Dive Brief:

• The so-called gig economy is starting to roll, and HR staff are now feeling a bit left out. Frontline hiring managers are bypassing HR to meet their immediate and long-range needs with gig workers, according to SHRM.
• Jens Audenaert, vice president and general manager of ADP Ventures in New York City, told SHRM that a hire can take place and a person can get added to the payroll without HR being aware at all. Audenaert told SHRM that HR needs a true "end to end" process that tracks contingent (aka "gig") workers as well as full-time employees.
• However, it won't happen on its own. HR needs to be deeper involved in acquiring and managing contractors, who typically are added through freelance marketplaces.

Dive Insight:

For larger employers, contingent workers are usually recruited and contracted through a formal procurement procedure, a situation that's doesn't suit HR's skills. Stephane Kasriel, CEO of Upwork in Mountain View, CA, told SHRM that procurement doesn't "negotiate with talent, but with entities." He says that HR needs "more influence" in the discussion.

The problem is, while HR tech vendors are mobilizing to help HR obtain a much stronger interface with contingent hiring, they're hampered by HR's lack of involvement with contractors. Many believe HR must become more ingrained in the process as contingent workers become an increasingly important component of the workforce.

Vendors shouldn't be the only ones doing that. Ultimately, HR needs to lead the discussion about how contingent workers will be integrated with the organization's full-time workforce.