Staff augmentation is a growing trend of the use of contingent workers to supplement the employees in an organization. Staff augmentation is nothing new – in the past organizations would hire contingent workers to fill positions in their organization when someone would take a leave from work, due to vacation or illness.
Post Covid-19 the need for augmented staff has grown due to the restrictions of a lockdown in place and employees are unable to work from offices. Staff augmentation allows businesses to hire remote workers who can add value to the business while not physically filling up desk space.
Today, contingent workers have taken up a new role – that of staff augmented workers for offices and other working models.
Staff augmentation is the use of outside employees temporarily to fill up the needs of an organization.
Staff augmentation offers the following benefits:
Increased labor capacity: It offers an increase in workers for a spike in assignments within an organization. This spike in demand may be due to increased production, an increase in demand, seasonal business, etc.
A temporary bridge to hire: Sometimes an organization is in a temporary phase where it needs more employees to fill its need until it can hire full-time employees.
Specialized skilled workers: Sometimes a business may need specialized skilled workers for a temporary period of time. In this case, a business may hire augmented staff.
Strategic flexibility: Sometimes an organization may hire skilled augmented employees as flexible labor so that they can have flexibility in the employees they hire.
Advantages of Staff Augmentation
Staff augmentation has several advantages for businesses that need a flexible workforce. Let’s take a look at the advantages of augmented staff:
• Adds value to your workforce
Augmented staff that is well trained and qualified for the job can quickly understand and complete tasks. Augmented staff are ready for businesses’ needs and have the know-how to complete business tasks with ease and precision.
• It eradicates the need for hiring full-time employees for temporary projects
Sometimes a business may have temporary projects that require staff with new skill sets. Instead of hiring new employees for the project, businesses can rely on augmented staff to complete the project. This eradicates the need for hiring full-time employees for a temporary project.
• It offers flexibility
Some businesses are seasonal and this leads to an increased need for employees during a certain season. Staff augmentation is flexible. You can hire employees as per your needs when demand for your business is more during a certain season.
Types of staff in Staff Augmentation
Staff Augmentation is a powerful tool that businesses can use to fill their need for employees. Staff augmentation employees are divided into three kinds, depending on a business’s needs.
The three types of staff for augmentation are:
1) Commodity
Commodity workers are for businesses that wish to complete a task but do not require a specific skill set. Some examples of commodity staff are factory and warehouse workers, retail and event workers, etc.
2) Moderately skilled based
Moderate skilled based workers require a certain amount of skill to accomplish a task but the skill level is not critical. Some examples of skill-based workers are content writers, basic office staff, transcription personnel, etc.
3) Highly-skilled
Highly skilled workers have the specific skills that a business needs that is attained through education and experience. Examples of highly skilled staff are engineers, accountants, brand design experts, etc.
There are many Staff Augmentation companies offering end-to-end solutions for recruiting offshore employees that can help you in more ways than one to meet your employee augmentation and business goals especially during the rise of the market post-covid-19 pandemic.
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nice post ,very helpful.