Bringing different workforce perspectives together.

An interview with Joe Olstadt – Vice President of Workforce Solutions

Understanding your workforce means looking beyond traditional employee headcount. With contractors, consultants, SOW teams, suppliers, and outsourced services all contributing to business success, organizations need a more connected view of the talent and capabilities they rely on.

But having access to workforce information is only part of the picture. The real value comes from connecting different perspectives, improving visibility, and turning insights into better business decisions.

In this interview, Joe Olstadt, Vice President of Workforce Solutions, shares his perspective on what it means to take a whole-workforce approach, why collaboration across teams matters, and how organizations can turn workforce data into meaningful action.

What does “whole workforce” mean in your day-to-day work?

 “To me, the whole workforce is everyone contributing to the organization’s work, not just the people on the employee roster. That can include contractors, consultants, SOW teams, suppliers, outsourced services, and other external specialists.

In day-to-day terms, it means looking at how all that talent fits together: what work needs to get done, what capabilities are available, and how the organization can bring the right people and partners in at the right time. The goal is a clearer, more useful view of the workforce the business actually depends on.”

Where do you see the biggest gap between workforce information and workforce action?

“The biggest gap is often between having information and being able to use it. A company may have data in several systems and teams may each understand part of the picture. But if that information isn’t connected, it can be hard to answer practical questions quickly: Where do we have capacity? What’s driving cost? Which engagements need attention?

The opportunity is to bring the right context together so leaders can make a decision and act on it, not simply add another report to the pile.”

What’s one question clients should ask more often?

“I’d ask: ‘What decision could we make better if we had a clearer view of our workforce?’

That question helps make visibility practical. It might point to a capacity challenge, a supplier decision, an unexpected cost, or a capability the organization needs to access. Once you know which decision matters, you can work backward to understand what information is missing and who needs to be part of the conversation.”

What does strong collaboration across Workspend teams look like?

“It starts with shared ownership of the client’s challenge. Different teams bring different perspectives—commercial, operational, technology, and client experience—and strong collaboration means connecting those perspectives around the outcome the client needs.

That takes open communication, clear responsibilities, and a willingness to solve the problem together. When it works well, clients experience one joined-up team, rather than a series of separate handoffs.”

What gives you confidence that a workforce improvement is working?

“I look for a meaningful difference in the way work gets done. Are leaders making decisions with better information? Can teams respond to changing demand more effectively? Are processes clearer, and are the right people involved at the right time?

Measures matter too, but they should connect to outcomes the organization cares about, such as capacity, cost, service, or control. Confidence comes when the improvement is visible in the numbers and in the everyday experience of the people doing the work.”

Bringing Your Workforce Into Focus

A better understanding of your workforce starts with asking the right questions. By connecting people, processes, data, and expertise, organizations can make more informed decisions and build workforce strategies that adapt to changing business needs.

At Workspend, we bring together workforce expertise, technology, and collaborative solutions to help organizations gain greater visibility, strengthen workforce management, and get more value from their talent programs.

Ready to take a more connected approach to your workforce?

Discover how Workspend can help you make better workforce decisions.