CXC recently partnered with Optus to implement a contractor workforce management program. Optus had approximately 150 contractors across IT, engineering and customer service, which needed to be transitioned from an incumbent provider.
The project was driven and managed by CXC, who needed to engage with Optus stakeholders to get an understanding of current state processes and map the desired end goal. We also needed to obtain data from Optus to transition workers to our payroll (taking our proven, templated approach).
The entire transition took four weeks and was focused on ensuring minimal disruption to their business and that contractor productivity, motivation and morale were not affected.
Below, we interviewed Nathan Nankivell, Talent Acquisition Manager from Optus, to hear from him personally on how the implementation went, and our structured approach to change management.
‘Our payroll services contract was coming to an end, and we were going to market to mainly achieve two things – one was to gain greater visibility and control, and we also wanted to test the market from a competitive cost perspective.’
In 2019, CXC was appointed as the contractor workforce management provider for Optus
‘We had a population of about 150 contractors from memory. We did the transition over a four week period, where we had regular meetings with CXC, to make sure that, one, everyone was on the same page, that is the outgoing provider, CXC and Optus. We then also managed any risks coming through that. We managed to hit 99% transition with all of our contractors. And that left about five to manage from an individual negotiation point of view.’
Managing a successful workforce management solution
‘It was really important to us that there was no impact to ongoing business, we made sure there was a change and communication process to our line managers, so they understood the change, and the reason why, as well as to our contractors, making sure they understood the contractual arrangements that were going to happen.’
Improving the contractor experience
CXC has already seen positive improvements in the way contractors are onboarded and managed. Our MyExchange system underpins the process and people, and provides a more refined and streamlined experience both for contractors and hiring managers that takes advantage of the workflow and automation capabilities to drive greater efficiency.
Our MyExchange system provides contractors with:
- Onboarding SMS – the contractor receives an SMS confirming key details related to their contract
- Welcome email and portal access – the contractor receives an onboarding email
- Registration and updating details – the contractor agrees to consistent and acceptable CXC terms prior to starting work and completes registration (providing bank details etc.)
- Electronic contact and docs – contractors review and acknowledge all necessary regulatory documents and all required company policy documents online
- Timesheet access and payment confirmation – the portal enables the contractors to lodge time and attendance sheets and expense reimbursement claims, review the status of each lodgement, as well as review historical timesheet and expense claim submissions.
We spoke with Darren Kerry, a contractor at Optus, who said:
‘For the past two decades, I’ve been working across a wide range of roles in telecommunications, eCommerce and broadcast. Through my working history, I’ve never experienced such a flawless onboarding than I did through CXC.
My relationship with CXC started during my contracting role with Optus, where I am providing consultation on a number of technological improvements. Once Optus had provided me with dates and terms of my employment, I received a phone call from one of CXC’s relationship specialists, who advised me of the process that would follow over the coming days. They were extremely friendly and let me know I could reach out if I had any questions or concerns.
Later that day, I received a welcome email from CXC, advising of all the details of the engagement and how to enter the CXC portal. Then, CXC called me on the same day to personally walk me through what I needed to do regarding workers’ compensation to finalise the contract. I received my electronic agreement on the following day.
Additionally, CXC’s timesheeting and contractor portal are excellent. Not only does it send an email reminder to submit your timesheet when it gets close to the cut off period of that pay cycle, but it is extremely easy to use and intuitive. I also appreciated the seamless confirmation emails from submitting timesheets and when the timesheets are approved.
The entire onboarding process was exceptional and gives me confidence in CXC’s ability to manage the rest of my engagement with Optus.’
As one of the world’s leading providers of contingent worker management solutions, CXC is well positioned to optimise all elements of your contingent workforce strategy. With operations in more than 50 countries across five continents and decades of experience, we can assist with every aspect of your program.
If you would like to find out more about how we can help please contact us here.
