We’re thrilled to announce that Wand VMS has been named a 2018 CODiE Award Finalist for Best Human Capital or Talent Management Solution. This award recognizes the best solution that automates any aspect of human resources management and talent acquisition, including HRIS, recruiting, payroll and more. Entries were judged on ease of use, functionality of key attributes, simplicity of integration with other data sources, reporting and analytics, and visual aesthetics. “Great overall HR solution,” wrote one CODiE Awards judge of Wand VMS. “[The] mobile solution is very impressive.” Boasting true native apps on the iPhone and Android devices, Apple iPad and even the Apple Watch, Wand Mobile allows users to manage the full contingent workforce lifecycle from anywhere. (Learn more: “5 Ways Mobile Improves the Contingent Workforce Management Experience.”) Other key areas Wand was recognized for include: Reporting and analytics: Wand Discovery, Wand VMS’s Business Intelligence and Data Visualization tool, captures the data that VMS users produce, processes it and produces actionable analytics to help businesses make better workforce planning decisions. (Read more: “7 Workforce Questions That Wand VMS Can Help You Answer.”) Simplicity of integrations: Wand is built on an open cloud architecture that enables easy integration and seamless data flow between systems. (Read more: “Wand I/O.”) Ease or use/visual aesthetics: Built by PRO’s Silicon Valley-based development team, Wand went through exhaustive end-user research and use case study to deliver a product that’s actionable, intuitive and aesthetically pleasing. (Read more: “Consumerizing the VMS.”) The SIIA CODiE Awards are the premier awards for the software and information industries and have been recognizing product excellence for over 30 years. The awards offer 91 categories that are organized by industry focus of education technology and business technology. Wand VMS was honored as one of 167 finalists across the 52 business technology categories. For more on the 2018 CODiE Awards, check out PRO’s official press release. If you’re interested in learning more about how PRO Unlimited can help your organization increase operational efficiency in its contingent workforce program, please contact a PRO representative at 800.291.1099 or email at info@prounlimited.com. Disclaimer: The content in this blog post is for informational purposes only and cannot be construed as specific legal advice or as a substitute for legal advice. The blog post reflects the opinion of PRO Unlimited and is not to be construed as legal solutions and positions. Contact an attorney for specific advice and guidance for specific issues or questions.

Our team of Legal, Business Validation, Immigration and Client Payroll experts have shared their second edition of its US and International Quarterly Regulatory Newsletter for 2018. This issue provides PRO’s knowledge and expertise regarding current regulatory topics. In both documents, our team of professionals covers a number topics varying from Independent Contractor Compliance (ICC), Employment Law, Immigration, and Payroll. Within each section, readers will find more specific information on the below items: Case Law and Legislation Updates CA Supreme Court Adopts Stringent “ABC” Test for IC Status Worker Misclassification Initiatives NLRB to Revisit Obama-era Cases That Have Taken an Expansive View of NLRA Protections Ninth Circuit Rules that History of Gender-Based Pay Disparities is No Defense to an Equal Pay Act Claim USCIS Publishes New Guidance for H-1B Third Party Worksite Petitions General Payroll Updates Want to read the complete update? Download the newsletter here for a comprehensive assessment of the current happenings within ICC, Employment Law, Immigration, and Payroll. Inquire at info@prounlimited.com to discover the other key benefits this organization attained with PRO’s purely vendor-neutral and integrated contingent workforce model. Disclaimer: The content in this blog post is for informational purposes only and cannot be construed as specific legal advice or as a substitute for legal advice. The blog post reflects the opinion of PRO Unlimited and is not to be construed as legal solutions and positions. Contact an attorney for specific advice and guidance for specific issues or questions.

