Technological developments, globalization and changing customer needs create a dynamic environment where organisations need to adapt quickly. To remain competitive, it is essential to have a flexible workforce that adapts to these changes. But how do you create that flexibility? Flexibility is often sought in the temporary deployment of external employees, but the real key lies in making your core flexible.
Traditionally, external employees are often considered when the fixed capacity is ‘used up’. When all permanent employees have been deployed, external employees are deployed to fill the remaining ‘gaps’ in the schedule. This often fails to take sufficient account of a balanced distribution of the specific knowledge and skills of the permanent employees. This can lead to frustration and overload of your permanent staff, dissatisfaction with the external employees deployed and a sub-optimal return.
The solution: Start at the core with permanent employees
To be truly flexible, you need to start at the core of your organisation: your permanent employees. By first looking at a balanced distribution of tasks and responsibilities within your permanent team, you create a solid foundation for flexibility. You can then outsource the tasks that can be performed more easily by an external force to temporary employees.
Why a flexible core?
Knowledge and experience: For effective and efficient deployment of flexible employees, it is important that they can fall back on the knowledge and experience of permanent employees. Information is easily accessible, tips and feedback can be exchanged quickly and experienced forces are always available in case of questions or disruptions.
Optimal use of expertise: By strategically dividing tasks between your permanent core and flexible shell, you ensure that your employees are deployed to their strengths. This leads to higher productivity and better results.
Efficient deployment of externals: When your permanent core is flexibly organised, deploying external employees becomes easier and more successful. The role for the external is simpler and clearer, you can more easily find a suitable candidate and also often shorten the induction time for the external employee.
How do you implement a flexible core?
To ensure sufficient flexibility in the team of permanent employees, there are various options, whereby of course a good look must be taken at which form of flexibility is important. For the organisation, but also for the employee. A few examples:
Task differentiation: Analyse the tasks and responsibilities within your teams and identify which tasks are suitable for the permanent core and which can be outsourced.
Training and development: Invest in the development of your employees, so that they can continue to develop their skills and are future-proof.
Department rotation: Ensure that people are used to working in various team compositions so that they can be deployed more broadly to help out elsewhere.
Flexible working hours: Where possible, offer employees the opportunity to flexibly adjust their working hours to their personal needs. This offers room during peaks with external colleagues to spread the activities outside standard working hours.
Clear communication: Ensure open communication about the possibilities and expectations regarding flexibility.
The flexible shell: A valuable addition
Setting up a good flexible shell remains an important part of a successful workforce management strategy. The flexible shell can then be used to absorb peaks in workload, supplement specialist knowledge, or support projects.
Capacity management and personnel planning
A flexible workforce requires a thorough approach to capacity management, personnel planning and scheduling. Modern tools and technologies can help you optimise the available capacity and efficiently plan the deployment of your employees.
Conclusion
Organising sufficient flexibility in an organisation is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. By investing in the flexibility of your permanent employees and strategically supplementing them with a flexible shell, you create a resilient organisation that is ready for the future. Take the first step towards a successful workforce management strategy today!
