Today’s harried business executives are pulled in a variety of directions, whether it is by global media, internal struggles and challenges, or the constant specter of worldwide competition. And, as the general speed of business continues to accelerate, the very notion of “change” will not be an unexpected attribute to daily operations, it will be the norm.

There may be no internal enterprise aspect more linked to “change” than a business’ talent and total workforce. “Talent” has long been a critical determinate in the ultimate success of a company; the deeper the skillsets, the more varied the expertise, the better position of the overall organization. And, with the world shifting towards a new dynamic, one that heavily relies upon contingent and non-employee workers, this variable of “change” causes even more of an impact. The rise of the non-employee workforce (which continues) brings about plenty of new discussions:

• What’s the right balance of internal talent vs. non-traditional labor?
• Which engagement methods or sources should I be leveraging for new skillsets?
• How critical is contingent workforce management (CWM) to my business?
• Will my workforce ever be the same again…?

The evolution is real. Today’s workforce, your workforce, will never again be the same. As the permeation of non-employee talent (skilled, expert talent, that is) continues to blend itself into the traditional workforce, companies will understand that the notion of the “future of work” is more than just a hot catchphrase.

For Those Businesses Holding Out: Sooner Or Later, the Need Will Arise

While Ardent’s research has indicated that 35% of today’s total workforce is considered non-employee (with that figure steadily rising year-over-year, and expected to hit 50% within the next few years), there are still many businesses that rely on very few external workers to complement their overall workforce for various reasons (little demand, hesitancy to use freelancers/contractors, etc.).

However, sooner or later, the need will arise. Many of today’s most skilled and talented workers are “flexible” in nature and working as freelancers or in an independent manner. When a complex need arises, it may not always be feasible to utilize traditional talent … at which point non-employee labor will come into the equation.

The Tipping Point Is Here (Engagement Disruption)

The “Uberization” of today’s talent economy can be explained in one phrase: on-demand talent. The business world can now benefit from the real-time nature of finding and engaging talent in a real-time manner, with online talent platforms, business and social networks, automated talent pools, etc., formulating a new spectrum of skillsets from which enterprises can find the workers they need … in an on-demand fashion, of course.

This disruption of the talent engagement model is not only today’s reality, it is the very future of the business world. The “future of work?” It means that, no matter the organizational requirement or project (or size and scope of enterprise), an enterprise need can be filled in an on-demand manner by leveraging non-employee talent. This is a true tipping point for the non-employee workforce, as there are social (e.g., networks and media), business (enterprises need real-time talent), political/economic (how does this change affect the global economy?), and personal (to be flexible or not) ramifications of the change in how work is addressed.

Considering the evolution in how talent is found, engaged, and sourced, it is clear that the modern workforce will be forever altered.

The Direct Relationship Between an Enterprise and Its Talent

As the workforce becomes more and more blended, organizations will find that, when considering both the current landscape of enterprise technology (e.g., Vendor Management Systems (“VMS”), online talent platforms, Freelancer Management Systems (“FMS”), etc.) and the ease-of-engagement in finding available and aligned talent), there is more of a direct relationship between the business and its non-employee workers.

The “legacy approach” of traditional intermediaries between an enterprise and its talent is starting to fade; and, although this approach will never completely dissipate, more and more businesses desire to hold a direct relationship with its critical workers. And, with on-demand engagement methods available, this is possible.

And, Finally…

…the world is changing. The way work is done is evolving rapidly. The reliance on non-employee labor has been on a meteoric rise over the past seven or eight years, and global businesses are aware of just how quickly, via online talent platforms and other new talent sources, they can address the complex requirements of projects and initiatives with real-time, top-tier, and tightly-aligned talent. This talent revolution has all but assured that the modern workforce will never again be the same.

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Tagged in: Christopher Dwyer, Complex Categories, Contingent Workforce, People, Process, Strategy, Technology