We’re excited to announce that Wand VMS has been named a winner in the following three 2018 Stevie Award categories: “New Product or Service of the Year – Software – Human Capital Management Solution” — Wand VMS “New Product or Service of the Year – Software – Mobile On-Demand Application” — Wand Mobile VMS “Productivity – Mobile Websites & Apps” — Wand Mobile VMS The American Business Awards are one of the premier business awards programs in the United States, and this year more than 3,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration in a wide range of 2018 Stevie Awards categories. In honoring PRO’s Wand Vendor Management System (VMS) and Wand Mobile offerings, judges recognized their innovative features, user-friendly interfaces, and ability to help organizations increase productivity and effectiveness related to contingent workforce management. Here’s a sampling of what the judges had to say about Wand, plus links to resources you can use to learn more about the unique Wand capabilities and attributes the judges cited: “An innovative tool to manage contingent workers across a number of industries. As a former consultant, I would have been thrilled to have access to the Wand Mobile app to manage my staff. Bravo!” Learn more: “Wand VMS, the Most Robust Omnichannel VMS Solution on the Market” “A very robust contingent workforce product. Appears simple and intuitive … comparing contingent workforces with internal full-time employees for quality at lowest rate would be beneficial to any organization.” Learn more: “Unleashing the Power of Holistic Workforce Visibility” “Innovative idea, powerful use of color and UX design. Great for productivity and managing a workforce anytime, anywhere.” Learn more: “5 Ways Mobile Improves the Contingent Workforce Management Experience” Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning “crowned,” the 2018 Stevie Awards will be presented to winners at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Monday, June 11. To learn more about the 2018 American Business Awards, check out PRO’s official press release. If you’re interested in learning more about how PRO Unlimited can help your organization increase operational efficiency in its contingent workforce program, please contact a PRO representative at 800.291.1099 or email at info@prounlimited.com. Disclaimer: The content in this blog post is for informational purposes only and cannot be construed as specific legal advice or as a substitute for legal advice. The blog post reflects the opinion of PRO Unlimited and is not to be construed as legal solutions and positions. Contact an attorney for specific advice and guidance for specific issues or questions.

This is the 3rd year in a row that Spend Matters has recognized PRO Unlimited in its annual “50 Providers to Know” list. Companies were independently selected by Spend Matters’ analyst team based on each provider’s merits and much internal debate What’s unique about PRO compared to other providers is our purely vendor-neutral  and integrated MSP/VMS model. This ranking validates that our approach resonates with clients and suppliers around the globe. “Spend Matters has a unique role in the industry, covering the rapid evolution of procurement technology and solutions. With the growing adoption and usage of disruptive technologies for procurement applications in all key solution areas, we expect providers to continue to refine and expand their capabilities faster than before,” says Jason Busch, Founder and Managing Director at Spend Matters. “We’re all thrilled to recognize providers that set the industry standard, as well as innovative newcomers, at ISM’s annual conference — the premeir celebration of new services and technology within the supply management community.” This is just one more industry honor that PRO has received over the past year including: Gartner’s Critical Capability for Services Procurement Solutions Report Forrester Wave Services Procurement Solutions Report Sourcing Industry’s Group Innovations in Vendor Management Systems You can check out the other industry awards and third party press we received here. If you or a member of your team would benefit from further discussion on how PRO is helping companies implement winning contingent workforce management programs globally, please contact a PRO representative at 800.291.1099 or email at info@prounlimited.com Disclaimer: The content in this blog post is for informational purposes only and cannot be construed as specific legal advice or as a substitute for legal advice. The blog post reflects the opinion of PRO Unlimited and is not to be construed as legal solutions and positions. Contact an attorney for specific advice and guidance for specific issues or questions.

