Tuesday 17 December 2013

Just-in-time workers

The world we live in is an on-demand world; if the companies do not keep up with the speeding trends, they are left behind. The demands of the market are dynamic and keep fluctuating with each passing moment. To adapt to this lifestyle, companies need quick decision making capability and agility.

To meet these new demands of the market, companies need to do more than just managing skills within enterprise. They need to include the new extended workforce – contractors, strategic/outsourcing partners and other nontraditional workers.

There is out-sourcing, in-sourcing, and then there is “right-sourcing” – developing core business resources and putting in Just In Time Employee wherever there is a gap. One of the most common problems which companies are facing today is talent management – finding right people for right task at right time. Hiring employees, training and developing them is very costly, it not only affects turnover, but also customer satisfaction.

In a world with cut-throat competition, a company’s success or failure may depend on time to market their services/products. By bringing in people as and when needed, who can hit the ground running without wasting any time in training, businesses can get a service/product out before their competition. Also, by using the extended workforce, organizations can swiftly change the mix of skills according to the changing customer preferences.

Companies find it beneficial to have running, skillful, bright workforce that can grow and shrink according to the demand of the market. On one hand companies can save money on rent, maintenance, and energy costs while on the other hand employees can save on commuting costs. By making use of extended workers, organizations may be able to make optimum usage of their human asset by more fluidly matching task to talent.

In addition, companies could gain access to a much wider range of expertise and skills that may not be readily available in their existing talent pools. Above all, putting an extended workforce to use simulates innovation, which is an essential part of any growth-driven competitive strategy. Bringing in new thinking and talent from the outside can help open an organization’s eyes to new ideas and fresh, uncommon ways of thinking.

”The only way employers can get the staffing crisis under control is to abandon the old-fashioned idea of an employee,” says Bruce Tulgan, author of the upcoming book Winning the Talent Wars.

Just-in-time hiring is rapidly becoming the new reality. Companies do not have the luxury of pampering a static workforce anymore. They are quickly moving to a more dynamic and nimble model where freelancers are becoming the force that drives productivity and innovation.

About Author:
Nisha Tolani is consultant and part of Systems Plus Pvt. Ltd. She is a part of consulting team that delivers Sourcing and Vendor Management Office projects. She can be contacted at: nisha.t@spluspl.com

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