. We’re already seeing some acquisitions. In this type of economy, with the 2023 books closed, there will be more acquisitions in the market.  

CD: I have dual questions here. Where do both technology and services go in 2024? We’ll begin with Jen and managed services.   

JT: I’ll be so bold as to say some of the work we’ve been doing with our partners, Beeline specifically, will begin to converge and intertwine with what we do with our core technology partners. Some of the direction that MSPs are going is becoming more outcome-based focused and less processing management. We have so much expertise to lend and truly believe that organizations are seeking advisory direction and support — particularly on supply and procurement strategy. In addition to recommending a supplier, it’s more about how you are buying and understanding the right strategy to engage and achieve the most value for what you’re trying to drive toward. That’s going to be a big but slow shift.

BH: We’ve started this evolution of who Beeline is because of the new things we have rolling out. We have products that are available to serve parts of the market we have never had before. That will continue. It’s part of what we want to be, which is offering great experiences and products for every persona involved in contingent labor. We’re already doing that with Beeline Professional, our solution for the mid-market, as well as some of the work we’re doing with suppliers that I’m incredibly excited about.      

CD: We’ve talked about what surprised us and some 2024 predictions. Let’s close with what each of you would to see most in 2024 — not what you expect to happen — but what you would most like to see.

JT: I have two. The first is I’d like to see Beeline top its 80s party from the CWS Summit. Very much looking forward to that. My real honest answer, and not to sound beauty pageantry, is I’d love to see more world peace. 2023 was a volatile year concerning civil unrest. There’s nothing more I’d like to see than some of that quiet down. I know that’s probably not realistic to see it completely resolved, but that’s my utopian answer.

BH: Challenge accepted for the Beeline party. My answer was going to be similar. The word I’d use is normalcy. We had two-and-a-half years of the pandemic. And 2023 with economic uncertainty, the war in Ukraine for the last few years, and what’s going on in Gaza. We’re now in a year of a political presidential election cycle that’s going to be horrible, no matter what side you’re on. I would just like to see normalcy and civility. I’ve always loved the saying, “moderation in all things, including moderation.”

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Talent Experts on FOWX — Evolution of Staffing and Growth of Extended Workforce

Direct SourcingGeneral InsightsPodcastSolution ProvidersTalentTalent AcquisitionTechnology and InnovationUncategorized by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Our “Talent Expert Series” on FOWX features podcast excerpts of today’s Future of Work thought leaders who appear on The Future of Work Exchange Podcast. The series kicks off with an excerpt from Season 7, Episode 12 featuring Kara Kaplan, CEO of High5, as she discusses a range of topics from the evolution of staffing to the growth in the extended enterprise to the next stage of direct sourcing.

Click to listen to the full interview. Note that this excerpt has been edited for readability.

Christopher Dwyer: Let’s begin with your general insights into the staffing industry, especially given your unique vantage point with High5. When you think of the evolution of staffing and the rise and continued growth of the extended workforce, where are we today?

Kara Kaplan: For starters, the evolution of staffing and the emergence of the extended workforce has ushered in this profound transformation that we’re seeing. It’s a fundamental shift in how companies view and engage with talent. The traditional employment model has been supplemented and, in some cases, supplanted by an extended workforce. Thus, you see many organizations today, if not most, embracing the extended workforce as an integral component of their talent strategy.

And when we look at the term “employee” in general, it’s really evolving with these new models. You have everything from full-time, part-time, contract, gig, remote, hybrid, shared and other terms emerging. Those organizations that rigidly stick to the traditional relationship are going to find themselves fighting an uphill battle. Conversely, enterprises that appreciate and use a mix of workforce models will ultimately be the ones that succeed and have access to more talent and better talent.

It’s more of an adaptation to the new global economy that we now live in and all the complexities and opportunities that are part and parcel of that global shift. At the end of the day, organizations need to embrace this evolution not as an option but more as a strategic imperative. The exciting thing is that organizations are starting to do that.

CD: There is definitely a talent revolution occurring and obviously companies like High 5 fit into that. However, how do you see companies like High5 and other digital staffing platforms fitting into this change in talent acquisition?

KK: Today’s talent revolution signifies a profound shift in how organizations acquire and engage talent. We’re seeing it become much more commoditized. Talent is more dynamic and diverse, as well as more digitally connected than ever before. With the rise of talent marketplaces and digital staffing solutions, they’ve been instrumental in reshaping talent acquisition strategies and truly enabling organizations to adapt and thrive in this global landscape.

