It happens to almost every business: suddenly there is more work than people. An unexpected order, a sick employee or a busy season. How do you solve such a staff shortage without crippling your organization? The answer often lies in flexible personnel.
But what does that actually mean? And how do you make sure your company is ready to handle peak moments without stress? In this article, you'll read how to build a flexible workforce, why temporary staffing and outsourcing are smart, and what strategies you can employ during busy periods.
Imagine: you run a web shop and just before the holidays, orders are flying around your ears. Your permanent team is already working overtime, but it doesn't seem like enough. What do you do?
This is exactly where flexibility comes in handy. A team that moves with you ensures that you can scale up quickly when demand increases and scale down again when things calm down. It prevents stress on your permanent staff and keeps your customers happy.
A flexible staffing strategy not only helps during busy times, but also makes your business more agile. It gives you the freedom to seize opportunities that might otherwise pass you by, such as a large order or an additional project. This not only keeps you stable, but also allows you to grow faster without stress.
It starts with a simple question: what kind of help do you need at what time? Think about three layers:
Do you often have peaks at the same times, such as around the summer or holidays? Then it is useful to have your own pool of on-call workers. Consider students or people who like to work part-time.
For example, a hospitality company creates a WhatsApp group with on-call workers that they can quickly call on during busy times. That way they don't have to keep looking for people.
No time to recruit staff yourself? Then a temporary employment agency or recruitment and selection agency is ideal. They arrange everything: from contracts to payroll. You just get the people you need.
Meta Carrière helps companies with this by quickly finding the right people and taking all administrative worries off your hands.
Some tasks are better outsourced. Think of customer service during busy periods or processing large orders. This keeps your regular team focused on the most important work.
Example: A webshop outsources returns processing to a specialized company. This keeps delivery times short and customers can always return their products on time.
No matter how flexible your team is, without good planning it becomes chaos. Therefore, use a tool in which you can easily shift shifts, see availability and call people directly.
Ask yourself:
By analyzing this, you can better predict when to bring in temporary staff.
Flexibility is nice, but motivation is just as important. How do you keep temporary workers engaged?
A staff shortage can be stressful, but it doesn't have to become a disaster. Through a smart mix of permanent staff, temporary staff and outsourcing, you can build a team that moves with your business. The more flexible you are, the better you can respond to opportunities.
Want to build a reliable network of flexible staff without the hassle? Meta Carrière provides the right people and a team that moves with your organization.
Contact Meta Carrière today and find out how we can solve your staffing shortage.