It’s high time to maximize your freelancer and supplier potential
Remote work, economic uncertainty, and the desire for more flexibility both for clients and talent increases the need for new on-demand solutions. The ageing active population and continued high demand have shifted the power from the employers to the knowledge workers, inspiring them to choose for a more varied ‘portfolio life’. Generation Z wants to have the freedom to develop a non-linear career in a hybrid work environment, navigating between gig work, fixed contracts, freelance and temp missions.
At the same time, more senior experts are also embracing an independent career, seeking freedom and higher incomes. The World Economic Forum Future of Jobs report states that 53% of employers see their inability to attract talent as the main barrier to transforming their business. To succeed, talent acquisition must reinvent itself, and include purpose, vision, and inspiration, offering empowerment and respect.
Five ideas to navigate the on-demand economy
(and keep your business sustainable)
So, here are five ideas that can set you on the way to successful change management.
- Get top management on board with hiring external talent
Make sure your team and the company leadership are fully committed to the program. Agree on clear goals and performance standards, together with leaders in HR, Procurement, Finance, IT, and other departments relying on outside experts. As part of this step, it is necessary to balance external talent needs with hiring from within your organization and contracting in-house staff. - Upgrade and protect your governance and compliance strategy
It is necessary to establish solid strategies and procedures to respect and monitor legal and internal rules, effectively govern data, and upgrade reporting. In parallel, you need to map and manage potential risks, and smoothly control arising issues, with respect for people and compliance. This is a must along the entire process of talent acquisition and management, for the company leadership, all stakeholders and external partners involved. - Appoint and value external talent leadership
Dedicated leadership is essential for effective external talent management. This person or team must be accepted as a valuable change agent, introducing on-demand experts as ‘a necessary good’. It is the starting point to fine-tune the organization, set up the framework, establish the necessary processes, and implement the right tools. Who should be in charge? That will depend on the company’s organization. It can be Acquisition Management, HR, or a senior ‘External Talent Officer’. Whoever takes the lead, it helps when an experienced MSP team can join as a trusted partner, to ensure all talents – internal and external – are happy, and remain on board in all projects as long and effectively as possible. - Leverage fluent processes with scalable and modular technology and services
Implementing HR-Tech solutions, such as a Vendor Management System (VMS), enables businesses to source, hire, onboard, manage, and pay freelancers efficiently. Choose a scalable solution, that can evolve with the company’s needs, and make it modular, combining different needs and services in a coherent integrated way.
Expert support with a trusted managed service provider or MSP-partner can significantly help to monitor and improve freelancer and supplier relationships, speed up and simplify the process, and eliminate miscommunication and potential issues. - Attract and retain the right external (and fixed) workers at market-conform prices
Labour costs represent a significant portion of business expenses. Even though project and service objectives are at the heart of each action, new talent management strategies will also allow monitoring and improve return on investments. The External Talent Officer and talent acquisition managers must align their efforts with financial objectives and offer flexible work arrangements to attract top talent.
An external VMS/ MSP partner to simplify and streamline talent management
Let’s face it: traditional contingent workforce scenarios no longer work. The linear career model quickly loses terrain, as external talent increases to play a role both in the flexible outer circles and in the core of organizations. In this labour shift, the lines between fixed and flexible, as well as internal and external talent, continue to blur. Working together with an HR-Tech partner offers can offer a suited way forward.
Is ProUnity the partner you’re looking for?
ProUnity makes external talent management simple and efficient, with a combination of HR-Tech and MSP-support. You find more suited candidates up to 5 times faster, work in a compliant way, while optimizing costs. ProUnity’s industry-specific services and technologies give clients access to a wide range of suppliers and freelancers, to find the right fit for a variety of project requirements. Talent acquisition and management are streamlined, with objective candidate rankings, efficient contract administration, and real-time pricing benchmarks.
This is a people business: tech supports touch, to make hiring and managing talent easier and build close collaborations. The dedicated expert team allows clients to navigate the complexities of talent management with confidence.
Ready to join us in embracing the future of talent management?
Let’s unlock the potential of your external workforce and make your company ready for the on-demand economy.