SHARE:
Your organization is only as good as the people supporting your mission. That’s a given, no matter your line of work or industry. However, the winning combination of employees will vary depending on your unique needs – and they’re not always intuitive.
In our Work Futures survey, we found that three out of ten employers didn’t have a formalized method for determining an optimal mix of full-time employees and alternative talent arrangements. They recognize that consultants and even IT solutions can elevate their performance but don’t know when to use them.
As a technology staffing and solutions firm, we’re happy to shed a little light on the topic.
If you’re trying to find a more sustainable workforce model for your business, take a look at these considerations for various employment arrangements to find the right mix for your IT team.
When to Choose Full-Time Employees
In general, we know that finding FTEs can be a struggle. SHRM 2024 Talent Trends revealed that 75% of organizations have difficulty recruiting for full-time positions. Just because they’re hard to find, doesn’t mean organizations should give up on full-time employees.
An old rule of thumb has been to hire professionals who reflect your core function. That said, the nucleus of a business might surprise some businesses. Nike outsources the manufacturing of their shoes and Apple outsources the manufacturing of their devices. What they don’t outsource is the design of those products, entrusting them to employees who comprehend the brand. Identify the heart of your business, and you’ll know a key category of full-time employees.
Additionally, it’s important to maintain full-time workers for positions where their strategic insight and contributions can shape the big picture or cement the competitive edge of your organization. That doesn’t just mean hiring for the C-Suite, but anyone who offers unparalleled value that cannot be replaced. Some examples:
- A data engineer who has deep experience in your industry, command of your tech stack, and an instinct for visualizing data for various audiences.
- A cybersecurity engineer with extensive experience, multiple certifications, and a proactive approach to defending your systems.
Said another way, full-time employees are justifiable when you could argue that their perspective, experience, and soft skills almost function like singular business assets. Essentially, people who if their technical skills go obsolete are worth upskilling or reskilling.
When to Choose Consultants
In the last twenty years, organizations have grown to realize the value of consultants, but there are still some misperceptions floating around. Let’s start with the instances more companies are starting to appreciate.
- Short-term projects and implementations – A fixed timeline has long been the go-to choice for temporary technical consultants. If specific or niche skillsets only have a provisional purpose, you’re better served with consultants. Cases include application development projects, most digital transformations, or even security audits.
- Cyclical demand – Scaling demand is also fairly familiar for those organizations with seasonal trends. Tech support for escalations during tax season, testing and QA professionals in the lead-up to software updates, or even cybersecurity professionals to defend against attacks coordinated around the holidays can be hired on a temporary basis.
What has changed is that companies no longer need to hire full-time employees to keep up with the Joneses. Yes, we are seeing some organizations hire AI professionals for deeper analyses, but there also has been a spike in harnessing artificial intelligence services for ongoing needs. Even seniority isn’t a disqualifier. There is a growing trend among smaller organizations to use fractional CFOs, CTOs, and other C-Suite executives to deliver guidance.
However, organizations can’t just hire any technical consultants and expect the same results. There needs to be similar alignment between what your organization values and what the consultants themselves value. Find temporary technical professionals who fit your industry, company, and culture, and you’ll rarely feel a gap.
Matching Your Environment with People Who Want to Work There
Whether you are working with FTEs or consultants, they need to be connected to a culture that matters. In our 2024 Work Futures survey, we found that only 50% of respondents agree that their employer has built a values-driven work culture. In some instances, that means there is an underdeveloped culture, but it can also mean there’s a mismatch between both sides of the employment arrangement.
That’s why Dexian focuses not only on the technical skillsets of candidates, but also a candidate’s alignment with the organization’s culture. That way, we can place full-time and temporary technical consultants who can easily integrate into organizations while driving them forward to a more successful future.
SHARE: