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Talent Revolution

We’re Still Having This Conversation, Aren’t We?

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on

From a great article at Business Insider:

Despite doing “everything” to get employees to return to the office, Starbucks’ CEO said, they’re not returning “at the level” he wants. Speaking at The New York Times’ DealBook policy forum in Washington, DC, on Thursday, Howard Schultz  — who returned as interim CEO in April after Kevin Johnson stepped down from the role — said swaying staffers away from remote work and back to the office hasn’t been productive.

“I have been unsuccessful, despite everything I’ve tried to do, to get our people back to work,” Schultz, 69, said. “I’ve pleaded with them. I said I’ll get on my knees. I’ll do push-ups. Whatever you want. Come back.”

He continued: “No, they are not coming back at the level I want them to. And, you know, we’re a very collaborative, creative group. I realize I’m an old-school person, and this is a different generation.”

So, they’re not coming back at the level he wants them to. Re-read that sentence again above: “…they are not coming back at the level I want them to.” There is no need for every employee to return to an office setting full-time ever again, Howard, and not when the only reasons are 1) misguided conceptions regarding creativity, 2) your age and generational perspectives, and 3) the fact that you want them to, but don’t need them to.

We’re not going down the road of “let’s read why the Future of Work Exchange believes remote work has so many benefits.” We’ve done it before…many times. By now, we know the deal. Flexibility, agility, and scalability are all valuable components of remote and hybrid work, as well as the very concept of talent acquisition now requiring to offer hybrid options for new positions to truly attract candidates (h/t to last week’s FOWX Live panel on remote work and the great insights of JLL’s Caitlin Klezmer and WorkLLama’s Kevin Leete, and a wonderful phrase from the audience: “The office should be a magnet, not a mandate.”).

We chat so much about the “next normal” and the “new world of work” that the very innerworkings of remote and hybrid work are just a formally-accepted reality for the vast, vast majority of workers today. “Working from home” is no longer a foreign concept, nor is the idea that millions upon millions of workers now require flexibility in how they address their roles. It’s worth mentioning that remote and hybrid work aren’t just “safety reactions” to a pandemic, but rather types of working that finally became commonplace and are now driving the biggest exodus of workers from traditional roles.

When the Exchange writes about the “Talent Revolution,” we discuss the reasons why the “Great Resignation” is happening: workers want flexibility and control over their schedules and work structures whilst also desiring purposeful worker and better working conditions. We just wrote recently that if businesses are truly on the fence regarding how to deal with “return-to-office” plans, they should use this time to experiment with various models to see what works…and what doesn’t.

Decisions regarding how workers work should not be based on archaic thinking, nor should they follow a very outdated mindset that professionals cannot be creative unless they are face-to-face with their peers. Elon Musk believes that Tesla will benefit from a return-to-office mandate. Howard Shultz claims he’s “pleaded” with his workers to come back. These types of executives should just realize that:

Remote and hybrid work are the foundation of the Future of Work. The businesses that cannot adopt or adapt to new work models are the ones that will fail to thrive in these dynamic times.

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The Future of Work Always Comes Back to One Thing: People

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on

The Future of Work means many things to many people. Some may position technology as the front-and-center nexus of all things related to the Future of Work movement, while others will point to the evolution of robotics and artificial intelligence as a harbinger of how work will be done in a nebulous future state of business.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that the way we now get work done is dependent on access to the tools and technology necessary for total interconnectivity and on-demand collaboration. There should be no more silos of innovation, but rather a free-flow of ideas and insights that permeate a “open” and automated realm from which to strategize the way projects, operations, product development, manufacturing, etc. are executed.

No matter how far we traverse into the ether of technology, however, the Future of Work always comes back to one thing: the people. The workers. The professionals. The leaders. The expertise. The skillsets. The humans.

