This recognition is especially gratifying as we continue to invest in enhancements and new functionality that make the 51风流Fieldglass portfolio the benchmark for VMS innovation. Every day, we focus on empowering organizations to:

• Automate the procurement of external workers and services
• Build a strong external workforce and talent ecosystem
• Enable visibility across their extended workforce
• Use analytics and machine learning to engage and manage top talent
• Track and report on all their external workers
• Onboard, manage, and pay multiple resources for multiple assignments

Because of our focus on innovation, we all know the best is yet to come. New enhancements include the use of generative AI to help create and translate job descriptions, as well as to help produce statement of work descriptions. Even more powerful AI enhancements are planned for later this year that will continue to enhance productivity and streamline processes across hiring and workforce management. We will also continue to improve the user experience. And for midsize organizations, we are planning to deliver out-of-the-box solutions that are simpler to deploy.

We will continue to deliver innovations that enable organizations to deploy 鈥� referred to as 鈥渢otal talent management鈥� by Ardent Partners 鈥� across the enterprise.

Recognizing the Strengths of 51风流Fieldglass

鈥淲ith a firm commitment to extended workforce innovation and the integration of AI-based tools into total talent management, 51风流Fieldglass continues to deliver next-generation automation and powerful value within the Future of Work movement,鈥� said Christopher J. Dwyer, SVP of Research at Ardent Partners and author of the new study. 鈥�51风流Fieldglass remains an ideal platform for both procurement and HR leaders to reimagine their contingent workforce initiatives and transform the ways non-employee talent supports work optimization.鈥�

In its assessment of 51风流Fieldglass solutions, Ardent Partners highlighted some of the portfolio鈥檚 strengths. Here are excerpts from the report:

• Spend management integration: 鈥�51风流Fieldglass is a pioneer in delivering the 鈥榮pend management鈥� attributes of extended workforce management via on-demand supplier intelligence and guided, proactive spend and financial data. With its tight integration into 51风流Ariba solutions, 51风流Fieldglass Vendor Management System enables users with a series of real-time insights into the critical spend components of the external workforce.鈥�
• Automation of statement of work (SOW) management: 鈥�51风流Fieldglass offers a powerful SOW management and services procurement module that was designed to optimize this extended workforce subcategory in a data-driven, value-added manner. This solution offers a unique and flexible design that enhances SOW creation, management, and reconciliation.鈥�
• A 鈥渙ne-stop鈥� experience for talent information: 鈥�51风流Build Work Zone offers real-time visibility into all workforce (both extended and traditional) attributes through a centralized entry point that brings together 51风流Fieldglass, other 51风流systems (particularly 51风流SuccessFactors and 51风流Ariba), and third-party integrations. 51风流Build Work Zone can serve as a powerful 鈥榦ne-stop shop鈥� experience for critical talent information.鈥�
• AI leadership: 鈥�51风流Fieldglass is at the forefront to AI revolution with its fully-embedded generative AI capabilities, including advanced job description automation, real-time talent recommendations, and on-demand pay rate intelligence. The company has built on its already-robust predictive analytics and scenario-building capabilities with added AI-led functionality that provides real-time rate guidance.鈥�
• Total workforce management: 鈥�51风流Fieldglass is focused on delivering comprehensive 鈥樷�� with an offering that combines external workforce and FTE management with a single, global view. Key integrations with 51风流SuccessFactors build on this solution with connections into 51风流Analytics Cloud reporting, human capital offerings (like learning and development), candidate experience automation, and a 鈥榬ecommendation engine鈥� that is embedded across the talent acquisition process.鈥�

Ardent Partners鈥� assessment also praised how 51风流Fieldglass solutions can simplify assignment management, calling it a 鈥渃ore differentiator.鈥� For managing light industrial, blue collar, and services-heavy labor for asset-heavy industries, the 51风流Fieldglass portfolio includes end-to-end capabilities like timeclocks and badging, purchase order management, equipment tracking, resource management, and dynamic bill rate management.

