The Future of Work: Flexibility and Options are on the Rise

Economic upheaval of recent years has dramatically changed the American workforce. Companies of all sizes have had to reduce staff, figure out how to do more with less and become more creative than ever in how they use their people to get work done. For the job-seeker, these shifts mean opportunity.

As companies grow and rebuild, many are considering options beyond the traditional fulltime 40-hour per week employee. The trend we’re seeing has companies maintaining core fulltime staff in critical positions (i.e. their product or service), while supplementing with contingent workers to handle additional work and non-core functions. Each business has to consider a variety of factors to determine what is right for them, but mainly it comes down to a recognizable cost savings and a higher level of flexibility.

For example, if our company is an architecture firm, we would employ a core team of architects to do the work because that is the business we’re in—controlling the end product of quality architectural work is critical. But there are many other functions that go into running the business including Human Resources, Accounting, IT, Marketing, Sales and Customer Service. Perhaps we don’t need fulltime employees to fill each of those roles. And when we get really busy and our architect team needs help, we might not want to hire additional fulltime staff knowing that we would likely lay them off after the project is over.

Enter a wide range of non-fulltime options: temporary staff, project-oriented assignments, flexible schedules, part-time or shared positions, telecommuting, compressed workweeks, and outsourced functions. Even though these are non-core or temporary functions, they are still essential positions where it’s important to have effective, qualified people in place. Companies may be willing to consider a different schedule or worksite, but they are not willing to compromise on the quality of the work.

So, what does this mean for job-seekers? With the driving forces of economy and technology, our workforce and workplace of the future will be much more flexible and varied. Work will take many forms, and be found in many places. When looking for your next opportunity, consider options beyond the traditional fulltime position.

Connect with staffing firms who may be filling those flexible and temporary positions. If you are seeking a fulltime position, look for companies whose core business is what you do, or companies that other firms outsource your function to. Overall, be flexible and open to considering options beyond the traditional fulltime position, both for what it can do for you now and for where it can take you in the future.

This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included. ©2011 Kristen Harris, Portfolio Creative, LLC.