“Any business that’s serious about unlocking their workforce flexibility needs to consider how their processes, systems, and talent organization accounts for contingent workers,” says a Contingent Workforce Leader from a Professional Services firm,  highlighting a critical aspect of modern workforce planning.

Do you include contingent workers in your project scheduling tool? Over the years, opinions on this topic have varied widely. While HR, Legal, and Risk departments often caution against it due to concerns about co-employment risks, the potential benefits of integrating contingent workers into your operational workforce planning are hard to ignore.

The inclusion of contingent workers provides numerous advantages, including access to specialized skills and the ability to scale the workforce quickly in response to project demands. Targeting contingent workers for specific roles on engagements can reduce salary costs and address talent gaps with skilled professionals. Additionally, this approach helps firms manage workload peaks and enhances overall project delivery. However, there are key considerations to keep in mind before moving forward:

• Access Levels: Customize access levels within your scheduling tool to differentiate between contingent workers and full-time employees. This ensures confidentiality and controls over what contingent workers can view or share.
• Contractual Agreements: Ensure your contractual agreements with contingent workers are clear and explicitly outline expectations regarding their inclusion in the scheduling tool. Consulting Risk/Compliance and Legal teams is essential to maintain compliance, and obtaining worker consent avoids misunderstandings.
• Skill Alignment: Align contractor skills with your internal skills tracking system—whether integrated with the scheduling tool or managed separately. This ensures you maximize available talent and can efficiently match skills to project needs.
• Integration with Core Systems: Evaluate how your scheduling tool integrates with core HR and project management systems. Seamless integration streamlines processes, reduces redundancies, and ensures data consistency across platforms.

As firms seek to build agile, responsive workforce strategies, considering contingent workers in your scheduling tools isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic imperative. By addressing these considerations thoughtfully, firms can unlock the full potential of contingent talent, driving greater workforce flexibility and operational efficiency.

For more information about how to effectively leverage a contingent workforce to augment your full time employees, contact Marianne Galante at www.galantetalentstrategies.com