While there is great uncertainty in many industries and in the economy at large, companies of all sizes still need viable plans to maintain strong workforces, whatever the outcomes might be. Because of the many unknowns we’re all dealing with — from how long COVID-19 restrictions may last to any long-term ramifications of the pandemic — it is imperative that organizations maintain increased fluidity in their staffing strategies.

On that note, increasing your utilization of 1099 workers compared to W-2 salaried employees is one viable way to increase flexibility. Adjusting your staffing mix in this way gives your organization the ability to expand and contract as internal and external factors demand.

But how exactly can an organization create such a blended workforce? Let’s explore a few key aspects of any successful effort to shift to a more flexible workforce:

The old cliché goes something like, "If your only tool is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail." While hammers do a fine job with a limited set of problems (putting nails in walls, for instance), there is a reason why a toolbox has a variety of different tools in it. Not every problem can be solved with the same approach, and having as diverse a toolbox as possible means that you can ensure that you are best equipped for whatever project or task comes your way.

Freelancers comprise over one-third of the workforce in the United States, and their numbers will continue to grow, reaching a projected 50.9% by 2027, according to the recent Freelancing in America Survey (slide 18). This means that some of the most talented in-house workers will likely make the jump to being contractors, and attracting them to work on your projects and teams will become increasingly important.

Every step in the employee journey has its own unique challenges and opportunities. Onboarding, however, occupies a uniquely critical position in that journey.

Consider that nearly half of all senior outside hires fail within their first 18 months on the job. Consider, too, that the cost of replacing one of those failed employees can range from 50-200 percent of their salary, depending on their specific role. An effective onboarding process can prevent these expensive disruptions from happening.

It is a challenging time for employees and employers right now. Although most of the currently large remote workforce will likely return to their offices after the pandemic ends, a significant number of formerly full-time employees may find themselves part of the gig economy, whether by choice or necessity.

Employers must continually search for the best and most effective methods to create happier, more engaged and more productive employees to meet their company’s objectives. My agency works with companies across several industries to design and develop engaging employee journeys, and we’ve employed a number of methods to accomplish this. Technology can offer many solutions, including virtual reality (VR), which I’ve noticed is increasingly working itself into the workplace with some great initial successes.

Most business leaders agree on the importance of great employee experiences in today’s talent environment — but do we know what “great” really means in this context?

I recently sat down with Dr. David Rodriguez, global chief human resources Officer of Marriott International, to discuss this important topic. You can listen to our entire conversation on my podcast, The Agile World. For a summary of Dr. Rodriguez’s thoughts on great employee experiences, read on.

While the statistics surrounding the importance of both customer and employee experience seem to be everywhere these days, there is a lot less documentation on how to best implement and achieve great experiences for both. In my experience, the best approach is to always look at customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) as part of a single continuum. Put more simply: Happy employees create happy customers. I call this combination of CX and EX brand experience.

Employee training and development have long been top priorities for forward-thinking organizations. As continuously low unemployment rates drive increasingly fierce competition for talent, training and development are only growing even more indispensable.

With a majority of companies now claiming to compete primarily on the basis of customer experience, it has become critically important to find every way possible to optimize it. While many organizations may be tempted to start with the customer, there is a more fundamental issue that needs to be resolved before a truly great customer experience is possible. This is where the employee experience comes in.

The importance of both employee experience (EX) and customer experience (CX) is now well-known, with a majority of companies competing based on both factors for both top talent, and customers. Because of this, a comprehensive brand experience, or customer and employee experience combined, must be achieved by companies. I refer to this combination of EX and CX within the enterprise as a Center of Experience.

It goes without saying that there are real, tangible benefits to designing and fostering a successful organizational culture. But even the process of measurement can have multiple benefits and can be used in several practical applications.

The importance of both employee experience (EX) and customer experience (CX) is now well-known, with a majority of companies competing based on both factors for both top talent, and customers. Because of this, a comprehensive brand experience, or customer and employee experience combined, must be achieved by companies. I refer to this combination of EX and CX within the enterprise as a Center of Experience.

Brands are built on the definition of a company’s mission and values. The same goes for that organization’s culture. To be successful, the culture needs to have alignment with the brand itself, but in order to do that, a company needs to understand the attributes of a successful culture. The challenge with culture is that it is often harder to define than things like brand guidelines or compliance requirements. However, it is still just as important to be able to define what an ideal culture is for any organization. In this article, I’ll explore three attributes that define a successful company culture.

Creating a great employee experience is vital in today’s competitive business landscape. The benefits include both cost savings related to employee retention and increased revenue driven by higher productivity and greater sales.

The Center of Experience starts with brand for a few reasons. One, it’s the first thing that most audiences will see and experience about an organization, and because of this it has a powerful effect.

Even though some companies may make it seem easy or natural, creating and maintaining a successful culture doesn’t just happen by chance.

We find ourselves at an inflection point in the relationship between brands and their audiences, where customers and employees are demanding better and more valuable experiences. Companies must keep up with this demand in order to remain competitive. This includes competition for both customers as well as employees. More importantly, while many organizations have traditionally focused on external-facing initiatives first, it is the ones which start internally that have the greatest potential to provide long-term positive benefits. 

I’ve never done this before, but I will say I’ve had a record year for the number of books I’ve consumed. As my gift to you, I wanted to share the very best of what I read. I was tempted to expand this list a little more to include them all (or most), but here’s the best of the best instead.

Both customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) are growing in their importance within organizations today, and to keep up with addressing these wide-reaching practice areas, many teams and disciplines may need to be aligned. CX is so important, in fact, that according to a 2017 Gartner survey, "more than two-thirds of marketers responsible for CX say their companies compete mostly on the basis of CX."