If we just take a step back, the answers are vividly clear. Why did the Future of Work and its accelerants sweep through the world over the past two years? Because of the human elements of work and the workforce, of course. Consider that:

  • The so-called “Great Resignation” happened (and is continuing to happen in some form) because of a human-led desire for flexibility and better working conditions.
  • That need for flexibility is a driven by a human-level need for a better balance between personal life and professional life.
  • The concepts of remote work and the hybrid workplace reside firmly in the greater need for businesses to support the human elements of the workforce while boosting productivity and attempting to curb burnout.
  • The very idea of “open talent” was catalyzed by the need to address skills deficiencies with agile talent…especially extended labor that is tethered to socially “open” concepts of working and collaborating.
  • The value of an empathy-led, inclusive workplace culture has sparked business leaders to lead with a nurturing touch that, of course, takes into context the fact that workers are human.
  • The role of purpose (and purposeful work) are perhaps the most critical drivers of the Future of Work today, with enterprises focusing on passionate and talented individuals who prioritize the ways their work contributes to something greater in their lives and aligns with their overall human journey.

The great revolution of talent and work is upon us. Technology, artificial intelligence, and innovative tools with surely lead and direct us, but is is the people, the humans, that spark the real Future of Work.

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“Perceptive Hiring” is the Future of Work

Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on

The world of talent will never be the same. Entering Year Three of a pandemic that has transformed the way we all think about both business and our personal lives, the average enterprise cannot leverage what are now archaic means of hiring to find the necessary skillsets and expertise to thrive in an increasingly globalized corporate arena.

The Great Resignation continues unabated. The Talent Revolution is at hand, with workers across the world becoming more aware of their desire for flexibility, empathy, and purpose. Although unemployment is at a near-53-year low, businesses are finding it harder than ever to fill both tactical and strategic roles.

The hard truth we face as business leaders is this: it doesn’t matter how much we increase compensation or how many additional perks are bult into job offers. Workers today need more than “smart hiring” strategies for reachout, engagement, and negotiations. Those attributes that were mentioned above (flexibility, empathy, and purpose) are not going to be streamlined within what we call smart hiring.

We need more…so much more.

Enterprises today are flush with data and information. This is a critical, “table stakes” aspect of the new world of work, as the ability to harness powerful data from VMS, ATS, CRM, HRIS, direct sourcing, and other platform sources enable hiring managers and other business leaders with “smarter” talent engagement and talent acquisition capabilities. Advanced technology today provides executives with the necessary intelligence to understand who the best candidate may be for a particular role and project (by analyzing work history, expertise, skillsets, certifications, etc.), augmenting with additional data (such as diversity information) to present an ideal professional that should be hired.

In essence, this has always been a goal of “total talent management,” in which the very realm of total talent intelligence (gleaned from both contingent and FTE workforce management systems) assists hiring managers to make quicker decisions based on the knowledge of the company’s overall talent pool.

The above aspects (total talent, diversity, skillsets, expertise, etc.) are all complementary pieces to the new era of workforce engagement. Businesses frankly cannot survive in a truly disruptive labor market without these modes of talent intelligence, given that staffing shortages have become an unfortunate norm.

However, back to the point above about “needing more”: if we think about how far we’ve come in regards to splicing data into talent engagement, how innovative artificial intelligence and machine learning have come, and just how advanced our workforce management software systems are, it’s pretty incredible to think that we don’t have to spend days analyzing resumes and pontificating about the qualities of dozens of candidates for a single job. All of that work has been automated and augmented (the Future of Work, right?). If we could just take that a step further, take those processes and embed even more data and insights…what would happen?

We’d transform “smart hiring” into “perceptive hiring,” in which more than just workforce history, skillsets, and expertise factor into a candidate being matched to a job or position. There are so many factors that play into the human elements of today’s business professionals, including their soft skills, workplace preferences, culture, and other elements of candidates as people and not just profiles on a screen.

How can we ensure that 1) the candidate will adapt and/or evolve to the enterprise’s culture, or, 2) that the business is a great cultural fit for the candidate? It’s not a one-way street anymore; we’re in the middle of a Talent Revolution that has resulted in workers becoming the gatekeepers to their own professional futures. We’d perceive more from the candidates and their personas beyond the traditional measures of hiring. We need to continue thinking about the best possible ways to find and retain key talent, especially in the face of The Great Resignation, however, we should also want our workforce to be a product of, well, more.

