The way people work, has changed dramatically over time, and the future appears to put the accent on the global remote workforce and its flexibility. Contingent workforce workers, freelancers, and World Wide Workers are no longer on the fringes of the economy, but rather occupy a consistent percentage of it!
Companies are now able to enlist on professionals which are located thousands of kilometers away, and, thus reduce the period traditionally assigned to head hunting, training, and acclimatization to the company’s culture.
How is that possible?
The answer lies in the extraordinary expansion of fast speed and on-demand Internet communication. The world has turned into a global village (here at New To HR we love it!), and individuals no longer have to travel physical distances to get in touch. Mobiles, tablets and laptops have literally become online portals, allowing remote employees to deliver their work at the speed of light and in a standardized digital format.
A few weeks ago, our founder Nicole was invited to share her story “Build A Remote Career Lifestyle” on the Collaboration Superpowers Podcast, run by Lisette Sutherland.
Click image to listen to the Podcast with Lisette and Nicole.
An increasing number of companies have given up on the traditional workplace and now work remotely and/or location independent. Not tied to a 9 to 5 routine or a physical office, recruiting from the ranks of the contingent workforce offers small and medium businesses a perfect compromise.
Instead of rushing head on towards hiring full time employees for a business model that may or may not work, they go for team members (freelancers) that thrive on short-term collaborations and put their mobility above all else. Not having someone constantly on the payroll, can act as a significant relief in times of low activity.
We have discussed some of the (compelling) counter arguments, about not making use of the contingent workforce previously.
Yet, as we get questions like the ones below all the time, here goes again 🙂
- Workers who work for your company for only the duration of a short project, simply do not have the time nor the motivation to acquire the company’s culture and mentality. Myth! Why do you think people want to work ‘freelance’, so they can learn, collaborate and work on different projects with (various) employers.
- Some organizations take a lot of pride into ‘molding’ their employees according to a recipe and investing effort into someone who works on just one project – is not justifiable. Some truth to this argument, but do you want to ‘mold’ your employee or do you want to work with people who may bring new and different ideas into your project/organization?
- Many jobs require a constant acquisition of new skills through courses and practice, and without a fulltime contract that guarantees some loyalty— is just not recommended. Myth!
- An even more potent argument is that sharing insider information is simply too risky with someone you just met online through a brief Zoom interview. Ask for referrals & add a NDA!
An impressive number of remote networks and work platforms (or referrals) bring talented and reliable experts to business owners, and all are eager to inject a dose of freshness into your organization. The demand and offer – function pretty much the same as other mechanisms of a free market and as discussed in previous blogposts, there are both postives and negatives.
Whether you are a senior manager eager to dive into the potential of world wide workers or a freelancer seeking a change from the office routine, how this remote workforce will evolve in the future is something to keep an eye on! Freelancers and contingent workers who build their Remote Career Lifestyles – are gradually becoming more and more accepted as the norm, and we celebrate that here at New To HR…
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