At their core, talent marketplaces democratized new access to a global pool of talent. These platforms are empowering organizations to source talent with levels of speed and accuracy that were not possible just a short time ago. For example, in the recent past, when working with many staffing agencies, there was a significant amount of manual effort required in matching a worker with a shift — even if they had a robust ATS, it would only benefit them to a degree. However, today’s digital staffing solutions driven by artificial intelligence and automation have redefined the recruitment process and streamlined nearly everything from candidate sourcing to screening to onboarding and payrolling. It saves a vast amount of time and resources.

CD: In our industry when you think about digital staffing, what comes to mind is BMS, MSP, direct sourcing, total talent, workforce management technology, and artificial intelligence. AI has moved beyond hype and is generally accepted as table stakes in our industry. What are your views on AI and its impact?

KK: To your point, we can’t have this conversation without talking about generative AI and what it means. However, the idea that AI is table stakes for competitive differentiation may be overly simplistic. While AI can undoubtedly provide a significant edge, it’s not a cure-all as companies are seeing. Enterprises still have to remain focused on their core offerings and the human aspect of talent as well as customer relationships to build a sustainable competitive advantage. It’s certainly an exciting time for AI but also a scary one as well. AI is not going away and we’ll continue to hear frequently about the technology, but going forward we need to think about AI in the right way and in the smart way.

CD: Let’s pivot to direct sourcing which was gaining momentum even before the pandemic and is now another table-stakes strategy for businesses if they want to deepen their talent pool and scale their workforce. There’s so much more to direct sourcing than simply contingent recruitment process outsourcing (RPO). With that in mind, where do you see direct sourcing heading?

KK: So much has changed in just the year since I started High5. There’s no doubt that direct sourcing has emerged as a pivotal force in recruiting and is definitely here to stay. There are sessions at major conferences dedicated to direct sourcing with brands like Northern Trust, Toyota, and Meta espousing its benefits. When that starts to happen, the more prominence direct sourcing will have. Clearly, in terms of the future of direct sourcing, the benefits are there. However, its adoption will require an education process. Anytime an education process is involved, it’s going to slow things down, particularly from a sales cycle perspective, but that process plays a vital role in ensuring that organizations realize the efficacy of direct sourcing. To be successful means ensuring that best practices are being followed. When direct sourcing initiatives fail, it’s because they didn’t follow best practices. Again, I’m extremely bullish on the future of direct sourcing, but I do think it will take some time for that education to catch up.

CD: Before we wrap up, 2023 is quickly coming to an end. What do you see on the horizon in the year ahead?

KK: I wish I had a crystal ball. For us, 2024 is about strengthening our position in the market. Being known as the “tech first” company, we’re making heavy investments in our tech enablement, our marketplace, and our other platforms. We have a great deal of excitement around some of our recent tech acquisitions and the compelling value proposition that creates for us going forward.

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DE&I and Balancing Business and Human Imperatives

Business LeadershipDiversity and InclusionGeneral InsightsHRPodcastSolution ProvidersTalent by Christopher J. Dwyer on

The Future of Work movement would not be what it is without Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) playing a significant part in the paradigm. A decade ago, diversity was associated more with supplier initiatives focused on Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses. The term has evolved and expanded into DE&I where the human element is now the priority.

A recent Future of Work Exchange Podcast hosted by Christopher Dwyer, managing director for FOWX, featured Rocki Howard, chief equity and impact officer for The Mom Project, who discussed the role and impact of DE&I on the Future of Work movement.

The Mom Project is a digital talent and community platform serving 1.2 million users (the majority being moms as well as over 3,000 companies from small- to medium-sized businesses to Fortune 500).

This article recaps some of that discussion. Note that this excerpt has been edited for readability.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

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

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

Click here to learn more.

read more

The Heightened War for Talent

Contingent WorkforceDirect SourcingGeneral InsightsPodcastSolution ProvidersTalent by Christopher J. Dwyer on

The Future of Work Exchange podcast features coverage of industry news, software developments, Future of Work happenings, and, most importantly, conversations with industry thought leaders.

Several months ago, I chatted with Steve Dern, EVP of Talent Solutions at Evaluent (click to listen to the full interview). Steve and I discussed the growth of the extended workforce, its impact, and what lies on the horizon. Today’s article is a recap of our conversation. [Note that this excerpt has been edited for readability.]

