A flexible workforce in Canada can allow your company to thrive while others die through attrition. When the Canadian economy gets bad, many companies can’t make it through the hard times. They have too many permanent employees to pay, but they can’t make enough money to do so. Mass layoffs occur. The companies that manage to stay afloat are the ones that can adjust to the changing market, and often, having a flexible workforce is what gives them the elasticity to be able to do so. Having a flexible workforce in Canada has many benefits. Here are just five of them.
1. Easy to Minimize Your Workforce
Paying permanent employees is fine if business is booming. But when it’s slow, you can be wasting a lot of money on employees who don’t have much work to do. You’re just trying to keep them busy day to day. But you don’t want to lay anyone off because business could pick up again at any time. But with flexible staff, you can minimize your workforce whenever you need to, without the hassle of layoffs.
2. Lower Costs
Permanent employees cost a whole lot more than just the base salary that you’re paying them. With a flexible workforce, you don’t have as many overhead costs, like benefits and vacation days, to worry about, so you’re saving valuable capital that you can use elsewhere when you need it.
3. Employees When You Need Them, Right Away
When business does start to pick up again, you have all the warm bodies you need with a flexible workforce. New business opportunities can occur at any time—your business might get busier than you’ve ever seen it without any warning or you happen to network with new clients who are giving you big business right away. A flexible workforce allows you to have all the workers you need when you need them.
4. Expansion Has Never Been Easier
With a flexible staff on hand, you can try adding new products or services at any time in order to expand. You’ll have enough employees on hand while you’re testing them out, ramping up production, and trying to expand, and you can quickly add more workers if demand holds. Or, if your expansion doesn’t work out as you had hoped and you’re not seeing any increased demand, you can quickly minimize your staff from your current payroll without major repercussions. It’s a safer way to test out new products and services.
5. Time Savings
Staffing your workforce is a major responsibility and it can be quite time consuming. You have to send out job postings, sift through hundreds of resumes and perform interviews. Doing it right means taking time away from your other responsibilities. But with a flexible workforce, you don’t have to worry about doing any hiring. Your staffing agency will ensure that you have the right workers for every job, every time.
The Ups and Downs
If you’re a business owner in Canada, you know what it’s like to go through the ups and downs, based on the current economy. Only those who can adjust to the demand can survive. The best way to adjust with the highs and lows is to have a flexible workforce on hand. Add more employees when you need them and minimize your staff when you don’t. It’s strategic, logical, and rational. Your staff will always be the perfect size for maximum productivity and profitability, so you’re never wasting any money or missing any opportunities.