Four-plus million people have been voluntarily leaving their jobs since October of last year…and it’s not just a compensation issue. Workers are humans, and humans can suffer from burnout, anxiety, and a lack of engagement with positions that don’t satisfy a larger purpose. The pandemic and its fallout changed many of us, changed the way we think, operate, and, most importantly, speculate about the future. Candidates want more than a well-paying gig…they want work with a purpose that satisfies something deeper.

If we could leverage AI, next-gen analytics, and new innovations to spark a deeper perception of candidates, we would have the ability to solve talent retention issues and ensure that the workforce was tethered to a workplace culture (as well as the work itself) that met these necessities. This profound perception of candidates, linked to the smart hiring strategies and technology we have today, will become a way to develop and foster a strong, engaged workforce in the face of evolving times.

In essence, perceptive hiring is not “this worker is the ideal fit for this role,” but rather “this person is the ideal fit for this role.”

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If You Don’t Have a Chief People Officer, Now Is The Time to Hire One

Business LeadershipHR by Christopher J. Dwyer on

The “Chief People Officer” isn’t exactly a new type of leadership position, but it doesn’t necessarily have the same history as the Chief Finance Officer or Chief Procurement Officer. At the end of the day, however, this “newer” role may be the most critical for enterprises as we exit and “enter” an intricate period in business history.

Many organizations believe that the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and Chief People Officer are essentially the same role; while some businesses’ job descriptions of these positions may be one in the same, we are beginning a phase in corporate America that requires more than HR responsibilities in a CPO role…

…which brings us to the topic at hand: if you don’t have a Chief People Officer, you need one.

Let’s review what’s happening in businesses across the country (and the world) right now:

  • Over the past several months, an average of four million workers have voluntarily left their organizations in a movement called (as we all know by now) “The Great Resignation.”
  • While the above may seem like it’s linked to compensation, it’s actually a “Talent Revolution” in which professionals desire joy, flexibility, and more purposeful work.
  • The rate of globalization, combined with an uncertain labor market and pandemic-fueled volatility, means that enterprises need to “future-proof” their operations by harnessing the power of data and artificial intelligence.
  • There is now, more than ever before, a laser-like focus on just how flexible organizations can be in regard to its workforce, technology, and overall business thinking, and;
  • Most importantly, it’s an enterprise’s people that will lead them to the next great era of innovation and success.

Executive HR roles are now focused on developing a proper workforce culture while balancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives, on top of extreme staffing shortages that have long been a hallmark of the economic recovery phase during these pandemic times. To throw even more into the equation, particularly how to combat The Greatest Resignation, develop a flexible workplace environment, foster purpose across the staff, and introduce next-generation analytics into the fold, well, it’s clear that there needs to be a role that blends HR-oriented expertise with a progressive series of skillsets that can transform the greater organization from technology, intelligence, and talent-led perspectives. (I’m fully aware that many organizations blend the CHRO and CPO roles into one, and the enterprises that do this effectively converge many of the best capabilities of each position for maximum value.)

The Future of Work in 2022 dictates that enterprises reimagine how they get work done, especially considering the fundamental transformations happening within the realms of talent, technology, and overall business thinking. The Chief People Officer can be a catalyst for “rebooting” the very notions of work, helping the greater organization foster a dynamic culture of inclusivity and flexibility while preparing it for the ongoing transformations happening today:

  • The Chief People Officer role can be the champion of all things related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) by advancing initiatives that may be “stuck” in other functions due to a focus on business operations (and staffing shortages).
  • Many of today’s CPO roles center around data and intelligence; in a business arena that runs on insights, the Chief People Officer can be incredibly impactful by leveraging predictive analytics, AI, scenario-building, candidate assessment and validation tools, and other progressive analytics platforms to formulate a workforce strategy that is founded on intelligence (a powerful initiative that translates into better alignment between the greater organization’s culture and available candidates).
  • A Chief People Officer can be a “coach’s coach” for conscious leadership, empathy-led management, and other “human” elements of the next-generation business leader. There’s been so much discussion lately (ahem) regarding the emotional elements of the workforce and how leaders should be in tune with those as it seeks to better manage its staff. As such, the CPO can effectively measure the emotional facets of the enterprise staff, communicate shortcomings and issues to leadership, and develop a plan to ensure human needs are met in the future.
  • A formidable task, for sure, but the Chief People Officer can be critically valuable in spearheading talent retention efforts. The United States is actively averaging 4+ million resignations since November of last year; if the CPO can tap into what is haunting workers and their ambitions, it can be an invaluable resource for remedying major issues that are causing talent to up and leave the enterprise. The Chief People Officer can be adept at solving employee burnout problems, developing enhanced career development plans, and pinpointing areas of growth
  • Most importantly, the Chief People Officer of 2022 can be a dynamic executive leader that can influence how work is ultimately done. What is the best pathway ahead during today’s unique pandemic times? What is the best remote or hybrid work structure for the organization? How does the business combat The Great Resignation? What’s the ideal means of investing in the workforce from career development and emotional perspectives? How can the enterprise better leverage data, intelligence, and insights to execute enhanced and educated hiring decisions?
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“The Greatest Resignation” Means We Need to Start Thinking Differently About the Workforce