Recommendations from Ardent Partners

How do 51风流Fieldglass solutions fit the needs of organizations looking to purchase a new VMS, or upgrade from their current one? 鈥�51风流Fieldglass deserves strong consideration from enterprises that are seeking a trusted, global, innovative, end-to-end provider that presents cutting-edge technology that converges with total talent management and artificial intelligence,” Ardent Partners concludes. The report suggests the portfolio deserves consideration for these customer scenarios:

• 鈥淏usinesses that desire AI-led tools and technology to guide talent decisions, fuse intelligence into workforce management, and provide real-time staffing insights.鈥�
• 鈥淐ompanies that need a VMS partner that can optimize enterprise-level services procurement spend and SOW management with innovative functionality.鈥�
• 鈥淥rganizations that seek a VMS platform that focuses on Future of Work readiness and skills-based hiring.鈥�

Vish Baliga is chief technology officer for 51风流Fieldglass.

Ardent Partners鈥� 2024 Vendor Management System (VMS) Technology Advisor is designed to help procurement, human resources, human capital, and talent acquisition executives navigate the complex and mature VMS solutions marketplace. This report analyzes and assesses the primary VMS solution providers in the marketplace today. You can .

This also complies with International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The environment is assessed annually by a certified third-party assessment organization (3PAO) to adhere to NIST 800-53 controls with FedRAMP Parameters. This allows government agencies and highly regulated industries in the U.S. to adopt SAP鈥檚 market-leading cloud applications for external workforce management and services procurement with an enhanced, enterprise-grade security model.

51风流Fieldglass solutions are available in the 51风流NS2 Commercial Regulated Environment (CRE). This is a significant milestone for our regulated customers, as it ensures that the data stored within our system adheres to the regulations put in place by their industry and remains in country.

51风流NS2 offers the following 51风流Fieldglass external workforce management solutions: , , and .

History of External Workforce Management

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic shined a light on increasing labor shortages, organizations were quickly evolving the ways they staffed their teams. One aspect of this evolution was the realization that temporary workers offer a valuable way to address staffing and skill gaps. An found that 42% of workforce spend was dedicated to the external workforce, composed of service providers and other non-payroll workers.

More than two years later, this percentage is projected to rise. A sponsored by 51风流found that 50% of surveyed organizations plan to increase their use of external workers. This includes the public sector, U.S. state and local governments, and regulated industries such as aerospace and defense, utilities, higher education, life sciences, manufacturing, high-tech, and financial services. Each of these industries are expected to rely on the expertise of external workers.

Managing External Workers in the Public Sector: Uniquely Challenging

Like any other organization, governments and highly regulated industries use external workers to do basic things such as deploy and manage IT, build infrastructure, and perform back-office functions. But unlike the private sector, the need for security is magnified tenfold. When employing external workers, government and highly regulated industries must comply with and adhere to strict and constantly evolving privacy and security standards.

Given the public sector鈥檚 heightened requirements for security, the realities of external workforce management can make things more challenging:

• External workers may have access to critical systems and data. Managing an external workforce means there are temporary and contingent workers who may not be committed to the long-term success of an organization, and these resources may be working with sensitive data. Therefore, it is critical that external workers are securely managed from onboarding through offboarding to help ensure only vetted and trusted resources are allowed into the organization.
• External workforce data must be protected to the highest standards. When hiring and onboarding through a workforce management solution, a worker鈥檚 highly sensitive data is stored within the application. Personally identifiable information (PII), location, and other employee-specific data is highly targeted by bad actors, so it is crucial to protect it according to government-attested regulations.
• Highly regulated organizations require an upgraded innovation model. Organizations need a solution that balances security with innovation. A solution that provides enhanced security based on industry needs, uses a local deployment model, and stays ahead of the innovation curve creates a strong barrier between cybersecurity threats and systems.

