General

The Great Resistance Analyzed

Two years after the pandemic forced much of the American labor force out of the office and into work-from-home mode, many workers have learned something: they liked the change. No commute. More time with loved ones. Flexibility to run errands or handle appointments. The benefits of remote work are undeniable, perks that many workers had never before experienced – and are now reluctant to give back. It’s being described as The Great Resistance: workers who, after being sent home during the pandemic, are reacting to the current push from employers to return to the office by pushing back themselves.

What does it mean for business? How about labor? And, particularly, independent contractors? Let’s investigate.

Employees Hold the Upper Hand During the Great Resistance

It’s no secret that today’s workers are enjoying virtually unprecedented leverage in the employer-employee relationship. Many companies, after retrenching or completely shutting down due to Covid, have struggled to ramp up production again and are experiencing The Great Resistance. An eagerness to re-staff, combined with retirements and pre-retirement age employees choosing to leave the workforce entirely during the pandemic – also known as The Great Resignation – have created a record-high number of job openings. Meanwhile, organizations have been scrambling to offer higher salaries, improve benefits and generally bend to the will of labor in order to attract the best talent and dissuade current employees from looking elsewhere.

But many business leaders seem to be drawing a line in the sand when it comes to work from home. In May, a leaked email from Elon Musk mandating a minimum 40-hour in-office week for Tesla employees contained the stern subject line “Remote work is no longer acceptable.” (Asked to consider the stance of Tesla employees who were critical of the policy, Musk tweeted that “They should pretend to work somewhere else.”) JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has made similarly dismissive public comments, saying in one interview that “people don’t like commuting, but so what?”

No matter how impatient employers may be with the labor market’s shift toward normalizing remote work – and the logistics issues it can raise – antagonizing employees (especially in this moment) is a dicey approach. Also: It won’t do any good. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, 76 percent of people with access to an office who are instead working from home say they’re doing so because they prefer it – up from 60 percent in 2020. The genie is out of the bottle. Remote and hybrid work, like them or not, are here to stay.

Opposition to an Office Return: an Opportunity for Businesses

There are some valid reasons for employers to urge workers back into the office. Some businesses require on-site labor in order to operate, the vast majority of whom have already returned. Others simply run more efficiently when staff is able to make smoother project handoffs and collaborate in a shared workspace. A recent study even found that remote work yields fewer creative ideas than the typical in-office model.

But rather than staunchly opposing work from home, companies should consider finding ways to embrace it. In many cases, it’s possible to find a reasonable compromise even when a full remote option for every employee isn’t feasible. At the very least, offering WFH Fridays or a set number of monthly remote-work days per employee signals to workers that a company hears them and acknowledges the new paradigm. Turning a “So what?” into a “So where?” can be the difference-maker that helps a company attract and retain the best employees.

Need help navigating the current labor market. PeopleCaddie can help. Check out how by clicking here.

Rethinking Workplace Benefits

In today’s job market, companies are facing stiff competition for skilled, reliable and qualified employees. In the current labor climate, one of the major deciding factors for workers evaluating open positions or job offers are the workplace benefits that come with a role.

Just as the job market is changing, workers have begun prioritizing benefits differently. Here are a few important considerations for employers trying to stay a step ahead of these changes:

Traditional Employee Benefits

For many years, the typical series of benefits companies offered to attract employees was fairly standard: health insurance, vacation/PTO, sick leave, and pension/401k with possible contribution matching.

In many cases, however, employees either didn’t have the need or felt unable to access at least some of these offerings. For instance, a married worker who was already covered under their spouse’s health insurance wouldn’t benefit from a second health plan. Additionally, many employees have avoided taking advantage of paid time off, concerned that their absence might place a burden on their coworkers, company or customers.

How Covid Changed Worker Priorities

The upheaval of the pandemic turned the labor market on its head – and with it, worker expectations. After employees began working from home, weaving child care into their work days and building more flexibility into their lives, many workers began reevaluating the traditional work-life balance.

Working from home also allowed employees to eliminate their commutes, resulting in more personal time and, in many cases, healthier habits. Remote work allowed for more sleep, home-cooked meals, workouts between meetings and spending more time with loved ones. These lifestyle changes, for many workers, have become non-negotiable even as companies begin angling toward a return to the office.

Adjusting to New Benefits Expectations

Given the shift in the labor market, with employees now holding as much leverage as they have had in decades, most companies are (wisely) rethinking their benefits packages and asking questions they possibly haven’t considered in years: What do employees really want? What are competitors offering in terms of benefits?

Because work-from-home is a benefit that has climbed the list of typical worker priorities, employers willing to offer the option will want to determine its boundaries. For example, if an employee is allowed to work outside the office, is the benefit restricted to their home or can they work anywhere – a coffee shop, the beach, out of the country? How might a worker who takes a break to run a quick errand be handled from a payroll standpoint? Are these moments considered PTO or should they be treated the same as a conversation at the water cooler or a restroom break in the office?

And what about hybrid work? How does an employer determine which days a worker is required to be in the office? Should the decision be left up to the employee? If so, how will workers sync up on projects if their days in office don’t align? A hybrid model may still work when collaboration between colleagues is necessary, but employers should give plenty of advance consideration to whether and how it fits into their business.

Ultimately, today’s workforce is looking for flexibility – flexibility in work location, hours and sometimes even tasks. Until the labor market shifts yet again and jobs become more scarce, employers should continue evaluating and adjusting traditional benefits, and find ways to offer workers the flexibility they seek in order to compete for the top talent in the job market.

Need more insights on how to manage your labor force? Check out the PeopleCaddie blog.

Part-Time Employees Vs. Contractors: An Examination

A question for employers: Are all employees created equal? Or, more aptly, should they all be treated the same? No one doubts that full-time employees, part-time employees, contractors and seasonal employees all deserve certain basic rights, considerations and courtesies, of course. But does it actually make sense for employers to approach each of these different types of roles in a similar fashion? If the objective is a well-connected, well-oiled workforce, then the answer is yes.

Consider one example: When a company hires part-time employees, they may work 20 hours every week for a full year. In the case of a contractor, they could work full time for six months and then not work for the next six months. At the end of the year, both employees have worked the same number of hours, and theoretically they have contributed the same amount of work to the company.

Why, then, are part-time employees often considered “internal,” while the contractor is considered part of the company’s external talent pool?

It’s a fundamental question framed by urgent immediate context: In the midst of the current labor shortage, more companies are looking to freelancers and contractors to supplement their workforce. But these organizations may not currently be equipped or have processes in place to properly manage this mix of traditional employees and independent contractors. Where should they begin to align?

Communication is key. In the workplace, this goes for communication about projects and work tasks, as well as human resources and employee information. Contractors often serve roles that are similar or identical to those of other employees, so failing to deliver them the same (potentially business-critical) information could actually be detrimental to the company. And in this labor market, with more businesses adopting hybrid work schedules, it’s even more important that all staff is working from the same playbook in order to complete deliverables.

Managers and employers should view all of the various worker classifications (traditional W2, part-time W2, contractors, freelancers and consultants) as essential components of a single combined workforce. This will result in improved efficiency, higher productivity, clearer communication and, not to be overlooked, a more unified workplace staffed with more satisfied employees.

Those are all worthy goals, and there are tools available to employers to help achieve them. PeopleCaddie makes it easy to get in touch with former contractors, hire and onboard whenever needed. Let’s say a software contractor has just finished a project, but it’s necessary to bring them back for modifications, enhancements or product support. A freelancer is more likely to return to an organization when they were treated well during their first stint supporting the company. When an employer treats their contingent workforce the same as the company’s other employees, they’re more likely to develop solid relationships and ensure that they cultivate a pool of reliable resources.

And what organization wouldn’t want to bring in an employee who is already familiar with their co-workers and company processes, and who has already been integrated into the company culture? That employee will undoubtedly have an easier time being brought up to speed, and they figure to make for a better immediate fit than a candidate who is completely new to the organization.

Think of contractors the same as you do full-time staff and offer them the same communication. By integrating the two talent pools and demonstrating that they receive equal consideration from management, you’re more likely to build a productive, united workforce.

Considering adding contractors to your workforce? See how PeopleCaddie can help.

Minimize Stress in the Workplace

Stress is making workers sick. From high blood pressure to heart disease to mental health issues, employees are increasingly at risk due to stressors in the workplace. Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford School of Business, recently told the Boston Globe that more than 100,000 people in the U.S. die each year due to adverse work conditions. That figure, which doesn’t account for workplace injuries, reflects only those deaths tied to “workplace management.” As American workers push themselves harder than ever to get ahead (or just maintain their place) at work, businesses are striving to do more with less – and employees are feeling the strain. Despite this grim development, employers can find ways to minimize stress in the workplace.

Stress manifests itself in different ways in the work setting: employee absences, increased doctor visits and extreme moods or outbursts, for instance – and it’s important for employers to watch for these signs and adjust accordingly. Supervisors and business leaders control many of the factors at work that ensure a colleague’s workload is manageable and their environment is comfortable and conducive to productivity.

Let’s say a typically productive employee begins slipping – calling in sick or showing physical signs of stress, such as exhaustion – it’s a good time to check in with the employee. Tactfully, ask how they’re doing. A conversation alone can help minimize stress. Are they overloaded? Do they feel they’ve been forced to take on too much responsibility? Is there anything that can be done to help ease their burden at work or, if possible, make things easier outside the office? The nature of the employee’s difficulties may not fall within the scope of the workplace, but even just a bit of empathy can show a worker that they’re valued. Regular check-ins open a dialogue that could help a colleague manage and possibly solve their problems.

Today’s workers are under extreme pressure to produce. With post-Covid staffing shortages and increased costs of doing business, working – whether in or out of the office – can be an intense and difficult experience. Quotas and sales figures hang over the heads of many employees. And in our increasingly data-driven society, key performance indicators (KPIs) add new levels of stress for others. Under pressure to hit their numbers, employees may work extra hours, possibly foregoing sleep, exercise and down time with family.

In light of all this, employers should prioritize providing resources to help employees minimize stress. Offering a medical plan that includes mental health services can help workers seek help when needed. Offering a “quiet room” or a day off to a stressed out employee can make all the difference. In one study, doctors took blood pressure readings of employees under extreme stress and noted their elevated numbers. After a 5-10 minute break in a quiet environment, when the immediate stress had subsided, those individuals’ blood pressure readings had decreased.

Again, check in with your employees on their workload, stress levels and, if appropriate, home life. Establish a process for evaluating workers and helping to lower their stress and anxiety. These processes might include reviewing the employee’s workload, meeting with the employee to determine the sources of workplace stress or connecting the employee to healthcare resources. Reducing stress in the workplace has a cascading effect on productivity, but hopefully we’re all looking out for the well-being of our colleagues simply for its own sake. It’s up to employers to set that example.

Looking for more tips on managing your workforce? Check out the PeopleCaddie blog.

Rethinking Hiring Habits and Norms

There was a time when college credentials held more weight in hiring than they do today. Fresh from commencement, graduates would often have more chances of obtaining a job than someone with commensurate experience. But today, particularly in the field of information technology – and especially in the private sector – skills are beginning to outweigh education. Companies are rethinking hiring habits and how they evaluate and hire employees.

Historically, degrees had been a proxy for certain capabilities. In the rapidly changing tech industry, however, companies are taking a closer look at candidates who have deep practical experience even if they don’t have a degree. For example, a prospect with four years of real-world software-development or system-administration experience might find it easier to compete for a position than a candidate who has a four-year degree and no experience.

In rethinking their hiring habits, recruiters must also consider how an employee will fit within a company’s corporate culture. An IT professional with experience is likely to need less support from their peers to be brought up to speed than a new college graduate. This makes for a smoother transition and onboarding experience, and less strain on the company’s workforce.

The technology sector, in particular, has a high rate of turnover, as professionals are often engaged through finite-duration contract jobs, and employers are constantly competing for skilled workers. From the standpoint of both return on investment and productivity, it’s critical to minimize the time it takes to onboard, train, and offboard an employee.

As recruiters and human resources professionals strive to make the hiring process more efficient and cost-effective, many are relying on artificial intelligence to take a first look at incoming resumes. AI models can pick up skill-specific keywords, which makes recruitment more effective. College degrees become almost irrelevant – or are at least weighted differently. Relevant skills diminish the importance of a degree as a singular criteria.

While some industries will benefit from requiring a four-year (or longer) degree, others – such as information technology – are attuned to demonstrated, relevant skills. On the bleeding edge of technology, time is of the essence, skills are quickly rendered obsolete and workers have to keep their skills sharp with real-life experience. A worker who has shown they can do the job right now brings special value to the table.

Employers and their recruiters should re-evaluate their own hiring protocols, deciding whether skills or schooling should be weighted more heavily during recruitment. The decision might mean the difference between a costly and inefficient hire who is saddled with increasingly exorbitant student-loan debt and an easily onboarded and valuable employee who doesn’t need the additional compensation to service their debt.

Rethinking your hiring habits? You might want to consider contingent labor. Contact us to find out how PeopleCaddie can help.

Rethinking Workplace Norms to Combat Labor Shortage

Companies across the country are contending with persistent labor shortages, and customers are feeling their pain. To combat this ongoing labor shortage there are potential solutions rooted in flexibility and a willingness to consider rethinking workplace norms.

Recent figures from Goldman Sachs indicate there is a shortage of 4.6 million workers in the current labor market. Reasons for the shortfall range from candidates and employees being sidelined by post-Covid health issues to a reticence to return to the office and leave a more flexible and family-friendly work-from-home environment. Some of these issues figure to affect labor numbers for years to come.

Many companies are adjusting to the new reality by branching out from a traditional permanent workforce model and embracing a contingent labor force made up of freelancers and contract employees – and with good reason. Organizations that hire only full-time employees can restrict themselves and create a situation where they may not have the resources they need. More and more, companies are turning to freelancers and contractors to solve staffing issues.

There are a few adjustments employers can make to fulfill their staffing needs, while retaining existing employees.

Redefine the concept of an employee. A growing number of workers are joining the gig economy, and to remain agile and well-staffed, companies are embracing this change. Additionally, companies are also leveraging part-time resources. That might mean allocating two part-time contractors to one FTE position, or outsourcing specific projects to contractors or freelancers.

Offer flexibility. The pandemic reshaped the way workers think of and approach their workdays. For example, a former 9-to-5, in-office employee may now have a healthier work-life balance after working from home much of the past two years. For some families, school and daycare situations have changed completely, and many are not willing to go back to the office full time. Employers can potentially engage this workforce by allowing employees to work remotely or work a designated number of days from home on a hybrid basis. Happy employees are productive employees, and rethinking workplace norms by accommodating the childcare flexibility needs of a working parent could be the difference between having a productive employee or an empty box on your org chart.

Make the process easy. There is a lot of competition for labor these days. At the same time, many independent contractors struggle with juggling clients, billing cycles and collections. Streamlining all of it through a talent cloud service such as PeopleCaddie can make an employer more attractive to highly sought after independent contractors. Enjoying the flexibility of being a freelancer, while being paid like an employee can be a potent recruitment tool for companies.

Create a community. It’s important that once a company begins to utilize contingent labor that contractors are held accountable for the quality of their work, while also affording them opportunities to learn and grow by collaborating with in-house employees.

In the coming years, flexibility will be key for companies seeking to remain fully staffed and minimize turnover. Changing the way we look at employees is the first step. Embracing a contract or freelance model of employment for some, or even all, of their workforce will put organizations at the top of the list when it comes to competing for talent.

Want to explore the benefits of a contract labor force? Contact PeopleCaddie here.

Contractor Relations: How to Maintain A Relationship

One of the major adjustments employers have had to make in the aftermath of the pandemic is handling their contractor relations with hybrid and remote contractors. Work gets completed, deadlines are met – but are their contractors happy? Do they feel included as part of the team? Do they have the optimal amount of information and feedback to complete tasks effectively? How does the relationship get maintained after the contract ends?

Working at home can be a lonely endeavor for employees. While their in-office counterparts can collaborate in person, contractors sometimes feel they’re getting bits and pieces of information, mostly as an aside during a conversation with an in-office employee. The feeling of being on an island, waving a flag for help, can be isolating and isn’t conducive to a productive relationship between employer and contractor.

Still, there are a number of ways to stay connected, and to encourage collaboration and teamwork, with off-site personnel – improving contract relations overall. Here are four best practices an organization can employ:

All-hands staff meetings. Invaluable information is relayed at all-hands meetings, and management would do well to ensure that the off-site, contingent-employee workforce is included in these settings. Whether talking about projects, wins, pain points or the cleaning schedule for the kitchen fridge, it’s important that all staff members – including those at home – hear and participate in discussions at these meetings. Creating an atmosphere of equality across the full-time and freelance workforce has as much value as the practical benefits of keeping contractors up to speed.

Supervisor meetings. Although contractors work at least somewhat independently, it’s a good idea to schedule a weekly meeting with their clients. It allows the opportunity for a contractor to speak up about problems or issues, ask questions and generally feel connected to a client. Having a standing meeting scheduled can also help remote contractors structure their work weeks and stay organized.

Meetings with colleagues. Any type of collaborative project requires teams to communicate often. Remote contractors should be encouraged to meet with their peers, either in person or via video conferencing, as frequently as needed. These face-to-face interactions help replace traditional water cooler conversations, during which employees can exchange ideas and move forward on project objectives while neutralizing any of those feelings of contractor isolation.

