We've all heard the advice to diversify our investment portfolios, especially when the economy is wonky. That notion — "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" — can be applied to staffing, too. As we think about the future of work and the ongoing demand for flexibility in the workplace, businesses can leverage the concept of portfolio diversification by experimenting with a blend of traditional and flexible staffing options with fruitful results. That starts with understanding the wants and needs of their current worker base.
Data and Mindful Questions
Businesses trying to figure out how to move forward with utilizing flexible work should start by taking stock of their current workers. A lot of conversations are happening around flexible work and the future of work, but businesses may not know whether their existing employees have an appetite for it. I don't recommend making any drastic changes without first doing a "temperature check" with the current worker base and their views on flexibility.
I'm a huge advocate for worker surveys for this. Surveys allow businesses to ask their workers what they want. Do they prefer a traditional set schedule or do they want flexibility when it comes to picking up shifts?
Flexibility doesn't just refer to hours. Are workers interested in opportunities to upskill and train for new positions within the organization? Hourly workers, such as bartenders, servers, and even forklift drivers and warehouse personnel, often stay in one role for a long time, but they might still want to gain experience in another area. That doesn't mean they need to leave the business. They just need the opportunity to try something different. Offering that opportunity is another way for businesses to be flexible and keep their best talent.
It's crucial for businesses to have conversations with their workers and ask questions to understand what they're looking for. Those conversations can help with better retention and a happier worker base.
Test and Iterate
Businesses should keep an open mind when it comes to flexibility. Some workers are very comfortable with one role and a set schedule. Others may need flexibility in their scheduling due to childcare conflicts, elderly parents, or other reasons. It's OK to set some parameters around that. Companies may also have to test a few different approaches and iterate to find what works for both the business and their workers.
If something's not working or doesn't feel right, that doesn't mean it's a failure. Just because a new process is not immediately successful doesn't mean it should be cut off at the knees. It means there's room to iterate until you find that sweet spot. If an aspect seems to be working, but it's not perfect yet, tweak it and try it again.
For small businesses, it's analogous to when you first started. It wasn't perfect right out of the gate. There was a lot of trial and error, trying things out and using data when possible to make educated guesses. You build on your experiences and what you think you know, see the outcome, and then iterate and try something else. Everything is a learning opportunity.
Large businesses can also adopt that small business mindset by starting small with test groups. Try new things with a smaller group, almost like a focus group, to get some feedback. Those learnings can be used to iterate within the small group before execution or scale across the organization.
Flexible Staffing Makes for Flexible Businesses
The economy is changing quickly. A flexible approach to staffing makes it easier for businesses to react to those changes by dialing staffing up or down to meet demand and attracting new talent based on their need for flexibility. If a business doesn't have the in-house talent needed, it can leverage that flexibility to pull in new workers more quickly by offering the choice between a traditional schedule and a more flexible option. There's also the option to pull in more flexible staffing to meet customer demand rather than carrying extra staff or going through layoffs.
It's not a one-size-fits-all approach. Diversifying allows businesses to be more agile, so they can ebb and flow with what they can and can't control.
As we look toward the future of work, businesses should avoid backing themselves into a corner with one staffing strategy just because it's always been done that way. A singular approach may not be the best short-term or long-term option.
Businesses that leverage an hourly workforce, especially, should think of staffing as an investment portfolio and strive to diversify. They can determine what their workers want and what their business needs and use that data to find the sweet spot where they have multiple, flexible options. The result is a rich portfolio — and a successful business.
