A contingent workforce offers organisations the flexibility to access specialist skills, respond to changing business demands, and scale their workforce as needed. However, as contingent workforces grow, it can become increasingly difficult to manage. Without the right visibility and control, organisations may struggle to manage costs, maintain compliance, and make informed workforce decisions.
Are you managing your contingent workforce effectively?
Complete our practical health check to assess key areas of your contingent workforce management and score yourself using the following criteria:
1–2: Limited visibility, governance, and control.
3–4: Reasonable visibility and control, but there are opportunities to improve.
5: Strong visibility, governance, and control.
1. How well do you know your contingent workforce?
Understanding your contingent workforce starts with knowing the size and makeup of your workforce. Can you accurately identify how many contingent workers are engaged across your organisation, where they are based and what roles they perform? Without this insight, organisations can struggle to effectively manage spend, plan workforce requirements and maintain compliance.
2. Can you accurately track supplier relationships and spend?
A clear understanding of your agency supply chain is essential for managing contingent workforce costs and maintaining control. Organisations should have visibility of how many suppliers they work with, where spend is going, which agencies are supporting their workforce, and whether supplier relationships are delivering value. Without accurate supplier data and oversight organisations can face unnecessary complexity, inconsistent processes and missed opportunities to optimise costs.
3. Do you have the insight required to manage contingent workforce costs effectively?
Managing contingent workforce costs effectively requires more than simply tracking spend. Organisations need access to accurate data and insights to understand where costs are being generated, how supplier margins are managed, and where opportunities for savings exist. Without this insight, organisations can struggle to maintain control over contingent workforce expenditure and ensure they are getting maximum value from their talent supply chain.
4. Are you managing compliance risks associated with contingent workers and agencies?
Managing compliance across a contingent workforce requires consistent processes, accurate worker data, and clear governance. Organisations should have oversight of key compliance requirements, including worker classification, right-to-work checks, contractual obligations, and supplier compliance. Without effective compliance processes and reliable information, organisations can increase their exposure to legal, financial, and reputational risks.
5. Do you have the insight needed to track performance and make informed workforce decisions?
Access to reliable workforce data is essential for making informed decisions and planning effectively. Reliable insights allow organisations to forecast demand, improve planning, optimise supplier performance and support long-term workforce strategy. Organisations should be able to accurately monitor key workforce metrics and use that insight to support evidence-based decision-making.
What’s your total score?
Add up your scores from each section to see how effectively your contingent workforce is being managed. While no organisation has everything in place, your total score can highlight areas of strength, as well as opportunities to improve.
5 –10 points: Your contingent workforce is creating unnecessary cost, risk, or inefficiencies. Limited visibility and control could be impacting your ability to effectively manage suppliers, compliance risks and decision-making.
11–18 points: You have solid foundations in place, but there are opportunities to improve visibility, strengthen governance, and create greater consistency across your contingent workforce.
19–25 points: Your contingent workforce is managed effectively, with strong visibility, governance, and control. Reliable data and consistent processes are helping your organisation manage costs, ensure compliance, and make informed workforce decisions.
Do you have clear visibility and control over your contingent workforce?
Contact us to explore the key areas that could benefit from attention.