The past five years have brought unprecedented change to the greater world of work. The COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses across the globe to reevaluated business operations in the face of critical change. Too, the ramifications of the virus itself on human lives (both physical and emotional) sparked people to reimagine how they approached the very concept of “life.”
The unimagine toll of the pandemic was, of course, heartbreaking. Talk to anyone who lost someone from COVID, or, speak to someone who is still suffering from the devastating effects of long COVID. Don’t ever forget how unemployment sparked to 15% in those early, scary months.
I’ve often said (many times on the Future of Work Exchange Podcast) that it’s incredibly difficult to find a “silver lining” amongst the destruction. However, what occurred in the direct wake of the pandemic and throughout the years that followed was a new sense of “thinking” that cascaded from reevaluating business processes into questioning just exactly how we got work done.
So, we head into 2025 with a sharp sense of wonder unlike any other year before. We are free to question anything and everything, free to desire innovation, and, of course, free to pursue the change that we need to experience in order to evolve.
The world of work and talent has long been buoyed by several key solutions, particularly MSP and VMS, that have anchored many of the world’s foremost extended workforce and talent acquisition programs. Now, you may be wondering: “Chris, what the hell is going on? What do MSP and VMS have to do with “change” and “desire” and “evolution” and the pandemic and such?”
Good question. It has become commonplace to push back on ordinary conventions both in our personal and professional lives. We are free to question and ask “Why?” in the face of continued change in business operations, daily life, etc.
I’ve spent nearly 20 years in the extended workforce, HR tech, and talent technology industries. I’ve seen monumental change, I’ve seen transformation first-hand, and I’ve experienced the so-called “evolution” that we all like to believe occurs as technology and innovation continue to expand.
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