Rapidly ramping up or scaling down the workforce has proven an essential competitive advantage for most companies. Therefore, contingent labour programmes in Europe developed from traditional PSL (Preferred Supplier Listing) through Master Vendor and MSP programmes to – for some early adopters – an integrated Talent Management programme. Where are you with your contingent labour programme management? And do you expect that position to give you a competitive advantage in 2018?
Many factors (e.g. demographics, scarcity, economy and politics) influence the success of your contingent labour recruitment process. And the growing population of self-employed workers and their accompanying regulations are a challenge in itself. There are 4 success factors for a company’s contingent labour recruitment programme:
- Integrated approach. With a growing number of self-employed and outsourced work activities companies need to focus on an integrated approach for their flexible workforce needs. Strive for an optimal cohesion between traditional staffing, professionals, self-employed and outsourced work. This flexibility will result in a unique position. Not only fulfill demand, but also to create a compelling position in the flexible labour market.
- Right cost / quality balance. Most contingent labour programmes are defined by procurement departments. That is why the majority of these programmes are focussing on cost control and year over year savings. However, research has shown that investing in the right job qualification and in contractor performance management results in more long term financial benefits. Additional benefit is a continuous improvement of your selection process to identify the right target audience.
- End to end open technology platform. Implementation of VMS (Vendor Management Systems) platforms brought us visibility and control of contingent and professional labour. But can you stay ahead of the market and competition with a single VMS solution? The answer is probably easy! With the growing populations of gig workers and self-employed you will need a more comprehensive set of applications to reach your target audience and improve your recruitment outcomes.
- Operational excellence versus innovations. Traditional Contingent Labour programmes or MSP (Managed Supplier Programme) programmes are implemented for a period of 3 to 5 years, with its focus on compliance and operational excellence. And even though MSP and RPO suppliers have a role as talent and technology advisors, there is no intrinsic motivation for the suppliers to innovate, since it brings them no extra financial benefits. But HR is innovating rapidly in this constantly moving market. So controlled absorbing of innovation is key to future success.
With so much developments and innovations taking place around contingent labour recruitment, what does this mean to your organisation? Ideally, you should constantly stay on top of new developments to ensure your competitors don’t gain an advantage through new technology or more innovative approach.
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About the author
Ron Bosma is Managing Partner at TalentIn. With more than 30 years in the industry and as former Managing Director of Randstad Sourceright EMEA he has a thorough experience in RPO and MSP solutions. He has, served client’s like Philips, Siemens and PWC to define and execute their contingent talent management strategy. His previous roles have spanned across numerous EMEA markets and provided an opportunity for him to work with a variety of companies in many sectors.
TalentIn can help you develop or update your contingent labour recruitment programme by assessing your current plans or programme with our Talent Management Maturity Model that deliver results and stays ahead of the paradigm shift. We are happy to discuss this topic more in-depth with you. Please visit us at www.talentin.eu , mail us at info@talentin.eu or call us on +31 10 307 54 22.
