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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.

Christopher Dwyer: For this week’s edition of The Future of Work Exchange Podcast, I’m thrilled to welcome Christy Forest, CEO and executive director at LiveHire, for a discussion about the current and future state of direct sourcing, the role of skills-based hiring, and the ever-decisive concept of total talent management.

Christy, you’ve been in our space for a long time and have first-hand knowledge and expertise in our industry. Things are evolving rapidly, particularly workforce technologies which are very transformative these days. What are your thoughts on the workforce solutions market in general?

Christy Forest: The workforce solutions market is constantly evolving. It is this intermix of technology and humanity and all these different players in the ecosystem. Today, we’re seeing some structural shifts in skills coming through. And that’s about as old as time in how often that occurs. However, what’s different is that everything truly happens faster. It’s all about agility for corporates. We experienced this with COVID-19 in such a short period where some companies boomed and others busted. Presently, even if hiring is down, it’s the opportunity to adopt approaches that ready you for the rebound.

Organizations just keep pedaling hard and fast. And the workforce solutions industry is evolving rapidly to keep pace with that. We’re at a moment where executives are asking how they can move faster and smarter and evolve their organizations in the face of such change. Looking at the workforce solutions market through the lens of technology, it’s about what gives you visibility and data for insight to make good decisions as well as what gives you candidate and staff engagement because the (candidate and employee) power has shifted forever. It’s not going back. I think about those three things — the insights from data for better decisions, the engagement, and the speed of outcomes — that’s agility. Executives who are thinking about how they’re transforming in the face of change and partnering across the ecosystem are experiencing the evolution firsthand.

CD: Let’s shift now to direct sourcing. Data, intelligence, agility, and scalability are all hallmarks of direct sourcing. LiveHire has been a direct sourcing pioneer for over a decade. Where are we at with direct sourcing from a place of technology, maturity, and the like?

CF:  It’s certainly been interesting to see the maturity and the evolution. One of the great things is the convergence on the definition of direct sourcing, which is a milestone in many ways. Along with this is also the commitment to scale when undertaking direct sourcing — it is not solely about cost savings. Scaling is so important and powerful.

At LiveHire, we make data-driven decisions and consider how our technology faces off at scale and delivers outcomes. For one client, we built a talent community of nearly 100,000 candidates within a year. Achieving a powerful talent community gives you quality and scale. When thinking about direct sourcing at scale and how our technology faces off, we’re constantly interrogating our data and examining it at a precise level  level — how to achieve stronger recruiter productivity and candidate experience. Doing so at scale is what leads to corporate results.

CD: Defining direct sourcing is not straightforward. Simply having a curation partner or technology to build talent communities is not enough for a successful direct sourcing program. You need more than that. How can businesses be truly successful at direct sourcing?

CF: You first need to focus on the fundamentals. Be clear about direct sourcing and that it’s more than redeployment in a small part of your talent program. It is leveraging your brand at scale. There are three legs of the stool widely discussed: technology, a curation partner, and an EOR. You must have those pieces of the puzzle. However, go the next step and be willing to engage the hiring managers and drive an expectation and commitment to the program to establish a priority window and help the organization feel confident as the talent pools build and scale. We have found that an MSP can be a very strong partner in this effort. TAPFIN leads and champions this for its clients and does it very well. Having that dialog and success conversation that’s led by the data and insights relative to the talent in the pools is vital. Those are the biggest factors we’ve seen.

CD: As we look at the future of direct sourcing, where does it go from here? And why does it go there?

CF: The future needed now is if you’re not doing direct sourcing using your brand and adopting it at scale, then start there. Create a world where stronger candidates fit with the organization as well as offer a better experience for the candidate and hiring manager — and do it with cost savings in mind. What evolves from that is more data and insight into the potential of your workforce. The  question is how do we use this information to lift our competitiveness? This opens an opportunity for HR and procurement to come together in a powerful way to answer that question. Ultimately, you want to bring those answers to the executive committee and the board showing how direct sourcing increased the enterprise’s competitiveness by being smarter with the data available and knowing what needs development to win. Candidate pools, skills, and on-demand insights help lead that conversation. This ultimately takes us back full circle to where you’ve got agility.

Click HERE to access the full podcast.

