Exploring the critical importance of flexible workers, Julia Kermode provides insights into their impact on the UK’s economic landscape. Her analysis highlights key issues related to workforce management and the underreporting of flexible laborers’ contributions.
- Flexible workers, including freelancers and contractors, constitute 20% of the UK workforce, enabling businesses to remain agile and responsive.
- A NAPF report underscores the lack of corporate reporting on workforce management, suggesting a need for deeper understanding and strategic deployment.
- The report calls for corporations to assess workforce composition, skills, motivation, and the sustainability of employment models.
- Public perception demands that large firms ensure the welfare of contingent workers, who are often overlooked yet vital to economic prosperity.
The UK’s flexible workforce, encompassing freelancers and contractors, is pivotal to its economic recovery, as highlighted by Julia Kermode. She notes that these workers account for 20% of the UK’s workforce, providing businesses with the agility necessary to navigate changing economic conditions. Politicians, including the Business Secretary Sajid Javid, have praised the entrepreneurial spirit of this demographic, attributing substantial value to their contributions.
A recent report by the NAPF, titled ‘Where’s the workforce in corporate reporting?’, draws attention to the insufficient reporting practices regarding workforce management in corporations. It is argued that a profound understanding of the workforce can enhance deployment strategies, with the report advocating for a detailed review of workforce composition, skills, capabilities, and motivation.
Furthermore, the sustainability of current employment models is questioned. FCSA members, represented by Kermode, are instrumental in facilitating the engagement of contingent workers, witnessing first-hand the value they add to the UK economy. The NAPF’s emphasis on human capital marks a positive step towards acknowledging the importance of flexible workers, whose voices are often unheard in larger corporate narratives.
Alarmingly, only 11% of FTSE companies track the number of temporary workers within their ranks. This oversight suggests a potential disconnect between HR departments and the actual workforce composition. In scenarios where tasks are outsourced, such as publication design or business dispatch functions, the classification of workers as freelance or business entities becomes ambiguous, often bypassing HR involvement.
The question of accountability arises when considering the welfare of these outsourced workers. Public expectations lean towards holding large firms responsible for ensuring fair labor practices, even when the work is contracted out. Contingent workers, frequently termed ‘invisible’, are indispensable to UK’s prosperity, warranting recognition and support. Kermode urges businesses to improve awareness of the number and significance of these contractors and freelancers, emphasizing their critical role in sustaining future success.
In sum, the acknowledgment and strategic management of flexible workers are essential for leveraging their potential and securing economic growth.
