A lot’s been written in recent years about the need for strong corporate cultures to attract and retain creative types. As we’ve seen in our work with those very creative professionals and the agencies that hire them, nothing’s changed on the culture front—it’s still a critical part of recruiting top talent, especially those in the Generation Y age bracket.

But there’s a question that’s interested me for a long time: what exactly are the characteristics of one of those winning cultures?

Co-employment issues are nothing new for larger companies, but the increased reliance on flexible workforces in sectors such as IT and communications has brought the problem to the forefront like never before. In fact, it is — and has always been — a major area of liability for companies of all sizes.

So, what exactly is co-employment and why should the SME business community care?

I consult with clients on a regular basis who share a very common view: they’re reluctant to consider freelancers for permanent roles.

The reason for that apparent hiring prejudice is simple: most employers are used to reading chronological resumes that list a candidate’s skills, while also demonstrating their work experience over a select time period. Most of these resumes reflect a certain long-term stability on the part of the candidate.

At Creative Niche, we’ve worked with more than 400 companies across Canada ranging from top banks, mutual fund companies, multinational advertising and digital agencies, to several small businesses.  Many times, the latter ask us how they can compete with large organizations when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent. So, I thought it would make an interesting blog post.