Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared insights and empirical evidence of organisations who have unaccounted-for, or hidden contingent workers. In some instances, we’ve seen organisations who uncover MANY workers in this category.
The cost on a business of this scenario is significant – not only financially, but the legislative risks are potentially terminal. And as the workplace of today changes, where the percentage of non-permanent workers continues to escalate, it’s a problem that’s likely to keep occurring. Unless you take action NOW.
There are a couple of strategies that you can deploy utilising your internal resources. And we’ve covered those here, utilising common workplace scenarios and proven solutions.
Another way, is to engage an external consultant to come into your business, get them to partner with HR and engage all line or hiring managers in a ‘project’ style solution, undertake a workforce audit, set the strategy for moving forward, and leave the program maintenance to you.
Alternatively, you can place the care of your non-permanent workers with an external partner, offering contingent workforce management solutions. A business like CXC Global.
Okay – shameless plug here, so you’ve been warned.
We’ve helped most of our clients overcome this very scenario. And most of them have told us, how much better, leaner, more cost-efficient and productive their contingent workforce population became, thereafter.
Don’t be under the illusion that you hand your contingent workers to an external party, and it’s all smooth sailing. We work closely with your HR department, hiring managers, third party talent suppliers and any other stakeholders you deem relevant, to get this situation right.
Remember, the joy of uncovering these hidden workers is one thing. That’s without question, a genuine win. But the real gold, is ensuring your business doesn’t ‘set & forget’ – this is dangerous territory. That’s why engaging an external management partner to oversee your entire contingent workforce population, will not only give you peace of mind. It will reward your bottom line. The ROI is very real.
Ideally, when you engage a contingent workforce management provider, they’ll create a solution that is custom-fit to suit your business. They’ll gain a deep understanding of who your contingent workers are, and how they ‘fit’ into the business strategy. They’ll craft a solution that meets the future goals of your business and workforce plan, and they’ll include the relevant third parties (like technology and talent sourcing providers) as directed by you.
Partnering with the right contingent workforce management provider should also include the following steps:
- A workforce audit: this is a critical first phase of uncovering your hidden contingent workers. After this is complete, it’s VERY important to centralise all documentation of the contingent workers in your business. We have a proven enterprise approach to auditing your workforce. Get in touch with us, to see it for yourself.
- Document the roles and skills: keep a clear, updated and accurate catalogue of the skills, departments and tenures of all contingent workers in your business. Make sure each sits under the right classification for their role type (e.g. independent contractor, statement-of-work worker). Get this data down in the early stages, as it’s an extremely useful reference bible for the business moving forward. And it helps you to sanity-check that your workforce strategy is in order.
- Engage your people in the process: the success of your contingent workforce management program will be partly dependent on the inclusion and acceptance of your internal stakeholders. So make sure they’re on the journey with you. Educate them on the positives of a solution of this nature, both for their department and for the business overall. Get them comfortable with the concept of change (not always easy). Build up to this change, with their consultation, involvement and participation. This will pay huge dividends later on, when the contingent workforce management program is up and running. They’ll be proud to take ‘ownership’.
- Set your goals: what do you want your contingent workforce management program to achieve for your business? What are the success metrics? Is it cost reduction? Risk mitigation? A more productive contingent workforce? Clearly identify these metrics at the start of the program, so you keep your external partner on point, delivering success for you.
- Reporting: make sure the partner you choose, has the capacity to provide reporting on the development of the program, the successes and failures, and the evolution of the strategy in line with your business goals. This is really important.
If you’re uncertain about where to start, get in touch with us. Speak with our clients. You’ll see how successful the right contingent workforce management solution can be for your business.
Click here to reach out.
