Contingent workers are more connected to their work than you might think

It seems like just yesterday, but we founded clearXperts back in 2008, providing operational consultancy in finance, HR, and sales and marketing. Today we have about 200 people working for us, most with degrees in these key areas. Some of these people have just a few months of experience; others have two decades!?

With expertise in these clearly-defined markets, it won’t surprise you to learn that our bread and butter lies in traditional permanent placements. But a great deal of our work is in contingent labour: an area of the market I feel needs to be uplifted and championed right now. Despite the fact that it serves an important purpose in many industries, I think contingent labour has long been underrated.

As a former finance professional, I have personal experience in contingent labour. It’s important to note that some people feel a real connection to working in a contingent environment. Unlike temporary labour, where people work on short-term contracts for businesses in areas like logistics and industrial work, contingent workers are employed by us on a permanent basis, with career paths mapped out before them just like any other professional person. We train them, we invest in them, we nurture them. What makes their situation unique is that they remain with us as contingent labour specialists, moving between our clients on a project-to-project basis. Given that you could, as a contingent labour specialist, be working for two or more client projects a year, you might think that that connection you feel with your work or employer might be weaker. I am here to argue that, in many cases, it can be far, far stronger.?

The contingent workforce may feel less fatigue, given that they get to start afresh every 6-8 months. They are tied to us as the provider, but not to a particular team or process. They can focus on honing their skills and developing their expertise through a wide range of projects and environments, without ever feeling stagnant. But the time has come for us to really protect those connections and support the contingent workforce to ensure it stays stronger for longer…

Of course, as in many sectors, the contingent labour market has changed a great deal over the past couple of years. Small changes that were already happening, things like flexible and mobile working, are suddenly at the forefront of the contingent landscape. Like other markets around the world, the Belgian labour market is facing a skills shortage in many key areas. The Great Resignation is fuelling an environment where people are demanding more and more from their employers and seeking a better work/life balance - and in many ways, I can’t say I blame them.

Contingent labour is a key part of the solution to such problems. Here, I’ll explain the five key threats facing this area of the market at this moment in time, and propose a way of thinking that can help ensure better, more productive and longer-lasting connections with this important area of the labour market:?

The home is now the office

Now that many of us have got used to working at home, what used to be a privilege is now an expectation, and that goes for contingent workers too. Hybrid working can be a much healthier approach to work, but it would be remiss of us not to acknowledge the drawbacks for organisations dealing with contingent workers. In Belgium, we are also trialling the four-day work week, to limit the impact of work on peoples’ health.

The experience expectation

People expect a positive working experience - something that can be quite difficult to create when we are working from home. So, we have to be more inventive. A lot of that experience has moved online with virtual drinks, online courses, games, team meetups, and so on - but is it enough to help you connect with every employee? At clearXperts, we have gone so far as to organise a company trip to Portugal! Like I said, inventive!?

The personalisation of jobs?

Even where the contingent workforce is concerned, people expect to work closely with us as the facilitators to map out a clear career path from point A, say an accountant, to point B, say a finance manager. At the same time, the qualification level of entrants seems to be levelling out. High levels of education have become less prevalent, and the pandemic has not much helped this. This has led to a decrease in competencies, and prompted us to introduce more job crafting to help our clients engage people in opportunities. This may be a short-term scenario, but with all the other major changes we’ve seen in the world of work, I’m thinking perhaps not.

The search for purpose?

As employers, we are now duty bound to serve our clients, colleagues, customers and communities with ethics and integrity. This is fantastic, because, of course, it means that we're moving towards a fairer, more ethical and inclusive world. However, in the short term, we have consultants who are finding it hard to provide contingent workers to businesses who do not, perhaps, live up to these ethical codes. Many people simply do not want to work for tobacco, petrol and nuclear businesses - yet these businesses still need to find competent workers, even as they work towards better more sustainable practices. This is a very real challenge that we continue to face in our area.

Flexible contract models?

There used to be such a thing as an employer or an employee for life. Now people can hop from being a freelancer, to a contingent worker, before moving customer side, then perhaps taking on a permanent contract. A lot of people do small jobs on the side. Nothing is guaranteed.

Now is the time to double down on our efforts to protect a large, diverse and knowledgeable contingent workforce. This is our chance to engage contingent workers old and young; experienced and inexperienced, across all industries. By acknowledging and paying attention to where the threats are, we have a unique opportunity to better serve not just our clients, but our workforce - and by extension - our communities as a whole.

I’d love to hear what you think about this. Please share your thoughts with the #TalentVoices hashtag.