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Your Workforce Isn't Who You Think They Are

SAP

Photo: Shutterstock

When my colleague Elana Varon and I were discussing the many changes happening in today’s workforce recently, she told me an anecdote worth repeating here:

“I used to keep a file with information about freelance writers I worked with. It included whatever information they’d sent me about their subject expertise and work samples, as well as assignments I’d given them in the past. If I had to assign a story, the file helped to remind me about which writers knew about a particular topic.”

We agreed that it’s a safe bet that managers and project leaders everywhere keep these types of lists, augmented these days by our social media connections. So that got us wondering: Why don’t companies make these informal lists more formal?

Elana’s research has found that few organizations systematically engage their collection of former employees, contractors, freelancers and temporary workers.

That's a big mistake. Everyone’s more mobile these days. Not only are workers less tied to one employer or assignment, companies' workforce needs are shifting faster than ever. It’s time to cultivate a talent ecosystem that extends beyond corporate boundaries. Here’s how:

Redefine your workforce. Most companies depend on non-employees to do many things. And more companies – especially big ones – expect to increase their contingent workforce during the next decade.

Yet companies rarely include contingent workers in their planning. Most HR departments aren't involved with recruiting, onboarding, training or evaluating them – and they don't have any data about them, either. "HR must expand its definition of who its audience is," says Josh Bersin, principal and founder of Bersin by Deloitte, a research and advisory services firm.

Embrace your networks. We’ve all heard stories (or experienced) of employees being laid off or leaving on their own for no other reason than the economy was bad or a better opportunity came along. Yet despite having what everyone agrees was a happy, successful relationship, it usually ends when the employee walks out the door.

Social media has made keeping the ties intact easier than ever, yet nearly half of recruiters today don't use it to find job applicants, says Karie Willyerd, chief learning officer with SAP Success Factors.

Companies also need to build closer relationships with talent placement firms – not only to fill vacancies while while HR searches for a full-time hire, but also to provide a continuous supply of workers to staff project teams.

"You've got to prove your value proposition to people you want to keep on your A team," whether or not they’re on your payroll, says Jeanne Meister, co-founder of The Future Workplace and co-author, with Willyerd, of The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop and Keep Tomorrow's Employees Today.

Be a great place to work. At a meeting of technology executives recently, a CTO was asked how he was coping with the perceived shortage of IT talent. The CTO responded that he had no trouble finding workers, because the company has a reputation as a top employer. It had made an effort to cultivate that reputation and use it as a recruitment strategy.

 Research shows that workers are most engaged when they believe in the purpose of their work, and that they are more loyal when employers help them develop their skills and mentor them along a career path. That goes for everyone who contributes to your company's success.

What are you doing to build your talent ecosystem?