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Optimize Your Workforce with Recession-Proof Strategies, Part Two

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We’re now two months into the second half of 2023 and economically speaking, things are looking positive. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that GDP grew 2.4% in the second quarter of 2023. The labor market remains tight with unemployment at 3.6%, a rate not witnessed in decades. However, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the tight labor market allows the Federal Reserve to continue raising interest rates to fight inflation. Currently, inflation rests at 3%, a percentage point higher than the Federal Reserve’s longer-run goal of 2%.

Does the state of the current U.S. economy equate to a “soft landing” and the evasion of a recession? Maybe, maybe not. Due to the expectation of continued interest rate increases and the potential ramifications, uncertainty remains among executives and their enterprises. Thus, many are considering strategies over the next six to 12 months to recession-proof their critical workforce and their organizations.

With that in mind, the Future of Work Exchange features part two of a three-part series exploring several contingent and overall workforce strategies to achieve a recession-proof enterprise over the next few weeks. Part two explores the next three strategies.

Enhance Overall Workplace Culture

Enhancing a workplace culture for both contingent and permanent workers means creating opportunities for communication, engagement, and performance. First, it should start with clearly communicating the enterprise’s core values and mission that lead to consistent behaviors and performance goals. The mission and core values should permeate the enterprise and be modeled by leadership. Second, a workplace inclusive of different backgrounds and perspectives, while also promoting employee engagement, fosters a sense of belonging and community. Inclusiveness and engagement can transform workforce communication as well as generate collaboration and strategic problem-solving. And third, institute a reward and recognition system that promotes higher performance, skills development, and innovative thinking. Ultimately, bringing enhancements to the workplace culture not only helps retain talent but attracts it as well.

Holistic Approach to the Workforce Beyond Productivity

The Future of Work has brought greater attention to the workforce beyond just productivity. HR leaders, business managers, and executives who take a holistic workforce approach are placing greater emphasis on employee empowerment, emotional intelligence, and meaningful work. When employees are given more autonomy, they take ownership of their work and experiment with new ideas — a win-win for the employee and the enterprise. Similarly, leading with empathy has been shown to create a more supportive environment where managers and employees are more attuned to the well-being of colleagues. When it comes to purpose, assigning employees to projects where their passions or strengths lie makes the work more meaningful. That alignment will enhance job satisfaction as well.

Reallocate Budgets for Investment in Automation and Technology

When it comes to realigning budgets for greater investment in automation and technology, begin with identifying redundant processes and inefficient workflows. Show stakeholders how automation can eliminate the costs associated with inefficiencies. From a talent perspective, employing automation for talent acquisition and talent management, particularly for the contingent workforce, can bring those processes in-house for more strategic decision-making. Extended workforce platforms expand the power of VMS technology, for example, by offering more talent-oriented solutions that augment how a business manages nuanced, Future of Work-led aspects, such as DE&I, talent communities, services procurement, the candidate experience, the hiring manager experience, etc. With enterprises shifting to skills-based hiring, utilizing automation and technology to attract candidates with specific skills and competencies is now a strategic imperative.

The economy is proving resilient against a recession. However, implementing holistic workforce strategies focused on talent attraction and retention, workplace culture, and automation and technology can be just as impactful against recessionary trends. Next week, we’ll explore three more recession-proof enterprise workforce strategies.

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Strategic Workforce Planning Impacts MSP Effectiveness

Business LeadershipContingent WorkforceGeneral InsightsHRSolution ProvidersTalent AcquisitionTechnology and Innovation by John Yuva on

The Future of Work is an all-encompassing paradigm that transcends any one area of talent acquisition and talent management. Thus, when developing a workforce planning strategy, it must comprise every department and role in the enterprise. Yet, few organizations approach such a strategy from a holistic perspective. This can be detrimental to an organization’s skills development initiatives, talent retention efforts, and overall collaborative effectiveness with MSP and VMS partners.

Lack of Enterprise-Wide Approach to SWP

A study released by eQ8, which provides a dedicated end-to-end SaaS solution for strategic workforce planning (SWP), revealed the criticality of having an enterprise-wide approach toward SWP. Here are a few of the major takeaways from the study:

  • While all areas surveyed saw a greater increase in meeting their objectives using an SWP provider, the relative difference in forecasting future skills between those leveraging SWP technology and those who did not was 135%.
  • While one in two companies report focusing on upskilling and reskilling their current workforce, only 18% report having an excellent view into skill gaps through workforce planning to achieve future success.
  • Despite the increase in investment in the Future of Work with 72% of companies reporting increased investment, 60% of companies do not feel prepared.
  • While 85% of companies reported increased investment in SWP, only 52% are creating a consistent, company-wide approach, and only 14% of companies take a strategic, long-term approach to their workforce planning initiatives.

