Welcome to CPO Rising’s all-new feature, the Future of Work Influencer series, which will highlight innovative voices in the evolving world of work. This exciting series will be a go-to spot for progressive thoughts on how technology, transformational thinking, and revolutionary ideas are changing how work gets done. Be sure to check out past articles in this series here.
Lars Asbjornsen, SVP of Marketing for Upwork, joins us for this week’s Future of Work Influencer feature and chats about how he got into the staffing industry, the major shifts happening in the world of talent, the impact of digital staffing on the Future of Work, and much more.
Christopher J. Dwyer: Lars, thanks so much for joining us. Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a part of this industry.
Lars Asbjornsen: Throughout my career, I’ve focused on developing programs and strategies to address the market opportunities associated with customer’s evolving needs and a rapidly-changing workforce. I joined the staffing industry about 17 years ago to help businesses gain access to skilled talent and the flexibility they need to extend their workforce capabilities and drive innovation. During my tenure at Robert Half, I saw first-hand the staffing industry’s journey towards digital transformation, having launched the company’s first platform-based digital service offering. As companies make the shift towards digital solutions that provide direct access to talent, I’m excited to take this next step in my career, working with Upwork to extend its marketing capabilities to help deliver more programmatic talent solutions to address clients’ workforce and talent needs.
CJD: You spent quite a bit of time at Robert Half. As you make the move to a non-traditional staffing company, especially one in the digital and on-demand staffing realm, how does that expertise help you at Upwork?
LA: Having spent nearly two decades in the traditional staffing industry, I’ve seen customer needs shift over time. One of the biggest shifts I’ve seen, that’s been burgeoning over the past few years, are traditional staffing customers’ desire to maintain a direct relationship with their workers and control over their independent workforce programs. Customers are increasingly realizing that the way traditional staffing firms are organized, from their operating models to technology infrastructure, are not well-positioned to address the customers’ evolving talent needs. Online talent solutions have emerged as a key solution that provides transparency in the hiring process, enabling customers to access the same quality talent at much faster speeds and usually with lower overall costs than they’d get through traditional sources. Our research shows that the majority (90%) of hiring managers are open to working with independent professionals rather than engaging a staffing firm. I saw an opportunity to address those needs by working with the industry leader to help tailor its marketing strategy to address changing market dynamics and help customers access the talent they need, when they need it.
CJD: Ardent Partners has dedicated much of its research over the years to the growth and evolution of digital staffing. What’s your perception of this industry?
LA: As the labor market tightens, smart companies are realizing that the best talent is choosing to work independently. Companies are evolving their workforce needs as skilled professionals increasingly seek out non-traditional career paths. Traditional staffing channels often fall short in helping companies meet the demands of today’s fast-paced global market. As a result, the more effective organizations are extending their workforce capabilities by leveraging a flexible workforce to gain access to a diverse pool of specialized independent talent. They’re starting to flex their operations using online talent solutions in addition to traditional staffing channels. This hybrid approach provides strategic advantage that goes well beyond cost-savings, including the ability to access a larger pool of high-quality talent and scale teams to meet project demands and increase operational efficiencies. To date, online staffing has been largely limited to smaller, short-term projects, but as flexible models continue to gain steam, companies are thinking beyond the “gig,” leveraging independent talent to support strategic initiatives on a longer-term project basis. As a result of this growing trend, we anticipate seeing companies like Upwork continue to gain a larger share of the business that’s been primarily served by traditional contingent staffing firms.
CJD: It was exciting to see Upwork’s first contingent workforce management partnership recently. How does the Workforce Logiq partnership bolster Upwork’s Enterprise solution?
LA: This partnership represents a big win for our community and every organization looking to tap into the power of independent talent and better technology solutions. Companies with direct access to the skills they need are in the best position to compete in today’s complex marketplace, but building that talent pipeline to scale can be a challenge. Working in partnership with Workforce Logiq, we’re helping enterprise clients access a highly-skilled, flexible bench of global talent in a way that seamlessly integrates with their existing supplier workflows. At the same time, we’re giving the freelance experts on our site better access to many of the most prestigious companies and sought-after work opportunities on the market.
CJD: How do you feel that digital and on-demand staffing fits into the Future of Work movement?
LA: Technology is making it possible for businesses to remove friction in hiring by eliminating location barriers and creating greater economic opportunities. We’re seeing the rise of new agile work models driven by the rise of digital, on-demand staffing solutions. In the most innovative companies, teams are learning to be more agile, to work with distributed teams, and to scale up and down to adapt to ever changing conditions. This isn’t the Future of Work…it’s happening now.
CJD: Human capital management-led aspects such as the candidate experience are becoming so much more important in the world of freelance and independent talent. How does Upwork address these human capital-led attributes?
LA: We’re constantly looking for new ways to improve both the client and talent experience by taking a customer-centric approach. We’re frequently exploring new features and functionality that will enhance the experience for both parties and ensure we create new opportunities for independent professionals, while at the same time providing the best talent match for clients. We believe our role is to help create a world where opportunities are equally distributed, where organizations can interact with high quality talent all around the world, and where independent workers can build meaningful careers to truly work without limits.
CJD: What does 2020 hold for the digital and on-demand staffing industry?
LA: I think 2020 will bring increased momentum to online talent solutions for midmarket and enterprise organizations as they realize that legacy models of work are no longer efficient in meeting the needs of the global market. We’ve seen increasing interest from organizations wanting to explore on-demand talent solutions as a viable alternative to traditional staffing. More than 30 percent of Fortune 500 companies are leveraging Upwork today to engage independent talent. We think this trend is only poised to increase as technology advances and professionals increasingly choose to work independently.
Connect with Lars on LinkedIn, or visit www.upwork.com for more information on Upwork.
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