Video conferencing. For both work-at-home and hybrid employees, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet should be used liberally. These apps carve out the necessary FaceTime for employees to complete tasks together, collaborate on project objectives and bring remote employees off the island. Using video conferencing for one-on-one meetings, or larger meetings, helps contractors feel connected to the office.

The common thread across these best practices: maintaining, and in some cases increasing, communication with remote employees or contractors. Building connections to the office for contractors is essential, and goes a long way toward maintaining stronger relationships between employer and employees. Whether in person, by phone or online, any type of collaboration that furthers work objectives and fosters creative collaboration should be wholeheartedly embraced.

Need help managing your contingent labor force? Contact us here to find out how PeopleCaddie can help

Breaking Through the Zoom Ceiling

Gaining a foothold on the professional ladder is a difficult enough task under the best circumstances. Making the right impression with management during a pandemic, when a company’s employees are forced to shelter at home? Virtually impossible. At least the playing field was leveled when everyone was stuck working remotely. But as businesses began to open their doors again and workers gradually trickled back into their cubicles, a difficult choice was forced on those still working from home: Get back in the office or risk falling behind. And that is the prevailing sentiment when it comes to remote work. After all, how can an employee expect to move ahead at the office when they aren’t … in the office? “Unfortunately, remote workers face many obstacles when trying to climb the career ladder,” Dr. Elora Voyles, an industrial-organizational psychologist at TINYpulse, recently told Forbes. Voyles calls this phenomenon the Zoom Ceiling: “Proximity and recency bias are playing a major role in who is getting promoted when it comes to an in-person versus remote employee.”

Still, remote workers don’t have to settle for a professional life of perpetuity in their current roles. For employees determined to break through the Zoom ceiling, here are a few tips to consider:

Regular contact. One of the beauties of working remotely is being spared the office “drive-by” – unplanned pop-ins that many supervisors make to confer with or just check on employees. As distracting and rhythm-breaking as those conversations can be, however, they amount to valuable facetime with a colleague who has influence over an employee’s future with the company. Emailing or calling a supervisor shows initiative and an understanding that communication in the workplace matters. And it isn’t just for show: Routine contact helps a remote worker clarify assignments, keep abreast of key developments in the office and stay on the radar of management.

Request feedback. Annual and quarterly reviews may feel like a nuisance – or even anxiety-inducing. But would you rather know where you stand with a boss or work hard all year only to find out that you’re viewed as a poor performer? There’s more risk of being misevaluated when working from home – sometimes out of sight is out of mind – but a remote employee can head off the issue by requesting regular performance check-ins. Asking for a short, informal monthly conversation with a supervisor shows (here it is again) initiative. It also ensures that a remote worker can quickly address shortfalls or make needed adjustments – an important consideration when they aren’t in the office to pick up on certain face-to-face feedback cues.

Make an appearance. Email, IMs, Slack, phone calls – they’re all useful inter-office communication tools. But to many bosses, nothing says “I’m part of the team” quite like being there. Even a monthly trip to the office can be a symbolic olive branch that signals commitment and engagement to management, and it doubles as practical collaborative time with colleagues.

With all that said, workers aren’t the only ones with a dog in this hunt. Companies that hold tight to antiquated ideas about remote work risk chasing off some of the best talent, while at the same time potentially contributing to burnout and dissatisfaction among the workforce left behind.

What’s the best way for organizations to embrace hybrid work? Establish clear, transparent guidelines for working from home. Train leadership to understand the value of remote work for employees – and the company. Regularly assess productivity benchmarks and satisfaction levels on both sides. Some industries and offices may need a bit more face time from workers. But all can benefit from building a flexible workplace environment that meets the varied needs of its employees.

Are you a remote contractor looking to break through the Zoom Ceiling? Check out our blog for more tips and tricks.

Independent Contractors: Waiting Months for Your Invoice?

Freelance work comes with its own set of unique challenges. Onboarding quickly, fitting into a company culture, juggling projects, finding the next gig – they are all occupational hazards of independent contractors. But there may be no aspect of freelancing that is as difficult or unpredictable as getting paid for your work.

Imagine doing a job you love, in an industry that gets you excited, enjoying a flexible schedule – and then you send an invoice to your client. You wait. Then you wait some more. You gently remind your client that it’s time to pay, only for them to sit on your invoice a bit longer. The work is done. You’ve fulfilled your end of the deal. Yet you’re left to worry about covering that car payment or house note because, months later, you haven’t been paid for services rendered.

