On Demand is the New Temp

Evolution is something we have all experienced, felt, and learned about going back to high school biology. It takes many forms - the evolution of species over many years, the evolution of how we process and interact with the world via altered and virtual reality. Whether it takes a millennia (animal species) or days (technology), the world is changing before our eyes. The area we’d like to explore and unpack a little further is the evolution of the workforce, and how employees and job seekers experience and engage in it. 

What is temporary staffing?

The temporary staffing industry has been around for many years and filled a wonderful need for job seekers and employers alike. Its birth can be traced back to the 1940’s in the United States when soldiers fighting in WWII left many jobs unfilled, and employers weren’t prepared to fill those needs themselves. From the roots of that need sprang the industry that has grown to over $170 billion (yes, that’s with a B) in annual revenue. The model was straightforward…a company needed an employee with a certain skill set and the staffing company had candidates they’d interviewed and vetted to send to the company with the need.

While some of the specifics have changed, e.g., the employee used to often pay a fee to the staffing company to find them a job. Rightfully so, that practice is passe and completely discouraged by the American Staffing Association and all reputable staffing companies today. 

Staffing Challenges

One of the biggest changes has been the method of communication between the company and temporary employees. While 100% of communication was initially done by the phone, it has evolved over time to include the use of fax machines, email, and then text messaging. What didn’t change though was the pseudo-wall that existed between the staffing companies’ clients and their temporary employees. If the client had a need, they would reach out to their representative who would then reach out to potential employees and connect the dots between the two parties. That was how it worked for decades. 

The Gig Economy

Now, there is a model in the industry that is turning work on its head: the introduction of the “gig economy,” and its impact on so many facets of our life. Initially, if you wanted a side hustle to earn a little cash, you would need to be an Uber or Doordash driver. While those were good options for many, they were also unpredictable in their nature in that you had to wait around for someone to request a ride or order food that they want RIGHT NOW. There was a great deal of down time while sitting and waiting. 

Well, merge together the gig economy and principles from the staffing industry and you have something new being spearheaded by companies like GigWorx. We are taking the flexibility of gig work and marrying it to traditional work using our proprietary app. The concept is simple…a company has a need for employees that they post days and weeks into the future, but only asking for a one day commitment at a time from the employee. That’s it. While simple, the benefits are numerous for all parties involved. 

Benefits to a Job Seeker: 

• You are in complete control of when and where you work. You can choose to work 1 day a week, 5 days a week at five different companies, or 5 days in a row at the same company if they have that need. You decide. 
• You choose where you work. All jobs through GigWorx have the location listed. 
• You know exactly what the pay will be. In addition to thorough job descriptions, all of our jobs have the pay rate listed. 
• You receive a W-2 from GigWorx. You don’t need to personally pay the additional Social Security and Medicare taxes that go along with a 1099/contractor arrangement. 
• You can live your life how YOU want. You’d like to be able to have Monday and Friday off? GREAT! Only pickup shifts in the middle of the week. Want to work weekends only? Super. You can do that too. 

Benefits to Employers 

• You have access to an untapped and unique workforce. While most traditional staffing companies have the same pool of people they are all pulling from, GigWorkers are firemen, teachers, students, and others who often have other employment but are looking for the type of flexibility we offer to supplement their income or even use us as a full-time employment resource. 
• It’s cliché, but our GigWorkers care more. We embed in them the core value of reliability because we are only able to offer this unique way of doing things if they show up and do what they say they’re going to do. The success rate of GigWorx placements is significantly higher than the industry average. 
• You are in control of posting your needs if you’d like to be. You are set up with an account in the app and you post your jobs whenever and from wherever you are. 24/7. If posting your own jobs isn’t your thing, we will help you and do it for you. It’s up to you. 
• You can see in the GigWorx app who has picked up your shifts and which ones are still open. 

Like anything new, change can be scary, but when you stop and consider the benefits of this new work arrangement it’s not hard to see that this is the future of work and it is available to you right now. Contact us any time if you need skilled and dependable employees or if you are one of those potential employees looking to take back control of your work life. We are here for you both. 

https://www.gigworx.com/