Managing the augmented workforce

The augmented workforce has been gaining traction in Singapore, and it is expected to bring about transformational changes to traditional HR practices. Organisations will face different challenges in understanding their new workforce composition, and more importantly, how to manage this workforce.

With Singapore’s economy becoming increasingly dependent on people who work outside traditional employment models, organisations need to think carefully about how they engage, manage, and motivate these talents. Flexible work has enabled organisations to manage change innovatively and creatively. Employees have also responded to such changes by embracing the increased fluidity in work contracts, contributing to the rise of the augmented workforce.

Here are some areas to focus on, to enable your augmented workforce to contribute to your organisation optimally.

Engagement of augmented workforce

It is well-established that engaged employees perform better, yet with augmented workers, engagement can potentially be a challenge. How can you effectively engage a worker who might be a member of multiple organisations? And how can you quickly assimilate them into the company culture?

Employers must first disregard the view that augmented workers are simply contractors or “gap fillers”. Treat them with respect, as you would with permanent employees. Have in place a well-developed onboarding process to ensure that they are connected with your organisation’s culture and treat them as part of the team right from the start. Be sure to also invest in building a conducive culture that fairly recognises them for their contributions.

Training and development

Training and development for all employees, regardless of length of commitment, directly impacts your organisation’s performance and reputation. It is therefore crucial to review your learning and development programmes.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Does it support the training needs of project-based workers who may not stay in your organisation for a long time?
• How can you readjust your learning systems to support a project-based workplace?
• Why not consider using online learning platforms such as e-learning which allows augmented workers to train at their own time and gain new skills?

The nature of work is changing, and organisations must be prepared to support that change in order to stay ahead of the game.

TAFEP holds regular workshops to help employers and HR professionals keep abreast of HR best practices. Visit www.tafep.sg to find out more.

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