The rise of the Consultant – Have you noticed a shift in working arrangements from more permanent employees towards more Consultants?
I recently attended a PwC Panel Discussion on the Future of Work and the rise of “gig-workers”.
The changing workforce has interesting implications for:
- How we undertake our own roles
- How we plan for disruption
On the same day I attended this talk, I also had a call with Marion Mellor and we discussed her idea of being a part-time Business Continuity Manager for multiple clients.
Feedback from BCP Builder Community on LinkedIn:
Cost Saving with Consultants
- I think hiring short-term and long-term consultants makes a lot of sense for companies. Because the companies do not have to offer employee benefits such as health care, holidays and pensions (subject to local labor laws). Plus you can much more easily terminate a consultant’s services than an employee. I worked for one group, as a long-term consultant, and I held many senior-level positions including being a division head. Nevertheless, when the CEO decided my services were no longer required I was informed of such, by email, and without even an offer of gardening leave!
- It’s absolutely the best combination of both worlds and a way to build resilience in the long run.
Incorporated into Business as Usual
- There are few actual Business Continuity only jobs today. Since the preparation for Y2K more businesses have incorporated business continuity, resilience, risk management or what ever you would like to call it into the business units. Reporting to upper management is done up the line with direction [not action] from the top.
- There are few organizations and people that are truly trained in Business Continuity that can design and implement a program. Even in smaller companies [pick the size] there are enough other business activities going on that Business Continuity gets pushed back.
Full-time roles
- As a Consultant I can tell the trend I am seeing is full time, not Consultants. I have been looking for six months and continue to see full time positions with totally unrealistic expectations.
- They ask for someone to setup and manage a risk program, Business Continuity and security program. To setup and manage these daily usually takes several people.
- I am doing an article on Business Continuity jobs posted online in the Los Angeles area. There are high numbers with the key words Business Continuity. Those that want a Business Continuity certification are very low. Emergency Management and Project Management is often mentioned. When Business Continuity is listed it is below the other two. Reporting structure is all over the map and inconsistent even in the same industry.
- I’ve noticed the same thing; more full time roles than contracting/consulting work. Some of the expectations are ‘out there’ as it seems the role had taken on a lot more responsibility;
- Healty and Safety
- Information Security
- Cyber
- Risk Management
- Emergency Response etc.
- Granted, we as Business Continuity Manager/ Disaster Recovery professionals should already be familiar with much of this (or had exposure to them). But, now the role seems to be responsible for these areas. It’s quite a bit to not be just aware but be hands-on knowledgeable and active. It’s as though the role of a few have been consolidated into a role of one.
If you want to increase your Organizational Resilience, start with preparing a Business Continuity Plan and check out BCP Builder’s Business Continuity Planning Templates.
