Blending Contingent Workforce with Full-Time Teams: What You Need to Know

In the current business scenario, one strategic imperative that comes to the fore is the creation of a blended workforce by merging full-time employees with freelancers, independent contractors, or part-time workers. Enterprises with blended workforces strive to combine traditional workforce approaches with a contingent staffing model to achieve maximum productivity and agility, remaining at par in changing times. This article will help you better understand the benefits of developing a blended workforce for modern businesses and give you some key points to consider when your organization combines its traditional employee base with contingent staff.

The emergence of the contingent workforce

Accelerated by factors of technological advancements, remote work norms, and the rise of the gig economy ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, freelancers, temporary workers, and independent contractors have come to the fore in every industry. Before the pandemic, contingent workers were only hired by companies to backfill a position for a certain time period. However, many companies currently strategically leverage contingent workers, allowing them to remain flexible and scalable even during economic uncertainties.

Advantages of blending workforces

Here are the top advantages of adopting a blended workforce model.

1. Agile workforce and scalable operations

A blended workforce introduces the possibility of infusing agility into teams and using contingent workers to serve businesses on demand. In other words, blended workforces help businesses acquire flexibility. It becomes easier to hire temporary employees during seasonal highs or increased workload caused by a certain project.Easy scaling of the contingent workforce further helps reduce the hiring time and extra costs of physical office space. Apart from that, it reduces the risk of mass layoffs during economic downturns.

2. Acquisition of specialized talents

Fixed hires can be integrated with contingent workers to help organizations address a project’s transient requirements. If your project requires a skill set that your present staff lacks, you can hire a temporary worker on a contractual basis rather than hire somebody permanently. Contingent workers tend to possess project-specific skills and competencies that complement the skills and expertise of the permanent hires. 

3. Maintain cost-efficiency

Contingent workers do not have the requisite of a long-term commitment, and as such, employers do not need to keep them on the payroll once their project goals are successfully met. There are no fixed salaries for contingent staff. You only pay them the amount agreed for a certain project. So, short-term projects with a defined scope can be efficiently handled and delivered by a contingent workforce. This enables organizations to engage permanent employees in other core operational tasks and responsibilities.

4. Promotion of diversity and innovation

When contingent workers are engaged with full-time employees, organizations develop a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, which helps to promote a collaborative learning environment. This allows employers to embrace unique ideas and fresh perspectives, getting the right support to channel innovation in their businesses.

5. Acceleration of the talent acquisition process

By engaging contingent workers through a staffing agency, the organizations bypass the cumbersome and long-winded procedures that accompany hiring full-time employees. The entire process of screening, onboarding, and training is undertaken by the staffing firm, which not only saves a great deal of time but also selects areas of business that need more attention.

6. Reduction of workforce overhead

Integrating contingent workers in teams decreases the workforce overhead related to employee perks and benefits. As opposed to fixed employees, the organizations do not have to bear health benefits, retirement schemes, or any other benefits for their contingent staff.

7. Mitigate external risks

Organizations tend to remain better equipped and cope with external challenges when they blend contingent workers with permanent employees. Workforce downsizing becomes easier with a contingent workforce, enabling organizations to keep their operations intact without calling on mass layoffs during financial turmoils. 

Key considerations for blending contingent workforce with full-time teams

Before perusing contingent workers into your existing teams, you must make a note of the following key considerations.

1. Strategize and plan the workforce: Analyze long-term or short-term organizational or project goals to understand your workforce requirements and align your business objectives with contingent workforce strategies.
2. Set up proper communication channels: Facilitate direct and open communication with your fixed employees and contingent workers regarding what you look out for in terms of roles and responsibilities.
3. Adhere to a holistic on boarding process: Make sure that your on boarding process is designed in tandem for both your fixed and contractual employees.
4. Sail through the legal and regulatory requirements: Keep yourself updated with employee laws and regulatory requirements and revise your workforce policies accordingly. 
5. Invest in technologies: Support remote work norms and ensure effortless communication among team members through collaborative digital tools.
6. Promote team collaboration: Engage employees in team-building activities and encourage a culture of collaboration and inclusion at the workplace.
7. Provide regular feedback: Evaluate the performance of your contingent workforce by establishing proper performance metrics and providing them with regular feedback.
8. Invest in cyber security training: Design and conduct cyber security training for all your team members, including your contingent staff.  This would make them aware of the security protocols involved.

Conclusion

The fusion of full-time workers with the contingent workforce, as discussed in this article, acts as a strategic tool for organizations seeking to transform their workforce strategy. It offers uncountable benefits to employers: flexibility, scalability, access to specialized skills, improvement in the talent acquisition process, diversity and innovation, and many more.So, if you intend to shift to a blended workforce strategy that seamlessly fuses your fixed employees with contingent workers, start leveraging contingent staffing platforms like Denken Solutions. At Denken Solution, we not only help you seamlessly implement a blended workforce but also provide you with custom-made staffing solutions to fuel your business forward.
Get in touch with us to learn more about our services and let us assist you in developing and implementing a successful blended workforce strategy.