28468 Blue Arrow Client Advisory Guide_WEB - Flipbook - Page 11
Employers could also face difficulties responding to
audits, stakeholder enquiries, and ESG or DEI disclosure
if they don’t have absolute clarity and control across
their entire supply chain. And as organisations grow
and diversify their workforce models, especially with
contingent, freelance, and outsourced labour, visibility
becomes more challenging, but also more critical.
How to improve clarity
in your workforce
Every business may be different, but there are
several core methods of ensuring that the required
transparency is achieved. Having a centralised
database or platform, for example, is the foundation
for transparency. Flitting across platforms (or in some
cases, manually updated Excel spreadsheets),
can result in crucial information being lost or going
unrecorded. It also poses a significant risk to data
security and safety which are required under the
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) standards
around the handling of sensitive and personal data
(or PII – personally identifiable information).
Transparency with others
While data visibility is an absolute must in the
talent supply chain, transparency extends beyond
statistics. It’s also crucial that honest and clear
conversations are encouraged across the supply
chain. Partners need to feel empowered to share
recommendations to help improve workforce
management, even if that means difficult
conversations around deliverables.
Regular reporting on key performance indicators,
spend, and compliance should be shared with key
stakeholders. Beyond the data and KPI’s it’s also
advisable to benchmark those in the supply chain
and be honest about expectations and the results
being delivered elsewhere. Ultimately, the results
delivered need to support the business, and that
requires honesty both from and to all involved.
Having one ‘source of truth’ prevents this, while also
helping to drive efficiencies in supplier management.
Consolidating all information on staffing agencies,
such as the spend, results delivered, and performance,
will help to identify where improvements can be made.
But it requires clarity around these metrics from day
one and an easy way to monitor this.
Again, technology can be a conduit to achieving the
level of clarity and transparency in the workforce that
employers need. There are several modern workforce
management tools that can significantly enhance
visibility and transparency, including:
Supply chain visibility platforms that integrate
data across vendors and geographies.
AI-powered analytics to detect anomalies,
forecast demand, and assess supplier risk.
Digital dashboards that provide real-time
insights into workforce composition, spend,
and performance.
These technologies empower HR and procurement
teams to move from reactive management to proactive
strategy, though knowing where to start when choosing
a platform to invest in can be tough and will require time
and resources to ascertain.
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