Business LeadershipTalent by Christopher J. Dwyer on

“Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home… it’s your responsibility to love it, or change it.” – Chuck Palahniuk, Best-Selling Author

For months now, “The Great Resignation” has been dominating headlines, thought leadership, workforce news, and all of the appropriate responses to the transformation of talent and work. By now, we know the stakes: millions of workers are voluntarily leaving their jobs for a variety of reasons, all of which prove that there’s more to life (and work!) than just cold, hard cash.

The Future of Work Exchange has been covering this topic for months, encouraging business leaders to think about The Great Resignation from a different perspective, that of a “Talent Revolution.” So it goes, the foundational elements of what’s also being called “The Big Quit” revolve around the concepts of purpose, career journeys, and alignment between a human and his/her/their work. Too, aspects like better working conditions, inclusive workplace culture, and, yes, of course, compensation, are all driving factors of the revolution happening right in front of us.

So, given all of this, when does The Great Resignation end? Well, it seems we’re heading in the opposite direction. Let’s just call it The Greatest Resignation, because:

  • Last Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that nearly 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs in February.
  • Better than January? Oh, gosh no. This was 100,000 more resignations than the U.S. experienced in January, and…
  • …it’s also perilously close to The Great Resignation’s prestigious world record, set with 4.5 million resignations in November 2021.

“Great” has become “Greatest” as this phenomenon marches on. We’re supposed to be living in a “let’s just deal with it” phase of the pandemic, so shouldn’t that mean all of those aspects of business disruption, including staffing shortages and massive resignations, start to curtail as we move towards our so-called “new normal”?

In an article on CNBC, Daniel Zhao, senior economist at Glassdoor, said that “These quits are still extremely high, and that shows the Great Resignation is still in full swing,” and that “It wouldn’t be a surprise to see that cool down in 2022,” Zhao said. “But that’s not to say we should expect the Great Resignation to disappear overnight.”

So, in essence, it’s a hiring purgatory, isn’t it? For now, it certainly seems like it. However, just perceiving all of this with a different mindset is the first, and most crucial, step in moving out of this unique period in business (and staffing) history.

Here’s the wake-up call: no matter the level of benefits nor the amount of compensation, a business cannot effectively fulfill a worker’s ultimate aspirations without purposeful and meaningful work. There must be a catalyst that drives that realm of joy within a professional’s heart and mind. The Great Resignation is not a fight over money, nor is it a sign that workers have become greedier and are asking for the moon.

This all simply means one thing: the pandemic has shaped our lives in such a way that the personal and professional dichotomy has become intertwined. Workers are people and people are workers. They want purpose. They want joy. They want to earn a living (a nice living) while doing something they love.

There’s a critical reason why we should be looking at The Greatest Resignation much differently. It’s not a war of attrition nor a battle for higher wages, but rather a revolution in which humans are doing everything they can to align their purpose, culture, and journey with the many, many hours they spend at work.

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Where Does the Extended Workforce Go From Here?

Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on

The Future of Work is many things: technology, transformation, work optimization, innovation, collaboration, and, of course, talent. Depending on who you’re talking to, the Future of Work movement’s nexus could be defined as any of those previous attributes, and rightfully so: technology and innovation drive the optimization of how work is done, while the transformation of business leadership translates into an enhanced ability to retain top talent while attracting new skillsets and expertise.

