Workforce turning Uber & Agile

Gone are the days when a job with a top IT or BFSI firm meant working 9-to-5 or doing overnight shifts as ‘full-time employees’, and taking home a fixed handsome monthly pay cheque.

As companies invoke the demand-supply model, the workforce is turning agile, moving across projects and departments as per the need of the hour. Employees are not always full-time, let alone being permanent in a highly volatile job market. Several professionals are getting hired short-time, on projects and assignments, or on a consultancy basis to undertake specific tasks.

Says Richard Lobo, EVP and head – HR, Infosys, “More and more, we’re dealing with a blended workforce, where full-time and part-time employees cohabit the same space. A dynamic job market spurs innovation and fresh thinking among companies on offering better value to people.”

Adapting to the ‘agile’ way of working, for a faster time-to-market is the norm of the day, says Saba Adil, chief people officer, Aegon Life Insurance. “Gone are the days of command and control, hierarchies and set roles. It’s a project-based environment where you don’t have permanent managers but self-forming teams, collaborative behaviour, peer reviews, cross learning from team members and where team interest is placed above everything else.”

Experts feel the reasons driving this trend are far too many. Firstly, it is the changing preference of the young workforce, says Neha Bagaria, founder and CEO, JobsForHer. “The nature of workplaces and the needs of employees have changed over time. Companies are looking for new and innovative ways to increase their margins and improve overall efficiencies. On the other hand, employees are increasingly placing more value on personal time. Uberisation meets both these ends of the spectrum.”

Moreover, the concept really works when the company requires trained resources to deliver projects within a specified timeframe.

Bagaria says that a major talent pool that stands to benefit from uberisation is that of job returnees (especially women). “Writing, graphic design, IT, sales, and data analysis are some examples of work that can be designed for flexi-time arrangements.”

According to Lobo, just as people are comfortable using the shared transport with on-demand cars, employers will start looking at on-demand hiring of the workforce for specific activities. “This will need a whole new outlook on HR practices to cater to such employees.”

Other than providing working flexibility to professionals and curbing recruitment and HR costs, an uber and agile workforce brings in immense learnings, say experts. “Silos get broken and you challenge existing norms. You also test uncharted waters and new ways of working, which sparks new thinking and problem-solving. For the company, resources are utilised in the most efficient manner,” says Adil.

But being an ‘uber’ professional carries with it a certain set of disadvantages as well. Often, employee benefits and the security of a steady income don’t come across an uber professional’s way. “Also, the work is dependent on the reviews of the previous employer. Any negative comments can have adverse effects. Also, uber professionals may find that new costs from work-related expenses have a significant impact on their net take-home pay,” says Bagaria, adding that there exist fewer protections, as it is far easier for employers to terminate such an association, as opposed to full-time employees.

...& ANALYSIS

• As companies invoke the demand-supply model, the workforce is moving across projects and departments as per the need of the hour
   
• The concept really works when the company requires trained resources to deliver projects within a specified timeframe