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中文/English
Introduction
With the global labor market growing increasingly complex,your workforce is likely undergoing its own transformation.Specifically, the use of temporary talent – whether it’s the human cloud, traditional temp staffing or independent contractors – is becoming a more strategic contributor in getting work done. But just as you need to build an attractive employer brand to engage with your permanent employee population, it’s more important than ever to make sure you do the same to attract the best contingent talent.
Recent research by Gartner found that 32% of organizations were replacing full-time staff with temporary workers as a cost-saving measure. The company also predicted that employers will continue to increase their use of contingent talent to maintain flexibility in workforce management.
Deloitte has noted that the use of contingent workforces has ‘grown significantly’ and, after interviewing eight global clients, found that key priorities in this area fall under five broad categories:
• Access to talent
• Cost reduction
• Compliance
• Data and visibility
• Contingent worker experience
There’s no question that contingent labor usage is growing, spurred on by a number of market dynamics. The rise of the gig economy, the adoption of total talent management models, the widening of the skills gap and the digitalization of business are all leading employers to think about and view talent in a different way. By employing temporary workers, you can access resources more quickly, become more agile to business needs and reduce overall costs.
Employing contingent workers brings many benefits, but there are unique
considerations in how you engage with them. For example, consider how your employee value proposition (EVP) needs to be different for a contingent workforce since the benefits and experiences sought out by permanent talent might not apply here. Taking the time to understand their preferences and making investments to address their needs will yield a loyal and sustainable pipeline of temporary workers.
To optimize engagement with your contingent talent, focus on these three areas:
• Establishing a talent community
• Enhancing your contingent talent brand
• Nurturing long-term relationships
An effective strategy for strengthening each of these areas will help to make you an employer of choice for contingent workers.
1. A thriving talent community.
Investing in a strong talent community could be a vital step on the way to addressing some of your biggest skills and recruitment challenges. This should be a priority for many organizations, with key findings from Randstad Sourceright’s 2021 Talent Trends research showing that a large number of employers continue to face growing skills gaps, despite the large pool of currently available workers. Four out of ten C-suite and human capital leaders agreed that talent scarcity poses a real challenge to their business.
A robust and well-managed contingent talent community can support a significant portion of your resourcing needs. Whether you require seasonal payrolled workers, statement-of-work (SOW) contractors or temp staff workers, such a community can also reduce labor costs by enabling you to directly fill roles rather than using an agency or talent supplier.
Furthermore,you are assured that community members are familiar and engaged with your business. key requirements for building a talent community.
The most important consideration is demonstrating value to entice workers to join. A talent community isn’t just a pool of pre-identified candidates; rather, they are interested in your company because of your employer brand, your nurturing efforts and the experiences you have to offer. Regular communications on company developments and career opportunities are important for maintaining a high level of engagement. Additionally, resources should be available to provide answers to any questions workers might have.
2. Your brand matters
One reason for building a talent community is to help elevate your employer brand, which can be a critical asset for attracting skilled workers and motivating them to join. Companies have long invested in their employer branding to attract permanent hires, but the growing use of contingent talent means you should also consider how to leverage your existing community to support temporary workforce needs.
For instance, if you are perceived to be a desirable employer, applicants you’ve passed over for permanent roles may still be interested in a contract position. This reduces the risk of you missing out on people who, despite being unsuccessful in an application for a permanent position, have qualities that will benefit your business. Furthermore, they may also serve as ambassadors for your brand to their networks. What’s important is to have a brand strategy that addresses all work arrangements at your organization.
This includes specific measures you should implement to address your contingent talent. While your corporate mission and values are the same when addressing all populations, how you activate your brand may vary. As mentioned earlier, you may want to reinforce the EVPs that matter more to contingent talent, such as healthcare benefits in markets such as the U.S., where insurance is usually provided to permanent staff but not temporary workers. Other benefits that may be appealing could include paid time off, family leave provisions and free or discounted meals at the office.
3. Make relationships last.
You may also want to offer opportunities to transition from contingent to permanent status for some workers. Many companies currently do this, but as the number of contingent staff grows, and the types of arrangements vary, your business needs to develop a thorough strategy for determining how to engage them over a longer period of time. For instance, do you have SOW workers that would be ideal permanent hires? Can remote gig workers qualify for a position internally? Are you engaging with people who are approaching the end of an assignment to discuss other opportunities in your organization?
Themarket for experienced, skilled workers today is exceptionally competitive, and your business should not consider contingent talent as disposable. Instead, nurture these relationships for the long term, and make sure your recruiters consider them first for any permanent position. This may save you time and money since you are already familiar with this pool.
Increasing your use of contingent talent is one of the most effective ways for your organization to gain access to skills. By nurturing your talent communities, employer brand and existing relationships, you can increase engagement with this important resource.
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The article by 任仕达
