The Future of Work is Flexible

The COVID-19 pandemic and acceleration of digital transformation reshaped working paradigms and approaches for both employees and employers. Increasingly, employees are prioritizing flexibility in the where and how of work to achieve a better work/life balance and employers are turning to flexible staffing models to become more agile and efficient.

Employees

When it comes to flexible working arrangements, employees today expect options for remote working. A survey by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) found that 48% of approximately 1,700 surveyed workers in the U.S. will "definitely" seek a remote position for their next job. Remote work options also have an impact on talent retention. Research by Gallup found that 54% of employees currently working exclusively from home would likely look for another job if their employer stopped offering remote-work options going forward and 38% of hybrid workers would do the same.

According to Gallup, a key takeaway from this research is that “failing to offer flexible work arrangements is a significant risk to an organization's hiring, employee engagement, performance, wellbeing and retention strategies.”‍

While remote and hybrid work options are critically important, employees are looking for flexibility beyond where they get work done. In rethinking their approach to work, many employees are prioritizing autonomy and control over their work experience. They want to ensure the jobs they choose align with their values and allow them to do the work they love.  

With these changing preferences and expectations, more workers are joining the contingent workforce. The opportunity to work on an assignment basis, build skills, advance their careers and achieve a greater work/life balance is fueling an increase in experienced professionals seeking contract positions. The benefits of contract work are particularly appealing to top technology talent in fields such as data science, information systems, software engineering and network security.

Employers

The cascading effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses highlighted the existential importance of enterprise agility. During this time of uncertainty, organizational resiliency became tied to the ability to scale up or scale down in real-time. 

Companies are increasingly operationalizing this adaptability by shifting from traditional recruitment practices toward sourcing a more agile workforce of contract workers. A survey by McKinsey found that 70% of executives expect to use more temporary workers and contractors onsite at their companies than they did before the crisis. McKinsey noted that “greater digitization and automation, more demand for independent contractors, and increased reliance on remote work have the potential to deliver better productivity, lower costs, and enhance resilience.”

Companies are increasingly turning to digital talent platforms to help build the new on-demand workforce. The “Building the On-Demand Workforce” report released by researchers from the Harvard Business School’s Managing the Future of Work Project and Boston Consulting Group’s Henderson Institute concluded that “companies who are early adopters of these platforms see a competitive advantage in shifting their workforce model to a blend of full-time and freelance employees, while at the same time, millions of highly skilled professionals, who seek flexible and remote work, are using these platforms to connect with employers.”

Talent platforms like Abra are doing just that to help healthcare companies achieve needed flexibility in meeting short and long-term IT staffing requirements. The platform allows these companies to tap into a broader talent pool with a diverse set of IT skills to create a dynamic workforce that can fill the talent gaps of today and tomorrow.

Contact us today to find out how we can help your healthcare company create an adaptable, flexible on-demand workforce model. 

Engage the right IT talent, with the right skills, at the right time with Abra.