According to Alicia Roach, CEO and co-founder of eQ8, “Strategic workforce planning is all about driving a fundamental shift where organizations see their workforce as an asset,” she said.

“When we treat our workforce as something that creates value, achieves strategic and operational imperatives, and delights customers, we are better situated to meet our long-term goals for success. There is an innate knowing that the organization cannot get where it needs to go without its people.”

SWP for Effective Partnership Execution

Employees are a critical piece to workforce planning execution, as are managed service providers and vendor management system partners. These external partners rely on an effective workforce planning strategy to meet the talent needs of the organization. The following are several ways a holistic SWP initiative is not only necessary but essential to MSP and VMS partner effectiveness.

First, workforce planning helps MSPs and VMS providers align the demand for contingent workers with the available supply. By analyzing historical data, market trends, and client requirements, these partners can anticipate the need for specific skills and adjust their talent pool accordingly. This ensures a quick response to client demands and delivers the right talent at the right time.

Second, MSPs and VMS providers can better optimize talent acquisition and management costs through an effective and enterprise-wide strategic workforce plan. By forecasting demand and analyzing labor market conditions, they can identify cost-effective sourcing strategies, negotiate favorable rates, and avoid excessive labor oversupply or shortages — leading to controlled expenses and consistent service quality.

Third, SWP leads to the development of a diverse talent pool. MSPs can identify skill gaps, assess future talent needs, and implement strategies to attract, recruit, and retain skilled professionals. By nurturing relationships with candidates, they can build a strong talent pipeline, ensuring a steady supply of qualified workers to meet client requirements.

Lastly, workforce planning plays a vital role in ensuring compliance with labor laws, regulations, and client-specific requirements. MSPs and VMS providers need to navigate complex legal and regulatory landscapes, such as employment contracts, tax obligations, and worker classification. Integrating compliance considerations into their planning process can mitigate risks and avoid potential legal and financial consequences.

While on the surface, workforce planning can appear as a step within the Future of Work paradigm. However, it goes much deeper than that. Enterprise-wide SWP is foundational for Future of Work execution. Without it, organizations and their MSP and VMS partners are throwing darts in the dark to decide what skills exist, where talent resides, and how best to deploy it. Gain control and a proactive approach to SWP with a holistic mindset that includes input and sharing of information with MSP and VMS partners.

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Data Delivers…But With Privacy Controls

Business LeadershipDirect SourcingGeneral InsightsHRTechnology and InnovationUncategorized by John Yuva on

The innovative technologies available to enterprises for talent acquisition and talent management are growing exponentially. Along with the growth in HR technology is the vast amount of data that comes with it. Direct sourcing solutions, for example, collect an enormous volume of data about potential candidates. Now with the power of artificial intelligence (AI), an even deeper analysis of employee data can be accomplished. While these insights can be game-changing for workforce productivity and employee engagement strategies, there remains a question about employee privacy.

Technology Pushes Privacy Boundaries

HR is the keeper of the most sensitive employee data in the enterprise from social security numbers to performance reviews to salary information. This standard information has always been under lock and key. However, technology is now extending data into more delicate areas, leading to privacy and security concerns. Consider wearables technology that enterprises are now experimenting with. Used extensively in retail and logistics environments, organizations can now track employee behaviors and health metrics, such as blood pressure, sleep patterns, and daily steps to monitor well-being and engagement.

While HR technologies can help with employee and organizational engagement, enhance efficiencies, streamline processes, and improve executive and managerial decision-making, what are the privacy and security issues of such advancements?

  • Data monitoring protections. The collection of data through monitoring or surveillance technologies opens the door to sensitive employee information. Whether it’s work habits and behaviors, such as productivity or attendance metrics, or more general health-related information, enterprises should establish clear policies and communicate transparently about the purpose and extent of monitoring to address privacy concerns. In the case of wearables, what are the objectives of using these devices? How will the information be stored? And who has access to it?
  • Data access controls. One of the biggest issues is simply the access and sharing of candidate and/or employee information. More HR data is now accessible by a larger stakeholder pool. HR personnel, managers, executives, and external service providers are privy to employee data. It is essential to establish strict access controls and protocols to ensure that only authorized individuals can access the data. Moreover, the sharing of employee data with external vendors or partners should be governed by clear policies and data protection agreements to protect employee privacy.
  • Data ethics guidelines and processes. How data is used by enterprises can come under great scrutiny if ethical guidelines are not instituted to prevent misuse or discrimination. Guidelines should begin with obtaining consent from employees to collect, use, and store their personal information. Similarly, enterprises should allow employees access to their information for review and correcting inaccuracies. As organizations integrate artificial intelligence tools into their HR solutions, an audit of algorithms should occur to prevent any biases.

