The second day of the Executive Forum hosted by Staffing Industry Analysts offered a combination of discussions on the staffing industry directly, but also delivered some insights and advice to those who lead it.

The human side of leadership

Two separate sessions covered the human aspect of leadership from different angles.

The first led with the benefits of truly being a values or purpose led organisation. Having initially admitted that a Google search may not be the best way to define a company’s values, the speaker reflected on the process undertaken to develop them for their own organisation, detailing both the direct and indirect benefits, such as engagement and retention, that having a clearly defined purpose had produced.

A later session focused on how vulnerability and openness from a leader makes them easier and more believable to follow. On the other hand, some of the more traditional behaviours, like always being last in the office, actually prompt your staff – sometimes damagingly – to mimic these behaviours.

Yes, it is, no it isn’t… a “direct” conversation

The panel on Direct Sourcing generated one of the livelier discussions of the day. The session marked a shift from the more historic conversations of definitions and impact with a rather blunt “It’s coming” and “it’s been live in the UK for 20 years”.

The conversation then considered why organisations were buying into it, with one panellist commenting that “two years ago it was cost, but now it’s about speed and quality” only to be counted with a rather pragmatic “if you’re talking to procurement you need to be talking about savings”. A third panelist diplomatically stated, “I agree with both of you guys.”

The conversation illustrated how different stakeholders within an organisation have different agendas and priorities, but Direct Sourcing is one of the few “new” services in staffing that actually delivers across the board, offering “the value to the organisation of having talent ready to go.”

Total talent… again

No conference or summit would be complete without the returning debate of if, when and how we can truly look at the “total” workforce as one flexible skill base, rather than siloed as temporary, permanent, services or freelancer–r - to name just a few.

What everyone agrees on is that while these channels remain separated, organisations need an “omnichannel” approach to engaging with these workers and their skillsets to benefit from the widest and best talent pools.

In conclusion

An informative few days with a number of familiar subjects, complimented by a couple of new or progressive perspectives and some useful advice on how leaders in the industry can better lead their organisation and teams in this ever changing landscape.

Looking forward to next year! 

AUTHOR

Robert Moffat
Senior Vice President – Global Head of Solutions and Americas Head of Sales, Solutions and Marketing, Hays Talent Solutions
With a 25 year track record of designing, implementing and managing talent services Robert has a wealth of knowledge on the challenges and opportunities facing employers in maintaining a competitive advantage in talent acquisition, engagement and retention.

As Global Head of Solutions Robert is part of the global leadership team responsible for innovation and product development and as Head of Sales, Solutions and Marketing for the Americas he is responsible for growth of the region. Having lived and worked for Hays in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas he is able to bring a diverse range of thought and experience to the new challenges in the world or work.

He has a passion for new ideas, markets and opportunities and has been instrumental in a number of Hays’ recent global projects including the roll out of a Global Operating Method, Supplier Engagement Strategy, the evolution of our direct sourcing approach and a quick deploy RPO service for start-up and high growth companies.