Digital thinking for flexible working

85% of UK adults now use a smartphone, compared to 52% in 2012 (according to Deloitte’s Global Mobile Survey 2017). The majority of working age adults having access to these powerful pocket devices means that contract and temporary working is become simpler, and even safer. 

Sectors such as events, catering, retail and facilities have long relied on temporary workers being able to join their teams at busy times. 

One of the challenges of this type of contracting work, for candidates and recruiters alike, can be the time it takes to contact each candidate to arrange shifts for the coming weeks. And, with large numbers of people travelling to different clients on a daily basis, ensuring everyone arrives safely and dealing with any issues along the way can be a logistical challenge. 

Having human relationships remains critical to the world of contracting, however.  Before the ‘gig economy’ became a buzzword, people were making careers out of contracting (one catering specialist has worked with Impellam’s contract recruiting brand Blue Arrow constantly for 30 years - check out his, and others’, story here). The common factor they cite is getting to know and trust the people making the placements with the clients, as this pays dividends in them being offered work that suits their preferences and provides a sense of satisfaction. 

The opportunity, then, seems to be in harnessing the power of digital to make the process of finding temporary work easier, giving people – including Impellam’s own consultants - more time to help others find fulfilling work.