The Weekly Independent: October 17, 2016

Being a successful independent contractor or a client of choice isn’t just about doing the best work or having the best perks. It also means staying one step ahead of the curve. That’s why each week we bring you The Weekly Independent, a quick-hit digest of news of note from around the web.

MBO Partners held a productive gathering of clients and associates last week in Washington, DC. Clients gathered to discuss MBO’s Client of Choice research, the industry’s first and only comprehensive look into how enterprises can secure and retain top independent talent. After a day of interactive roundtables and discussion, the team gathered for a festive happy hour with some of MBO’s Washington, DC associates and staff, to discuss issues of importance to the independent workforce in a relaxed, casual setting. The event was a great success; we hope to bring a similar event to a city near you soon!

• It has been a busy week for the independent workforce; McKinsey released a study similar to our own State of Independence tracking the global sizing and attitudes of independent workers. MBO Partners CEO Gene Zaino spoke with the Wall Street Journal about the growing number of independent professionals and their satisfaction with gig work.
• A new piece from The Heritage foundation defends independent work, finding that the gig economy is good for both workers and consumers.
• SpendMatters’ Andrew Karpie offers a postmortem on the recent HR Tech show.
• A hospitality industry publication, Hospitality.net, covers a new trend: the “shared workspace hotel,” where hotel lobbies become communal workspaces for travelers. This popular-with-Millennials trend is becoming a part of hotel design; new entrants to the hospitality market, like West Elm and Equinox are adding these spaces to their design plans. The piece cites MBO’s data on the growing independent workforce as well.
• Mashable offers a good guide for new independents starting out in the marketplace.
• The gig economy is offering new options for working women who crave more balance in their lives, a new article from Fox News states. It also works for people who crave flexibility – many people would take a pay cut of up to 8% if they could work from home, says a recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Should you have any questions, we’re always here for you.

Of course, we’d love to talk virtually as well. Share your thoughts with us at MBO Partners on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and we’ll see you again next week!

MBO works with a large network of Fortune 500 enterprises and government organizations, managing their independent workforce and ensuring they are compliant with independent workforce engagement laws. This can mean a competitive edge for your business.

Take advantage of MBO’s “preferred vendor” status

MBO is an approved vendor and has Master Service Agreements with some of the world’s most successful organizations in nearly ever vertical, from financial services to health care, IT, energy and more.

Because these agreements are already in place, we can:

Help you quickly complete any vendor paperwork that is required,
Review and advise you on your vendor contract,
Help you obtain contract approval so you can start work as soon as possible.

Our network is always growing, giving you insider access once you land that big contract.

Get access to leading companies through MBO’s marketplace

MBO’s marketplace is an independent consulting job marketplace designed to help you grow your project pipeline and to help our clients find consultants for open project opportunities. Our enterprise clients use MBO’s marketplace to post project opportunities.  After you complete your profile, you can search these opportunities and apply for projects that interest you — all from the convenience of your phone, tablet or computer! When you express interest in an opportunity that best fits your skills, availability, and rate, the hiring manager can immediately access your profile and initiate your next assignment.

Enterprises can also search consultant profiles to find candidates for open contract roles and reach out to you directly.

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