Best of the nextSource Blog – 2020 Edition

Welcome to the “Best of the nextSource Blog – 2020 Edition”.  This post will look back at some of the most impactful, insightful and relevant posts of 2020 which was, to say the least, a very interesting year full of uncertainty and challenges for workforce management professionals.  Moving backwards in time from the most recent posts to the beginning of the year, here are the top articles of 2020.

• The November elections had significant consequences beyond the presidential race.  These two posts provided visibility into the new labor laws and minimum wage changes passed by ballot initiatives.  Read, Rundown of New Labor Laws Passed by Ballot Initiative in 2020 Elections and Update on 2021 Minimum Wage Law Changes to be ready to hit the ground running in January.
• For details on significant benefits to be derived from implementing a direct sourcing function within your operation Top Five Benefits of Direct Sourcing for the Contingent Workforce explains a strategy enabling organizations to leverage its own candidate pool to engage as contract workers instead of relying solely on staffing providers.
• Up next, a post on building a positive customer experience, which is essential to the success of a workforce management solution and service provider.  Ensuring a Positive Customer Experience for Consumers of Contingent Workforce Management Services looks at MSPs, VMS tech companies, staffing suppliers, Employers of Record Agencies and offers some perspective on how nextSource differentiates from the competition when it comes to delivering top-rated customer experiences to its client base.
• Very popular this year was the two-part series on How to Curate and Enterprise Talent Pool.  Part One and Part Two detail a multi-pronged approach to sourcing talent in today’s sprawling and segmented workforce management environment.
• COVID-19 drove an overnight, mass-adoption of work from home activity which experts suggest may survive long after the pandemic subsides.  Embrace of Work From Home Arrangements Poised to Remake Workforce Management Practices looks at how the remote work trend may modulate over time as circumstances evolve.
• Thanks to process automation, organizations dealing with increased hiring challenges driven by pandemic disruption are leveraging technology to get the job done in a completely remote fashion.  See how tech is rising to the challenge in Pandemic Spurs Interest in Background Screening Automation and other Workforce Mgt Technology.
• The talent shortages driven by globalization prompted the need to source and manage talent in different ways. Fueled by the growing relevance of the contingent workforce in contemporary business operations, a new Total Talent Management methodology for talent acquisition and administration requiring consideration of all manner of talent/worker classification when hiring full-time employees, contingent workers and other assorted contractors. Read this post for answers to the question, What is Total Talent Management?
• Revisit this popular four-part series on the future of work and the trends impacting contingent workforce management focuses on demographics. This series delivered digested perspectives contained in the comprehensive “2020 Report – 20 Trends that Will Shape the Next Decade” and other corroborating sources.  The links to parts two, three and four are embedded in part one of 20 Trends that will Shape the Next Decade.
• 2020 witnessed the continuing state-by-state legalization of marijuana.  As the laws change, so must the rules for workforce management when it comes to testing and other onboarding activities.  The Changing Role of Drug Testing for Marijuana in the Workplace explores how these changes are affecting operations.

Have a happy, safe New Year and visit us again in 2021 for more thought leadership and useful perspectives.