How MSPs Support Better EDI Outcomes and Inclusive Contingent Hiring

BLOGBy Rullion on 07 August 2025

You’ve invested in your EDI strategy. But despite the best intentions, embedding EDI into every part of your organisation can be hard, especially when you’re working with a large contingent workforce. If your inclusive contingent hiring strategy is missing from the picture, you’re only seeing part of the story.

For many organisations, EDI efforts focus heavily on permanent staff, where internal teams often have more control, systems, and processes. But contractors, temps, and consultants? Often, they’re left out. With the contingent workforce now representing a significant share of the total workforce, this leaves a gap.

Nearly 20% of the UK workforce are in contingent roles. Yet, most organisations don’t consistently capture diversity data across those populations, leaving a major blind spot in their EDI strategy. 65 percent of companies plan to increase contingent labour use, making it more important to close this gap.

A strategic Managed Service Programme (MSP) can help you close that gap by:

Bringing your whole workforce into view
Building EDI into every stage of the hiring process
Turning Insight into Action
Helping you deliver on strategic initiatives
Making inclusion part of the day-to-day experience

The business case for inclusive contingent hiring

Organisations with inclusive contingent hiring practices see measurable improvements in workforce agility, innovation, and performance. A diverse supplier base can also support ESG goals and unlock new opportunities, particularly when bidding for public sector or large corporate contracts that increasingly require evidence of inclusive workforce practices. With contingent workers making up such a large share of the talent mix, overlooking them puts your reputation, resilience, and results at risk.

Bring your whole workforce into view

Contingent workers are often left out of EDI strategies entirely with no visibility over who’s being hired, how inclusive the process is, or what outcomes look like. You can’t improve what you can’t see.

An MSP creates one joined-up picture of your entire workforce, providing you with info on who’s applying, who’s progressing, who’s converting, and who isn’t. This is done by:

Setting up demographic data capture from the outset
Normalising the conversation around why and how that data is collected
Tracking shortlist diversity, interview progression, and offer conversion rates across suppliers
Introducing EDI dashboards so you can see where action is needed

That means you can make more informed decisions, spot trends and drop-offs, and understand where your process may be unintentionally biased, just as you would with permanent roles. Most clients don’t ask their suppliers for this data but we do. An MSP Provider becomes the connector between you, your supply chain, and your EDI ambitions.

With a consolidated view of your contingent workforce, your leadership team can confidently report on inclusive contingent hiring progress across the board.

“Our MSP platform made recruitment, contract extensions, and even rate reviews seamless. It’s helped manage the transition of over 700 contract workers and the knowledge of the Rullion team has been invaluable in the recruitment and maintenance of further workers. Simple, effective, and exceeding expectations.” — Recruitment Manager, Leading UK Energy Supplier

Build EDI into every stage of the hiring process

In fragmented supply chains, when contingent hiring is split across multiple suppliers, each with their own processes and standards, it means one may remove identifying data from CVs while another doesn't, and none of it ladders up to meaningful data. This makes it easy for inconsistencies to creep in, especially when it comes to inclusion.

Your MSP partner brings consistency and accountability across the entire supply chain. From how jobs are written to how candidates are shortlisted, interviewed, and selected, we ensure inclusive practices are baked in from the start and not bolted on later.

That includes:

Reviewing job descriptions to remove bias or exclusionary language
Using inclusive advert templates and gender decoders
Providing anonymous CV screening where appropriate
Setting clear diversity expectations for suppliers
Guiding hiring managers through inclusive briefing and interview practices
Launching focused campaigns to reach underrepresented talent, such as early careers or women in STEM

We hold suppliers to account with diversity-focused performance metrics, helping you track progress and improve where it matters most

Turn Insight into Action

Collecting the data is one thing. Knowing what to do with it is another. Too often, diversity data is collected but not connected to hiring decisions making it impossible to act on. An MSP closes that loop by building feedback into every stage of the hiring journey.

Your MSP can work with you to identify where inequalities exist in your contingent recruitment process and, more importantly, why. Are certain demographics dropping off at the shortlist stage? Are some interview processes unintentionally exclusive? Your MSP won’t just surface the issues; they’ll bring proven ideas, tested across similar organisations, on how to fix them.

Help you deliver on strategic initiatives

Beyond recruitment, an MSP provider can also act as a delivery partner for wider EDI programmes.

You’ll often find the desire is often there, but internal teams don’t always have the capacity to turn ambition into delivery.

Providers can help you operationalise your EDI strategy by:

Designing and delivering inclusive graduate or apprenticeship programmes
Developing routes for social mobility, disability inclusion or veteran employment
Supporting supplier diversity goals
Embedding EDI into quarterly reporting, KPIs and workforce planning

We work with your internal HR, TA, and DE&I teams to bring these ideas to life without overloading your day-to-day operations.