Christopher Dwyer: You’ve been in this space for such a long time. From your viewpoint, you probably have a dynamic take on the state of the contingent and extended workforce. What are your thoughts on the growth of the extended workforce, its impact, and where do you think we’re heading?

Steve Dern: As I look back on all this, especially the last 2.5 to 3 years, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything in terms of how we work, not only with contingent labor but also traditional employee labor. Remote work structures became the norm because they had to. And that challenged some organizations and maybe pulled the blinders off. Many companies with staffing offices and remote office locations closed their brick-and-mortar buildings because the investment wasn’t necessary. We can work effectively being remote or have a hybrid model, which is becoming the norm as people return to the office. Interview processes changed, as did the time to act when hiring talent. Whether it’s traditional, permanent, or contingent hiring needs, you’ve got to act very quickly now. Today’s talent has the leverage due to talent economy dynamics. As a result, companies are increasing wages for premium talent.

In the production and manufacturing environment specifically, there’s a heightened war for talent. And from a partnership and sales perspective, it was more difficult to build and cultivate newer relationships over the last two years. We were remote talking through a computer camera and a headset as opposed to shaking hands with people and breaking down social barriers that may exist. Reading body language was difficult as well. We work in a very different way now.

In terms of workforce trends, there’s a demand for more flexibility on the part of the hiring organization. Do we need employees to come into the office five days per week? What is the flexibility of some pre-pandemic requirements, such as college degree mandates or pre-employment screenings? With legalization of marijuana in some states, there may be some flexibility there.

There is also a significant gap in talent for manufacturing, distribution, and fulfillment centers. Here in Ohio, where we’re only 10 hours away from half the U.S. population, there’s a huge presence of retail distribution and fulfillment centers. And those fulfillment centers are having a tough time finding workers. To widen the talent pool, they’re considering Second Chance talent. These are folks coming out of jail with possible felonies in their background. However, many distribution and fulfillment center operators are seeing good retention rates and performance output.

From a company perspective, we (Evaluent) handle both direct hire and contingent labor placement. On our staffing entity side, we saw a large increase in the direct hire needs — one of our sales reps said 80% of new business activity was direct-hire related. So, there has definitely been a shift from a client perspective overall. Ten years ago, we were just hearing about this concept called direct sourcing. I was fortunate to see it succeed early in a couple of my accounts.

Back then, direct sourcing was pitched as having the ability to take over 80% of the staffing leads that we had. And it really didn’t end up being that way. Instead, it was focused on high-volume needs that were repeatable, with evergreen types of requisitions. That’s where companies were able to leverage direct sourcing not only for contingent but also for direct hire as well. Flash forward to 2021/2022, we’re now beginning to see direct sourcing gain some traction. More and more, I see RFPs coming out asking about direct sourcing partners and strategies, as well as what the technology, curation, and AOR models look like. Two years ago, I was rarely seeing that showing up in RFPs. That’s where some of the biggest changes have been in recent years.

 

 

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The Many Extensions of the Future of Work

Business LeadershipDirect SourcingPodcastTalent by Christopher J. Dwyer on

The Future of Work Exchange podcast features coverage of industry news, software developments, Future of Work happenings, and, most importantly, conversations with industry thought leaders.

The Season Seven premiere of the Future of Work Exchange Podcast, sponsored by Beeline, featured in-depth, Future of Work-oriented discussion with Jen Torney, VP of Client Engagement at Talent Solutions TAPFIN, and Brian Hoffmeyer, SVP of Market Strategies at Beeline (click to listen to the full interview).

Today’s article recaps a piece of the podcast discussion focused on several key Future of Work-focused topics. [Note that this excerpt has been edited for readability.]

Christopher Dwyer: We’re going to close things out with what I call the “Future of Work lighting round.” Let’s start with remote work.

Brian Hoffmeyer: Remote work is here to stay. We’re talking to our clients considerably about it and doing several workshops with them about the best way to handle it from a contingent workforce perspective. Because it’s not as easy as saying, “I want to hire from low-cost areas.” What does that really mean? What are the tax implications of doing that? There’s a different tax rate and a lot of complexity behind the scenes to work out. I’m still seeing companies make pretty arbitrary decisions about remote work, saying you have to come in on Tuesdays and Thursdays — when that doesn’t make sense. Companies need to be very purposeful in making these decisions as they go through the process.