HR technology is ushering in innovations that can truly transform and revolutionize the workplace and workforce strategies. However, the immense data generated can erode employee trust if not properly shared and protected. Compliance with privacy laws and regulations both in the U.S. and abroad is absolute. Equally critical is transparency with contingent and permanent employees around the collection, usage, and storage of data. Communicate that data privacy and individual rights are extremely important to the enterprise, as are cybersecurity measures.

Workforce analytics alongside other forms of intellectual property are competitive differentiators that enterprises must protect. Complacency is not an option in today’s data-driven world.

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Skills-Based Is the New Workforce Frontier

Business LeadershipDirect SourcingDiversity and InclusionGeneral InsightsHRTalent AcquisitionTechnology and InnovationUncategorized by John Yuva on

We have recently talked about gamification and digital credentials as strategies for greater employee engagement, collaboration, and skills development. As enterprises re-engineer their workforce architectures toward a skills-based organization, these strategies will play a critical role in that initiative.

Why is skills-based the next workforce frontier? Simply put, traditional, antiquated job description-defined roles are ineffective in today’s volatile business landscape. Enterprises require agility and flexibility to respond appropriately to operational and market changes. A skills-based workforce architecture supports that requirement by aligning employee skills with project-focused initiatives. Deploying employees with specific skill sets to solve problems and ensure business continuity is a Future of Work vision.

Purpose of Work Redefined

With a nimble and responsive workforce, enterprises can leverage their talent using a more holistic approach while generating a greater sense of work purpose for employees. According to an article in Training magazine, “Skills-based organizations have a more agile and employee-centric approach to work where employees are valued for their skills rather than their job title, level, or educational qualifications.”

“It is a new operating model of work where employees are matched to tasks and projects based on skills, capabilities, and interests. Focusing on skill sets instead of job experience can help organizations optimize their talent pool.”

However, the success of this workforce model depends heavily on the ability to define work within the enterprise. What is the work that can ultimately provide a competitive advantage in the marketplace? Where in the organization does the most critical work reside? What skillsets and capabilities are most valued to accomplish the work required? How does the enterprise capture, structure, and utilize skillset data?

The critical answers to these questions are all part of the foundation of a skills-based structure.

Core Tenets of a Skills-Based Organization

The foundational elements of the skills-based organization revolve around the concepts of rethinking the parallels between talent and work; thus, the very future of the skills-based organization depends on forward-thinking strategies, ideas, and, of course, technology, according to Chris Dwyer, senior vice president of research at Ardent Partners and the managing director of the Future of Work Exchange.

Consider the Future of Work Exchange’s six key elements of skills-based organizations and how they impact the greater business (and its staffing, recruitment, and hiring efforts).

Candidate Centricity

A candidate-centric talent strategy ensures that businesses place the utmost emphasis on the candidate experience and the candidate journey, thus positioning them to attract and engage top-tier skillsets and expertise. Employee development opportunities are essential in retainment and career progression initiatives.

A Shift to Skills-based Hiring

Job-based hiring has long been the foundation of talent acquisition. However, for skills-based organizations, prioritizing expertise as the core of hiring enables a deeper range of total talent. An important part of this strategy is diversity, equity, and inclusion in the hiring process as well. DE&I should be communicated by leadership as an enterprise priority.

A Foundation of AI and Data

Deeper, AI-furled technology allows businesses to execute more effective candidate matching, identify critical skills gaps, and provide leaders with predictive insights into the organization’s future talent. Rather than reactively responding to operational and market changes, AI and data enable a proactive approach to talent identification and deployment.

Expansion of Skills

Hard skills are crucial, but “soft” skills are critical for productive and engaged workers. SBOs expand their candidate searches to prioritize behavioral skills just as much as traditional expertise. The need for strategic problem-solving and collaboration across business units is an inherent characteristic of a skills-based enterprise.