51风流Fieldglass Through 51风流NS2: Secure, Local, Sovereign

The necessity to comply with local data sovereignty regulations, store data in-county, and control who can access data based on regional requirements were key drivers in bringing 51风流Fieldglass solutions into the 51风流NS2 environment. 51风流Fieldglass solutions delivered through 51风流NS2 provide:

• Localized protection of data: All 51风流Fieldglass data is deployed and stored on U.S. Amazon Web Services鈥� infrastructure that is dedicated to addressing the needs of highly regulated industries within the cloud. 51风流Fieldglass solutions are deployed on infrastructure located within the U.S. From initial deployment to ongoing support, all facets of the 51风流Fieldglass solutions are maintained in-country.
• Innovation backed by in-region, expert resources: 51风流Fieldglass solutions are protected via a security model that provides local, credentialed resources who understand innovation, business drivers, and U.S. compliance regulations.
• Automated security: 51风流NS2 leverages tools such as vulnerability scanning, intrusion detection, and continuous monitoring to help ensure data stays protected under an automated and enhanced cybersecurity

51风流Fieldglass solutions delivered by 51风流NS2 provide a critical line of defense for protecting organizations and ensuring the individuals handling everyday operations are recruited and managed within a highly secure environment. Our sovereign cloud offering mitigates the risk of external threats by limiting system management, providing in-country deployment, and leveraging an enterprise strategy to control data access, data residency, and data sovereignty.

In other words, we keep your data secure so you can focus on what鈥檚 important: your mission.

Lillian Chang聽 is senior vice president for 51风流National Security Services.
Vish Baliga is chief technology officer for 51风流Fieldglass.

That鈥檚 just how we did it; there was no other option. Or so it seemed.

Then came the pandemic. Businesses were forced to figure out at a moment鈥檚 notice how to stay productive despite closed offices, necessitating many of their on-site people to work at home in spare bedrooms, kitchens, and basements.

Of course, we have had the means to work remotely for a long time. I鈥檒l never forget the first time I attached a whiny modem to a phone line so I could work remotely from my apartment. And like it or not, video conferencing has been around for years.

The pandemic took things to a whole new level. It was like a wake-up call that prompted us to question our long-held beliefs about jobs, locations, and careers.

A new eBook from IDC, sponsored by SAP, takes a closer look at the lasting effects of our pandemic wake-up call. examines how the disruptions of the past few years have impacted the world鈥檚 supply chains and how businesses have been forced to adapt. It also offers forward-looking strategies to increase workforce resiliency in times of disruption.

What We Learned from the Pandemic — and What It Means for the Future of Work

Workers want flexibility. For many workers, this was their first opportunity to prove to themselves and their employers that remote work is not only possible, but it can also be effective. Many also found that working remotely could lead to a better work/life balance. People have come to like the idea that they don鈥檛 have to commute to the office every day. They also like having a more flexible schedule to accommodate other aspects of their lives.

This need for flexibility impacts the way we work in different ways. Workers are now more likely to ask to work remotely as a term of employment. Alternatively, employers have more flexibility in recruiting because remote working removes geography as a factor in hiring. For example, if you鈥檙e staffing a software development project where the core team is based in Chicago, you aren鈥檛 precluded from hiring a developer in Toronto or someone in the far suburbs. It also frees you to consider contingent workers to fill specific skill gaps for a defined period of time.

Workers are reevaluating what they want from their careers. For so many of us, the harsh realities of the pandemic have been a rude awakening, showing just how quickly life can shift from 鈥渘ormal routines鈥� to something completely foreign. You start thinking, 鈥淲hat am I doing with my life? Why am I so engrossed with my work? Am I in the right job, or should I be doing something else? How can I make time in the day to do other things that I just can鈥檛 seem to get to?鈥�

I鈥檓 sure this has helped fuel what we have come to know as 鈥渢he Great Resignation.鈥� But I would like to think of this as more of a great adaptation than resignation. Many people are no longer interested in working insane hours to make big money, stuck to one company, location, or job. Instead, they鈥檙e asking what they can do to enjoy their working life, or is it 鈥渓ife while working鈥�?

As economic conditions change, it鈥檚 not clear who has the upper hand. Clearly, the exodus of workers during the pandemic put many employers on the defensive. But continuing inflation, fears of recession, and the coinciding possibility of fewer employment opportunities are giving workers reason to reconsider jumping ship.

