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Contingent Workforce (CW) Program Game Changers

These forward-thinking contingent workforce management professionals are evolving the global world of contingent work through their innovation, determination, and ability to change the game.

2024 CW Program Game Changers

April Beard

Manager, Contingent Workforce Solutions | Centene

honoree profile

April Beard manages contingent workforce solutions at Centene, calling it “the biggest company no one has heard of.” With just one client — the federal government — Centene handles Medicare and Medicaid insurance for one out of every 15 Americans.

Rolling out that insurance means hiring vendors to supply customer service workers who answer questions about coverage, help sign people up for insurance and then manage that relationship. Centene uses many registered nurses to provide insurance-related claim reviews, provide telehealth appointments and answer questions by telephone. The contingent workforce also helps manage the company’s information technology. “About 35% of our workforce is contingent labor, and 31% convert to full-time employees,” Beard says. “About 29% of our full-time workers come from the contingent pool.”

Beard loves learning from other professionals and making processes more efficient. In the past year, she initiated an audit of holiday time sheets, saving the organization $750,000 annually. She also led the reduction of Centene’s vendor list to a smaller, more strategic set. “I don’t want the vendors who offer the lowest price,” she explains. “I want the ones who bring the best-quality candidates. If there’s a 90-day assignment and a vendor provides people who only work for the first week, that’s not the right vendor.”

Beard also spends a lot of time building relationships with internal managers at Centene to ensure she understand their goals, preferences and pain points. And her efforts are paying off: Her program’s net promoter score has risen to 81 from 51 in two years, a reflection of program efficiencies implemented in response to what Beard has heard from managers.