"It's About Money"......and is that Bad?

I've seen many individuals comment on the changing work landscape over the past several years. It's important to guage this in light of a consistent "white noise" behind all business and lifestyle changes- people don't like change. Particularly when they (or their friends and family) are impacted by change in terms of their work, compensation, or career options.

Still, the "buzz" around changes at work is a bit more strident and maybe it's driven by the fact that fundamental changes are currently underway. Check out this article (full disclosure: featuring comments from a friend and former employer of mine).:

http://www.ajc.com/business/non-employee-labor-a-848635.html

When a professor tells a reporter, “It’s about money. Companies want more flexibility and less risk moving forward. They want to hire talent as they need it and not be burdened with full-time employment costs. It’s cheaper to hire contingent workers” , I can see a lot of my networking contacts cringing. My compatriots in HR especially since they are focused on "engagement" and "teambuilding" and other such current flavors of workforce development.

But when you use the phrase "Human Capital" to bring your HR work closer to the core of your company's mission and vision, is it wrong to talk about this like other investments? Is the return on "regular employees" worthy of a capital investment? Or are they more productive ways to invest in project teams, functional collaborations, contingency plans and flexible workforce programs?

Don't get hung up on terms used in this article. "Temps" are not necessarily low-end, low-paid, low-educated entry level people who can't find real jobs. In the new work paradigm, we're all "project people" trying very hard to deliver a critical result for the company that hires us for that project.

And if it's all about money, then you know what you need to focus on. In your job search, interview, personality test, orientation, training and daily work, remind yourself (and your direct Supervisor) what specifically you are going to do to deliver better financial results for your employer.

Project or not, that focus will keep you "employed".