For example, we supported one of our energy clients in increasing their percentage of female contingent engineers from 12% to 19% through targeted outreach, inclusive job design, and local STEM engagement.

Make inclusion part of the day-to-day experience

Hiring diverse talent is only part of the work. Inclusion happens once people are through the door. MSPs help ensure your contingent workforce has a fair and equitable experience throughout their time with you.

That could mean:

Building visibility of contractor experience and access to opportunities
Encouraging participation in ERGs (Employee Resource Groups)
Giving contingent workers access to L&D, mental health resources, and well-being initiatives
Identifying inequities in how feedback, recognition or progression is handled

It’s about creating a sense of belonging, not just filling roles. Your MSP can help bring this to your attention and support you in embedding those practices across your organisation.

A Trusted Partner for Long-Term Progress

With the right partner, you don’t need to split your strategy across permanent and contingent teams. We help you bring everything under one umbrella. One view, one standard, one direction of travel with real traction. So if you're serious about EDI, don’t leave your contingent workforce behind.

Meet your ED&I goals more consistently and with real impact

Whether you’re just starting out on your ED&I journey or looking to build on strong foundations in inclusive contingent hiring, we can help.
Get in touch to explore how a tailored MSP solution could help you meet your ED&I goals.

More like this

View all insights

RESOURCE

A snapshot into our practical MSP guide

Take a look inside our Managed Service Programme toolkit. This snapshot gives you a quick, practical starting point for shaping a smarter temporary workforce strategy, with examples and thinking grounded in the realities of the Nuclear, Energy, Rail, and Utilities industries.

By Rullion on 21 January 2026

RESOURCE

Background Screening Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Right BPSS Partner

Background screening decisions are often made quickly and under pressure. In critical infrastructure environments, those decisions now carry delivery risk not just compliance responsibility. This buyer’s guide helps organisations understand how background screening services are actually delivered in practice, and how to choose a BPSS partner that supports mobilisation, not delays it. Understanding the Real Differences Between BPSS Providers BPSS clearance may look standardised on paper, but outcomes vary widely depending on the provider’s delivery model. Delays, incomplete files and unexpected internal workload often sit behind low-rate cards, disrupting start dates and placing additional strain on HR and delivery teams. This buyer’s guide is designed for business leaders, HR managers and department heads operating across regulated and safety-critical environments. It provides a practical framework for evaluating pre-employment screening providers beyond headline pricing, with a specific focus on BPSS clearance and associated checks such as the Right to Work check. Inside the guide, you’ll find: Why BPSS prices vary and why rate cards rarely tell the full story. The difference between transactional screening and complex BPSS clearance. Where hidden delays and internal workload typically arise. How different delivery models affect candidate experience and mobilisation. Five diagnostic questions to help assess how a screening provider really works. Written simply and designed for practical decision-making, this buyer’s guide supports stronger internal conversations, more confident supplier evaluation and better outcomes from background screening services.

By Rullion on 20 January 2026

How do you know when it’s time to change jobs?

