Nearterm Blog
The Rise of the Agile Workforce
Long gone are the days when people work the same job until retirement. Today, the workforce has transformed, and more and more people are choosing to be “agile” workers — that is, taking on jobs on a project-by-project basis. This rise in the agile workforce means that people have the opportunity to work for a multitude of employers and on a multitude of endeavors in a multitude of settings. The rise of the agile workforce can be attributed to many factors, including the benefits this work structure offers workers — and, also, if you work in the healthcare industry, you may just benefit from burgeoning agile workforce, too.
The Basics of Agile Working
The most basic tenet of agile working is that workers are not traditional full-time employees. Instead, agile workers can be freelancers who work remotely, they can be contracted workers who only work for the duration of a project, or they can be temporary workers who are only staffed for a certain amount of time.
The Agile Workforce by the Numbers
While some companies continue to maintain traditional employees, studies are showing that globally, employers are shifting towards hiring agile workers. A 2016 report by the Freelancer’s Union showed that 35 percent of the total U.S. workforce is made up of freelancers. Further, a recent study by HR consultancy Randstad showed that nearly 11 percent of the global workforce is made up of agile workers. Additionally, 39 percent of workers who are currently full-time employees say that they plan to leave their permanent position and join the agile workforce in the near future. Based on the study, Randstad predicts that 50 percent of the workforce could be agile by 2019.
Reasons Behind the Rise
There are several significant factors that have led to the rise of the agile workforce. First, millennials, who have grown up on the internet and with access to a wide variety of digital communication tools don’t want limitations on their career. Instead, they are drawn to work opportunities that expose them to a wide variety of people, places and fields. The Randstad study also showed that 56 percent of workers felt that they were able to earn better money by working for multiple employers.
How Employers (in General) Can Benefit from the Agile Workforce
It’s clear that workers can benefit from the agile workforce trend — but if you’re an employer, what’s in it for you? First, an agile workforce results in happier employees- and thus, more productive ones. Studies show that 80 percent of employees consider telework a perk from a company, and that 37 percent would take a 10 percent pay cut if they could work from home. Ultimately, hiring an agile workforce can save you money: it reduces brick and mortar costs of having to house and equip full-time employees, and it ensures you only staff people when you need them — and not when the workload is low (or slow).
How Healthcare Organizations Can Benefit from the Agile Workforce
Like other employers, healthcare organizations can greatly benefit from hiring workers on an as-needed basis. The staffing needs of healthcare organizations change regularly, based on a wide variety of factors, including changes in the economy, changes in policy, work volume and more. By not hiring full-time healthcare employees, but by simply finding qualified contract workers when needed, healthcare organizations can take advantage of workers who are excited to work for them — and ensure that they’re not spending excess money to pay people they don’t need (and who aren’t necessarily happy to be there).
If you run a healthcare company and you want to move to an agile workforce, you can rely on Nearterm’s 360? RCM Managed Services. We can help you meet your staffing needs by providing you with qualified workers who can fulfill your positions, as-needed.