Placeholder: Why external workforce programs stall at classification

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Most external workforce programs don't fail at sourcing. They slow down at the step everyone assumes is simple: deciding what kind of engagement a piece of work actually is.

Where the time goes

A typical request passes through several hands before anyone starts the work:

• The hiring manager describes the need in a ticket or an email.
• Procurement decides whether it's contingent labor, a freelancer or a SOW.
• Legal and HR check classification risk for the country involved.
• Finance confirms the budget line and the payment route.

Each handoff is reasonable on its own. Together they turn a two-day need into a three-week wait.

What good looks like

Route every need to the right channel, then run it end to end.

That's the idea behind our vision. For background on the classification rules themselves, the UK government's IR35 guidance is a good starting point.

Three questions to ask your program

1. How long does it take from request to a signed engagement?
2. Who owns the classification decision, and is it written down?
3. Which part of the spend can you actually see?