Top 5 Issues with On-demand Hourly and Shift Work

On-demand workers, often referred to as 'gig workers', are a critical component in many industries as companies frequently require temporary staff to meet seasonal and growth demands. Roles such as light industrial, event security, and hospitality are just a few of the positions filled with on-demand hourly and shift workers. When employing such a workforce, it is paramount that these roles are filled promptly and managed through completion without disruption or delay. We'll explore the top five challenges associated with managing an on-demand workforce and how technology in workforce management helps to address these issues.

In the realm of gig work, speed matters. The ability to place workers quickly is a distinguishing factor in the on-demand labor market.

Identifying Talent

Effectively finding on-demand workers for short-term assignments can be complex. Teams need to find workers that are qualified and located as close to worksites as possible. Identifying talent with relevant experience, qualifications, and reliability requires teams to have systems in place to attract talent at scale. Once candidates are identified they need to be quickly qualified and assessed to be placed as soon as possible.

In the realm of gig work, speed matters. The ability to place workers quickly is a distinguishing factor in the on-demand labor market. That's why investing time and resources in building up a talent pool of qualified on-demand workers can pay off significantly.

Workforce Availability and Retention

Finding qualified and available on-demand workers for short-term assignments can be difficult. During peak seasons and high-demand periods, workers are particularly hard to find and no-show rates can increase. Retaining skilled workers for future assignments can also be a challenge, as they may move on to other opportunities or prioritize longer-term employment options.

In order to gain an edge in on-demand hiring, it's crucial for staffing companies to use technology in workforce management. These systems are designed to find available workers who can cover shifts in their area, with a focus on location awareness to match talent to the closest assignments. By consistently providing available workers with relevant assignments hiring teams and on-demand labor platforms can decrease no-show rates and improve retention.

Productivity and Efficiency

On-demand workers may require additional time to familiarize themselves with the company's processes, equipment, and workflows due to the short-term nature of their assignments. This adjustment period can impact productivity and efficiency, especially if there is a constant influx of new workers. Companies may need to invest additional resources in optimizing onboarding processes and providing clear work instructions.

Companies that track work as it is being done in the field, have an advantage toward improving team productivity. By measuring team performance on a per-order basis, teams are able to gather insights into the behaviors that detract from and contribute to efficiency in the field. Armed with this data, operations teams can coach and train workers to optimize efficiency for the long term.

Communication and Coordination

Effective communication and coordination can be a challenge when working with gig workers and on-demand shift labor, especially if there are teams of workers with varied schedules working at different job sites. Coordinating work assignments, providing instructions, and maintaining regular communication can require additional effort and may lead to miscommunication or delays.

Workforce management technology plays a critical role in solving communication and coordination challenges that come with gig work. By using mobile apps and team chat applications, teams can ensure consistent communication and coordination among on-demand workers, operations teams, and site managers for each assignment.

Workforce Management and Scheduling

Managing an on-demand workforce infrastructure effectively can be complex. Companies may need to invest in technology solutions or rely on gig platforms that specialize in matching gig workers with specific shifts and assignments.

These technology solutions should have key functionality that allows operations teams to find workers with the right skills, match them with jobs that fit their profile in terms of length of assignment and compensation, and automate the selection process. Some systems include mobile apps that workers use to accept and decline assignments, receive routes to assignments and facilitate automatic clock-in and clock-out functionality.

How Technology Helps

It's important to note that the specific challenges faced by companies doing this type of hiring may vary based on factors such as location, industry regulations, and the nature of the work being performed. However, it is clear that technology is the common denominator in ensuring that workers are identified, matched with roles and scheduled properly.  Companies should look to technology partners to implement functionality to find nearby workers or provide workers with apps that help them do their jobs.
While it might be complex to empower your talent pool with automated payouts or build automated clock-in or clock-out features in mobile apps, these innovations will help take your business to the next level. HyperTrack provides the infrastructure to support the on-demand workforce, reach out today to discuss your use case!