Doug Leeby

Using Freelancers doesn't have to be so risky when you have the right processes in place. Skilled talent wants to work differently. Staffing Industry Analysts #FMS Runar Reistrup nice post!

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Contingent Staffing RFPs are wild (and getting wilder!) I posted a couple weeks back about “innovation signaling without innovation delivery” Since then, a super-progressive financial institution (can't say who, but they have global name recognition) asked me to get together a response for an RFP they’re releasing. It looks nothing like a staffing RFP, and looks A LOT more like a platform/product RFP…..nearly 200 questions, 90% being deeply technical. Unfortunately..... The structure of the RFP failed to communicate the actual problems this organization was hoping to solve for. They knew they didn’t want a typical “staffing” RFP response, but the “product” nature of the RFP was insufficient in communicating the full set of business needs. There’s a gap here, and innovation mismatch in the industry. 100% For a number of reasons, this is just where the industry is at. So if you're writing or responding to staffing and recruitment RFPs and you're not actively contemplating these kinds of mismatches, you're probably reinforcing the very barriers you're hoping to overcome. So don't fall into that trap. Connect for advice, and approach the problems you're trying to solve with an open mind.

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🌎 2025 in Reflection: Recruiting Across All 50 States As we close out 2025, one thing we've noticed as an organization that supports the contingent workforce ecosystem across all 50 states is clearer than ever: recruiting in the United States isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every region carries its own blend of cultural values, business priorities, and workforce dynamics — and those shape how talent is attracted, engaged, and retained. Here are a few insights we gathered from this year’s work across the U.S. and our industry focuses: 2025 Insights by Region: ✨ The South — Relationship-driven hiring. Community ties and personal trust remain central, especially in light and heavy industrial staffing. 🏔️ The Mountain West — Rapid growth in energy, construction, and tech is colliding with lifestyle priorities like work-life balance and outdoor culture. Recruiting success often depends on positioning flexibility as much as pay. 🏙️ The Northeast — Competitive, compliance-heavy markets where speed meets regulatory rigor. Candidates expect clarity, efficiency, and benefits literacy. 🌴 The West Coast — Innovation culture drives demand for skills in tech, green energy, and healthcare. Engagement hinges on values alignment—sustainability, DEI, and career development. 🚛 The Midwest — Strong in manufacturing, logistics, and food production. Stability, reliability, and long-term employment resonate most with candidates here. What We’re Doing to Support these Regions Stronger in 2026: ✨ The South — Deepening community partnerships with trade schools and workforce boards to strengthen trust-based pipelines for industrial, food service, trades, and facilities sectors. 🏔️ The Mountain West — Prioritizing flexible work models and competitive relocation support to align with lifestyle-driven candidates. 🏙️ The Northeast — Expanding compliance and benefits education and training of general staff, ensuring candidates quickly understand complex employer offerings. 🌴 The West Coast — Investing further in values-based recruiting, highlighting opportunities tied to sustainability, DEI, and career growth in high-demand sectors. 🚛 The Midwest — Enhancing our long-term workforce retention programs to match candidate preferences for stability and reliability. Across all 50 states, one lesson stands out: to connect with talent, you must also connect with culture. Here’s to 2026—building stronger pipelines, deeper relationships, and nationwide impact. 🚀 #RecruitmentStrategy #TalentEngagement #WorkforceTrends #StaffingSolutions #HiringExcellence

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From the buyer’s seat, when suppliers treat talent transactionally, customers pay the price. Reposting a recent Staffing Industry Analysts article by Amar Panchal on contingent engagement, and reading it through a customer lens. When agencies aren’t intentional with contingent talent, when they don’t check in, invest in engagement, or help people grow, the impact shows up immediately for customers. Transactional models don’t just create attrition. They create risk, inconsistency, rework, and erosion of trust. Over time, clients pay more for less continuity, less commitment, and less value. Real engagement isn’t about swag, surveys, or one‑off programs. It’s about whether talent feels confident enough to go back to their agency and say: “I want to build my skills so I’m more valuable and earn a better rate on my next assignment.” That confidence is the line between seat‑filling and capability‑building. When agencies actively invest in skills development, career progression, and ongoing dialogue, customers see the difference: -Talent shows up more engaged and accountable -Work quality improves because skills are intentionally grown, not recycled -Retention increases, reducing disruption and ramp costs -Clients gain partners who are developing talent for the long term, not just managing churn This is how you create talent for life, professionals who stay with an agency because that agency is invested in their career, not just the next req. Those professionals perform better because they know the relationship extends beyond a single contract. From a customer perspective, that’s the model worth rewarding. Engagement isn’t a nice‑to‑have. It’s a quality strategy, and it’s how the entire ecosystem gets stronger. #ContingentWorkforce #WorkforceStrategy #TalentEngagement #FutureOfWork #StaffingIndustry #SIA #ClientPerspective https://lnkd.in/e3Gk2shK

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UKG announced that Bedford County, Virginia is transforming all aspects of workforce operations — from recruiting and onboarding, to payroll and compliance reporting, to how it engages and communicates with its multigenerational staff — with the UKG Ready® suite. https://ukg.inc/44s5meY #WeAreUKG

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Heading to Austin for the Staffing Industry Analysts Executive Forum next week. I'll be on a panel on March 25th - "Platform Playbook: How AI is Changing the Game" - where we'll be exploring how traditional staffing firms can leverage AI and platform technologies to streamline operations, improve decision-making, and deliver faster, more efficient results in a rapidly evolving market. It's a topic close to home at WorkGenius Group as we're building exactly this: an AI-powered platform that helps enterprises source, manage, and pay their contingent workforce globally, all in one place. I am looking forward to sharing some of what we've learned and hearing how others are navigating the shift. If you're attending, I'd love to connect with peers while I'm there. Feel free to reach out or find me at the event!

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🎧 New Workforce Wisdom Episode! From radio waves to rural recruitment, Alan Novak has turned storytelling into a superpower for healthcare hiring. In Episode 28 of the Workforce Wisdom podcast, I sat down with Alan to explore how nearly two decades of experience in rural healthcare have shaped his unique approach to attracting and retaining top healthcare providers. Highlights from Our Conversation 💡 How his radio and outreach background powers authentic connections in recruitment 💡 Proven strategies to recruit and retain physicians in rural communities 💡 Adapting Ballad Health’s hiring approach to meet evolving provider expectations Alan’s story demonstrates that creativity, connection, and community can transform the way we approach healthcare recruitment. ▶️ Listen now: https://lnkd.in/d9m8raFe #ruralrecruitment #recruithireheal

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HR Duo connects performance management to real workforce data. So leaders spend less time interpreting reports and more time improving results 📈 Turn workforce data into insights that drive success https://hubs.li/Q042j3kM0

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At TrueBlue Inc., we’re constantly innovating to meet the evolving needs of employers and job seekers. In this new Staffing Industry Analysts article, PeopleScout President Rick Betori discusses how modular RPO is redefining flexibility in talent solutions, helping organizations scale support and achieve their workforce goals with confidence. We're proud to see our leadership spotlighted as we shape the future of workforce solutions. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gHnVWtfa #ThePeopleCompany #RPO #TalentSolutions #ThePeopleCompany  

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A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH John Nurthen, Global Research Executive Director, Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) says the contingent workforce is important. But is it getting any bigger? https://lnkd.in/eDR2Hn5D

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