Breaking down business jargon: What is a liquid workforce

The workplace is changing. Businesses are evolving and moving away from legacy working practices. They are engaging and recruiting workforces that can shift gears instantaneously and adapt to dynamic market, economic and political landscapes to meet demand.

With this rapid shift in hiring practices comes an explosion in the technology required to keep up. And, it seems, an emerging wave of business jargon that was meaningless just a few years ago.

Enter the liquid workforce

‘Liquid Workforce’ is not a new concept. It’s simply a new term, coined by Accenture, for an emerging workplace trend that calls for a team with a highly agile skill set in a world where digital transformation and flexibility is at the core of HR strategy.

Backed and empowered by technology, this highly responsive team can come together from anywhere in the world to work on multiple projects. Hence the term, liquid workforce.

According to the Accenture Liquid Workforce trend report: Companies are investing in the tools and technologies they need to keep pace with constant change in the digital era. They are looking at technology as not just a disrupter, but also an enabler to transform their people, projects, and entire organizations into a highly adaptable and change-ready enterprise.

This means that an agile workforce with a kinetic mix of expert skills that work around projects rather than functions will outstrip siloed environments. Businesses that embed technology to empower this way of working, will have the competitive edge in their market.

The benefit of blended teams

When we think of an agile, on-demand workforce, we naturally think of contingent pools of freelance, remote talent that can be picked up and let go at the click of a mouse. However, although freelancers and contractors are critical when hiring deep expertise or additional resource, it’s also important to consider the clear benefits of utilising existing talent to ensure that everyone has a place within the new working world.

According to a JLL research, 54 percent of people work at home at least five days a month, and 33.6 percent work regularly at other places like cafes or coworking spaces. By focussing on mobilising permanent staff to work on global projects, businesses can benefit from deeper knowledge, increased loyalty and engagement, and greater stability in workforce planning.

A blended team with unhindered access to remote working practices and emerging technology will be an unrivaled force.

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