Why staff augmentation could be the best solution for your business
February 07, 2023
Thousands of companies are thinking of outsourcing in the present economic climate. It may be worth it to take a closer look at staff augmentation.
The coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally altered the business world and its relationship with its workforce. Working from home and hybrid work have become the norm and this has enabled different means of approaching employment.
Background to staff augmentation
Companies are increasingly investigating means of distributing their workforce and staff augmentation is a particularly popular method of achieving this aim. Staff augmentation is the practice of temporarily hiring external employees to augment the capabilities of a business. This practice takes several forms and solves many common problems which businesses face on a daily basis.
Staff augmentation is by no means a new practice; but it has become increasingly popular in recent years thanks to the innovations in the field and the dynamism of the modern business environment. A recent academic paper noted that staff augmentation was utilized by hospitals during the pandemic to provide additional support for the massive increase in demand that the pandemic created.
Benefits of staff augmentation
The case of a short-term and significant increase in demand is one of the most popular examples in which staff augmentation can be highly useful. Instead of going through the arduous process of hiring new staff; hospitals chose to augment their capacity to bridge a short-term gap. This has two major benefits for businesses. Firstly; companies do not need to expend time; money; and labor hiring permanent employees and secondly; companies can make significant savings by hiring employees as and when they are needed. This reduces the headache of the hiring process as well as decreasing costs.
Another common case in which staff augmentation is ideal is when a business requires skills; knowledge; or experience that its current employees do not possess. For example; a software development firm may hire a highly specialized developer for a specific project which they do not have the required skills for in-house. This process can be completed far more efficiently than hiring a permanent staff member and when the project is complete they do not need to be concerned with an employee for which they no longer have a need.
Staff augmentation does not always have to be temporary despite this being its most common use case. Many companies use staff augmentation as a means of testing new employees before offering them a permanent position in the company. This is highly beneficial for businesses as they can scout for new talent without the downsides of accidentally hiring an incompatible individual. In this case; the organization which provided an incompatible employee would bear the burden instead of the company that hired them.
Additionally; strategic avenues are opened to businesses through staff augmentation. Businesses can dynamically adjust their workforce depending on the business’s current needs and objectives. Using staff augmentation can enable a business to deliver the first product to market or enable a business to have a far greater degree of flexibility with regard to its core skill set. The flexibility of staff augmentation is one of its greatest strengths as it enables businesses of all shapes and sizes to easily respond to the demands that the market is placing on them.
Staff augmentation is typically managed by a third party which will take the time to find and carefully select talented individuals for any company’s needs. As was previously mentioned; the hiring process can often be extremely resource intensive and using a third-party company can greatly reduce the strain that hiring places on a business. On top of this; the third-party organization will also manage the nitty-gritty of managing the employee; providing them with benefits and other miscellaneous administration. Many companies are turning to third-party labor brokers to enjoy the benefits of augmenting their workforce.
One such third party is Global Triangles; an efficient and effective staff augmentation firm. They have a long track record of placing highly skilled workers in the right environments. Their CEO Garry Lea has stated that “they walk side-by-side with their clients to guarantee them the flexibility they need to achieve their objectives”.
Final thoughts
Staff augmentation is an increasingly common practice that provides businesses with a sizable array of benefits and solutions. The practice drastically increases the flexibility of any business to respond to the dynamic needs of the market. Even if your company struggled with platforms like Upwork; Fiverr; and Peopleperhour: it does not mean giving up is ideal. Trying staff augmentation may just be the answer.
Businesses can also receive all the benefits of a larger workforce without the hassle of the hiring process. This enables businesses to reduce costs and focus on the core activities of the business rather than on extraneous administration. Thanks to third-party organizations; staff augmentation has never been easier or more cost-effective and that is why it could well be the best solution for your business.