Enhanced Experiences

Skills-based organizations not only prioritize the candidate journey but also the hiring manager experience to ensure that consistent, scalable methods are leveraged to catalyze a frictionless talent acquisition experience.

Omni-Channel Talent Acquisition

Skills-based organizations leverage “omni-channel talent acquisition,” in which hiring strategies revolve around a variety of talent sources, including direct sourcing, talent marketplaces, digital staffing, etc. Cultivating those pipelines with diverse candidates, while also using source prioritization for specific requirements will streamline the talent acquisition process.

A skills-based organization is a major transformation from the traditional approach of job-defined roles and responsibilities. Core to a successful skills-based workforce model is comprehensive talent assessments of existing skillsets, integration of workforce technologies, and structured processes for identifying projects and deploying needed skillsets. And of course, there’s change management that is necessary to make the transformation sustainable, a topic we’ll tackle in a later article.

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The Role of Blockchain in Candidates’ Digital Identities

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A more digital Future of Work environment also means an increase in data volume. Information about potential job candidates collected through direct sourcing efforts, as well as more process digitization puts an abundance of sensitive data at HR’s and business leaders’ fingertips. Concurrently, cybersecurity risks continue to grow as threat actors attempt to thwart individuals’ and corporate efforts to defend against them. Enter blockchain, a technology that holds the potential for capturing and securing sensitive personal and workforce data.

What Is Blockchain?

At its core, Synopsis defines blockchain as “a decentralized, distributed, and public digital ledger that is used to record transactions across many computers so that the record cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks and the consensus of the network.” For each ordered record (i.e., transaction) a block with a timestamp and transaction data is created and linked to subsequent blocks forming a blockchain. Whether it’s financial records, supply chain transactions, or personal information, blockchain guarantees a record of integrity and trust for all parties — without requiring a third party for verification.

Blockchain is most associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to secure a record of transactions. However, it is gaining more attention in industries outside of banking, including pharmaceuticals, aerospace and defense, and food and beverage, with several companies piloting blockchain technology for track-and-trace initiatives. For example, in the food supply chain, a supplier is unable to alter transaction data such as batch numbers, ensuring the ability to appropriately track and trace specific food shipments in the event of a recall.

The technology is now making its way into the HR function. This week, we’ll look at blockchain from the individual level (digital identity), followed by part two, exploring areas where HR can leverage blockchain to benefit the enterprise.

Defining Our Digital Identity

Our digital footprint includes basic information such as name, address, nationality, and social security number, as well as data related to our banking activities, professional history, and online interactions and behaviors. Much of this information resides on websites and is accessible with a username and password. Unfortunately, security breaches can threaten our information and digital identities — with implications affecting HR and employment databases.

Blockchain and Digital Identity Control

Blockchain is capable of revolutionizing what it means to have a digital identity through digital identity management and a decentralized identifier (DID). Digital identity management solutions can help provide greater control over our own digital identities and who has access to them.

Digital identity management. According to 101 Blockchains, the following are advantages of using blockchain for digital identity management:

  • Blockchain features the elements of maintaining data in an immutable and encrypted manner. Thus, it ensures that the digital identity is secure and easily traceable.
  • The efficiency of blockchain encryption alongside the facility of digital signatures ensures effective “Privacy and Design.”
  • Maintain records of every identity throughout all the nodes across the network and thus make it trustworthy.
  • Maintain the communication metadata in a distributed ledger, and consensus mechanisms help in verifying data authenticity across multiple nodes which improves trust.
  • Set clear roles for identity issuers, identity owners, and identity verifiers by simplifying the processes associated with each stakeholder.

Decentralized identifier. Coupled with digital identity management, a DID provides a holistic approach to digital identity protection through blockchain. Georgia Weston, a prolific subject matter expert in the blockchain space, says the DID is an important concept within digital blockchain solutions.

“It is actually a pseudo-anonymous identifier for a specific object, person, or company, and a private key secures the DID. Individuals who own the private key can prove ownership or control over a specific identity. One person could have multiple DIDs, which can restrict the extent of tracking throughout multiple activities in everyday life.

“…Decentralized identifiers also feature a collection of attestations or verifiable credentials which verify the specific traits of the DID. Generally, the issuers of the verifiable credentials sign the credentials cryptographically. Owners of DIDs could store the credentials on their own without depending on a single service provider.”

