Do you have a vacant position on your team and need it filled yesterday? Sometimes, it might make more sense to bring on a temporary worker, freelancer, or independent contractor through flex staffing instead of making a quick hire.
If you need more flexibility when recruiting new staff members, you should know what flex staffing has to offer before you make another hire.
Get the team member who is going to be the best fit for your brand by filling the immediate need with flex staffing and taking your time with making a full-time hire. Here is what you need to know about this excellent hiring decision before you move full steam ahead.
What is Flex Staffing?
Sometimes, your business may not need to hire a full-time employee when their needs are only seasonal or temporary. With that in mind, it may not make sense to go through the onboarding process with a new team member when you need their skills for a limited period of time.
This is where flex staffing (also known as contingency staffing) can help.
Instead of hiring, you can bring on freelancers and independent contractors that meet your exact specifications without making a long-term commitment. They will still be motivated to work on your projects and can supplement the skills of your existing team.
The result is a greater degree of flexibility for your brand as you scale up and down only when it is absolutely necessary. Business owners no longer have to worry about legal requirements that they must extend to someone who is a full-fledged member of their team, making hiring faster and less expensive.
Benefits of Flex Staffing
Flex staffing is truly the implementation of a flexible staffing solution that meets your business right where it is at this moment. Contingency staffing allows you to scale quickly in the moments where it matters most.
You may not have a clear idea of how your brand will grow and change over the coming weeks or months. As a result, you may not know if you have enough work to keep a full-time employee happy.
It also allows you to take your time finding the best long-term fit for the company. Managers who are in desperate need of labor may make a hire that is not the best fit for their brand, the skills they truly need, or their culture. If you know that you have someone who can fill in the gap, you can take a deep breath knowing your company is covered, no matter how long it takes to find the perfect person.
Plus, hiring temporary workers tends to be a great option from a cost-efficiency standpoint. Pay only for the services you need without a salary paycheck with benefits. More than that, a flexstaff prevents you from spending money to onboard someone who turns out to be not a good fit for you long-term.
Hiring can be quite costly, so you should take your time and do it with a thoughtful mentality. Until you can be certain that someone is the right fit, flex staffing exists to help you cover the gap.
4 Tips for Maximizing Flex Staff Productivity
Of course, making a flexstaff hire requires you to embrace the differences between a contingent staff member and a full-time or part-time employee. Here are four strategic ways to maximize the productivity of your new workers.
Work with a Staffing Agency
Do you dread doing endless interviews with people who are not going to be a good fit for your brand? There’s no shortage of flexstaff options available in today’s gig economy, but the sheer number of possibilities only makes it more difficult to find workers with the exact skills, work ethic, and soft skills needed.
Save yourself some of this time and effort by working with a staffing agency like Alaska Executive Search. With over 30,000 direct contacts in our network, we have the connections to find that perfect fit. Our goal is to save you time while helping you find the needle in the haystack – the talents that you desperately need rather than hunting for individuals.
Look for a Culture Fit
The work you do is not the only thing that matters at the end of the day. You want someone on your team who aligns with the mission and values that your brand embraces. A culture fit should be on your short-list of must-have attributes in any potential candidate whether you go the flex staffing route or hire a full-time worker.
Treat Them Like Professionals
Is there anything worse than having someone leave mid-project because they are unhappy with the environment they are asked to work in? You should still respect the workers you bring on as a flexstaff solution, valuing their time the same as you would any full-time employee. Don’t treat them like cheap labor that is easily replaced.
Value Their Opinion
It might be hard for you to see the flaws in your current system and processes because you are too close to the subject matter. As a new temporary worker learns these systems, they might be able to provide you with a fresh, outside perspective that draws your attention to inefficiencies. They may even have new ideas that can infuse life into your brand.
Contact Alaska Executive Search
When you need to fill a vacant position with a skilled team member, trust your hiring process to the experts. At Alaska Executive Search, we have more than 45 years of experience with scouting, recruitment, and retention. We help you pinpoint what kind of talent you need and help you find your next hire before you need them with over 30,000 contacts at our disposal.
Whether you are looking for contingency staffing or filling a permanent position, contact Alaska Executive Search today to learn more about how we can help meet your staffing needs.