Adaptable workforce strategies: the new norm

I came across an interesting post last week on Fistful of Talent that talks about how employers are hedging their bets on hiring. Specifically, the post talks about two companies that have taken different approaches to hiring talent--but not as full-time employees.

In one case, BMW is hiring 500 production workers as contract workers through a staffing agency. In another, a real estate brokerage firm is converting all of its 900 California-based agents from employees to independent contractors.

I think there's likely several reactions you could have to these two examples:

• What's happening to America? Are we all going to have to become freelance workers, temps, and independent contractors? Are there going to be no real employees left?
• Well, at least someone is hiring ... sort of.
• Is this yet another step in California's path to eventual succession and re-birth as a collection of independent city-states?

I work in staffing, so I have to admit, I like BMW's approach for selfish reasons as much as I believe it's probably a good idea right now. I think the independent contractor is fraught with danger, especially in the traditionally litigious state of California (see my posts on FedEx (Parts One and Two) for the reasons why).

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Index of tech wages shows significant opportunity for employers

This morning, Yoh released its quarterly Index of Technology Wages. The data shows a not-so-positive story for the economy, but a unique opportunity for employers.

In April, wages saw a 1.94 percent year-over-year increase, from to 31.27 to 31.88 percent. However, in May and June they declined, likely as a result of volatility in the stock market, increased concern over European debt, and the expiration of government stimulus spending.

As wages fell, overall demand for skilled technical workers increased. The inverted wage curve requires a willing workforce, which is where the opportunity for employers come in. While corporations increased their use of highly skilled temporary employees, the rate they were willing to pay for talent flat-lined, then fell.

With skilled employees willing to work for less, employers have the opportunity to secure talent at opportunistic wages and rates. But why would employees be willing to work for less?

Employees agree to lower wages when they don't expect tomorrow's opportunities to have potential for increased pay. The loss of today's wages on the chance that tomorrow's job offer will come at an increased rate is not a risk many are willing to take.

In addition, long-term unemployment has led to many highly trained professionals to accept a lower wage rate under temporary circumstances as a first entrance into the workforce. As temp employees are being added to the workforce in record numbers, conditions now exist that let employers hire talent at reduced fees, even as demand for talent is increasing with the strengthening economy.

Here are some recommendations on appealing to these highly skilled workers:

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The myth of Gen-Y entitlement

Last week, I tackled the marketing closet. Fortunately, I had some help from a colleague. Although cleaning out a closet is not the ideal way to spend part of an afternoon, sometimes it's necessary (and in this case, long overdue). The closet was in desperate need of a facelift, which included clearing out and reorganizing.

This assignment brings to mind fellow blogger Tammy Miller's post, "Sense of entitlement an obstacle in Gen-Y job hunt." In this post, Tammy expresses her opinion that 20-somethings think "mundane" tasks such as this are beneath them. However, I do not believe this reasoning is always the case. There is another explanation, which has been misconstrued for self-importance.

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In case you missed it: July 23

Happy Friday! A hodgepodge of headlines in today's In cased you missed it. We continue to see a lot of discussion over increasing use of independent contractors in temporary labor, as well as statistics and advice regarding employee engagement and retention.

How are your organizations doing in terms of managing the workforce? What are you doing to curb the departure of your key talent? Have you begun hiring again, and if so, what categories of workers?

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An introduction to the next generation of temporary staff

To introduce my series on The Seamless Workforce, let me start with a brief description of who I am. Then I'll follow up with posts describing my experience at Yoh and the projects I'm working on. I'm currently a senior double majoring in English and psychology at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt. The Burlington area is known for two main attractions: Church Street and Lake Champlain, both of which I recommend to visitors.

I'm from Boston, and when it came to deciding on what college to attend, size and location were both important. I went to a small, private high school, so attending a larger college felt essential. I'm used to the New England weather, so the buzz about winters in Vermont didn't alarm me.

Plus, the University of Vermont is ranked among the Top 50 Public National Universities by U.S. News & World Report. The school, its national recognition, as well as the atmosphere of Burlington (which really is a fun little city), influenced me to attend.

However, college brings to light that the future is right around the corner. During my sophomore year, I came to the conclusion that my summers should be dedicated to internships. This decision was based on the realization that I had very little idea of what I want to accomplish after graduation.

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Propelling your business through networking and collaboration

There was a time in my career when I found the word networking to be a bit of a meaningless corporate cliche. It sounded very '80s and conjured up images of Gordon Geko espousing the benefits of greed. I suppose with age and experience comes wisdom however, and I now appreciate not only the meaning of the word in a business sense, but the necessity of being a networking practitioner.

Only by participating in various communities can we gain practical experiences that we can reflect on as we apply our abilities to our work. Without such perspective, we risk falling into an extremely myopic view of our business objectives. This is what motivates me to participate in as many relevant and diverse business communities as my time will allow, and to write about what I find there for our readers.

On the evening of July 21, 2010, I exercised my faith in the value of networking by attending the Philly Startup Leaders (PSL) second annual summer barbecue. I've talked about PSL before, most notably when I interviewed Chris Wink of Technically Philly.

To quickly summarize, the PSL exists to connect the community of entrepreneurs in and around the Philadelphia area for the sole purpose of building mutual communal support. I would encourage you to read the PSL manifesto to gain the full sense of what this organization is about. But in the meantime, the essence of the organization is best exemplified by the following line of the manifesto: "... more than anything else, startup entrepreneurs need each other."

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Another workplace survey, but what does it really tell us?

Whenever I see a report or economic study that predicts the addition of jobs and the rebuilding of the workforce to pre-recession levels, I am all about digging a little deeper to find out the when and the where. A day late for the folks in my industry can mean far greater than a dollar short.

As you know, I'm a big fan of John Hollon's posts over at TLNT.com, and was intrigued when I saw "New Workplace Survey, Same Old Question: Is It Half Empty or Half Full," his thought-provoking post about Accenture's 2010 Workplace Survey.

For those of us in the desert hoping for the oasis to be more than just a mirage, the results reported by Accenture leave us optimistic. Perhaps the drought is over and jobs will be plentiful. Perhaps we won't go thirsty much longer.

Unfortunately, to echo John's thoughts, when we dig a bit deeper, the results (and the oasis) are not what they seem.

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