DIDs and digital identity management can be critical pieces for maintaining and verifying information about one’s educational background and professional history. Enterprise recruiters and HR can verify and authenticate a person’s identity — but with consent while ensuring their privacy and data control.

Pam Baker, a technology subject matter expert, shared insights and results of a blockchain report by the American Productivity and Quality Center in an article for Tech Target, describing the potential for personal blockchains and the workplace. “Employers would need permission to access and add to an individual’s private blockchain. Employees could provide access keys to employers and then rescind the keys when they leave the organization to maintain control over their personal records.

“Blockchain HR technology used in this way would effectively function as ‘value passports’ that employees could take anywhere and continue to build throughout their careers, according to the report’s authors.”

Future of Work and Mainstream Digital Identification

Blockchain is an evolving technology that requires cooperation and adoption by several entities before it becomes a mainstream solution. Governments, industry, vendors, and users themselves must agree on the foundation and potential regulations for how to leverage digital identifiers. It is a complex but important discussion due to the growth of data through Industry 4.0 and other technologies.

The possibility of having a university issue a college degree or an enterprise award a training certificate via a digital certificate on a personal blockchain is not far-reaching. It represents the purest and most authentic form of our personal and professional histories.

Enterprise recruiters and HR will have confidence that the candidates they select (using blockchain technology to verify and authenticate) truly possess the experience and skills for the position. Digital identity could become the preferred method for applying through a job portal or engaging with a recruiter.

In part two, we’ll explore blockchain from an HR and enterprise perspective. There are several use cases to consider in such areas as contract management, payroll, and recruitment.

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The Second Thing You Must Know About The Future of Work

Business LeadershipContingent WorkforceDiversity and InclusionGeneral InsightsHRTalentTechnology and Innovation by John Yuva on

The Future of Work Exchange (FOWX) and Ardent Partners recently hosted their complimentary webinar, The Five Things You MUST KNOW About the Future of Work, which discussed the critical capabilities that enterprises can unlock to truly optimize the way they address talent acquisition, extended workforce management, and, most importantly, work optimization. Over the next five weeks, we’ll be recapping each of the five things discussed during the event.

In our second installment this week, we’ll be diving into the “first-mover advantage” and what that means for innovation and resiliency.

Adoption of Future of Work Accelerants

The number two must-know about the Future of Work is that the first-mover advantage (in this case, early adopters of Future of Work-era strategies and solutions) translates into urgency for innovation. During the scary early days of the pandemic, businesses were either struggling for survival…or were thriving. When we think about where we are today, let’s look at the organizations that adopted some of these Future of Work accelerants: they tapped into remote work, became more diverse and inclusive with their workforce and in their workplace, while also improving their workplace culture and overall work optimization strategies.

Businesses also embraced aspects like artificial intelligence and used their technology more expansively. For example, a Vendor Management System (VMS) wasn’t used just for requisitions, but also to build scenarios and leverage predictive analytics to scale the workforce and understand what could happen tomorrow based on today’s numbers. Doing so could lead to smarter and more educated and intelligent-led talent decisions. Thus, there is an urgency for innovation.

This is not simply about thriving, but surviving as well. Those businesses that have adopted some of these accelerants, whether they’re strategic or technology-led, are much more likely to thrive in the months ahead. The first-mover advantage sets these organizations up very nicely for the future.

Thrive Through Understanding and Embracement

The Future of Work Exchange’s architect, Christopher J. Dwyer, highlighted a discussion he had with a director of talent acquisition, who said it was easy for her company to transition to a remote workforce because it was already a hybrid workplace. The company took what it learned in pre-pandemic times over so many years that it was fairly simple to transition to remote work. It already leveraged both HR and contingent workforce technology and had those systems integrated, so it knew where its workers were across the globe — a company with approximately 300 global locations. She said the company had the capability to know who was working on what projects, where they were located, when their assignments ended, and what locations were being hit hard by a COVID-19 surge, which allowed them to react in real time. Speaking with her months later, said Dwyer, the company was thriving because of the lessons learned and its embrace of Future of Work accelerants during the early days of the pandemic.

This is not to say that a business struggling in 2020 couldn’t be thriving today. The first-mover advantage means that enterprises shouldn’t sit back and watch others pass them by in terms of what they’re adopting and embracing from Future of Work, innovation, and progression perspectives. What else is happening out there? What are their peers and competitors adopting from a technology perspective? How are their business leaders managing the workforce? How are they treating their workforce? Why are they losing talent to other organizations? Why are they getting hit harder by The Great Resignation than others?

