Buyers
Every organisation needs a core of solid long-term employees who often have interesting and rewarding jobs. But - be honest - many institutions also have workers doing repetitive unstimulating work where there is little loyalty and constant monitoring is required. This is where Slivers-of-Time Workers can be a welcome change.
Buy Slivers-of-Time for this requirement and you will be hiring from a self selecting pool. Everyone involved has chosen to work in a way that demands personal responsibility, rewards reliability and encourages flexibility. Local people are likely to offer you the best value compared to those who travel from far away to do your work. Best of all: these workers can be inducted if required then booked with extraordinary efficiency, for exactly the times you need them, at the best possible market rate.
What could this way of hiring do for your organisation?
1) Improve worker quality
You may have hundreds of contingent workers on your premises at any time. If so, you probably experience constant headaches with the people who come in day after day to do your less attractive jobs. The Slivers-of-Time workforce is different; they're working when they want, not when you, or your agency, tell them. They're able to pursue other aspirations in their life and they understand they need a constant flow of bookings like yours to stay that way.
Above all, your Slivers-of-Time sellers are climbing a ladder. They need their timesheets signed so they can build the track record of reliability that allows them to break out of the pack and command a premium at the higher levels of the market. It's a powerful inducement to turn up and give satisfaction.
2) Cut costs
This new resource allows you to book additional staff with the efficiency and immediacy you take for granted when buying stationery, travel or consumables online. You need a Pick-and-Pack work worker for tonight's two hour early-evening peak? At the moment, your agency will almost certainly tell you there's a four hour minimum booking. Need 80 people in the call centre for 45 minutes to handle the response from a one-off afternoon TV commercial? At the moment you will probably try to build the outbound call requirement just to justify extra seats being filled on that shift.
That's not the way it works in the Slivers-of-Time marketplace. If you want 80 people for 45 minutes that's what you book. The worker's pay rate will be higher than normal temp booking, but the overall cost lower. And the people who choose to do these sorts of bookings are comfortable with hitting-the-ground running and don't expect to stick around unnecessarily.
Accountability is immediate. Every detail of every booking is captured for your internal auditing. Find out what each cost centre and staff member is spending, when and on what.
3) Reshape the candidate pool
There's a limited number of recruits looking for full-time, or even formal part-time, work in your area. Move to Slivers-of-Time hiring and you have sight of countless new candidates who would not be otherwise available to you.
People who choose to work Slivers-of-Time are likely to have useful skills. All will be computer literate to at least basic level. They may also be experienced in running a home, some will be studying. Many will be using this way of working to fund plans for self-betterment. Slivers-of-Time is a way of building relationships with the local community because you are spreading your available work around, rather than concentrating it in a few households.
Candidates who are disabled or new to the workforce can join your team, helping you meet diversity targets. Local people are likely to be the most willing to work for you and therefore the cheapest for any given job. If you're a good employer that will create a self sustaining "buzz" among people who may only do a shift for you every month or so.
4) Retention
Trained staff want to go in search of new pastures? Offer them the opportunity to sell their Slivers-of-Time back to you, possibly at an above market rate to reflect the value of their knowledge. They then work when it suits them and can begin dabbling in other career paths without loosing you as an anchor employer.
Launching the local market
If your organisation regularly needs a pool of contingent workers you may want to consider seeding the local market for Slivers-of-Time. This would leverage your spending for the benefit of the wider community as well as giving immediate potential efficiencies.
