Is it Time to Build Bolder MSPs?

By Sam Smith Vice President, Global Practice Lead, Life Sciences & Healthcare, KellyOCG

As talent leaders, we spend a lot of time talking about change and predicting what the future of work will look like. Today, we are living through extraordinary changes that very few of us could have anticipated. As organisations and suppliers begin to navigate a work landscape transformed by Covid-19, how can contingent workforce solutions rise to the challenge? Every sector around the world has experienced unprecedented disruption, with life science and healthcare industries seeing their talent needs transform overnight. Temporary workers are taking on business-critical roles, often supporting key functions in distribution, healthcare, and manufacturing. All of this means that static and unresponsive MSPs are no longer fit for purpose. Organisations have to re-examine their sense of why and rethink the ways their contingent communities go to work. If there was ever a time to do different, it’s now.

I look at the key aspects of disruption-ready MSP programs, below.

Visibility

Having a clear picture of your contingent workforce is vital to being able to react quickly and decisively in times of stress. A strong MSP solution should offer a wealth of accessible and meaningful data to allow you to make informed decisions fast. But true visibility goes beyond the capability to produce regular reporting.  Advanced analytics capabilities allow an MSP to move beyond traditional sourcing models to fulfil a more strategic function – providing organisations with advanced problem-solving capability and workforce insight.

Flexibility

Change in the world of contingent talent has not just been accelerated, it’s been turbocharged. Organisations have some major challenges to overcome, alongside opportunities to re-examine and reimagine the ways they connect with the flexible workers they need. A workforce partner in this new world must be agile enough to manage near-constant disruption both across the supply chain and in terms of changing business needs. Organisations and solutions providers should also be prepared to work outside of their comfort zones, from getting to grips with virtual hiring to helping roll out work-from-home capabilities. A future-ready MSP must constantly evolve to meet a changing set of market and business challenges.

Expertise

Although we are deep in unchartered territory, a contingent talent partner with industry and workforce expertise remains invaluable. MSP partners must be able to offer strategic, specialist, and data-driven advice. Acting not just as a talent provider but as a trusted talent advisor. Organisations should look for contingent talent solutions that can provide access to every part of the flexible-talent ecosystem. Delivering not only the services they want, but the strategic insight they need to add value across every part of their business.

The way organisations respond to the challenges they face today will not only impact ongoing success but could influence perceptions of their employer and consumer brand for years to come. In short, it’s important to make the right decisions at the right times. Businesses must respond quickly and meaningfully to the obstacles ahead, choosing the right talent partners, being open to new ways of working, and taking every possible step to protect the health and safety of their workforce. Work has changed. This means that solutions that power it have to change right along with it.