Hiring contractors has been a long time energy industry practice. It’s understandable given the difficulty of attracting skilled workers to areas that have challenging staffing needs. This practice, though, can come at a high cost for companies and brings increased operational risk. A fresh approach to the energy workforce of the future uses three strategies: getting a 360º view into the extended labor force; adopting a zero-based approach to workforce planning; and using digital technologies to intelligently automate work and augment workers. The outcome? Opportunities to achieve greater productivity and cost savings.

1. Copyright © 2016 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
Where is your workforce?
Three strategies to manage the
energy workforce of the future

2. Copyright © 2016 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
A startling truth
The typical energy workforce is composed of
up to 80% third-party contractors, according
to Accenture analysis.

3. A need met…
Copyright © 2016 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
Hiring contractors has been a longtime energy industry practice to:
• Attract skilled workers to areas with challenging staffing needs, such as
production facilities and remote locations.
• Fill highly specialized roles on an ad-hoc basis.
…but a steep cost
This heavy dependency on contract labor comes at a steep cost — well
beyond the negotiated hourly wage — including:
• Duplicate management and administration costs.
• Increased operational risk.

4. Copyright © 2016 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
The current
view…
Current contractor management approaches makes it difficult to contain
costs and improve business outcomes. The implications are significant:
• Lack of visibility into the contractor workforce makes it challenging to
understand and proactively plan for true extended workforce needs.
• Contractor management is run largely through the procurement organization,
making the bulk of the workforce a cost center rather than a resource that
needs development. Current budget-driven planning reinforces the status quo.

5. Copyright © 2016 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
A fresh approach
for better
outcomes…
1.
Get a 360º view of the workforce
Move responsibility for contractor management from Procurement to business
operations with a single point of accountability. Establish a contractor framework
with rules for ongoing task management and integrate it into workforce planning
and strategy.

6. Copyright © 2016 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
2.
Shake up the status quo
Adopt an annual zero-based approach to workforce planning. Analyze work
streams from the bottom-up and look for ways to eliminate non-value added work
and duplication.
A fresh approach
for better
outcomes…

7. Copyright © 2016 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
3.
Put digital tools to work
Discover ways to insert digital technologies — wearables, drones and augmented
reality — into employee and contractor work processes to automate workflow,
extend skills and augment the workforce of the future for across-the-board jumps
in productivity.
A fresh approach
for better
outcomes…

8. LEARN MORE
about how the energy industry can develop the
workforce of the future with our full report:
Copyright © 2016 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
Where is your workforce?
Three strategies to manage the energy
workforce of the future
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