A More Ethical Approach to Employing Contractors | Harvard Business Review

Workforce Trends

Many organizations rely on external contributors, such as contractors, to meet their work needs. According to a recent article by the Brookings Institution on workforce ecosystems, external workers can comprise 30-50% of an organization’s entire workforce. As this trend continues, organizations must understand the benefits and risks that contract work presents to both them and contract workers. With …

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Workforce Ecosystems and AI Research Report | The Brookings Institution

Workforce Trends

As the number of contingent workers (e.g., contractors, freelancers, professional services workers, etc.) continues to expand in many organizations, HR leaders play a critical role in helping their firms manage and coordinate their workforce as an ecosystem of both external contributors and internal employees. This challenge is magnified given the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) …

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Managing External Contributors in Workforce Ecosystems | MIT Sloan Management Review

Talent Management

The number of contingent workers (CW)—those performing gig, contract, or freelance work—continues to grow in many organizations. However, firms often lack an integrated approach to managing their CW. This article provides considerations for integrating the management of both employees and external contributors.  It draws from a case study on Cisco, which has over 50,000 contingent workers — …

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3 Resources for Being Intentional About Contingent Workforce Management | Multiple Resources

Workforce Planning

Contingent workers—freelance, contract, gig, and temporary—are a vital and growing workforce segment. These workers help organizations enable the “borrow” component of their strategic workforce planning (SWP) and offer several benefits, such as flexibility and fast access to talent and resources as work demand changes. Despite these benefits, SWP processes often focus primarily on internal workers …

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Talent Disruption: Strategic Workforce Planning in the Age of Labor Shortages | Harvard Business Review Analytics Services

Workforce Planning

The number of independent workers—those doing gig, contract, or freelance work—continues to grow. According to a new McKinsey article on independent workers, “36 percent of employed respondents—equivalent to 58 million Americans when extrapolated from the representative sample—identify as independent workers—a notable increase from the same survey’s estimate of 27 percent in 2016.” As the share of workers that prefer …

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Remote Work Has Opened the Door to a New Approach to Hiring | Harvard Business Review

Talent Acquisition

Much has been written about the challenges firms face in attracting and retaining workers. A narrative is also playing about how many workers have shifted their work preferences—with many placing a disproportionate value on flexible work arrangements. Simultaneously, thought leaders posit firms will increasingly deconstruct “jobs” into tasks and activities, so they have greater flexibility in delivering pieces …

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Workforce Ecosystems: A New Strategic Approach to the Future of Work | Deloitte and MIT Sloan Management Review

Talent Management

Getting work done through various sources — including contractors, service providers, gig workers, and freelancers—is not a new practice for organizations. However, several converging factors have spotlighted the need for firms to view and manage their workforces as an “ecosystem” of both employees and non-employees. And as stated in this 43-page research report, when the workforce …

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The Future of Work Is Through Workforce Ecosystems | MIT Sloan Management Review

Talent Management

Although many firms ostensibly view their workforces as both employees and non-employees (e.g., contractors, contingent), legacy talent management practices and workforce strategies often take separate, unintegrated approaches to managing internal and external workers. As a firms’ workforce increasingly crosses internal and external boundaries, this article submits that a more modern workforce management approach is warranted. …

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Building the On-Demand Workforce | Boston Consulting Group

Talent Management

The 4 B method – Buy, Borrow, Build, and Bot – is a framework used by organizations to develop talent strategies that address talent needs. And while the Borrow component of this framework has been utilized increasingly over the past few years, the pandemic has made this talent lever even more appealing to many organizations. Borrow –which …

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Rethinking the On-Demand Workforce | Harvard Business Review

Talent Management

The benefits of the gig workforce–also referred to as the contingent workforce–have been well established over the past few years. These benefits range from making hiring easier for hard-to-fill jobs, access to short-supply skills, and more flexible cost structures. And although the number of “gig” workers continues to increase, as does the digital platforms to …

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