In this two-part series, we explore the shift to remote work and what it means for organizations that rely on temporary staffing. To start, in Part 1, let’s look at the current state of the remote contingent workforce and what business leaders should expect in the future.
The work-from-home paradigm is one of the most talked about business pivots in the pandemic. In the spring of 2020, companies shifted rapidly to make entire organizations virtual. Pew Research Center reported that, for American adults whose jobs could be done remotely, 70% worked from home in 2020 (up from 20% pre-pandemic). For most companies, remote work was a crisis management response, likely intended as a short-term solution to “flatten the curve.” Few could have predicted how long the pandemic, and the new work models, would last.
The Pew research represents permanent employees, but was the same shift true for contingent workers? The nature of temporary work can depend on the employer and the type of project. But data shows that, as permanent employees moved offsite, so did contingent employees. According to a research study by SIA, across all industries, 50% of temporary staff worked from home during 2020, up from only 2% in 2019. Contingent workers are important parts of an organization; clearly employers are committed to keeping them engaged.
The data for contingent IT staff was even more dramatic: 90% worked from home in 2020, up from only 10% in 2019. We know the extreme technology demands organizations have faced during the pandemic. Many have succeeded by accommodating their IT teams, contingent or permanent, to work remotely.
Contingent IT staff in particular have played an important role in the pandemic workforce. Companies have used temporary staffing to ramp up operations for online sales growth as well as create or scale internal work-from-home infrastructure. Short-term contracts have allowed companies to quickly bring on new skillsets in areas such as cloud technology or cybersecurity, both high demand in the pandemic economy. With the uncertainty of 2021, the temporary IT workforce will continue to have appeal.
Remote work is not new. But 2020 forced companies to overcome objections, and inertia, to establish widespread work-from-home policies, tools and technology. With that investment and cultural adjustment in place, there is less desire to return to previous practices. The consensus among both business leaders and commentators is that some form of remote work is here to stay.
Companies leading the charge—REI, Salesforce, Facebook, Microsoft, and many more—have already committed remote work elements to their permanent company policies. And, in a survey by ETR, IT leaders expect to see remote work double in 2021: 34.4% of the IT workforce up from 16.4% prior to the pandemic.
Projections in contract IT work seems to be following suit. SIA estimates that 50% of IT temporary workers will still work remotely for clients post pandemic.
While employee morale is important, so are profits. ETR’s research shows that nearly 50% of CIO’s found that productivity improved with employees offsite. Other research corroborates that work-from-home models help employees be productive.
Numerous surveys report that employees like working remotely. The Pew Research Center, for example, reported that 53% of Americans working from home want to continue post-pandemic. Generally, employees cite reasons such as better work-family balance, reductions in commuting time and costs, and flexible working hours.
A remote workforce also opens up hiring to a nationwide talent pool—for both permanent and contingent employees alike. For tech hires, this can be a game changer when specific skillsets are rare to find. Of course, with expanded options comes expanded challenges; reliance on staffing experts may help companies meet those challenges.
Access to nationwide talent sounds appealing to any business unit, but managing a national workforce requires specific expertise and tools that internal HR teams may not have. Companies may not be able, or willing, to bridge that gap. Professionals in staffing, such as Marchon Partners, can.
Some of the benefits of the right staffing company include:
The pandemic has permanently changed the employment landscape. Contact Marchon Partners today for custom employment solutions that help you adapt and grow in this new environment.