On April 30, 2018, the California Supreme Court issued their much-anticipated decision in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court, creating a significantly more stringent test for independent contractor (IC) status in California. In the unanimous decision, the Court adopted the “ABC” test for purposes of determining whether workers should be classified as employees or as ICs under California wage orders, which impose obligations on employers relating to minimum wage, overtime, meal and rest periods, hours of work, and other basic working conditions. The Court held that one of the definitions of “employ” contained in the wage order—“to suffer or permit to work”—may be relied upon in evaluating whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor. In determining whether a worker is properly considered an independent contractor under this definition, the Court rejected the multi-factor test set forth in the seminal 1989 case of S.G. Borello & Sons, Inc. v. Department of Industrial Relations. Instead, the Court adopted the Massachusetts version of the “ABC” test, recognized as among the most rigid employment status tests in the country. Companies engaging workers in California now have the burden of proving that the worker meets each prong of a three-pronged test in order to treat the worker as an IC, including: that the worker is free from the control and direction of the hirer in connection with the performance of the work and in fact; and that the worker performs work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business; and that the worker is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature as that involved in the work performed.1 If a company fails to show that a worker satisfies each of the three criteria, the worker will need to be treated as an employee and not an IC for purposes of the California wage orders. Takeaways  With the issuance of the Dynamex decision, California now has one of the most rigid tests for IC status in the country. Many workers who would have qualified as ICs under the previous test may no longer do so under the Dynamex test. When engaging with individual ICs in California, businesses should carefully evaluate the engagements to determine whether workers should be classified as employees or ICs under the new framework of the ABC test. In addition, while the Court claimed the ABC test will afford greater clarity in terms of which workers qualify as ICs, and provided a number of examples of these engagements,2 significant questions remain—in particular, with regard to the “outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business” prong, and which engagements satisfy the prong. Given the Dynamex decision’s significant implications for “Gig Economy” companies, many of whom have thriving businesses in California, we may see these industries seek legislative redress in the coming months. PRO Unlimited is closely monitoring enforcement efforts and will provide updates as soon as any become available. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this

What if you could take an inanimate object and make it come to life? With augmented reality, this once-hypothetical scenario is increasingly becoming realized across all walks of life. For example, some leading organizations are already using augmented reality to turn their previously static employee handbooks into interactive guides. With a simple wave of the phone, an employee can watch related videos and even have a two-way conversation with the handbook. Combining this type of functionality with the cloud and the Internet of Things opens up intriguing possibilities in the world of contingent labor. What Is Augmented Reality? Augmented reality is one of the most exciting subsets of artificial intelligence (AI) as it applies to contingent workforce management. As Meriam Webster defines it, augmented reality is “an enhanced version of reality created by the use of technology to overlay digital information on an image of something being viewed through a device, such as a smartphone camera.” Used strategically, augmented reality blends elements of the digital world with a person’s perception of the real world to create a more engaging, interactive and immersive experience. As a result, the number of users of augmented reality is growing and is expected to reach 1 billion users by 2020. Using Augmented Reality to Drive a Better Experience With contingent managers and workers alike increasingly on the go – and virtually always traveling with a smartphone in tow – the ability to leverage augmented reality to bring a company’s physical locations or workspaces to life has fascinating potential for improving efficiency. Imagine, for example, a pharmaceutical company with contractors working at several large physical locations. One contractor for this company is on site at a hospital campus. She reaches a building with no obvious signage and places her phone over the door. With the help of augmented reality, this simple motion makes the building comes alive, providing a map and informing the contractor where she is on campus and what’s in the building. For more on this scenario, as well as other ways organizations might leverage AI to improve the hiring and managing of contingent workers, check out PRO Unlimited’s white paper, “Artificial Intelligence and Contingent Workforce Management.” You can also register for the upcoming webinar, “AI Is Changing Contingent Workforce Management: What You Need to Know.” If you’re interested in learning more about how PRO Unlimited can help your organization increase operational efficiency in its contingent workforce program, please contact a PRO representative at 800.291.1099 or email at info@prounlimited.com. Disclaimer: The content in this blog post is for informational purposes only and cannot be construed as specific legal advice or as a substitute for legal advice. The blog post reflects the opinion of PRO Unlimited and is not to be construed as legal solutions and positions. Contact an attorney for specific advice and guidance for specific issues or questions.