For many people out there, there’s something about January that makes work feel harder than it should. The energy dips, the weather doesn’t help, and suddenly the Sunday scaries feel louder than usual. With Blue Monday landing in the middle of the month, it’s easy to blame the calendar. But if that dread has been building for a while, it might not be the day at all. It might be the realisation that you’ve fallen out of love with your job. Is Blue Monday real? Blue Monday is often described as the most depressing day of the year, usually falling in mid-to-late January. It isn’t officially backed by science, but it’s become a cultural shorthand for something many people genuinely experience: low motivation and mood, and a sense that work is harder to face than usual. And that’s the important part. Regardless if the label is real or not, the feelings can be. If you’ve been feeling like that lately, it’s worth asking a slightly different question: is it Blue Monday, or have you fallen out of love with your job? Dealing with Sunday scaries (and why they’re worth paying attention to) Not every Monday needs to feel exciting. But when the thought of the week ahead leaves you with the Sunday scaries and consistently brings tension or unease, it’s worth paying attention to what that feeling is trying to tell you. It can look like: Your mood dipping halfway through Sunday A tight chest feeling when you think about your inbox Being snappy, restless, or distracted at home Struggling to sleep because your brain won’t switch off Feeling like you’re already behind before the week has started The Sunday scaries aren’t always a sign you need to quit your job, and experiencing any of these doesn’t mean something is “wrong” with you. It means something in your working life may need attention. Recognising that is often the first step towards positive change. How to know when you need a new job If January has made you feel a little more flat than usual, it can be difficult to tell what’s temporary and what’s deeper. But there are some clear signs that go beyond a rough start to the year. Signs that it might be time to take your feelings seriously. Wanting change doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful or impatient. Often, it means you’ve outgrown something that once fit. 1) You’re tired in a way sleep doesn’t fix If you’re constantly drained, even after rest, it can be a sign your job is taking more energy than it gives back. 2) Your confidence has taken a hit You second-guess yourself more. You feel behind and that you’re “not as good as you used to be.” That’s often less about your ability and more about the environment you’re in. 3) You’re bored, stuck, or quietly disengaged Not every job needs to feel exciting every day, but if you’re no longer learning and growing or being challenged, it can start to feel pointless. 4) You’re always waiting for things to improve You’re holding out for a restructure, a new manager, a calmer workload, a better quarter. But months pass and nothing really changes. 5) You’re doing the work, but you don’t care anymore This one is easy to miss because you can still be performing well. But when you’ve emotionally checked out, it’s hard to stay in a role long-term without it affecting your wellbeing. 6) You feel like you’re shrinking to fit the job Your spark has gone, you’re quieter than you used to be, and you feel less confident and energised. Less “you”. That’s a signal, not a personality change. 7) You dread specific parts of the week (and it’s predictable) If your anxiety spikes before certain meetings, certain people, or certain days, it’s worth asking why. 8) You can’t picture yourself there in a year This is one of the clearest indicators. If thinking about staying fills you with dread or resignation, it’s often a sign that you already know more than you’re giving yourself credit for. If you’re nodding along, you might already have your answer to “how do I know if I need a new job?” Often, it’s when staying feels heavier than leaving. Should you try to fix your current job or is it time to move on? This is where people tend to get stuck. Because leaving isn’t always the answer. But staying and hoping things improve without changing anything rarely works either. A good way to look at it is this: if the job is fixable, the problem is usually specific, and there’s a realistic path to making it better. It might be a temporary rough patch if: A workload issue that can be reset (not just “this is how it is here”) A role that can be reshaped with clearer priorities A manager who listens and actually follows through A company that invests in your development A culture that’s generally healthy, even if you’re in a difficult season In other words, you still have influence. If you can make a few changes and feel noticeably better within a month or two, that’s a sign it may be worth trying to fix first. If it’s time to move on, the issue is usually structural. Better habits, increased resilience, or a longer weekend won't solve the problem. How do you know when it’s time to change jobs? If the issues are consistent and outside your control or affecting your wellbeing, it’s usually a sign it’s time to move on. You’ve raised concerns before and nothing changes The culture drains you, even when you’re performing well You don’t feel valued, trusted, or supported The expectations are unclear or constantly shifting Your growth has stalled and there’s no path forward You’re spending more time managing stress than doing meaningful work You don’t need your job to be perfect, but you do need it to be sustainable. Ask yourself: “Repairable” vs “Repeatable” – is this a one-off situation I can repair, or a repeating pattern I keep having to tolerate? What to do if you’re not ready to quit (but you know something needs to change)? Not everyone reading this is ready to hand in their notice, and that’s okay. Sometimes the first step isn’t leaving. It's getting clearer what your options are and what's going to be best for you in the long run. Here’s a simple way to approach this: 1) Pinpoint what’s actually causing the dread Is it the work itself? Is it the pace and pressure at work? A lack of career progression? Is leadership lacking or you need more support? Does the team dynamic need improvement? Are you feeling undervalued or underpaid? 2) Decide what “better” would look like Are you needing more flexibility? Are you seeking a clearer path? Better management? Or a different kind of role entirely? This matters because it helps to switch your mindset from feeling hopeless to moving towards something. Sometimes clarity comes from learning what else exists. Exploring how different industries work, or how skills transfer across sectors like rail, nuclear, or utilities, can help you understand what “better” might look like for you. 3) Try one change inside your current job That could be: A conversation about expectations A reset on workload and priorities Asking for development or progression planning Changing projects or responsibilities Setting firmer boundaries If you try to fix it and things genuinely improve, great. If you try to fix it and nothing changes, you've also learnt something valuable. You don’t have to stay stuck If Blue Monday has made you stop and think, that’s not a bad thing. Sometimes it’s the moment you realise you’ve been pushing through longer than you should. Whether you decide to improve things where you are or start exploring something new, the important part is knowing you have options, and you don’t have to figure it out on your own. If you’re starting to think about what else might be out there, it can help to understand how hiring works today. Especially if it’s been a while since you last looked. Knowing how CV screening works can remove a lot of unnecessary anxiety before you even take the first step.

By Rullion on 19 January 2026