How are you looking at the situation creatively? Let’s focus and find solutions. They may be closer than you think. Jobs for life are unlikely for aspirational professionals in today’s workforce.
Traditional employment paradigms are slowly disappearing from workplaces.
Concepts such as the agile work environment, activity-based workplaces, and a contingent workforce, might better describe the current landscape. What’s causing this shift? Retaining an employee in a permanent full-time role is no longer imperative to protect the growth of your organization.
There are many reasons why workforce flexibility is attractive in today’s market. Engaging contractors provides many benefits:
1.) The ability to ‘right-size’ your team and engage technical experts for specific projects. The opportunity for learning transfer can occur, and stay with your permanent employees long after the contractor fulfills their obligation.
2.) Inject fresh ideas and energy from people with broader industry experience. Less can also bring more: Short-term specialist staff can help to refine best practice methodology in your company.
3.) Many professionals with a wealth of knowledge would much prefer contributing on a contractual basis, then in a long-term role. They enjoy the variance of work and having a positive impact on many organizations versus one.
4.) In a global organization, local head offices may engage additional staff during time-sensitive projects when the resources are stretched thin internally, without the need for long-term investment.
We are seeing various trends across sectors, in general, I am seeing more organizations willing to consider a contractor as a valid alternative to the traditional permanent employee.
► What workforce trends have you observed in your industry?
► How have contractors positively contributed to your organization?
Developing your own skills, becoming a member of your industries professional organizations and being open to change are critical to your success. Adapting to this new trend will be difficult for some of the individuals in your organization. You may need to engage a change management practitioner like myself to support your efforts to become a more agile workplace without having them as a permanent part of your team.
To go along with this new way of doing business in an agile workforce, there will be more emphasis on adopting a coach approach to performance management. Leaders and members of your team will need to flex in order to adapt to an ever-changing team who will increasingly be based remotely and not be accessible within traditional office hours or a corporate environment. With improved technological advances and flexible working practices, I believe that the traditional ‘line of sight’ management is becoming a thing of the past.
► How has your thinking adjusted to accommodate this trend?
Contractors can help you adopt a more agile environment and this means better options for your organization. Think about the possibilities when you are recruiting and remove the limitation on the talent available to you.
