The key to thriving: Balancing short-term skills and long-term capabilities

Written by Jessica Holt  •  Recruitment  •  11 January 2023

Working with flexible people resources is a useful way to respond to an uncertain economic environment, however a consequence of this option is often the creation of additional challenges: the use of multiple suppliers for talent acquisition can result in a governance headache, the likelihood of value alignment & contractor performance is diluted, candidate vetting compliance becomes more problematic and overall transparency can be jeopardised. 

Finding the right people is always expensive, and this can be even more pronounced when contingent resources are hired in an unsettled market.

To address this, Resource Solutions’ Workforce Consultancy business developed an Assemble capability framework, enabling organisations to centralise their talent and people resource acquisition with a trusted partner. 

Flexibility and convenience for critical skills gaps

The changing economic environment and ongoing skills shortages requires an agile workforce which can flex as internal and external challenges - and opportunities - develop. 

According to a recent article by McKinsey, “The global COVID-19 pandemic and rapid evolution of workplace technology have accelerated the adoption of various alternative, hybrid working models—as well as new challenges in monitoring employee conduct and performance.” 

Assemble is a capability framework that provides organisations with agile and flexible access to high quality consultants and teams who are aligned to the skills competency of your permanent headcount. We tailor our work packages and talent solution to deploy Project Programme, Change and Transformation resources who are governed by our Practice Lead.

Through the deployment of our resources, Assemble strengthens and complements your existing workforce with a customised solution. 

Performance and Capability Governance

Managing changing teams, providing pastoral care, and keeping an eye on consistency and productivity can be difficult to achieve.  

People leaders often learn the hard way that teams made up of contingent workers carry inherent uncertainty relating to costs, performance and retention. The very nature of temporary talent means that individuals are rarely well prepared to work under a company’s individual culture, goals, and methodology. Getting people up to speed when onboarding new candidates can drain additional time, and there is of course no guarantee of future productivity or output. 

Our workforce consultants are extensively vetted including a four-stage assessment to ensure they deliver the quality of skills and exact capability that is demanded. By additionally aligning our assessment to your competency framework & overall culture, we deliver individuals who are tailored to your methodology.

Once on assignment, our consultants receive accredited training to enable their skills to continuously evolve and provide a platform for ongoing and future performance.

Our Capability Practice Leads and mentors also deliver an extra layer of governance through performance and output monitoring, ensuring that milestones are met and requirements are delivered.

Fixed-cost savings and better returns

The current recession means that businesses are looking for ways to reduce fixed permanent and non-permanent resourcing costs while still delivering on projects. Assemble delivers the skills you need by incorporating blended teams of resources which drive your projects forward – both now and in the future.

This achieves a cost and time saving compared to the use of multiple suppliers whilst reducing the need for expensive day rate contingent workers. 

A large global insurance organisation, having selected Workforce Consultancy as a partner to provide several skilled people resources across their organisation, realised a 27% cost saving versus their regular contractor rate card. This was achieved alongside the benefits of fast onboarding owing to consultants who were already aligned with company methodology. The model is a fully compliant risk mitigation service, and the organisation retains the option to transition consultants to their permanent headcount after 12 months.  

With our flexible access to talent, you can minimise your people resource spend while still meeting the strategic goals of your business - enabling growth & success, despite the economic environment. 

A future proofed workforce

By immersing our Workforce Consultants into our community and professional development network, they gain wider access to both technical mentors and colleagues which helps drive the critical skills you need.

Once they have fulfilled initial assignment, they can be off boarded back to our bench or redeployed into any new requirements within your organisation. This takes advantage of their existing knowledge of your business and capability model and eliminates the time and cost of finding (and onboarding) new resources.

Alternatively, upon successful project delivery, you might choose to transition our Workforce Consultants to permanent employees of your organisation. 

One of the world’s largest mining organisations partnered with Workforce Consultancy to de-risk 50 contractors who had a tenure of over 24 months service. Due to employment risks associated with the contractor tenure policy being reached, they were seeking a solution to continue the retention of these highly skilled resources. Following a programme of engagement and communication, 98% of contractors seamlessly transitioned to permanent employment with Resource Solutions as Workforce Consultants.  In doing so, they gained access to an extensive benefits package and investment into their continued professional skills development.  For the organisation, this resulted in the retention of the key skills together with the ongoing flexibility of the day rate resource.

Our unique model provides all the benefits of permanent recruitment without the accompanying risks and costs, allowing you to increase your headcount with tried and tested talent who are already seasoned to the needs of your organisation. 

Workforce Consultancy Assemble packages help you build a workforce based on your own capability framework, enabling consistent skills development and progression. With access to expert guidance on upskilling and reducing costs at this critical time, Workforce Consultancy enables you to build, buy and borrow the skills you need to future proof your people resources while saving money on your conventional fixed costs. 

Ready to build, re-shape and optimise your workforce for better talent acquisition?

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