By Jeremy Blain
Welcome to the new era of human capital management – where independent talent and traditional roles unite to create a workforce that’s built for tomorrow, today! The blended workforce is redefining how businesses operate, combining the strengths of permanent and independent talent to create agile, resilient organizations built for the new world of work.
With Open Talent on the rise, a globally dispersed and virtually accessible pool of skilled professionals, the traditional boundaries of employment are dissolving. More workers, from Generation X to Gen Z, are choosing independent work for its flexibility, autonomy, and the opportunity to engage in meaningful projects across multiple organizations. Despite this, many businesses remain stuck in outdated employment models, unprepared to harness the full potential of this new world of work.
The world of work continues to change at a head-spinning pace, and most companies are not prepared to manage this change effectively. Technological developments, shifting work expectations, and global pandemic in the early 2020s have been the biggest accelerators of digital transformation since the iPhone launch in 2007. What was once a gradual and measured increase in remote and independent working, has now formalised into an explosion of new and modified working practices.
While remote work was already the norm for a growing minority, a significant majority of employed, in-house workers now desire roles with greater flexibility, including independent work and contracting. As we emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, this accelerating trend was called the ‘Great Resignation’ and became a very real trend.
These trends accelerate the movement into independent and new kinds of work and force organisations everywhere to rethink the true nature of their future workforce and how it is made up. For too long, employers have adopted a paternalistic approach within the organisation, a dynamic which often translated to workers having less organisational control and being deployed deemed appropriate.
There is a need for a brand-new framework for HR and human capital management. And quite deliberately, we say human capital. Our people are part of our balance sheet, adding significant value to organisations everywhere; and perhaps this is why now is the time for an overhaul of traditional HR practices. It is time for OpenHR™
OpenHR addresses this gap by providing a comprehensive, actionable blueprint for organizations to adapt, engage, and thrive. It’s not just about adapting to a trend; it’s about building a resilient and future-proof workforce.
In today’s rapidly changing workplace, businesses must rethink how they manage and engage talent. The OpenHR framework addresses this shift by offering a comprehensive approach to managing a blended workforce of permanent, independent, and freelance talent. This approach is not just about adapting to change, it’s about learning to thrive in the new world of work.
Let’s turn to the employees who have more power to choose. Employers must work much harder to attract, engage and retain talent. Traditionally, this was the other way around. According to Microsoft and LinkedIn surveys in 2024 almost half of all employees internationally were thinking of quitting their jobs over the following year. This is staggering. Accenture points to a broader competitive landscape being navigated by recruiters and employers, considering they are not just competing for talent in a specific role or level but as a share of an individual’s available time, life choices, and more flexible work preferences. This calls for greater competitive agility for many. This is ‘War for Talent 4.0,’ with companies struggling to find the right people, at the right time and with the right expertise.
These trends accelerate the movement into independent and new kinds of work and force organisations everywhere to rethink the true nature of their future workforce and how it is made up. For too long, employers have adopted a paternalistic approach within the organisation, a dynamic which often translated to workers having less organisational control and being deployed as deemed appropriate. While this mindset has been advanced since the industrial revolution and treated as the default way to manage and organise work, external shocks and changing expectations have demanded a review of existing work arrangements.
Therefore, it is clear that we need a new human capital framework that values all workers, regardless of their employment designation or preference. One that celebrates the broader, more diverse talent inside and outside of our organisations, which excels, grows, innovates, and collaborates in ways that will fuel the dynamic nature of our businesses everywhere, regardless of size, industry, or specialism. The time is right to tap into a more open human capital economy and embrace the revolution happening under our noses: The decentralisation of work!
Terms like ‘Open talent’ and ‘Open Economy’ might seem redundant – after all, isn’t the labour market inherently open, with digitalization enabling and accelerating work across borders? But in this context, using the word ‘open’ refers to a shift in thinking to an open view and open mindset about the talent we use in our organisations. On the flipside, a growing talent pool that is open to embracing different working practices, preferences and opportunities.
As we emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic in the early 2020s, there was evidence of a significant rise in flexible or ‘gig’ workers, including digital nomads: those who are location-independent and work primarily from their laptops or mobile devices. In fact, by the end of 2023, one in ten workers, globally, were gig workers. It has changed the entire legacy approach to attraction, recruitment, growth, and retention of employees, which once focused solely on permanent workers (and additional ‘managed services’).
Ultimately, OpenHR frameworks offers learning opportunities to reshape human capital management – creating a future-focused approach to learning, engagement, and collaboration that fuels business innovation and adaptability.
Jeremy Blain
