Is your business prepared for the holiday season? While retail and warehousing see some of the most dramatic seasonal impact, almost every industry feels the ripple effects of high consumer spending and increased requests for employee time off. This can be a cause for concern for any business, unless your workforce is fully prepared for what’s coming.
As you’re looking to hire holiday help - scale up your workforce to meet increased workloads or fill gaps for full-time employees taking days off - it’s worth considering the benefits of on-demand hourly workers. These extra hands have the power to help your team meet goals and customer expectations without stressing out your team. Read on to explore the top three benefits of tapping into Employbridge’s workforce this holiday season.
Real-Time Flexibility
Holiday chaos is real, and it’s coming. No matter how reliable your projections are for the season, there is always the possibility that unexpected rushes or employee absences can alter your workforce needs. And one of the easiest ways to prepare is by tapping into a flexible, on-demand workforce that can change with you on a moment’s notice.
Recently, we surveyed hourly workers about their plans for seasonal work in 2019. While 27% were seeking to work 30 or more hours per week, 40% were looking for less than 20 hours per week during the holiday season. This shows the wide array of goals that seasonal workers have - and the availability of strong workers to pick up individual shifts or join your team full time. Regardless of your need, the talent is out there - you just have to find them. And Employbridge can help.
Higher Employee Satisfaction
According to our Holiday Hiring Survey, the top benefit hourly workers are looking for in seasonal jobs is flexibility. Your internal, permanent shift workers are likely to value flexibility just as much as the workers we surveyed. Having additional, qualified workers at your fingertips can help you give it to them.
Having access to on-demand workers allows you to accommodate your team’s holiday needs and backfill their positions with the click of a button. A 2018 Global Talent Trends study found that 51% of employees wish their company offered more flexible work options - and with Employbridge, you have the ability to do so. Allowing your permanent workforce to have the flexibility they want can also be a great way to increase employee satisfaction and show your employees that you care about them beyond their productivity.
In one of the tightest hiring markets in history, and as nearly half of HR professionals cite retention as one of their biggest workforce management struggles, offering your employees these benefits during the holidays can help boost both employee satisfaction and, in turn, your bottom line.
Improved Customer Experience
Preparing ahead for increased demand and employee absences is part of offering an experience that keeps customers coming back. And as holiday shopping has increasingly moved online - Salesforce projects 13% year-over-year digital revenue growth this holiday season - the retail rush has come to have a huge impact on warehouse workers and shipping. Adjusting your workforce to compensate for increased foot traffic in your store or a rush of shipping in your warehouse allows you to maintain the level of service that your customers have come over time to know and expect.
Beyond the process of simply purchasing and receiving your products, customer service can have a massive effect on buyers. According to a recent study, 40% of consumers surveyed say that good customer service keeps them coming back to brands they’ve tried before; and 43% say that bad customer service has convinced them to stop buying from a particular brand. This makes the quality of your workers, especially those in customer-facing roles, critical. That’s why at Employbridge, we screen every worker in person before they can start accepting jobs.
The Benefits of an On-Demand Seasonal Workforce
On-demand staffing platforms like Employbridge are able to provide qualified, W-2 workers that flex to meet your needs, whether you’re hiring one worker for one shift or 50 workers from Black Friday through the New Year - and beyond. Having pre-qualified workers like ours at your fingertips helps you provide a positive experience, both for your employees and your customers. As you prepare for the holiday season, make sure to keep Employbridge in mind.