The extended workforce has long been a critical realm within the concept of the Future of Work, fueling a strategic approach towards talent management that has a variety of key benefits ranging from shorter-term engagement, more focused projects and initiatives, access to the world’s deepest skillsets, and the traditional cost savings that have long been associated with this type of labor.

And, speaking of the “traditional” aspects of the extended workforce: the Future of Work Exchange defines this talent as the natural evolution of the contingent workforce, meaning that, at its core, this workforce is still comprised of non-employee talent, however, its impact, value, flexibility, purpose, and accessibility have all progressed to become key elements of the Future of Work movement (even more so than ever before).

There has been so much transformation over the past two-plus years regarding the way work is done, from the absolute domination of remote and hybrid work to massive changes within the realm of business and executive leadership. We’re now two years deep into a pandemic that is finally (hopefully?) just beginning its escape from its “emergency” phase into one that is, again, hopefully more livable. Other aspects of the Future of Work, specifically changes in leadership and the realm of innovation and new tech, have clear pathways ahead of them.

The question remains, then: where does the extended workforce go from here?

The extended workforce of 2022 and beyond is a force that will continue to grow in size, scope, impact, and value. Future of Work Exchange research pegs contingent labor at 47% of the average company’s total workforce, a statistic that is only expected to grow in the months and years ahead. When we’re talking about nearly half of all talent that is found, engaged, and sourced via this realm, we’re essentially discussing a critical piece of the Future of Work puzzle that should be considered the contemporary nexus of all things related to how work is addressed and done.

Consider that business leaders are experiencing the most volatile labor market of their careers, with a dearth of options for filling critical positions as The Great Resignation continues its rampage. And, too, the Talent Revolution is becoming more of a reality for enterprises as workers fight for better conditions, more flexibility, and enhanced benefits. The extended workforce already sits within the crucial inner-workings of the Future of Work movement and will continue to drive value if enterprises:

  • Leverage the extended workforce as a primary means of getting work done.
  • Transform the “hiring manager experience” to make it simpler and easier to align enterprise needs with open talent across talent pools, talent communities, supplier networks, and alternative talent channels.
  • Harness the inherent flexibility of the extended workforce to navigate a challenging, evolving, and frustrating labor market.
  • Utilize total talent intelligence to configure how the extended workforce will influence future hiring initiatives, and;
  • Lean on the extended workforce’s top-tier skillsets and expertise to “future-proof” the greater enterprise at scale.

Perhaps the most interesting facet of today’s extended workforce is the fact that technology and innovation are abound: only several years ago, the technology landscape for managing the contingent workforce focused more on the tactical elements of this realm of talent. Today, it’s a much different story.

Platforms like Utmost are bringing a Future of Work-first focus to how business leverage their non-employee workforce to get work done. Beeline continues to progress its technology to match the evolving needs of HR, procurement, and talent acquisition practitioners. PRO Unlimited (who just made another major move this week) continues to expand its innovative platform philosophy. Prosperix just unveiled its VMS Network solution, which seamlessly connects businesses, talent suppliers, and job candidates together in its unique ecosystem. VMS solutions like Eqip, VectorVMS, FlexTrack, Pixid, and ELEVATE are also offering technological differentiators to the extended workforce solutions marketplace.

WorkSuite has a powerful engine from its Shortlist days (and a business outcome-focused variety of technology), while once-traditional talent marketplaces such as Upwork, Toptal, Bluecrew, and Talmix offer enterprise-grade innovations that represent the fluidity, flexibility, and long-range strengths of the extended workforce and freelance talent.

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The Future of Work Exchange Meets the “Off the Cuff” Podcast: A Conversation About “The Great Resignation”

Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on

I had the pleasure of joining SSI People’s Off the Cuff podcast to chat about the Future of Work, “The Great Resignation,” the “Talent Revolution,” and so much more related to the evolving world of work and talent. Hosted by SSI’s Christina Vinson, it was a delight to chat about these topics with EVP of Strategy and Development at SSI, Manny Vidal.

