Start Preparing Workforce Management Practices Now for Inevitable Re-opening of the Economy
Workforce management activity is always a leading economic indicator with layoffs in the contingent space presaging a downturn and hiring spikes indicating an upswing in economic activity. Right now, human capital markets are not yet seeing those “green shoots” by way of an uptick in contingent workforce hiring. But as soon as it does occur (and it will occur), what can organizations do to be prepared to engage with contingent talent at the same time as nearly every other type and size business?
Everybody in the world (literally) is hungry for a return to normal as the Coronavirus lockdowns in the US and abroad continue to keep most people homebound and most businesses shuttered. While it may be a little premature to consider widespread reopening of the economy here in the US, the fact is it is inevitable that business will ultimately need to resume. Here’s what you can do to be ready as a workforce management professional.
Take this time to update and strengthen onboarding processes to ensure smooth and effective onboarding of contingent talent. We recently published a solid article discussing best practices for onboarding contingent workforce resources and there is much organizations can do to prepare for the onslaught of onboarding that may soon occur. Read that article here for the details.
Consider building a new Total Talent Management strategy for your organization. No doubt the aftermath of this pandemic will radically alter the labor environment. Many will be displaced from jobs with companies that didn’t survive the extended closure. Others will seek remote employment opportunities as residual concerns surrounding contagion and underlying health issues keep them from wanting to return to offices and other workplaces. We recently wrote a piece defining and explaining Total Talent Management. This new methodology for talent acquisition of all manner of talent/worker classifications – both traditional job types as well as the expanding array of contract, remote, project and human cloud-based options – will help your organization tap talent from all sources more easily and effectively once the shelter-in-place orders begin to lift.
Engage your supplier base and/or MSP provider to improve communication/collaboration practices between your workforce management operations and key contacts within supplier organizations. Consider working with the MSP (or without if you don’t use one) to field Supplier Forums. These forums are proven effective at spurring increased manager participation and are a tactic employed by many forward-thinking MSPs. Manager roundtable sessions can be set up like speed dating over Zoom or WebEx in today’s shelter-in-place environment. With each supplier dialing in at a prescribed time, a group of active hiring managers can connect with each supplier group in fifteen-minute intervals. During the time on each teleconference, hiring managers meet supplier reps, share relevant details about their group or organization, and inform suppliers of any previous performance issues as well as upcoming new position requirements.
There are many other powerful strategies and tactics your organization can be leveraging in anticipation of the return to full capacity operations. Regardless of how and when this occurs, one thing is certain. It is going to be a very different reality than before. There has never been a more critical time to align with workforce management experts to ensure your organization is well-situated to address the new normal. Talk to one of our seasoned, experienced experts today with no obligation and get a plan under way!
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