FLUID WORKFORCE
An agile, adaptive workforce model that boosts organizational resilience and productivity, saves costs, and addresses the shortages of skilled resources
Under pressure, everything becomes fluid. Still, a hybrid workforce is not just the unavoidable response to the challenges of a post pandemic-driven world: it is a key element of the future of all work. Seducing the business with advantages such as increased productivity and cost savings, not to mention the impact on the carbon balance sheet, it also enables organizations to thrive in the war of talent scarcity – expanding previous sourcing boundaries well beyond the edge of the organization. Shifting towards this hybrid workforce model, however, requires a reinvented, trusted work culture, a robust working technology platform, and an employee experience designed to flow with the new, fluid workforce model. Caring about ourselves. Under pressure.
Isabelle Schastok Expert in Residence
WHAT
- Even before the pandemic, four out of five organizations had tried a hybrid workforce, mainly to close specific gaps in expertise within their own, local talent pool.
- According to Capgemini’s Future of Work research, more than 25% of organizations expect that over 70% of their workforce will work remotely in the future. Organizations need to establish the best hybrid work model for them.
- Hybrid models also include freelance, independent, gig, or crowdsourced workers. Addressing critical skills demand, our Fluid Workforce research demonstrates how 89% of organizations plan to expand hybrid models over a wider range of functions.
- The workforce increasingly prefers to work with fewer constraints, offering flexibility, variety, and a better work/life balance. Only a decreasing minority considers fixed office locations as the best place to work.
- Critical to success is a trusted culture, accompanying social contracts and employee experiences. They connect digital communities, activate purpose, and create a sense of joint belonging – independent of working location or type of contract.
- For hybrid models, leaders must be authentic and empathic, focusing on employee empowerment, encouraging autonomy and transparency. Data-driven collaboration platforms enable workers to achieve results in new, agile ways.
USE
- A global OEM built a joint digital employee experience for all workers – “blue and white collar” alike – using an application including functionalities to aid collaboration, internal communication, personal development, and career planning.
- A public sector client developed an innovative recruiting solution to address candidates’ needs, customizing the candidate journey according to age group and generation.
- A large HR service provider used geo-based analytics to create a new recruitment strategy by proactively anticipating upcoming opportunities, and matching job seekers with relevant openings.
- An electricity company designed an entirely new, platform for knowledge management, breaking down siloed structures and establishing a broadly adopted culture of sharing and collaboration.
- A large biotech company built a collaborative digital workplace to eliminate information silos, enabling self-organizing teams, collaboration, and faster decision making.
- Capgemini redesigned its employee experience to increase motivation, engagement, and productivity within their new, hybrid model. It upskilled managers to drive this experience on a platform encouraging two-directional employee feedback and “digital happiness” assurance.
IMPACT
- Our Fluid Workforce research shows benefits including improved time to market and agility, better alignment of talent with the business imperatives, enhanced customer satisfaction, and improved brand perception and sales.
- The same research demonstrates that almost 70% of organizations aim for reduced business costs, and providing out-of-hours support, while around half want to attract higher quality talent, and increase the speed of getting work done.
- The flexibility in work location creates an opportunity for organizations to attract more external talent while reducing office space, saving costs and the need to travel.
- However, rising stress levels is a factor to be considered within hybrid working and needs to be managed proactively. More than half of employees stated higher stress levels and are concerned about their network shrinking due to remote working. The ability to choose a work location can certainly act as a smart countermeasure.
TECH
- Workforce planning/HR solutions: Capgemini People Analytics, IBM Talent Management, Workday HCM, SAP SuccessFactors, Upwork Inc, Honeypot, Braincities, Faethm, Service Now (ITSM and CSM), 365 Talents
- Digital workplace solutions: Microsoft Office 365, G Suite
- Self-management and work effectiveness solutions: Sapience, holaSpirit, glassfrog, Team EQ, Trello, Monday, Amplifai
- Employee adoption and well-being management solutions: InsideBoard, Peakon, Lattice, 15Five, Quantum