Job growth in the U.S. has been very strong, with the nation returning to its pre-pandemic employment level in July. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that , which was lower than the month before but still represents significant growth. It鈥檚 unclear how many of these jobs are new and how many are the result of early retirements or workers who have chosen other paths, such as doing gig work or joining the contingent workforce.

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What Employers Are Doing to Avoid Talent Shortages

Regardless of where the economy takes the job market in the coming months and years, employers have been put on notice by the hard-earned lessons of the pandemic and the Great Resignation. From , IDC has identified key strategies organizations are adopting to mitigate the risk of talent shortages. They include:

• Strategic workforce planning: Organizations are emphasizing strategic workforce planning to balance job requirements with the necessary organizational capabilities. This includes evaluating the need to operate functions remotely with centralized capabilities that leverage talent across multiple geographies and worksites.
• Hybrid work models: Nearly all industries, including those which have never before been considered to have remote-work potential, are evolving and innovating to adapt to the demand for hybrid work. For instance, the pandemic has driven manufacturing to embrace a mix of in-office and remote working. IDC predicts that by 2023, 40% of G2000 companies will develop all new processes based on remote-first designs.
• Employee training and engagement: To retain employees and increase skills, businesses continue to invest in training and certification. Additionally, they are using sustainability programs and technology adoption to increase engagement, enable transparency, and build a culture of trust and innovation. The emphasis is on working with technology rather than technology replacing the meaningful components of work.
• Improved recruitment practices: Organizations are proactively building and expanding candidate pipelines, regardless of current hiring needs. They鈥檙e also enhancing the interviewing and sourcing skills of hiring managers, automating recruitment practices, partnering with educational institutions, and using apprenticeships to cultivate a wider talent pool.
• The contingent workforce: Organizations that face a shortage of local talent may end up outsourcing jobs internationally or contracting parts of their processes to a third party. If they lack in-house skills, they might also hire contract workers or turn to managed services to supplement their workforce. Organizations are also turning to contingent labor to right-size the number of employees on the payroll and give them the ability to flex. Using or SOW-based contracts offers businesses the flexibility to act nimbly when business requirements change. Technology enables these organizations to predict requirements for contingent workers, strategize their onboarding, track their productivity and performance, and balance labor requirements with outcomes.

A Workforce in Progress

Adapting to the changes in the workforce we have seen over the past few years is a work in progress. Worker attitudes will evolve, as will business strategies to address them. Technology solutions that organizations use to stay ahead of the trends will continue to prove invaluable to forward-looking business leaders as they navigate the ever-changing landscape of the post-pandemic workforce.

Vish Baliga is chief technology officer at .

鈥淭he pandemic has allowed for a once-in-a-generation 鈥� or even a once-in-100 years 鈥� opportunity to question some of our long-held assumptions about how we work,鈥� he says. 鈥淎ssumptions like needing to work on-site have been reshaped, and we have an opportunity to rethink things at a very fundamental level.鈥�

Once in a hundred years is a pretty long stretch.

But I think he鈥檚 right. As the Harvard Business Review Analytic Services report observes, the pandemic and other unprecedented global disruptions have created 鈥渟eismic shifts鈥� in how we work, where we work, and with whom we do business.

Workers sense these shifts and feel empowered. Likewise, events haven鈥檛 escaped the attention of business leaders. Last year, a survey of 232 global executives by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services revealed that 96% of respondents have made or are making alterations to workplaces because of recent business disruptions, while 92% said organizations need to adopt new workplace strategies to remain competitive.

We are in a historic moment, a 鈥渙nce-in-a-generation鈥� opportunity to rethink workforce management at a fundamental level. What do we do with this opportunity? The Harvard Business Review Analytic Services report offers some valuable insights, of which I would like to highlight a few.

Procurement Function for External Workforce Emerges from Its Silo

We鈥檝e been talking about this for a while 鈥� the idea that as businesses come to see the strategic value of procurement in external workforce management, it is emerging from its silo.

You might make the same case about human resources鈥� involvement with the external workforce. The integration of HR and procurement is exactly the kind of change we need. As companies increasingly rely on services procurement and contingent labor, HR and procurement will collaborate more closely and rely on the expertise of each other.