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Moving from Direct Sourcing 1.0 to Direct Sourcing 2.0

Direct Sourcing by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Direct sourcing has dominated discussions around talent, work, and staffing for the past few years because, when executed well, it can deliver incredible value to the greater organization through hard benefits (such as cost savings and a quicker average time-to-fill rate) and soft benefits (greater talent quality, better engagement with highly-skilled candidates, etc.).

As the overall labor market evolves in the wake of rising worker resignations, smart businesses will prioritize the need for deeper assessment and validation of skillsets and place a greater emphasis on the candidate and hiring manager experience. The starting point for most will be to build on their existing direct sourcing capabilities and work to develop Direct Sourcing 2.0 capabilities, such as:

  • Leverage digital recruiting processes to engage and communicate with candidates. Recruitment marketing has been a key tool for talent acquisition teams that target both active and passive candidates with specific messaging regarding open positions. Digital recruitment marketing leverages this same thinking but also invites active and passive candidates to join branded portals (and talent pools) by crafting distinctive communications that speak to career paths, worker values, desired cultures, etc.
  • Harness the power of AI to more effectively validate candidates’ skill, expertise, fit, and overall alignment. Candidate assessment can be enhanced and improved by adding AI capabilities into the mix. Managers simply do not have the time, resources, or energy (especially in today’s frenetic market) to deal with a “bad hire.” Virtual recruiting has made skills validation more difficult and candidate fraud more commonplace. AI-led direct sourcing tools can augment the way that enterprises gain peace of mind over who and how they engage candidates before hiring.
  • Nurture talent pool candidates with next-generation strategies that take into account timing, trust, and mobile-enabled messaging. Sometimes it is not just how frequently hiring managers communicate with their talent pool candidates, but when they do so that can make a world of difference in the ability to “close” a candidate. Talent nurturing within Direct Sourcing 2.0 programs entails more advanced approaches including text-first messaging, better and deeper communication with candidates, and outreach that can build trust between employer and worker.
  • Scale direct sourcing to become a repeatable set of processes that can drive value across the full enterprise. Direct sourcing programs typically start small, with a specific segment of worker categories before expanding into other critical areas of the enterprise. Direct Sourcing 2.0 is the culmination of expansive, innovative strategies and solutions that can take direct sourcing to the next level by increasing the number of high-impact, talent-based positions that fall under the scope of the program.

The path to Direct Sourcing 2.0 is also rooted in the idea that data should drive talent-led decision-making. Most next-generation direct sourcing programs leverage AI-driven functionality to enable a more robust picture of available skillsets, improve the matching of available skills with open positions and project requirements, streamline the assessment of candidate skills and expertise, and enhance worker intelligence. The majority of businesses see AI and advanced analytics as a catalyst for Direct Sourcing 2.0 over the next two years.

Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange make the case that an employer’s brand can be a catalyst for talent transformation because it can be used to attract talent and maintain an allure as non-FTE workers shift in and out of enterprise projects. Direct Sourcing 2.0 builds on brand concepts and pushes them to a higher level by using AI and analytics on candidate data to improve messaging, increase support for diversity initiatives, and gain a clearer picture of the worker expertise available in today’s transformative labor market.

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“The Great Resignation” is Not An Economic Trend

Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Here’s a definition of “The Great Resignation” from old friend Wikipedia:

The Great Resignation, also known as the Big Quit, is an ongoing economic trend in which employees have voluntarily resigned from their jobs en masse, beginning in early 2021, primarily in the United States.

While I understand that Wikipedia is easily editable and can sometimes contain basic misinformation regarding history, politics, etc., what is represented in the above definition is unfortunately a common line of thinking in today’s frenetic world of business.

Even though aspects like “flexibility” and “remote work” are buried in that Wikipedia entry, the focus on economic thinking muddles The Great Resignation into a conversation around employees wanting more financial power as they traverse year three of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Remember, my friends, there’s a much clearer reason for this Big Quit, and it has little to do with money: it’s a “Talent Revolution,” and we’re all witnessing it first-hand as enterprises face staffing shortages, business leaders grapple with new models of working, and workers focus their energy on finding positions that bring value and purpose into their lives.

