The Seamless Workforce in 2009: Year in review

Posted by: Matt Rivera

The task of strategically developing a workforce that intelligently leverages every aspect of the talent supply chain is no small feat. It requires discrete analysis of every facet of the workforce and all channels to recruit, develop, and manage talent.

After a survey in early 2009 disclosed that many organizations continue to use only remedial methods for simply categorizing its workforce, The Seamless Workforce was launched. The objective: To add to the public discourse over the very real challenges that face the strategic and cost efficient development of a talent supply chain.

For those just joining the discussion, consider what we, as talent professionals and consumers, faced in 2009. Here are the top five Seamless Workforce posts from the past year.

5. CWS Summit 2009. Joel Capperella was on the ground at this year’s event, and sat down with Gregg Maged of The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA); Lee Cockerell, a former EVP with Walt Disney World Resorts; and a speaker from the session, “How to Benchmark Your Contingent Workforce Program and Bill Rates.” Joel and his guests discussed criteria to keep in mind when developing your contingent workforce program, how to develop an employment brand, and the necessity to drive quality of very specific skill sets critical to achieve success.

4. Four ways to prepare for a 2010 employee exodus. Adam Lawrence recaps Computerworld’s 2009 Salary Survey, and discusses the employee exodus an economic turnaround will likely bring. As employees consider looking for greener pastures, Adam offers best practices on what you can do to prepare for, and avoid talent loss.

3. Employee classification: Could your best worker be putting you at risk? With government agency coffers running on empty as a result of the current economic bailout, the government has three options to recoup funds. And they’ve been employing one — the auditing of corporations for improper labor classification — more frequently. Mike Zambon discusses why companies need to have all its ducks in a row regarding employee classification, and suggests three proactive steps to mitigate risk.

2. IT Staffing: 2010 and beyond. Mike Zambon shares a quick recap of Staffing Industry Analysts and Dices’, “IT Staffing: 2010 Outlook and Beyond” Webinar.

And the most popular post on The Seamless Workforce in 2009:

1. From the field: Addressing workforce complexity in your organization. Joel Capperella provides three suggestions for making conversations between procurement, HR, and executive leadership easier. Joel also explains why these departments must work together to identify reasonable workforce strategies that appropriately factor in every employment segment.

As we continue to move forward into 2010, we’re eager to see what the year will bring. And how changes in the economy affect workforce management. We’re looking forward to sharing our thoughts with you. We hope you will continue to join us in intelligent discussions (and friendly banter) about the talent management topics that are most important to you.

Finally, thanks to all of our loyal readers who have made our first year so successful!