Bums-In-Seats Expectations - Move on the future is here.

The bums-in-seats model of contractor service will not work moving forward. Arguably, it wasn't working at the beginning of 2020 and it is definitely not going to work in hybrid environments. Companies have been leveraging contractors for project development for years and it worked in the past for traditional, top-down, waterfall project structures. Here is a project, hire resources, keep under budget, within timelines, and within scope. Only hire the bare minimum and make them sit in seats at the office. And that worked years ago because most tech projects were independent of organizational projects.

The model no longer works. There are new and serious disruptors of this model and the sooner a company teaches its leaders how to lead remote and at task teams, the better.

Disruptor 1 - Technology is no longer an IT decision

When I first entered the Information Technology (IT) space years ago, it was considered a 'necessary evil'. Someone needed to manage server storage solutions and support desktops. IT was living in the basement of the building and only called upon when needed; they were never seen as part of the business. Flash forward to today. Technology solutions are a key part of the overall business with data serving business decisions about customers, human resources, operations, facilities, and sales. Tech is now an underlying driver for what we do, not functional support.

Life is different than in the past.

• Technologies are no longer purchased because IT says you need it. Technology selection is a business-wide decision because your systems are all connecting.
• In the past, companies made decisions about the technologies they would purchase based on what was out-of-date (legacy). Now, to compete, you need to be focused on how those interconnected technologies meet business outcomes and strategies, being proactive to remain competitive.
• Hybrid work environments, cybersecurity threats, customer and employee insights, regulatory privacy requirements. You need a solid and consistently reviewed governance structure.

Disruptor 2 - The Future of work is here

With the work-from-home (WFH) situation of the last year, your employee and contractor expectations have changed. There are indications that over the next 5 years unless something changes, there will be a shortage in technical specialties. People's expectations are reshaping the workforce. Not sure I am right, check out Korn Ferry, Deloitte, or even the career site Monster.

• Parenting responsibilities are not gender-specific activities. Wanting to balance lives with shared parenting, and enabling families to continue with two working parents puts employees and contractors into the driver seat. Companies that offer flexibility will get the best employees, hands-down. Work from anywhere will be seen as a competitive benefit for the most valuable talent, especially given the anticipated shortages.
• Companies that re-jig their key performance indicators (KPIs) and objectives and key results (OKRs) based on deliverables and not 'bums in seats' will also win in the talent pool. Leadership training positioning attendance does not equal performance for roles that don't require being present could be added to Learning Management Systems (LMS) as more and more companies lean toward quality deliverables with dates and milestones rather than sitting at a desk all day at the office.
• Collaboration and connection will also be looked at in new ways. Instead of rooms full of cube/desks with nothing creative, insightful companies are reimagining their facilities. They are designing moveable whiteboards, creative spaces for human-centered design, and access to online creative tool-sets. They recognize the need for teams to develop and build relationships, fly in new hires, and center their planning of those deliverables in connected ways, then allowing the day-to-day work to be performed elsewhere.
• Companies that have an all-or-nothing attitude to attendance, and are inflexible, will struggle to bring in desired talent for the job. Certain types of contractors do not need to be on the job every day all day. Some bring quality at the beginning of a project and touchpoints in the middle, then a heavier load at the end. Some contractors will prefer to give employers what they need when they need it, leaving them free to use their other hours more productively elsewhere. Your company already makes them fill in a time-sheet.
• Highly skilled talent is going to insist on being treated like humans. Just like any supply and demand situation, when supply is low, the talent will flock to the company willing to focus on human lives as they are applied to the work, rather than workers without a life. How leaders lead will need to shift if they want to be competitive with the best and the brightest.
• The most in-demand tech jobs, according to CIO.com, need to be filled, and that talent is few and far between. They are also roles that will contribute to a company's competitiveness and relevance for the future.
• Companies who care about the 'human factor' will attract the brightest and the best, but they will not do it if they cannot shed the 1930s hierarchy, a 1950s top-down management style, or a 1970s shareholder value at all costs drive.

We need to reinvent our business needs and adapt our employee and contractor models accordingly. This will involve retraining how we lead, shifting the systems to accommodate it, and blowing up our performance evaluation models.

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Patti Blackstaffe is igniting the fusion of technology and humanity. As industries absorb enterprise technology, develop automation, and utilize data to understand their customers better, companies need leaders equipped for leading digital organizations. You can reach her for leadership, coaching, and technology advisory at GlobalSway.com. Watch out for Patti's book launching this year.