Six steps to achieving total workforce optimization
Table of contents
Total workforce optimization Page 5
Step 1: Get all the data in one place Page 6
Step 2: Riskproof the workforce Page 7
Step 3: Ascribe quality to all workers Page 8
Step 4: Merge the data Page 9
Step 5: Analyze data for decision making Page 11
Step 6: Do Something Page 12
Six steps to total workforce optimization
About Beeline Page 16
Page 15
Six steps to achieving total workforce optimization | Page 3
Total workforce optimization is the process of determining the right mix of employee and external or nonemployee talent to meet operational requirements. Total workforce optimization is sometimes confused with total talent management (TTM), which is a much larger and more comprehensive process. TTM not only incorporates the engagement and management of employee and nonemployee labor, but also issues like compensation, training, and succession planning which are outside the scope of total workforce optimization. Total workforce optimization is easier to achieve than total talent management and will set your organization up for the other benefits that total talent management promises.
Six steps to achieving total workforce optimization | Page 5
Step 1:
Get all the data in one place To achieve total workforce optimization successfully, you must start by getting all of your workforce data in one place. It is all about visibility. Most organizations have human resource platforms with all relevant employee data; however, they do not do the same for their extended workforce which consist of contractors, freelancers, temporary workers, and consultants. Gathering data for these extended workers in a centralized solution, like Beeline, is the first thing that must be done.
Step 2:
Risk-proof the workforce The second step you need to consider is to risk-proof your workforce by ensuring proper classification of every individual worker. Start by putting them in the employment category and ensuring that they’re in the right sub-category — temporary staff or contractors, outsourced labor, freelancers, interns, or retirees on contract. Categorizing your workers correctly will give you the confidence to put them to work and not worry about legal, compliance, or security consequences.
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Step 3:
Ascribe quality to all workers The third step is a very important one but tends to be elusive for many businesses. It is the process of ascribing performance quality measures to all workers and all work efforts. Organizations already do this for full-time employees with periodic performance appraisals and reviews of quarterly KPIs. However, these performance measures don’t carry over to their contractors, consultants, and agency-provided temporary workers. Some organizations don’t track quality for their extended workforce because they’re afraid of co-employment risk, but there are ways to assign quality to the work effort, and even to individuals, without getting into co-employment trouble. When you take the opportunity to rate the work, you will find that you can now tie the cost equation to the quality equation.
Step 4:
Merge the data If the organization has good employee data, and makes a serious effort to bolster its non-employee data, what is next? The next step is to merge those two together. It does not necessarily have to be one database. The analytics programs available today can consume data from both sides with great ease. By analyzing and comparing this data, organizations can get to what is interesting and fun - the modeling. This modeling leads to predictions, forecasting, and what-if scenarios which are key for the next step.
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Step 5:
Analyze the data for decision making Once the employee and non-employee data is merged, the next step is to analyze and apply the data. Artificial intelligence and the wide spectrum of the analytics available today allow organizations to use visualizations to discern where changes in the workforce mix will produce the greatest benefit. For example: You may traditionally be working with 70 percent employees and 30 percent contractors. On a specific task that will deliver a specific outcome, what would happen if you changed the mix to 50 percent full-time staff, 30 percent consultants, 10 percent freelancers, and 10 percent contractors, based on required skills? And how would that compare to other possible blends of resources.
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Modeling will also allow you to factor in scarcity of talent, core and non-core positions, and other considerations. Once you start to bring these factors into play, you can engage in a variety of what-if scenarios to determine what would best fit your business strategy.
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Step 6:
Do something Of course, the last step is to do it—execute a workforce optimization program. Create a model and try it on one project or one aspect of your business. Then, take that model, refine it, and apply it to another business area or project type. Keep refining it until it fits all of your requirements. If your model works, use it to achieve your desired business outcomes. You are probably closer to total workforce optimization than you imagined. You already have a tremendous amount of workforce data. What you lack — probably the performance quality data from certain elements of your extended workforce — can be obtained with a little effort and the right technology.
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Six steps to total workforce optimization Step 1: Get all the data in one place. Get visibility of all the people in your extended workforce and put that data in a single place.
Step 4: Take your extended workforce data and merge it with your employee data.
Step 2:
Step 5:
Make sure that you risk-proof your extended workers. Run them through the proper classification for compliance.
Analyze it. Utilize the technological advances that are available to engage in predictive modeling and forecasting.
Step 3:
Step 6:
Ascribe quality to every worker and project.
Do it.
Total workforce optimization cannot be accomplished in a day. It will take resources and commitment. Your workforce mix is critical to your organization’s agility and competitiveness. Now is the time to begin using the technology to help you reach this goal.
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The first step to achieving total workforce optimization is to get all of your non-employees in one place. The easiest way to do that is through Beeline Extended Workforce Platform. Don't wait. The time to act is now. Schedule a demonstration. Visit beeline.com. About Beeline: Beeline pioneered the world’s first extended workforce platform to solve the complexities of managing the modern workforce. With a data set encompassing more than 30 million workers and over $700 billion in talent spend spanning more than 20 years, its intelligence-driven platform transforms how businesses engage, manage, and optimize external talent across more than 120 countries. Enterprises benefit from our unmatched experience and innovation, deeply seasoned experts, and industryleading partner network to connect them to the remarkable talent within the global extended workforce. 04122021© 2021 Beeline Six steps to achieving total workforce optimization