| 9
breaking down silos
Having implemented an RPO solution five years
ago and then an MSP solution two years later,
biopharmaceutical firm UCB is now breaking
down the silos and moving to an integrated talent
model that considers all work arrangements for
its business needs.
overcoming barriers to adoption
If the benefits are clear and there is broad
agreement that an integrated model will have
long-term gains, why haven't more organizations
embraced it? In most organizations, historically
contingent talent has been managed by
procurement, while permanent hires are
administered by HR. But this is changing with
more jointly owned programs. An integrated
program breaks down silos and requires buy-in
at many levels, including the C-suite. Because
integration is a journey, this model takes time
to fully implement; for that reason, it is also a
long-term investment. Finally, this approach asks
internal customers (hiring managers) to rethink
how they utilize talent, necessitating a cultural
change as well.
There are many considerations when
implementing an integrated talent model, but
a deliberate approach that is well-supported by
internal champions at the executive level can
help ensure success. To begin, employers should
consider all possible work arrangements for each
role they need to fill. This can be accomplished
through the use of talent advisors working closely
with business leaders and hiring managers, much
like what UCB is implementing.
Some organizations are already well positioned to
adopt an integrated approach. Whether through
an internally managed contingent workforce
program or an outsourced MSP, these companies
have the foundation to build a holistic model. By
first organizing their flexible talent, they can then
take steps to integrate permanent hiring into the
program. Conversely, employers that currently
use an RPO to manage permanent hiring can
integrate contingent talent into the mix.
A key consideration of an integrated model is the
technology required to support a comprehensive
view of talent utilization. There are many pieces,
but one of the most important is an analytics
platform that collects all of the data generated
from the employer's applicant tracking system
(ATS), its vendor management system (VMS)
and other technologies that capture worker
information. Most major HR management systems
still lack integrated ATS and VMS functions, but
that's why an analytics platform can drive success;
it gathers business intelligence and facilitates
informed decisions. Analytics can consolidate
all of an organization's human capital data and
make it more easily understood through
a user-friendly dashboard.
Everything we do at UCB starts with the question of how can
we improve the lives of people living with severe diseases,
and our whole operating model is built around that.
And that basically means the skills and competencies that we
need are, in many cases, very specific and, in some cases, are
[on] short notices ... It's really our challenge to find the right
talent at the right time.
Wietse Nauwelaerts
global purchasing lead
UCB
Wietse Nauwelaerts, global purchasing lead,
explains that by integrating the company's
permanent recruitment and contingent talent
procurement approaches into one program, UCB
is able to deploy the right talent more quickly to
hiring managers. Watch the video here, courtesy
of NextConomy.
