Hybrid.
This single word that encompasses more than one. Traditionally used in biology in reference to a plant or animal bred from two separate, distinct species, it is finding increasing usage in business.
A hybrid car has an electric motor as well as a regular car engine. If it runs out of electric charge or needs extra power, it can switch to the regular engine while mostly running on the electric one.
The Covid 19 pandemic appears to have resulted in a work reality that is hybrid; most companies are expected to operate on some combination of work from home and work from office, with some choice given to employees.
Hybrid staffing model
Away from the hype generated by the changes wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic, including hybrid working, the hybrid model of staffing has been making steady progress and is becoming the favourite of both the HR Heads as well as the IT Heads in companies.
This model operates on the principle of having a core team, that consists of full-time employees, supported by a complement of contractual staff who are usually taken on for either a fixed duration or for a project, based on skill sets required at the time and availability.
Companies following this model rely on outsourced staffing partners like Ushankk to fulfil their needs as well as handle the administrative aspects related to employees. Effectively, in the staff augmentation model, while they work for the company, their ‘employer of record’ is Ushankk who handles all statutory responsibilities related to their engagement.
Benefits of the hybrid staffing model
Flexibility – The pandemic has resulted in significant changes to established models. Moreover, it has taught us that change can happen any time. Hence, maintaining flexibility has become a priority. A hybrid staffing model provides that flexibility to companies.
Specialization – Since technologies and requirements keep changing, one set of people may not be in a position to handle the myriad of options and technologies that can be leveraged by a company. With outsourced staffing as a part of the mix, the right skills can be employed as and when needed through resource augmentation.
Cost containment – When an organization has people, they will tend to be deployed, even though doing so may not be adding value. This equates to wasteful spending of money. By paring the headcount down to a core, the opportunity for such wasteful deployment and expenses is minimized.
Quick hiring – Since resources are not taken on as full-time employees, the hiring process is usually completed faster, resulting in a quicker start of projects than would otherwise be the case in permanent hiring.