Hybrid and remote work models are not the only changes that the pandemic has brought to the business world. In fact, as the way we worked changed, so did the rules of doing business. With the surge of remote workers in the past two years and the ease that video conferencing tools like Octapull has provided, the hiring process in the business world has gone through some change as well.
Before the pandemic, with the exception of outsourcing, the employees of a company were site-bound. So, hiring someone was quite the process because a long-term contract was to be signed at the end. But now, hiring is not as much of a hassle since remote work has changed the way the workforce can be acquired.
There’s a new way of hiring people for tasks and it’s called the open talent model. Open talent model is hiring people task-specific, without going under a full-time contract and forming a business relationship on a flexible ground. One reason that the open talent model is facing a demand is the rise of the remote work model as most of the open talent workers are remote workers.
Most of the companies were hesitant to the open talent model prior to the pandemic, and it’s nothing to be shocked of honestly, because there used to be a huge lack of trust towards remote workers. Most of it was due to evaluation criteria of attaining employee performance based on observations made in the office and concerns about whether the quality of work would be satisfying.
However, the open talent model has made its way through the business scene in the past two years and it’s continuing to remain as a nice alternative for companies.
Why is the Open Talent Model Viable?
The most prominent feature of the open talent model is the flexibility it allows. In the open talent model, traditional employment rules do not apply. The person contracted is not usually bound by office hours, hierarchy or division of labor, and they are usually hired project based. Therefore, besides the formalities as to how the job is supposed to be done, most of the aspects of an employment contract are left to parties’ will.
Open talent model also lifts the burden of hiring a full-time worker for companies. Hiring someone for a full-time position is always a long process for firms and the most challenging part of it is that there might not be a need for a full-time employee for the surplus workload. Open talent model allows companies to make hirings to the point, without getting under a full-time employment contract.
It also allows freelance workers to improve their business. By landing project-based positions in different kinds of companies, freelance workers can enhance their portfolio, broaden their network and increase their skills by working in different companies. So, it’s a win-win situation for both of the parties
Challenges of Open Talent Model
We already mentioned ongoing distrust towards remote work and it has more than one dimension. Although remote work has cemented its place as a solid work model as of 2022, the discomfort that the employers experience with it is still intact. Most of this discomfort originates from the potential discrepancy of business practices between the companies and the remote workers.
There are also issues of bureaucracy and hierarchy with an open talent model. As a huge part of the open talent model consists of remote workers, how they would fit into the already established organizational structure of the company is a big question mark for most of the companies. Also, in the situation of international partnerships, there may be issues of pay rate, time schedules and business ethics.
So, as many opportunities open talent models provide, the challenges remain as well.
What Awaits Open Talent Model in the Future?
Just like the remote work model, the open talent model has made its big screen appearance and it’s expected to remain into the future. One way or another, the opportunities it brings to the business world can’t be looked down upon and the companies are sure to take advantage of them.
Of course, the problems faced with the remote work model apply to the open talent model as well. Therefore, it’s not going to be a smooth ride for people that prefer an open talent model. However, the freelance job market is widening increasingly, and with remote work turning into a regular job model as of the time being, it’s very likely that more people will try open talent models for their way of doing business; both employers and employees.
So, long story short, the days of full-time employment for any kind of job is slowly fading away. Hiring, itself, is going through a change as a concept and it’s no more forming traditional employment contracts with employees.
Now the companies can hire talents from anywhere in the world depending on their strategy; prime talents for niche jobs or cost-effective talents for regular jobs and get rid of the burden of going through a full-time employment process. Likewise, people with remote work preference can open up to different businesses in the job market by getting into project-based contracts and improving their freelance business.