The next economic recession will be unique because of existing inflation; however, many industries are doing well and thriving because of lessons learned and the collective trauma experienced over the last three years from the pandemic. During the next downturn, companies are likely to weather the storm much better because of the technology they’ve adopted and the new strategies they’ve embraced. The innovative thinking that comes from those decisions makes companies better suited to handle the challenges of today.

Flexibility Cannot be Underestimated

What does this mean for the workplace? In many respects, hybrid is the ideal workplace model because of the flexibility that workers crave. Obviously, many workers are unable to work remotely because of their job description. And, some businesses look at remote and hybrid work models with concerns about productivity and workforce control. However, time and time again, workers have proved that avoiding a 90-minute commute to and from work allows them to be more productive each day.

It also speaks to the flexibility of taking care of life events. The ability to go to the dentist or pick up a sick child from daycare or school can mean a great deal to workers. Workers are humans, not just numbers on a spreadsheet. It doesn’t matter if you’re a contractor that worked 4.5 hours or an employee who has been with the company for 40 years. These are not faceless workers. We are humans and humans crave flexibility. We want the ability to feel connected to the organization.

A famous CEO of the world’s largest search engine said that “the Future of Work is flexibility.” We’ve been saying this for a long time on FOWX and it’s true: the Future of Work is built on flexibility.

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The First Thing You Must Know About the Future of Work

Business LeadershipContingent WorkforceDirect SourcingEventsGeneral InsightsTalentTalent AcquisitionTechnology and Innovation by John Yuva on

The Future of Work Exchange (FOWX) and Ardent Partners recently hosted their complimentary webinar, The Five Things You MUST KNOW About the Future of Work, which discussed the critical capabilities that enterprises can unlock to truly optimize the way they address talent acquisition, extended workforce management, and, most importantly, work optimization. Over the next five weeks, we’ll be recapping each of the five things discussed during the event. In our first installment this week, we’ll be diving into the evolution of talent and the ever-present phrase, “The Future of Work.”

The Evolution of Talent and Talent Acquisition

When it comes to the Future of Work, one of the first things to know is the evolution of talent and talent acquisition. And this idea of the “evolution of talent” can be ambiguous. Talent is always evolving and has been for a long time. The way that businesses perceive their talent is also evolving. And, the way that those businesses get connected to talent, and vice versa, continues to evolve. It’s also being innovated through technology and new strategies and new programs.

The fact is nearly half of our workforce today is comprised of extended workers or contingent workers. We have aspects like direct sourcing and digital staffing that are making it much easier for businesses to find the talent they need to get work done to address those mission-critical projects and fill the appropriate roles. FOWX and Ardent research has been focused historically on the extended workforce and contingent workforce, but we’re talking about all types of talent.

Thus, talent acquisition as a function and as a series of processes has also progressed. We need to consider aspects like the candidate experience, and the way that our culture and our brand attract new talent into our organization. Many business leaders think of the Future of Work as being centered around technology, revolving around the idea that technology drives the Future of Work. And we  wouldn’t necessarily disagree with that; technology is a critical piece. And for some aspects and attributes of the Future of Work, technology and innovation are the nexus of those areas.

Technology is a Future of Work Centerpiece

Talent and the growth of the extended workforce represent the first leg of the stool with such things as diversity and candidate experience, but also digital staffing, direct sourcing, online talent marketplaces, and core workforce management solutions (such as MSPs and VMS platforms) These technologies are helping us to redefine the way we think about work. We’re living in a world where even though we don’t want to hear the word “pandemic” anymore, the pandemic really did shape what we think about the Future of Work.

It’s really critical to think about aspects like remote work and the technologies that support a hybrid workplace and how we leverage digital workspaces, digitization, and the idea of the digital enterprise, all rolling up into this notion of digital transformation. New technology and innovation are not the totality of the Future of Work, but certainly a centerpiece of it. And when we look at the transformation of business leadership, we often juxtapose this with business transformation or business leadership transformation, as well. It is leadership that dictates strategy, it dictates vision, and it dictates culture. And by proxy, we transform the way business leadership manages itself, manages its workforce, and how it expands its power and control over the organization.