With the war for talent reaching new heights, businesses are looking for any edge they can find. For these companies, the idea of tapping into the power of the latest artificial intelligence (AI) advances is enticing. Concepts like machine learning, predictive analytics and augmented reality offer intriguing possibilities when considering the future of contingent workforce management. When applied strategically, advancements in AI will help organizations create better hiring decisions and more effectively manage contingent workforces. That being said, PRO’s EVP of Product Development, Ted Sergott will be hosting a webinar with the Sourcing Industry Group on May 22nd at 1pm ET! This is a can’t miss session! Artificial Intelligence Webinar Topics: Using bots and adaptive assessments to predict job performance Mining online data sources (including social and job-specific communities) to power a deeper level of candidate matching Utilizing augmented reality technology to make inanimate objects “come to life” Following this webinar, attendees will have a deeper understanding about AI and machine learning, and how these technologies will impact the contingent workforce management space in the short term and years to come. Register for the webinar here!  Disclaimer: The content in this blog post is for informational purposes only and cannot be construed as specific legal advice or as a substitute for legal advice. The blog post reflects the opinion of PRO Unlimited and is not to be construed as legal solutions and positions. Contact an attorney for specific advice and guidance for specific issues or questions.

We’re honored to announce that Wand VMS has been shortlisted in three categories at the 2018 Big Data Excellence Awards. Given the tremendous amount of data that hiring managers, recruitment agencies and contingent workers are creating every day, PRO has been laser-focused on providing organizations with tools to harness this data and use it to make smarter decisions about future workforce strategies and tactics. Specifically, PRO’s Wand Discovery platform enables organizations to easily identify key business drivers and trends that provide actionable workforce intelligence and strategic insights. Total Talent Solutions, a groundbreaking extension of Wand Discovery, allows clients to import specific types of “sanitized” full-time data and view it next to contingent data. (Read more about Wand Discovery and Total Talent Solutions.) Judges recognized both in the 2018 Big Data Excellence Awards nominations, naming Wand VMS a finalist in the following three categories: “Outstanding Data Analytics Solution Award” – Wand Discovery “Most Innovative Big Data Solution – Wand’s Total Talent Solutions “Most Innovative Use of Big Data” – Wand’s Total Talent Solutions The latter category, “Most Innovative Use of Big Data,” recognizes organizations that demonstrate a truly industry-leading approach to finding new ways to use information and data. Total Talent Solutions does just that by providing clients with total visibility into both contingent AND full-time resources across the entire organization, enabling business leaders to determine the best way to engage resources across all categories from a cost, quality and risk perspective. For more on the awards, visit the official 2018 Big Data Excellence Awards website. To learn more about how you can use business intelligence tools to help your organization get peak value from its contingent workforce, check out the following resources: 1) Data Sheet: “Using Reporting and Analytics to Improve Contingent Workforce Management” 2) White Paper: “7 Contingent Workforce Questions That Wand VMS Can Help You Answer” 3) Data Sheet: “Unleashing the Power of Holistic Workplace Visibility” If you’re interested in learning more about how PRO Unlimited can help your organization increase operational efficiency in its contingent workforce program, please contact a PRO representative at 800.291.1099 or email at info@prounlimited.com. Disclaimer: The content in this blog post is for informational purposes only and cannot be construed as specific legal advice or as a substitute for legal advice. The blog post reflects the opinion of PRO Unlimited and is not to be construed as legal solutions and positions. Contact an attorney for specific advice and guidance for specific issues or questions.