The collaborative process would go like this: HR works with internal departments to identify requirements and validate compliance and how external workers are going to be engaged and managed. Meanwhile the procurement team finds the right sources for talent and creates the contracts with rates and other terms and conditions. Then, the business uses these artifacts to engage the personnel, governed by these contracts. HR, procurement, and other departments can then monitor performance and compliance and report back to the appropriate parties.

Of course, while this type of collaboration is important, it is mostly moving the tactical aspects to the business while setting up necessary guardrails. Moving forward, businesses will need these functions, and other business functions, to collaborate in developing workforce strategies designed to achieve specific business outcomes.

Insourcing versus Outsourcing

It鈥檚 one thing for a business to decide it will use more external labor. It鈥檚 another to make strategic decisions about when and where to use this labor to achieve business outcomes.

鈥淢y sense is that many businesses are still handling hiring and recruitment tactically as opposed to what is the right approach for the business,鈥� says Philip Ideson, managing director of Art of Procurement, in the report. 鈥淭hey should be asking, 鈥榃hat are the outcomes we鈥檙e trying to drive? What鈥檚 our position on insourcing or outsourcing services?鈥欌��

The concludes that 鈥渃ompanies will continue to grapple with the pros and cons鈥� of outsourcing versus insourcing. This is another area where HR, procurement, and other business functions need to engage in strategic discussions.

Of course, any such discussions will undoubtedly come around to the topic of business flexibility. If the past few years have taught us anything, it鈥檚 that flexibility gives businesses 鈥渟uperpowers鈥� that enable them to stay resilient in the face of disruption. Outsourcing is a source of flexibility, for example, allowing businesses to incur fewer fixed costs than with full-time employees. It also helps them adapt quickly to surges in demand, slowdowns, or unexpected events that could derail their success.

The Role of Technology in Strategic Workforce Planning

As the Harvard Business Review Analytic Services report observes, 鈥淒igital solutions have long been used to boost efficiency and savings in other areas of the business, and their value is equally key in enhancing external workforce outcomes.鈥�

Vendor management systems like enable organizations to search a wide employee landscape to find and hire the external workers they need to fill roles and staff projects. These solutions can also show where the business is using temporary labor and whether it鈥檚 relying too heavily on one supplier or region. This enables proactive action to minimize service disruption.

51风流Fieldglass solutions can open opportunities for procurement professionals to focus on strategic, value-add work instead of manual processes that can be automated. Ideson envisions a scenario where 鈥渢echnology will move us to more of a self-service environment where business stakeholders can procure the services they need faster and more efficiently without the involvement of the procurement function.鈥�

As Ideson says, procurement teams could see technology as 鈥渁n existential threat to the profession or an opportunity.鈥� However, given our 鈥渙nce-in-100 years鈥� opportunity, I hope you choose to focus your expertise on strategic workforce planning, not repetitive processes. As you find new ways to use services procurement and contingent labor strategically, you鈥檒l realize significant benefits, including:

• Budget flexibility through fewer fixed costs associated with full-time employees
• The ability to create workforce capacity on demand and scale up or down to meet changing project needs
• Less risk for the business as responsibility for worker results shifts to services companies
• Better value from the ability to actively manage every aspect of external worker engagement
• Optimized results with tools that enable outcome-based performance assessment

This is the promise of vendor management system technology. It can free you from a sometimes overwhelming amount of tactical work, allowing you to realize greater benefits with true strategic workforce planning.

Vish Baliga is chief technology officer at 51风流Fieldglass.

That鈥檚 the hallmark of successful people and businesses. We adapt.

Of course, adapting to traveling less has been fairly easy for me. I can work from home and still be productive. Unfortunately, in other ways the pandemic and the so-called 鈥淕reat Resignation鈥� have made it difficult for organizations to adapt to changes in the workforce. Employees are leaving their jobs or are absent for extended periods. Additionally, it can be harder to find specific skills within a 鈥済ig鈥� workforce that sometimes operates outside traditional staffing practices.

Seeing Things Differently, Doing What Works

In my role as chief technology officer for 51风流Fieldglass, I watch trends to see how organizations are using contingent labor to be nimbler and more resilient, even in the face of adversity.

