Contingent Labour Strategies for a Post-Pandemic World

The COVID-19 crisis has transformed the very nature of work and in few spaces is this evolution more noticeable than in the field of contingent labour.

As people have got more used to a flexible and remote working pattern during the pandemic, many are looking to continue working in this manner, a fact which has caused a boon in the number of contingent staff now available for sort-term and temporary employment opportunities.

From a human resources and talent procurement perspective, the labour shortages being experienced by many industries right now is increasing the demand for temp staff as companies in these spaces desperately seek workers to fill vacant roles.

Contingent Labour

This means having a solid contingent labour strategy as part of your overarching human resources plans is no longer optional but now an essential component.

With the vast number of roles which require filling contingent workers have their pick of which contracts to accept – especially in industries such as retail and hospitality – meaning procurement officers looking to acquire staff to fill these positions need to make sure their company is as attractive a prospect as possible.

Many companies are answering this by making sure contingent workers feel like they are part of the organisation as a whole – rather than a contracted in extra – and giving them lots of the same perks and benefits as permanent staff.

In their webinar on People-Centric HR, ADP and Forrester state that mature organisations (defined as those which have worked to incorporate workforce dynamics into their operating model) regard their contingent workforce this way – as an integral part of the team. Over half (65%) of these organisations pass the responsibility for recruiting contingent labour to their HR teams rather than it being the domain of purchasing officers in the same way the company interacts with other suppliers.

Workforce Maturity

This pattern of maturity being associated with the way an organisation handles contingent labour continues when, according to Forrester, deploy contingent staff to enhance the capabilities they already have.

These businesses view contingent staff as a way to address skills gaps in their current organisational structure and empower the company to produce a higher quality of work. Inversely, those organisations with low organisational maturity, simply treat contingent labour as inexpensive labour and a disposable resource.

Remember, thanks to the explosion of remote working, if your work is not manual labour, you also now have a global pool of potential workers to recruit from, meaning you can acquire the absolute best people for the job – regardless of geographical limitations. Leverage this potential by making your contingent strategy one which welcomes people from all backgrounds and cultures and treats them like they live down the road.

Final Thoughts

It seems these changes to the workforce are here to stay and brands which want to succeed are going to need to up the maturity of their contingent labour strategy if they want to attract the best talent and remain competitive in the post-pandemic world.

Treat your contingent staff like they are part of the family and they will produce work as if they are.