““Contingent workforce” has become a strategic management issue with clear links to skills supply, compliance, sustainability and business results. Against this background, Johan Söderström leads Implema’s recurring private roundtables for selected decision-makers. Here he talks about why the network is needed, who participates and what the conversations often revolve around.
Hello there, Johan Söderström, you lead Implema’s recurring private roundtables in contingent workforce. What kind of network is this?
– It is a closed, recurring network for people who own or lead issues related to contingent workforce. Often, it is about decision-makers or program owners within HR, procurement, IT or operations, at group or larger company level.
The basic idea is to create a forum where you can talk openly about what is actually difficult, without presentations, sales talk or PowerPoint.
How do you define contingent workforce?
– For me, contingent workforce is about all external labor that is not directly employed, but is business-critical. It can be consultants, staffing personnel and sometimes even gig resources.
The important thing is not the form of employment, but that this workforce is today integrated into the core business. Then it is no longer enough to see it as a purchase or a staffing issue, it is about control, risk, compliance and follow-up.
Why did you feel there was a need for such a forum?
– Because the complexity has increased sharply. Contingent workforce today spans skills supply, cost control, identity management and sustainability and CSRD reporting.
At the same time, many feel that they are sitting quite alone with the questions. When people with similar responsibilities have the opportunity to compare real experiences, not theories, a very great value arises.
Who usually participates and what is required to participate?
– The group is deliberately selective. The participants are people who have a mandate and responsibility and who are prepared to share how it actually works in their organization.
There are no formal titles required, but you need to have a real responsibility for the area, want to contribute actively to the discussion and respect that it is a neutral and safe forum. That is also why we are clear that no meetings are recorded.
How does the network differ in general from the individual meetings?
– The network has an overall focus on contingent workforce as a whole, ie strategy, governance, processes and technology over time.
Each individual session then has one or a few clearer thematic focuses, such as Build–Buy–Borrow, blue-collar workforce, CSRD/ESRS or identity management. This allows us to go into depth without losing the whole.
Fieldglass often recurs in the discussions, why?
– For many organizations, SAP Fieldglass is a central platform for managing external labor and purchasing. But in the network, the conversations are rarely about functionality in itself.
The interesting thing is how the solutions are used in practice, how they interact with HR and operations and where it chafes. There the discussions become very concrete because everyone around the table has their own experiences.
What do you hope the participants take with them from the network?
– If each participant leaves there with one or two insights that can be translated directly, then we have succeeded. It can be a new way of thinking about governance or a confirmation that you are not alone in your challenges.
And perhaps equally important: a peer network you can continue to exchange with even between meetings.
Finally, if you think this sounds relevant, how do you proceed?
– Then you are warmly welcome to contact me directly. We always take a dialogue to ensure that the network is the right context, both for the individual and for the group as a whole.
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