Thus, the transparent transformation of business leadership is really critical, and honestly has nothing to do with technology. It all revolves around aspects like conscious leadership, empathetic leadership, empathy at work, and flexibility — thinking about how we lead in very new and different ways. It’s turning on its head the idea that “the boss” is always this very strict person who’s known for rigidity in how he or she perceives and manages the workforce. Business leaders are transitioning to be more flexible in their thinking. When you combine all these aspects together, that’s the future of work and the view of the Future of Work Exchange and Ardent Partners as well.

Ever-Present Future of Work

Thus, the “Future of Work” phrase is ever-present. It’s everywhere. Back when our FOWX architect, Christopher J. Dwyer, started using this phrase in 2013/2014, there weren’t many others using it. Today, we see so many conferences named “The Future of Work” as well as many websites and research studies. But unlike a lot of phrases that are hot today, it’s anything but hype. It really is this idea of permanence. Much of the change that we’ve gone through as people, as leaders, as workers, and as businesses, it’s not hype…nor is it a fad. The Future of Work is permanence. It’s not going to fade from view.

Future of Work “accelerants” that were once seedlings to the world of work and talent are now table stakes. Remote work, for example, is not new. Many of us have been working in a remote or hybrid workplace for most of our careers. And there are many others who have done so, as well. But for some business leaders and workers, it’s a very new aspect of their daily work lives.

The “Future of Work” phrase is ubiquitous. It’s an omnipresent way of looking at the current and future state of work. We are now focused on how we can improve the way we get work done, the way we manage talent, the way we engage talent, and the way that we treat our workforce. But we’re also thinking about tomorrow and the ways we’re going to get work done depending on several factors, including the economy, politics, global markets, and other aspects that could change the business arena.

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The Industry Is At A Crossroads

Technology and Innovation by Featured Contributor on

[Editor’s Note: Today’s article is a guest contribution from Neha Goel, Vice President of Marketing at Utmost.]

We are interconnected in all aspects of our lives, and work is no exception. We have become global citizens, and organizations are utilizing talent outside traditional full-time employees in record numbers. In fact, a company’s workforce is becoming inherently external, made up of episodic, variable, and dynamic engagements.

People are choosing careers that are no longer hierarchical or linear, and demanding flexibility in how and where they work. Similarly, companies want to capitalize on collaborating with a talent ecosystem that can deliver speed and value with highly-skilled, hyper-specialized workers.

Today, this looks like a large and complex network of extended global workers, spanning staff augmentation contractors, Statement of Work (SOW) project-based workers, independent consultants, freelancers, gig workers, and consultants. Now, it’s up to the enterprise to determine how best to capitalize on this new world of work.

Many companies are doing just that. New data from LinkedIn (via Forbes) finds there has been a 60% increase in “future of work” job titles and a 304% increase in titles where “hybrid work” has been included in the past two years. The job title Head of Future of Work was listed as one of the most in-demand job titles available today.

Once you have the people in place, leadership also must get on board with how all talent wants to be engaged. Today’s market “requires leaders to develop a much deeper empathy for what employees are going through and to pair that empathy with the compassion—and determination—to act and change,” said a recent McKinsey article on the role leaders play in understanding attrition. “Only then can employers properly reexamine the wants and needs of their employees—together with those employees—and begin to provide the flexibility, connectivity, and sense of unity and purpose that people crave.” Our findings support this to be true.

Finally, the next challenge becomes finding a technology that can support the risk, size, and complexity of today’s workforce. This must be done in a way that makes it easier to find, engage, and attract top talent while meeting them how and where they want to work.

As I’ve said before, it’s not just about managing suppliers and vendors and merely augmenting a contingent workforce management agenda on the world of talent, but rather looking at how to manage the workforce effectively in optimizing how work gets done.

Whether you believe in acquisition and consolidation of the VMS/EWS market to expand functionality or are skeptical of the “FrankenSuite” approach and believe a purpose-built system is favorable, many organizations find themselves at a crossroads now that almost half their workforce is made up of non-employee labor with no seamless, scalable way of managing it.

As companies compete for greater access to on-demand, agile, highly specialized talent at better rates, faster access to information and analytics, and the ability to meet today’s workers where and how they want to work is imperative.

Whatever companies decide, it’s clear workers need to be redeployed faster, have agency over their information (with PII and diversity top of mind for all parties), and have a positive user experience that makes it easy to come in and out of companies and projects with ease. This is the new world of work, and if companies don’t embrace the changes quickly, they may be left behind when it comes to finding talent that ensures their success in the market.

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