Forbes taps PRO Unlimited’s Ted Sergott, EVP of Product Development, to discuss Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on contingent workforce management.  The article highlights 4 main areas that will have a significant impact in the space including: Adaptive Job Assessments Social And Behavioral Data Mining Embedded Intelligence Augmented Reality What do these mean for your contingent workforce management programs? Click here. Artificial Intelligence and Contingent Workforce Management The article concludes by pointing out that increased integration of AI into existing technologies is poised to unlock a wealth of opportunities for companies. By analyzing data sets and performing automated work behind the scenes, AI promises to enable faster decision-making and free up valuable resources for stakeholders. AI has the potential to provide a wealth of insights that both confirm and dispute previously assumed hypotheses. Employed strategically, these ideas could reveal new ways to increase hiring success and deepen understanding of a company’s workforce. Combined with human expertise, this augmented intelligence will help businesses drive cost savings, increase talent quality and improve the effectiveness of their contingent workforce programs. Read the full article in Forbes here.   If you would like to discuss any of the above in greater detail, we would love to set up a consultation with you. Please inquire at info@prounlimited.com for a consultation! Disclaimer: The content in this blog post is for informational purposes only and cannot be construed as specific legal advice or as a substitute for legal advice. The blog post reflects the opinion of PRO Unlimited and is not to be construed as legal solutions and positions. Contact an attorney for specific advice and guidance for specific issues or questions.

We’re thrilled to announce that PRO Unlimited’s Wand VMS has been named a finalist in the “Best New Procurement Technology” and “Best P2P Specialist Provider” categories at the 2018 World Procurement Awards. Specifically, the judges recognized Wand’s strengths in SOW management, mobile (Wand Mobile), reporting and analytics (Wand Discovery), and self-sourcing (Wand Talent Network). The awards, which take place in London, represent the best procurement organizations, people and projects across the world. They reward the joint efforts of individuals and teams and are a confirmation of the innovation, dedication and hard work of those at the forefront of this evolving global profession. In a nutshell, PRO’s award-winning Wand VMS enables managers and program owners to effectively manage all aspects of their contingent workforce supply chain, including but not limited to: Procuring these workers from staffing suppliers, including scheduling interviews Self-sourcing with Wand’s Private Talent Network module Reviewing analytics and reporting with the Wand Discovery module Handling timecard and billing management Rating workers and offboarding Here’s a look at how PRO helps users in two areas highlighted in the 2018 World Procurement Awards: SOW Project Management Many businesses have SOW spend and management spread over multiple systems, most of which are ill-fitted to manage it. In shortlisting PRO in the “Best P2P Specialist Provider” category, the World Procurement Awards recognized how Wand’s powerful technology offers businesses the opportunity to centralize SOW management under a VMS. Here, they can requisition, manage and track both project supplies and consultants in one platform. New project-related capabilities recently introduced in Wand include, but are not limited to: Adobe eSignature Integration – Provides a streamlined approval process for SOW contracts to allow MSPs, clients and suppliers to route and submit SOW project contracts for eSignature approval, directly within Wand. SOW Contract Document Templates – Enables the creation of multiple customized SOW templates associated with specific project types and job titles for clients, suppliers and MSPs to use within Wand. SOW Financial and Reporting Enhancements – Provides more visibility to clients, MSPs and suppliers to better track the billing of multiple items within an SOW project, as well as improved project budget management. For more on the topic, check out “How an MSP Can Drive Unmatched Value in SOW Management.” Easier, More Effective Self-Sourcing Self-sourcing talent is one of the best ways for organizations to drive savings in a bigger contingent workforce program — particularly in more established programs. Wand’s Talent Network enables managers to create their own private Talent Network of workers they’ve sourced, such as alumni, silver medalists, retirees and more. Managers can then quickly identify and engage these people from within the request creation workflow, offering companies opportunities to avoid traditional vendor-sourced mark-ups and generate cost savings. Workers who are invited to join a client’s private Talent Network self-manage their Talent Network profiles and, as a result, receive contingent job opportunities. The entire process within Wand is handled in an intuitive, consumerized fashion, and enables organizations to realize the cost savings associated with self-sourcing talent like no other solution in the industry. (Learn more about Wand Talent Network.) The 2018