Introduction

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Introduction

Defining the life-work shift

The outbreak of Covid-19 upended how we work. More than two years in, it is still forcing businesses to rewrite the playbook for how we do business.

Our new survey of 1,000 senior executives across 12 countries and 10 industries reveals how leading businesses are recalibrating how they acquire the talent they need to win in today's ultra-competitive markets. A life-work shift is underway: leading employers are moving to meet employees' expectations for greater flexibility in how they integrate work in their lives, supporting their mental health and showing greater authenticity and urgency in engaging with diversity, equity and inclusion.The aftershocks of the pandemic continue to be felt across the business landscape. Waves of employee resignations have disrupted the labour market. Employee expectations about work have changed for good. And more employees than ever before are entering the contingent talent pool.In 2021 alone, 32% of companies replaced full-time salaried workers with contingent workers to help save money and create more flexible teams.But this new agile and dispersed workforce provides businesses with a brand new set of employee expectations and demands to meet.Employers have to adapt to new realities to create a workforce that's growth-ready and flexible. This research shows how leading firms are charting the path ahead.

IN 2021

32%

OF COMPANIES REPLACED FULL-TIME SALARIED WORKERS WITH CONTINGENT WORKERS

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About this report

This report marks a one-year follow-up to our 2021 report, Next-level agility: The four dynamics of a resilient workforce.

In that report, we identified the companies that were ahead of the pack – firms we labelled the Vanguards. They were leading on four dynamics to create more agile workforces:

STRENGTHENING
WORKFORCE AGILITY

REINVENTING THE
EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

TAKING CONCRETE ACTION
ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND
INCLUSION (DEI)

ADOPTING THE RIGHT
TECHNOLOGIES TO EMPOWER
TODAY'S WORKFORCE

For 2022, we built on this, with new questions taking a closer look at how the Vanguards are leading on the life-work shift.

Alongside this survey are insights from in-depth interviews with a group of business leaders who shared their perspectives on the challenges they are currently facing: from hybrid working, to the demands of scaling up for growth, to attracting and retaining talent in disrupted labour markets.

We are seeing a shift in control away from organisations to the talent. Rigidity in hiring processes, work location, compensation, and work schedules will severely limit organisations’ choices for finding candidates with the skills they require. Companies of all sizes and industries should revisit their employee and contractor value propositions to make sure there is resonance with the talent they seek.

Matt Norton
Global Workforce Solutions Research Manager, Staffing Industry Analysts

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We would like to thank the following individuals:

Crystal Lannaman
Head of Talent Acquisition
and University Relations, BASF

Kirsten Tolfree-Dart
Contingent Worker Programme
Manager, Kantar

Malcolm O’Neal
SVP Human Resources,
MRC Global

Anthony Webster
EVP and CHRO, Evoqua
Water Technologies

If organisations aren’t actively listening to what their workforce wants and providing the technology that makes it possible to seamlessly engage and communicate with them, they will miss out on attracting and retaining talent. In a tight labour market, building a comprehensive and positive worker experience for both employed and non-employed workers is critical for greater retention, productivity, and engagement and translates to better business results.

Matt Norton
Global Workforce Solutions Research Manager, Staffing Industry Analysts