From filling seats to forging strategy by Kelly Services Belgium

From filling seats to forging strategy

Mar 04, 2021

Talent acquisition teams face an urgent and unprecedented challenge:

the world is hurtling toward a skills gap of 85 million people, making the global talent shortage the #1 emerging risk for organizations already hard-pressed to keep pace with transformative technologies. As business leaders turn to HR for answers, it’s clear that filling requisitions is no longer enough. Talent acquisition teams are poised to take on a far more strategic role, one that will redefine how companies align work with business strategy and leverage outsourcing to engage all talent categories. Several key trends are reshaping how savvy HR leaders are addressing the business challenges at the heart of strategic workforce planning.

Outsourcing objectives have changed, opening the door for HR to drive new business value through collaboration.

For 20 years, companies were able to rely on cost-out as the core strategy for managing contingent labor: first through early vendor management programs that revealed and reduced rogue spend, then through a global recession that gutted company budgets and created a glut of available talent. Procurement—with its expertise in managing vendors and driving down prices—became the de facto owner of contingent outsourcing. But the cost-out bubble has burst. Employers around the world are facing the most acute talent shortage since 2006 as populations age, skills shift, and 45% of organizations struggle to fill open roles. The supply/demand equation has flipped in talent’s favor, upending the balance of power and disrupting outdated strategies that are not equipped to attract talent in a healthy economy with record-low unemployment.

At the same time, executives are recognizing that a siloed approach to talent is the top barrier to strategic workforce management. Today’s fast-moving, high-tech war for talent requires not only that Procurement and HR work in unison, but that they engage innovative outsourcing providers who can unlock additional value. These external partnerships have evolved well beyond traditional outsourcing.

The workforce—and work itself—has become far less permanent, driving explosive growth in free-agent talent.

While companies have long relied on a mix of full-time workers, technology, and outside partners to execute their business plans, the current breakneck speed of innovation is disrupting the entire supply chain. AI, machine learning, RPA, and a flurry of other tech advances are slashing the life cycle of occupations, redefining the work that humans do, and unlocking new possibilities for how, when, and where work is done. At the same time, technology is fueling the growth of the gig economy, spawning dozens of online talent platforms and giving workers more work style options than ever. Independent workers already make up more than one-third of the world’s workforce, and experts predict that number will surge to 50% in the U.S. These workers thrive on freedom, flexibility, and empowerment, with more than 75% actively choosing the independent workstyle over full-time employment. The trend is not lost on leading companies.

Powerhouse brands like Google already have workforces composed of more than 50% contingent labor; and 7 in 10 senior managers say that integrating free agent/gig talent into their workforce will be important to their companies’ ability to remain competitive over the next two years. It’s a challenge that spans all wage brackets and skill sets. While the number of six-figure freelancers has grown 70% in the past seven years alone, many countries are experiencing all-time low unemployment rates for workers without a high school diploma.

The explosion of independent talent poses a daunting challenge for HR leaders, who must redefine the “candidate experience” more holistically and redesign their companies’ workforce to align with ever-changing business objectives, technology advances, and new labor market realities. Outsourcing partners are proving to be invaluable allies. Armed with deep knowledge of workforce trends and predictive analytics, outsource solution providers can help identify opportunities for automation and determine the right mix of full-time and contingent talent to meet the needs of the business—now and into the future.

Talent acquisition has become both highly complex and deeply personal.

Facing intense pressure to continually adapt and differentiate, companies find themselves dependent upon a dynamic labor pool that defies commoditization, crosses multiple labor categories, enters the pipeline from numerous sources, and increasingly demands to work on its own terms. Business leaders are ratcheting up their expectations of talent acquisition accordingly. Nine in 10 senior managers now believe that in order to win, their companies need to substantially improve candidate engagement and create more innovative work approaches—both of which require a deep understanding of the global talent market and close attention to the individual talent mindset. It’s a tall order, and savvy HR leaders are engaging outsourcing partners to look beyond typical demographics and deliver on the promise of personalization.

Workers across all categories are increasingly demanding customized experiences on par with the consumer experiences they enjoy in their personal lives. While some targets are digitally driven—such as using AI and chatbots to improve the hiring process—strategic outsourcing partners know that the human experience remains key. For example, Kelly takes a talent segmentation approach that delves beyond traditional demographics to identify attributes and behaviours that shape talent’s preferred workstyles; how they feel about skill development and new challenges; whether they eagerly accept change or prefer the status quo; and how they perceive employer brands, for example.

Today’s talent acquisition teams face daunting demands—but they don’t face them alone. Outsourcing providers are helping HR partners take on a more strategic role. Together, they are navigating the complex intersection of work, workers, and technology, and redefining the value they bring to businesses worldwide.

