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Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the adoption of hybrid work environments to initially slow the spread of the virus has become increasingly more permanent, resulting in the rise of distributed workforces across the globe. With employees and potential job seekers now working from the comfort of their home and no longer constrained to specific geographies, the sheer number of career opportunities has forced employers into a corner. With global competition for positions on the rise and talent at a premium, strategic staffing is the new age solution for distributed workforce challenges post-COVID.
What is a Distributed Workforce?
A distributed workforce is a dynamic business model in which a company or organization employs individuals in a mixture of multiple settings including home offices, remote offices, on-campus office facilities, or in the field. A distributed workforce can be spread across both domestic and international locations of a given company. Companies that take part in the distributed workforce model utilize various technological platforms and tools to enable peer-to-peer and business-to-business file sharing, coordinate executive meetings, communicate, and complete day-to-day tasks.
The Impact of COVID-19 and the Rise of Distributed Workforces
It may be cliché to hear at this point, but the COVID-19 pandemic set new employment expectations and created day-to-day precedents that will shape the working world for years to come. Companies went completely remote to follow CDC guidelines and protect their staff from the virus, ushering in more virtual workspaces and providing many employees with the choice to work from a number of settings comfortable for them. After over two years of the hybrid work model in motion, companies that were previously limited to hiring or relocating talent within a 25–50-mile radius now employ individuals globally – with many employees not even stepping foot in a physical office.
Challenges When Sourcing for a Distributed Workforce
With organizations no longer confined to specific locales to source and onboard talent, a hybrid workplace opens the door to national and international employees with an increased range of talent, new opinions, and diverse work styles that hiring managers can use to find the best fits for the job. The challenge presented however is efficiently sourcing, training, and connecting an unconcentrated workforce that may have previously collaborated face-to-face, on a day-to-day basis.
Sure, companies can now open the door to premium international talent to take on a multitude of projects across multiple locations. And while this can prove invaluable for companies looking to expand into different locales or explore various markets, increased competition for the same skillsets from national and global entities can make it increasingly difficult (and time consuming) to source the right fit. If anything, potential candidates are incentivized to look at all possible suitors, while leveraging salary and benefit expectations that previously may have been region locked. Inversely, an almost limitless pool of talent can overwhelm both hiring managers and human resources departments, as they compare the most granular of skill gaps and competencies to find the perfect fit.
There are also new concerns that arise pertaining to how a distributed team will develop and synergize. What platforms will employees utilize to communicate or collaborate with one another to complete projects? How will the team develop a working, professional chemistry? Will the team be invested in the organization’s goals and grow with the company? These are all timeless questions in the work world, but with the added difficulty of answering them on a larger, and now more virtual scale.
Strategic Staffing & Distributed Workforces
In the present employment landscape, Strategic staffing can aid in strengthening, managing, and overcoming the challenges of integrating workforces spread across several channels and locales. Strategic staffing also takes the burden of sourcing, vetting, and placing talent out of the employers’ hands, allowing them to instead focus on their day-to-day objectives and mission critical projects.
Strategic staffing can impart several direct benefits for companies, including:
- Sourcing Premium & Experienced Talent – strategic staffing aids in thoroughly sourcing, interviewing and matching qualified talent with business needs. With collocated workplaces in decline, organizations need recruiters who can find staff that exemplify company values, execute based on company and role-based objectives, and collaborate with coworkers to promote synergy.
- Strengthening Retention – when individuals are properly vetted to ensure their skills and experience are a match for a specific role, they are put in a position to succeed from the start. In addition, implementing a strategic staffing plan has a third-party take care of the onboarding training process, ensuring each new staff member is properly trained for their role, informed of internal company processes before beginning work on their day-to-day initiatives and even briefed or trained on specific company platforms used for daily communication and project completion. Emphasizing employee success can directly increase the likelihood the individual will stay with the company long-term or beyond their initial term (if contracted).
- Expediting Time-to-Revenue – The adage “time is money” applies to workforce solutions as well. Instead of lengthy job search initiatives where companies post a job opening and wait for qualified individuals to come to them, implementing strategic staffing expedites the process without compromising the vetting process. This is extremely important when critical projects and departmental initiatives are on the line, as the strategic staffing process cuts down the time it takes to find qualified talent, in addition to expediting the onboarding process.
How Can Resolvit’s Staffing Solutions Help?
At Resolvit, we specialize in locating, vetting, and placing premium talent for some of the largest companies in the world. Our strategic staffing services significantly reduce the time, effort and costs associated with onboarding talent – all while matching organization’s shifting needs and project-specific objectives.
Our robust “inside out” approach, which includes thorough sourcing protocols, a multi-stage interview process, role-based skills assessments and reference checks ensures the right fit for our clients’ needs.
Want to learn more about how Resolvit’s strategic staffing services can benefit your organization? Contact us today.