Although it seems straightforward, particularly when a contract is involved, taking action when an invoice remains unpaid tends to be complicated and expensive. A contractor begins to weigh being compensated less on a regular basis versus continuing to live with an unpredictable income. Worse, many freelancers can’t even afford to offload a client that pays eventually – even if they’re routinely late. It’s enough to drive a freelancer back to the traditional labor force.

In a perfect world, independent contractors would be paid every two weeks, just like their full-time counterparts. They would enjoy access to health insurance but be able to retain the freedom and flexibility of a freelance lifestyle.

Guess what? It’s possible. Today.

Through PeopleCaddie, contractors are paid every two weeks, and they have access to high-quality health insurance. As a freelancer, you don’t have to wait months to be paid anymore. Work for who you want, when you want. Get paid on time. Visit your doctor for regular checkups!

It’s this progressive model that has earned PeopleCaddie attention for helping companies adapt to a changing workforce. It goes without saying that an independent contractor who isn’t worried about paying their bills from month to month is a happier, more focused, more productive team member. Ditto for insurance coverage, which also attracts a higher quality of contractor.

For independent contractors who work through PeopleCaddie, getting paid is as easy as tracking and entering their time on our app, which ensures payment via direct deposit every two weeks. No more spending time off the clock tracking hours and creating detailed invoices, only for them to gather dust on a client’s desk for weeks or months.

Nobody starts freelancing to spend time fighting and haggling over getting paid. Why not work in a more synergistic manner, where discussions can center around the work at hand, rather than overdue payments? PeopleCaddie combines the best of both traditional and independent work models to maintain a top-tier talent cloud that benefits both member companies and contractors.

Get paid every two weeks by PeopleCaddie by joining our talent cloud. Contact us to get onboarded immediately.

Unretired? Try Contract Work

At the end of the 2022 NFL season, after 22 seasons in the league and seven Super Bowl wins, Tom Brady – at age 44 – finally left it all on the field, hanging up his cleats and riding off into retirement. Then, just 40 days later, he was back – unretired. He had his reasons.

“These last two months, I’ve realized that my place is still on the field,” Brady announced via his social media accounts, “not in the stands.”

Research indicates that the future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback won’t be the only retiree who opts to return to work in the months, and perhaps years, ahead. A number of factors are building behind the wave of retired workers expected to return to the labor force, according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. Historically, in times of a job surplus, more retirees have returned to the office. However, in 2022, with 5,000,000 more jobs than workers, the picture may look different than it has in the past.

Many companies that went to a remote work model at the outset of the pandemic have been reluctant to shift back or may be compromising with hybrid models, citing workers’ resistance to returning to the office. Retirees with grandchildren and travel plans, who have had their fill of the daily commute and 9-to-5, may be less likely than ever to compromise at a moment when workers have a leg up.

Freelancing and contract work are fast-growing segments of the labor pool. For the unretired, they represent an opportunity to get out of the stands and onto the field – but not at the cost of a flexible schedule. With gas prices on the rise and inflation at record levels in the U.S., contract work offers retirees the ultimate peace of mind: the ability to supplement a nest egg that may now seem too small for the long haul, while allowing them to avoid a full return to the working world.

For example, consider an accountant who has hung up her spreadsheets after saving for a comfortable retirement. Suddenly, the rising cost of goods and services threatens that plan. Despite making appropriate retirement plans, she begins to question whether she’ll have enough money set aside for that summer home, the luxury car, or even a rainy-day fund in case of emergency. Independent contracting could offer a happy medium. Our accountant can now work a limited number of hours as a freelancer, keeping busy only with work that she chooses, while padding her savings and continuing to enjoy a desirable lifestyle.

Those who come out of retirement in the current market should be met by companies offering a flexible work culture. Work-life balance is made easier by tools in the marketplace such as PeopleCaddie, an online talent cloud that can help the unretired to search and apply for open freelance positions, receive communications of employer needs and even handle invoicing. The ease of use, flexibility and availability of information detailing needs from various employers can ease the transition back to work for retirees and improve the likelihood that they’ll embrace a return to the workplace under the contractor model.

With the unique combination of employer needs and increasingly flexible contractor opportunities, the unretired will find no shortage of work – which can be done on their terms.

Thinking about unretiring? PeopleCaddie provides the perfect place to reenter the workforce. Check out how our talent cloud works.