The Future of Work Exchange has been incredibly bullish about the Talent Revolution over the past few months, and rightfully so: placing the focus for tens of millions of voluntarily resignations squarely on economic factors misses the greater concept at hand…that the modern-day workforce has empowered themselves to transform the symbiotic links between “talent” and “employers,” all in the quest for more flexible, purposeful, and meaningful work.

Does The Great Resignation have economic consequences? Of course, let’s not kid ourselves. Staffing shortages are ravaging the financials of businesses, play a pivotal role in certain aspects of today’s inflation crisis, and, of course, contribute to product and supply chain disruptions across the world. (Also, as a side note: rising energy costs and fuel expenses are another complicated layer to the business arena today, as is the ongoing crisis in the Ukraine and its global financial and supply ramifications, as well.)

But these are consequences of a larger issue, one that has only been exacerbated by a global health crisis that has unfortunately shined a very, very bright light on the inequities and rigidity of today’s workplace and workforce structure. There is an underlying inequity in how workers are treated, how they are paid, how they are provided benefits, and how flexible their roles are considering the tremendous change in the world of talent and work over the last two years.

The Talent Revolution was always on its way; it’s unfortunate that it has resulted in an across-the-board, jarring “Big Quit” that has shaken the way businesses deal with extreme staffing shortages. However, there’s a reason equity, inclusion, better working conditions, and flexibility have become so critical: this is the power the workforce should have.

Every worker deserves a position that serves and aligns with his, her, or their purpose. Every worker deserves the flexibility to attend to personal and private needs and achieve a better work-life integration. And, every worker deserves equitable treatment, safe working conditions, and an inclusive culture that inspires them to thrive, think, speak, and innovate.

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Direct Sourcing 2.0 Is Here to Combat “The Great Resignation”

Direct Sourcing by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Today, the stakes for finding, attracting, and hiring the right talent are higher still, and a literal talent “frenzy” has hiring managers in all industries and geographies struggling to fill key positions. And that was before “The Great Resignation” of 2021-2022 took hold. Now, more than ever, these leaders need to take control of their talent destinies. As a result, direct sourcing has become one of the hottest topics in the world of talent and work.

With an ever-increasing number of talent channels, including digital staffing marketplaces, traditional staffing vendors, professional services, talent networks, and social media platforms, the ability to match project requirements with available skillsets has never been easier. It has also never been more competitive or difficult to hire top candidates.  Businesses that harness the power of direct sourcing and talent pools have the ability to develop an agile, extended workforce which can be the key to truly thriving in these evolving times.

In 2021, Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research found that 82% of all businesses felt the challenging times of the past two years increased the demand for extended and non-employee talent. This number reinforces the idea that workforce flexibility (and scalability) are essential links to economic progress in the now-chaotic, hyper-competitive global marketplace. And, in many ways, operationalizing that flexibility/scalability has become a driving force in enabling overall workforce agility. To do so, enterprises can tap into talent pools, marketplaces, clouds, and communities to enhance the work done by the trusted full-time staff; they can also leverage a range of services and other recruiting streams to build a dynamic talent acquisition process that can support crucial enterprise initiatives.

This is why direct sourcing has become such a powerful tool for business leaders today.

Truth be told, even basic direct sourcing programs can drive value through a combination of on-demand, plug-and-play talent, and hard-cost savings. But the pandemic’s impact on the workforce has dramatically accelerated market shifts. Today, talent is scarce and comes at a premium. As a result, workers are demanding greater flexibility from their employers. They are more focused on work-life balance, while also desiring greater independence. Among many things, the “Talent Revolution” indicates a seismic shift in power towards the worker and away from the employer…meaning that businesses require a more powerful, more flexible, and more scalable version of direct sourcing. Enter “Direct Sourcing 2.0.”

Now is the time for “Direct Sourcing 2.0,” the next generation of sourcing strategies that blend innovative solutions with a renewed focus on the candidate experience and an ability to use talent pools to populate the key projects and roles that require expertise and experience. Today’s business climate has accelerated the need for a reimagined approach to candidate engagement. As the market for talent continues to tighten amidst the lingering pandemic and a surging number of resignations, businesses find themselves in a new kind of “war for talent,” one that is far more extensive and complicated than anything experienced pre-pandemic.

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