Embedding Intelligence into Workforce Decisions at UCB
As organisations grapple with increasingly complex workforce ecosystems, the shift towards Total Talent Management (TTM) is accelerating. At UCB, the Belgian-headquartered biopharmaceutical company, that transition is taking shape through a practical yet ambitious initiative: embedding decision intelligence directly into the hiring journey. Carolina Bittencourt, Global Procurement Talent Lead, explains how a digital Workforce Advisor is helping UCB to break down silos, improve decision-making and create a more coherent workforce strategy.
How a digital Workforce Advisor is reshaping total talent management
Carolina, UCB is presenting its case at the Total Talent Summit 2026. Can you briefly introduce the context?
“UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on severe diseases, particularly in neurology and immunology. We operate in 37 countries, with a mix of employees and external workers. This mix makes workforce management inherently complex. Like many organisations, we historically operated in silos: HR focused on employees, while Procurement managed external talent. This fragmentation contributed to inefficiencies, limited visibility and inconsistent decision-making across the workforce.”
What triggered the move towards a Total Talent approach?
“We started by analysing our workforce data and quickly realised that the challenges went beyond cost or compliance issues. Managers were navigating multiple systems, policies and approval flows without a clear framework to guide their decisions. Often, choices around hiring or engaging talent were based on familiarity rather than objective criteria.”
“This highlighted a deeper structural issue: the lack of an integrated approach to workforce planning. We needed to move towards a model where internal and external talent decisions are part of one coherent strategy. That’s where the idea of embedding guidance directly into the process emerged.”
The goal is to support managers in selecting the most appropriate workforce solution based on business needs, cost, compliance and strategy.
What does the ‘ideal situation’ look like for UCB?
“Our ambition was to bring more structured guidance where demand is created. Instead of asking managers to interpret policies or choose between channels on their own, we wanted to guide them in real time.”
“We often describe this as enabling “build, buy, borrow, bot and location-based” decisions. The goal is to support managers in selecting the most appropriate workforce solution based on business needs, cost, compliance and strategy. At the same time, we wanted to standardise data capture and improve overall visibility across the workforce.”
How does the Workforce Advisor work in practice?
“The Workforce Advisor is essentially a digital triage tool embedded in the request process. When managers initiate a workforce request, they input key information such as the duration of the work, the level of supervision required and the business objective.”
“Based on this input, the tool uses weighted logic to recommend the most suitable engagement model and channel. It’s not just about giving an answer – it’s about structuring decision-making in a consistent and transparent way. Our solution was developed in close collaboration between HR, Procurement and IT to ensure it aligns with governance principles and integrates with downstream systems.”
What impact has the solution had so far?
“We’re starting to see early benefits. First, the user experience for managers has improved. They receive clear guidance instead of navigating complexity on their own. It also creates the foundation to provide data-driven insights and benchmarks over time.
“Operationally, it improves the quality of master data in our systems. There’s also better visibility into workforce behaviour and compliance, which helps us manage risk more effectively. Importantly, it has the potential to support cost optimisation and faster access to talent, which are critical in a highly competitive environment.”
What does this mean for talent themselves?
“From a talent perspective, the impact is equally important. By structuring decisions, we create more transparency and fairness in how people are engaged. It reduces inconsistent classification and ensures that individuals are brought in through the most appropriate channel. It aims to improve the overall experience over time – faster processes, clearer pathways and reduced friction. Ultimately, we’re moving towards a more consistent and data-informed workforce ecosystem where all contributors are recognised as part of the broader strategy.”
Who was involved in making this initiative a reality?
“The Workforce Advisor was developed as a cross-functional effort between Procurement and Talent Acquisition, with IT supporting the implementation and part of the business case, and with executive sponsorship. It’s important to note that the tool is one component within a broader set of initiatives at UCB, aimed at improving workforce decision-making, visibility and governance.”
What are the next steps?
“The Workforce Advisor is already live, but we’re continuously improving it. We’re refining the user experience, simplifying inputs and enhancing outputs – for example by adding cost comparisons and additional decision support. Adoption is gradually growing as we progressively embed the tool across our organisation. Ultimately, this is not just a technology solution. It’s a shift towards a more integrated and intelligent way of managing total talent.”
The Workforce Advisor is already live, but we’re continuously improving it. We’re refining the user experience, simplifying inputs and enhancing outputs.
Lees ook
