"Negotiating the conditions of employment, hedging one job with another, being wary of accepting full-time jobs that put at risk other work or that compromise skills — those are becoming the normal patterns for accomplished professionals.

"Individuals are finding new freedoms and exploring their own capacity and taste for change and entrepreneurism. Some organizations are looking for ways to adapt to all of this without endangering their own success, but it may be that these two different needs are not compatible."

This excerpt comes from a great article on Over the Seas on the Changing Nature of Work: The Labor Recession Will Outlast the Economic Recession. It touches on the variety of ways in which the average workforce - (as well as the basic ways we do work) - has transformed, and how both workforces and employees may have to 'keep up' to ensure they are successful in the future.

Flexible workers - contractors, temps, etc - are very much the norm when it comes to doing business these days. I've collected a few articles on the subject of flexible workforces below. You may also want to follow the ongoing discussion about contractors and flexible work in government on the New Zealand Government Contractors LinkedIn.

Related articles and links

• If you only do one thing this week … ask about flexible working
• The Changing Nature of Work
• Future workforce, future work
• How to build a flexible workforce (tips)