Did you know that 2.8 million Brits have worked in the gig economy in the last 12 months? As people seek control over their working life or extra supplemental income, more flexible part-time work has become increasingly desirable. In addition, 73% of employees feel that flexible working has increased their job satisfaction whilst 78% of flexible workers believe it has made them more productive. It is clear that the way people want to work is changing.
Similarly, the world of work is constantly evolving. The on-demand economy continues to grow and drastically change consumer expectations. Everything from a cab ride to a weekly shop is now available at a speed and frequency that was not possible even 5 years ago. In response, many companies are beginning to embrace flexible workers to cope with changes in demand. These flexible workers offer a range of benefits to their employers:
Smoothing peaks in demand with flexible workers
During busy holiday seasons like summer and half-term, businesses need to find staff to cope with the increase in traffic. Whilst these peaks can be forecast, many companies simply do not have the staff on their books. This forces them to rely on traditional agencies with limited talent pools.
In addition, an unexpectedly warm weekend or a one-off local event can leave a business struggling to cope. In these situations companies need staff quickly and these workers need to be skilled enough to quickly adapt to a new environment.
A flexible workforce can be the ideal solution. Many workers in the gig economy are highly skilled and in search of autonomy over their careers or extra revenue. Therefore having a contingent workforce allows you to cope with demand without compromising quality of service.
Managing absenteeism
Whether a company is a modern-start-up or a long-established brand, businesses need to manage unpredictability. If a waiter calls in sick. If your receptionist has a family emergency. There needs to be a cost-effective solution to ensure these roles are covered without being detrimental to the current workforce. You don’t want your CEO covering the phones!
These absences are also not always small scale. If a whole team comes down with the flu during the winter, companies need to be able to get skilled temporary staff with only a few hours notice.
Having a pool of contingent workers that have worked with your business before can help to fill gaps in your regular workforce. These workers are already trained. They know the way your company works. They most likely already have a working relationship with other team members and customers. Absenteeism is covered without significant time and cost investments.
Reducing cost and time inefficiencies
The majority of businesses have a team that is at work for set hours in a given week. This often means that during less busy times, staff are under-utilised and the business is incurring costs with limited gain. Conversely, when a busy period occurs, staff may have to be called in at short notice or asked to work overtime. Both of these scenarios waste time and money.
Introducing flexible workers allows you to clearly define your staffing needs. You will only have staff at work when they are required. These changes allow a business to optimise their overheads and significantly lower costs that they incur on a regular basis.
This all sounds great, but where do I find these flexible workers?
A vast range of roles are suitable for on-demand recruitment. From waiters and bartenders to telesales and administration, many positions can be filled flexibly as and when demand requires. But the question is, where do businesses find these more flexible workers?
Most recruitment agencies fail to offer the fast and reliable service that on-demand businesses need. The situation is no easier if a company wants to source the workers themselves. They must invest significant time and money on recruiting, on-boarding and managing their new temporary staff. Many managers simply do not have the time to carry out these processes effectively.
Businesses need a solution. The benefits of on-demand recruitment are too large to ignore. But many cannot invest the time to make it work. They need a comprehensive platform where they can recruit, on-board and pay temporary staff in a simple and efficient manner.
That’s where we come in!
Here at Coople we have taken a completely different approach to the recruitment process. We take a more modern outlook that improves organisational flow and reduces friction throughout businesses. Our powerful algorithm, peer-driven community and intuitive interface allows us to connect businesses with available and qualified part-time staff. We have over 350,000 workers who are available to 18,000 registered companies.
We focus on recruitment so your business can focus on what it does best.
How Coople simplifies on-demand recruitment for businesses
Easy for employers and employees
Everything is done online. Potential employees create profiles with their previous experience, relevant skills and availability. Employers upload wages, dates and hours when they need flexible staff. Our software does the matching and you can have potential candidates in a matter of minutes!
No paperwork
We know you’re busy. We also know there are lots of bits and pieces that come with hiring temporary staff. That’s why we take care of everything from right to work requirements to contracts and payroll.
No more searching
Coople does all the searching for you – or at least, our algorithm does! We match employers’ requirements with the best available people. We get the right people in the right job, just when they’re needed.
Quality control
Employees are held to a high standard in our peer-driven community. Our right to work sessions assess potential workers for their character and work ethic as well as their skills. In addition, every business rates its employees, so the best employees get more work.
Maximum flexibility
Employers can book employees on the same day or weeks in advance. They set their own hourly rates and only hire the people they need. Employees accept the job before the final offer to reduce wait times.
Retain skilled people
Employers can save their best employees in their ‘favourites pool’. This makes it easy to rehire those who perform well. Businesses can keep the best talent within their workforce, without compromising flexibility.
We work with some of the world’s most recognisable brands from Deliveroo and Just Eat to Regus and Gett. By supporting their flexible staffing needs, we support these businesses in their growth and evolution.
Join Coople today to recruit the best part-time staff and revolutionise the way you work.