Jen Torney: Yes to all of that. I would say this is so much bigger of a conversation than whether or not you’re going back into the office. We’re encouraging organizations to really look at their true workforce plan and strategy. Because this changes everything. It changes how you can hire, where you can hire, and at what cost. It becomes a much bigger holistic conversation around the opportunity to completely rebuild organizations. There is a lot of hybrid work, but it’s very arbitrary in approach. Now that I’ve been back to traveling at a pre-pandemic level, in-person makes a difference. It really does. But I’m not sure that clocking in at eight and leaving at five to fight traffic and get home is really going to be a part of our culture anymore — except when there’s a requirement. There are several smart ways to get work done, and that eight-to-five model doesn’t need to be the model to do that.

CD: Up next: direct sourcing.

JT: Direct sourcing is smart sourcing. We think direct sourcing is blowing up. It is definitely a new layer of workforce strategy. I don’t think this is going to replace traditional staffing, but it has its place in niche areas within our workforce. I’m certainly excited to see how this proliferates in the organizations that we’re working with. The smart sourcing aspect of layering and upskilling is going to be the future.

BH: Just do it. Just do it. I think too many companies are taking too long and overcomplicating things. Pick an area, pick a geography, pick a skillset, and get the right providers together and start somewhere.

CD: Off to the next one: purposeful work.

BH: I love this. We’re in this position in our industry to help people find meaningful employment and to get them the skills they need to improve their lives. That’s the ultimate purpose that I see in what we’re doing. I want to continue to see companies not treat contractors as less than and make them part of the workforce. Yes, there are rules you have to follow, but include them in D&I initiatives and company events.

JT: One of the things we’ve realized as a global society over the course of the pandemic is that it’s critical to be part of something, to feel that you are contributing value, and to be able to show up as your best self. Purposeful work is so important to the younger generations, especially those coming up into the workforce. So, figuring out ways as employers to build that into your culture so that you’re creating an environment for the future leaders to feel it is the right place for them from an employment experience.

CD: Let’s roll into conscious leadership.

JT: Yes, it kind of dovetails. All this focus on D&I has been so amazing because of the evolution of how we’re approaching these conversations around belonging and inclusion and truly showing up as your whole self. It allows for more creative outputs, better collaboration with your team members, and better energy all around. But again, we are shifting and changing how we approach non-employee labor.

I was just with a client last week talking with its DE&I team. Throughout its history, it was focused on the FTE. But going forward, they’re really trying to move the needle on the entire culture of inclusiveness within their organization. The client has 40% contingent labor, and we’re trying to figure out ways to untangle the risk associated with supporting those goals within their contingent labor population, which is unfortunate that we must think that way. However, I think we are breaking down barriers every day in this industry trying to get to a place where we can truly forward the momentum of DE&I for contingent labor, and truly inclusive and conscious leadership for organizations at that stage.

BH: Jen mentioned letting people be their true selves at work and I think that’s incredibly important. Because that’s going to make them feel included and allow them to bring up ideas that give them the space to fail. As leaders, we must do the same thing — show our own vulnerabilities and give people that space. The blending of work and life is going to continue to happen. And that to me is a good thing. Because you don’t want people to be fake, you want them to be who they truly are. While it seems obvious, the world didn’t use to be that way. The more those separate work and home personalities go away, the better.

CD: Crystal ball for the second half of the year into 2023?

BH: With respect to our industry, you’re going to continue to see an emphasis on the worker themselves and giving the worker good experiences because so many people want to work in this way. You know, permanent employment isn’t really a thing. Even if you take a so-called “permanent job,” your tenure is 18 months on average…or even less now. We’re focused on several things around that to make sure the worker can continue to advance their career in the ways they want to. You’re going to see a lot more of that.

JT: With obvious recession concerns, we’re going to continue to see organizations be more cautious. It’s about hiring and making very intentional decisions to get in front of that. There will probably be a curb in the aggressive hiring that we’ve been seeing over the course of this year. And then absolute radical growth in our travel MSP clients. Travel is returning to pre-pandemic levels and certainly out pacing their expectations. There will be some growth there despite the recessionary concerns.

A recession is an economic trend and part of the cycle. It’s going to happen, it’s just a matter of when. This recessionary period will be a bit more interesting for our business because there will be some contraction but also some expansion in certain categories as well.

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