< Older Post Newer Post >

Change. How to turn your fear into fuel for a rocket move and wake up in a different reality.

14 Aug, 2023

Rephrasing the famous song, “Love is in the air”, let’s talk about change is in the air – and everywhere. We grow. We change. Look at your childhood photos. Watch your kid, your nephew, your niece. The change is there, and it’s incredible. Nature is constantly changing. We wait for summer as the time to enjoy outdoor activities and gardening, for a quick visit to the beach, or simply take time to relax and spend time with family, friends and loved ones. We wait for winter (even if we never see snow falling) to decorate the house for the holidays, pack presents for the people we love and unpack our own. The colour of the leaves changes, the weather shifts, and flowers blossom in their time – the landscape is constantly transforming. The world around us is changing. We travel to other countries and learn new things, cultures and languages. We take on new hobbies. We get new skills. After a couple of minor kitchen accidents (sometimes), we can cook delicious dishes and get compliments from family and friends. We transform our bodies at the gym or simply by creating the habit of walking every day. We meet new people, we sometimes fall in love, we build families, we have kids. And if you step back for a second, you realise you might have met your other half by pure accident. But you took a leap of faith into the unknown. We embrace many types of unknown change, except for the one that can change how we live five days a week – to change jobs. “I am too old/too young to change”, “I’m used to this environment; It’s my comfort zone”, “Well, I don’t get any promotion, and what I do doesn’t change the world, but it’s stable”, “I am afraid to ask for more interesting projects. What if my manager fires me?”. We often don’t want to change because that step requires a vision, courage, external support, and a leap of faith into the unknown. Scary? Yes. But also promising. A step into the unknown? Yes. But it can open a new door. Do your inner values marry what you do? Yes, it is essential. There is nothing terrible about staying in your comfort zone. At some stage of your career, staying put can be an excellent decision. But if you feel that you need a change – talk to Kelly. We don’t mind going the extra mile and support your wish to embrace the change. The one which will give meaning to what you do, feel proud, motivated and fulfilled. Ready for changing? We’ll make sure your talent can truly shine.

Balance. Why it is essential to keep your eyes on your destination and not to listen to applause.

10 Aug, 2023

You’ve seen these guys before when a circus came to your city or maybe on TV. They walk on a wire at an impressive height, sometimes without insurance, sometimes with a long stick that probes the void right and left. They walk slowly, trying the wire with their toes first, making small steps, their eyes fixed on the small platform where they plan to land soon. They never watch down. They don’t listen to an audience that applauses or gasps in awe. They are concentrated on keeping their balance. To keep balance. Let’s come down from the wire above the arena or stage. Let’s look closer at balance, where it has its roots and the secrets of keeping it. Is it an art? Or is it a skill? Can you learn to keep balance? Or is it an innate skill that only gymnasts, figure skaters, circus artists and ballet dancers are born with? Want to know the secrets of a ballerina that must perform 32 fouettes, a complex ballet movement that requires turning 360 degrees at a high-speed standing on the point of a ballet shoe? First, keeping balance is a skill people must learn for years. In ballet, sport, circus, real life, and… work life. A ballerina is taught to pick one point and to fix her eyes on it when she makes her 32 fouettes, a complex ballet movement that requires turning 360 degrees at high-speed standing on the point of a ballet shoe. She focuses on one thing that keeps her upright. She doesn’t look anywhere else. Gymnasts in some disciplines are constantly trained to feel the bar under their feet. They are prepared to land precisely on the bar after they jump, and the incredible contortions we admire in competitions. But let’s come back to the circus artists we have begun with. Often, they have a long stick in their hands to keep their balance. Is their secret hidden in the stick? And what is the secret? You don’t need to be a ballet dancer, a gymnast, or a circus artist to get the idea of balance. Here are your first two steps in your balance training: 1. Keep your main priorities in mind. And have a clear idea about what is very important for you and where you are ready to compromise. But don’t listen to external opinions that don’t align with your ideals. Forget about the audience’s applause – focus on you. 2. Use some help to stay upright and get to your goals. Imagine your life split on two ends of the helping stick, your job is on one end, and your private life is on another. How comfortable do you feel at your height now with the load on both ends? You need support. We at Kelly pay a lot of attention to balance. The balance between people’s private lives and their jobs. The balance between feeling appreciated and professional goals or between achieving extraordinary results and being inspired. Talk to Kelly today. We are not ballet coaches or sports trainers, but we know much about how important work/life balance is in our lives.

Inspiration. Why we all are artists and how to restore the sparkle

03 Aug, 2023

We often associate certain qualities with individuals who seem to possess a natural talent for creativity. We convince ourselves that painting, singing, or dancing are pursuits reserved for these "real" artists while we remain mere spectators. Creativity? Inspiration? No, it's not about me.