Faced with a generation challenging the world of work, companies have no choice but to question their traditional methods, starting with recruitment. Could flexible staffing solutions like project sourcing be the answer?
Generation Z, less committed? Not necessarily!
Over the past decade, two major phenomena have been stirring the job market. On one side, the entry of Generation Z into companies: the generation born between 1997 and 2010, succeeding Generation Y (the Millennials). On the other side: an intensifying talent war. These two developments combined make Human Resources management more complex, from recruitment to retention.
The new generation does not want to repeat the same patterns as their parents, who often followed linear and demanding careers, sometimes sacrificing their family life. But this does not mean they are any less committed! However, this commitment comes with a condition: receiving a reciprocal commitment from their employer.
Young workers are looking for:
Meaningful work that aligns with their values.
A balance between personal and professional life: few or no overtime hours, telecommuting, and flexibility.
The ability to manage their working time: sabbatical leave, part-time positions even without children.
An environment that promotes variety and encourages experimentation.
Rapid progression, continuous learning, and challenges.
Knowing that 65% of Belgian employers find it difficult to attract employees (1), meeting the needs of the new generation is no longer an option but a necessity that requires inventing a new paradigm. Ignoring this reality means risking being overwhelmed, with vacant positions due to a lack of candidates.
Project sourcing: a new pact in the job market
Flexible staffing solutions to reconcile flexibility and stability needs
The world of work faces a contradiction: candidates from the new Generation – Gen-Z – seek variety, while employers seek stability. How can we reconcile these seemingly contradictory needs?
This is where flexible staffing solutions come into play: external human resources that a company calls upon for temporary needs or specific expertise.
The profile of "interim managers" consultants, often freelances, is well known. Altesia, for example, offers several carefully selected profiles such as CFO, Finance Manager, or Chief Accountant in finance, and CPO or Category Manager in procurement. These professionals have an average of 15 to 25 years of experience.
But flexible solutions also exist for junior or mid-level profiles, and are gaining increased traction in the job market. This is specifically referred to as "project sourcing".
What is project sourcing?
Project sourcing is a flexible staffing solution allowing companies to find the necessary resources to manage a transition situation and thus provide temporary support.
This is what Altesia proposes: as a consultancy firm, we hire consultants and place with our clients to meet operational needs, as required, full-time or part-time depending on the workload.
Project sourcing is particularly adapted for situations like:
Maternity leave, illness.
Sabbatical leave.
Layoff.
Creation of a new position / vacancy.
Temporary workload increase.
Reorganization or internal movements.
Lengthy recruitment process.
Project sourcing: the ideal balance for Gen-Z and companies alike
Project Sourcing allows the company to respond to their staffing challenges and ensure smooth business continuity, with a consultant who is quickly operational. Another advantage of the solution: through the consultant, the company also benefits from an access to a vast expertise and best practices developed and accumulated by Altesia.
And for the consultant?
With Project sourcing, consultants have a job that meets all the important criteria for Generation Z:
The variety of projects: combining multiple part-time missions or changing missions once objectives are achieved.
Continuous learning: these varied missions allow them to quickly gain knowledge from different clients with different issues. At the same time, they have access to methodologies and coaching from experts in their fields at Altesia.
Flexibility: the consultant wishing to work part-time and with a variety of clients will find suitable missions.
Finally, when a mission requires specific expertise and a mix of senior and mid-level expertise, an interim manager such as a CFO or CPO, or even an Altesia Partner, can join the mission in team with the detached consultant. This person will provide more precise and timely expertise (for example, a diagnostic of the department's operations, support for needs related to a stage of the company's development like go-to-market, internationalization, digitalization, etc.) while the consultant ensures operational follow-up and long-term implementation.
Here too, the consultant benefits from variety and continuous learning, and the company enjoys a flexible solution that evolves according to its needs.
Values, respect, and recognition as imperatives
However, this does not mean that working in consultancy is necessarily the panacea for Gen-Z. This will not be the case if the company does not offer a framework and culture that meet the needs for listening and respect. Because beyond the variety and the modalities of homeworking and working time, recognition and respect remain essential points for Gen-Z.
"At my previous employer, also in consultancy, I felt like just a number. I was placed with a client for a mission of 2 to 3 years and no one asked me if I was fed up. I had no choice. At Altesia, we review everything every 3 months, I feel heard and supported. If I don't like a mission, we talk about it and find a solution," explains an Altesia finance consultant.
In conclusion, flexible staffing solutions like Project Sourcing, combined with a human and respectful approach, offers a promising perspective for companies looking to successfully navigate the constantly evolving professional landscape.
As a true strategic tool in the reinvention of staffing and recruitment, it offers an effective alternative to stabilize the workforce, while meeting the aspirations of new generations of talent and laying the foundations for a more flexible, efficient, and humane work organization at the same time.
If you're intrigued by the potential of project sourcing and are seeking a partnership that values flexibility, respect, and mutual growth, we invite you to reach out.
References:
Survey by SDWorx, 2022, available on https://www.sdworx.be/fr-be/propos-de-sd-worx/presse/2022-08-25-65-des-employeurs-belges-rencontrent-des-difficultes-attirer