For me, the past two years were not simply a series of bad news stories and downward trends, but also an opportunity to witness how companies and people are adapting to the situation. I鈥檝e seen smart business leaders do the right things for their companies, and for their employees. In some cases, they鈥檙e picking up on trends that started before the pandemic. Here are some thoughts about what I鈥檓 seeing.

Businesses are finding creative ways to get things done and help their employees. At the height of the pandemic, businesses faced tough choices about their workers. With business slowing down, could they afford to keep them on or were furloughs necessary? At the same time, other industries, like logistics, biotech, and healthcare, were experiencing an uptick in demand for workers. Companies made it possible to 鈥渓end鈥� furloughed employees to businesses that needed them, with the idea that when the business climate stabilizes, they can return to their regular jobs. People unable to go to on-site jobs were 鈥渁vailable鈥� to do remote or jobs that did not need them to be in a location.

The 鈥渇lex workforce鈥� is helping businesses stay resilient, adaptable, and productive. By flex workforce, I mean workers who can come in and do the work you need done, and you do not have to keep them on your payroll for extended periods. Plus, as we鈥檝e learned through the pandemic, these workers are used to working remotely, which means you can recruit talent from around the world. Let鈥檚 say you鈥檙e planning a three-month technology project, but you cannot find people with the right expertise in house or within the local labor market. An external workforce strategy makes it possible to seek out temporary workers —聽 literally from around the world, often at more economical rates. Teams from different locations and different employers can come together to work collaboratively and part ways once work was done.

Business leaders are discovering the value of shared candidate portals. It is a trend that started years ago and picked up with the pandemic. Instead of keeping information about their favorite external workers to themselves, increasingly businesses are willing to share this information within more public 鈥渃andidate portals.鈥� In exchange, they get access to a wider roster of temporary workers with information supplied by other businesses. This additional information helps them evaluate potential candidates. Right now, we鈥檙e developing candidate portal capabilities for 51风流Fieldglass software. It will be a lot like LinkedIn for temporary workers — only better, because it provides more resources for candidate evaluation.

Assignment management gives businesses greater flexibility to use temporary workers. During the pandemic, employees might become unavailable to work for weeks, maybe months at a time. Businesses needed the flexibility to use external workers to fill the gaps. Let鈥檚 say you鈥檙e a manufacturer and you have a skilled tradesperson who can do a couple, maybe two or three, different things. You may ask them to do welding one day and fill in as shop steward the next. The problem is, different jobs have different pay scales. This requires immense flexibility to keep track of what they are doing, the hours they worked, and the correct hourly wage. Fortunately, assignment management software gives companies the flexibility they need to use the varied skills of workers when and as they鈥檙e needed.

Companies are devising distribution strategies to tap into the “Gig Economy.” Before the pandemic, there was the Gig Economy. Along with it came specialized freelance management systems to help external workers find work. Think of these as niche, regional, sources for contingent labor, often specialized for one labor category; for example, technical writers in San Francisco. Now, think about how businesses did things before these systems existed — they sent requisitions to select staffing vendors. Today these same businesses are developing what I call 鈥渄istribution strategies,鈥� in which they reach out to their favorite staffing vendors and to the relevant freelance management systems. This allows them to expand their searches to gig workers not associated with staffing companies. More good news: 51风流Fieldglass software can help聽 streamline these distribution strategies.

Reasons for Optimism

I see many reasons for optimism. First, the external workforce will continue to help companies stay adaptable and strike a balance between the full-time employees they need to move forward, and the temporary workers who fill gaps and take on essential project work.

And second, in challenging times — when there is the greatest need for adaptation — that鈥檚 when creative minds do their best work. I can鈥檛 wait to see what trends and innovations are incubating right now, waiting to reveal themselves.

is a cloud-based, open that helps organizations find, engage, manage, pay, and unlock value from the external workforce — anywhere in the world. It enables you to proactively manage everything from costs and compliance to security and quality of work. Stay ahead of the competition by leveraging a connected ecosystem of global talent and partners.

Vish Baliga is chief technology officer for 51风流Fieldglass.