The world of work has undergone huge changes over the last decade. A flexible workforce has become essential for businesses, as labour needs can change unexpectedly and at short notice. Our experience and customer feedback shows that companies are looking for solutions that enable them to adapt faster. This is particularly important in the hospitality, catering and service sectors, where the physical presence of workers is unavoidable.
Workforce planning in a changing environment
Traditional staffing strategies and labour recruitment are based on long term contracts, with staff recruited on a full-time basis and for longer periods. This model was well suited to the economic conditions of the 20th century, where labour needs were predictable. Nowadays, where workloads can fluctuate even on a daily basis, these solutions are often inadequate.
💡 Read more: Is traditional staff leasing losing relevance?
Flexibility has become the norm in office work, with employers offering a choice of working hours and location. However, areas where physical presence is a necessity are a problem: service, accommodation, maintenance and cleaning, catering, logistics, manufacturing and construction. In these sectors, flexibility is still evolving and companies are struggling to meet workers’ expectations, to make schedules more flexible and to find replacements quickly when needed.
The result is a growing administrative burden, often falling on the shoulders of middle managers – store managers, shift supervisors, production managers. The heavy burden of manual scheduling and human resource management often leads to burnout, as work organisation requires constant intervention and overtime.
Forecasting labour needs and flexibility
In the European Union, 46% of workers say their job does not offer enough flexibility in terms of working hours and workplace. This is a major challenge for companies, especially those whose business model depends on the physical presence of employees. Paradoxically, workforce planning has become shorter and shorter – while in the past, staffing needs were forecast on a quarterly or monthly basis, today decisions are made on a weekly or daily basis. On the one hand, workers are still tied to long-term contracts, but at the same time, companies need more and more flexibility to plan their workflow and react at short notice.
The impact of COVID-19 and the accelerating development of flexibility
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated changes in work organisation and increased the demand for flexibility. While flexible working became the norm in office work, hospitality and service companies, for example, still need to ensure the presence of staff.
This is the main problem with the traditional agency workforce – it does not allow for a rapid adjustment of the workforce according to daily or weekly changes. Flexible labour offers a solution here, allowing the number of workers to be matched to the number of orders and customers. Since labour costs represent a large proportion of a company’s fixed costs, a saving of even a few percentage points in working hours can represent a significant financial gain.
A flexible workforce is also good for workers
Flexible working is not only good for businesses, but also for employees. People who want more autonomy and control over their working time are often just as motivated and reliable as full-time workers. Flexible working arrangements do not mean a reduction in the quality of work, but in our experience, a greater sense of responsibility and commitment.
Statistics from GoWorkaBit show that 85% of people who work through our platform do extra work – that is, they already have a steady job (whether full-time or some other agreed workload) but want to earn extra when it suits them. This means that they are experienced in different working environments, have work habits and are ready to add value immediately to the company they come to.
Summary
Traditional staff leasing no longer meets the demands of the modern labour market. Companies that want to stay competitive need solutions that allow them to manage their workforce flexibly and efficiently.
- Scheduling by the day and by the hour has become the new norm.
- Rapidly adjusting the workforce is no longer a luxury, but a survival strategy.
- A flexible workforce allows you to match workload and staffing levels to orders and actual customer needs.
Sources:
- “Flexible and hybrid working practices 2023”, CIPD – Source.
- “Flexible Working Trends 2023”, Neeyamo – Source
- “Flexibility at work – statistics”, Eurostat – Source
- “The future of work in Europe”, McKinsey – Source.
- “Winter 2023 Europe Labour Market Report: key takeaways”, Magnit Global – Source
- “The Future of Staffing: 2025’s Biggest Trends and Challenges”, Staffing Hub – Allikas