You have heard that the future of work is now. What does that mean for your workforce? What does that mean for your business? We are grateful to have been part of many conversations with our clients about what it means to rethink your workforce. The truth is there is no right or wrong answer. The answer depends on your industry, technologies, and customer experience. The blend of full-time employees, part-time, and contract employees will differ. Also, given the rapid rate of technological advancements, your mix will change throughout the years. For this reason, many companies see that a flexible workforce is one of their biggest strengths. A strong contingent workforce can be the answer to help meet many of today's challenges. And countless studies show that many team members report a higher level of satisfaction with a more flexible work life.

Traditional Workforce Model vs. Contingent Workforce Model

A traditional workforce model has been changing its trajectory and now COVID-19 is accelerating this progression. Employees have asked for more flexibility in their location (WFH), hours and the power to choose the type of work they prefer. Employers, too, see the benefit in the shift from the traditional work model. Employers’ complaints are usually associated with the large upfront cost of recruiting, training and development. Additionally, the high cost of turnover, the complex solutions for workforce motivation, and the under-utilization of their workforce’s skills make the list. Not to mention the added costs of benefits, insurance and unemployment costs. In offices across the globe, there has been a paradigm shift to focus on in-demand skills like software development, DevOps engineering, and data analysis. The needs of the company have become much more technical and companies do not have the expertise to train these highly skilled knowledge workers. The model of the traditional hiring funnel: recruiting, interviewing, screening, hiring, and training team members is a plan that is costly in both time and money. Each step of the process brings its own challenge. Businesses do not have six months to get one team member up to speed, much less an entire team. This crucial time can be the difference between success and failure. For businesses that are lean or just lacking the hiring skill sets, it can be a huge hurdle to find the essential people for success. In addition, when companies are successful in hiring the right talent and the project is over, what does a company do with that niche talent? Often that highly skilled team member is put on a “make-work” project well under their pay grade until they can find something else for them. The team member may become disengaged and unhappy. Frankly, no company is going to flourish unless they have both the right technology and the right people. Falling back on the same old behaviors will give you the same old results. This is why many CEOs, CTOs, and hiring managers are rethinking their workforce and business strategy during these unprecedented times to find the most effective way to thrive.

Benefits to the Employer When Using a Blended Approach

When considering the total talent pool available today, businesses assess the best way forward. Out of necessity, there has been a mindset shift. Utilizing staff augmentation as a tool to serve their current workforce and to give the business strategy the momentum needed has become the preferred method. Technology is a key component of any business in any industry and it changes quickly. So it is essential to have a pipeline of diverse talent through a contingent workforce ready to take on the newest digital challenges. If your team suffers from a digital skills gap and this area is not your forte, then it is important to rely on the experts to fill the gap. As your business needs change and grow, you need your workforce to keep up with the skills necessary. A contingent digital workforce will also help you leverage your existing resources. Need more horsepower on a project? Need a team of technology experts this month not next year? Do you have a growth opportunity that you need to take advantage of NOW? Look at your business under a microscope. What is truly important to the long-lasting success? What skills do you need that you cannot train? Is your low threshold for uncertainty making you wary of long-term commitments in the event of major business changes to come? Rethink your workforce and develop the better systems and processes with the RIGHT people at the RIGHT time.

What the Contingent Workforce Values

For years, our team members have been excited for the opportunity to use their niche skill set in many different industries and for many different companies. As much as it is difficult for an employer to make the decision to commit to an employee full-time, it is a big commitment for an employee to devote their career to one business and one industry for the foreseeable future. The truth is that they want more control over their careers and their work/life balance. People value their autonomy and they like to be evaluated by their results and not the number of hours worked.Work styles can vary dramatically, as well. Team members may perform better taking ten-minute yoga breaks each hour. Or maybe this team member’s creative juices really flow late at night. For knowledge work, there should not be boundaries on when and how they work. Let people experiment and find the best way for them to get the best results. When given this freedom, many people have reported much higher job satisfaction, more creative solutions, and loyalty to those who set them up for success. While not all of the contingent workforce is remote, remote work is a simple solution to respect these values. Additionally, the experience gained from exposure to many different situations and challenges is priceless. In turn, the team member is much more well-rounded benefiting both the individual and the company. Although this model is not for everyone, it is the right fit for many more people today than ever before.

Rethink Your Workforce with TECKpert’s Digital Experts

In uncertain times, a flexible workforce can be one of your strongest assets both for the company and the team. At TECKpert, we have real people who've honed their skills working on transformative projects for our clients. Don’t wait for an invisible force to tell you what to do. Instead plan your own future. We provide our customers with the full visibility of their workforce to allow you to manage your talent pool. Our company was built with the flexibility to meet our customer’s where they are on their journey. If you need to ramp up quickly, manage your current projects to meet key milestones, or you just want to bypass hurdles like recruiting, we can help find the optimal employment mix for you. Adapt in real time. Reach out to TECKpert today for your contingent workforce solutions.