How Associations Can Harness the Gig Economy When They Are Short-Staffed

Staffing shortages can be a serious hurdle to overcome for associations of all sizes. When the work keeps on coming, yet your team is already stretched thin, it can bring down employee engagement and well-being, not to mention the quality of your work.

This challenge happens a lot in the world of associations and calls for creative strategies to make workloads manageable. Here are a few shortage solutions to consider when you have more work than staff:

1. Start With Small Projects

Hiring temporary employees is one of the quickest and easiest solutions to staff shortages. Some well-known gig economy sites where you can access a pool of skilled and capable talent that matches your budget are Upwork, Fiverr, and PeoplePerHour. 

However, you may want to start small, with one or two new faces. Let them handle minor tasks and small projects while you’re still trying to decide if this option works best for your association.

2. Scale Based on Demand

One advantage of working with independent professionals or gig workers is the ability to scale your organization up or down based on your demand for additional staff. 

You can rest assured that help is always available when you experience a flood of projects, deliverables, and tasks. At the same time, you can easily transition your workforce to slow seasons, and not have to pay for extra hours when there’s no work to be done.

3. Offer More Hours and Opportunities

Another smart solution to staff shortages in your association is to offer more hours to your current employees. Gather feedback to see if some of your staff are interested in picking up extra shifts or working additional hours for overtime pay.

The benefit of this option is you’ll no longer have to train new employees since your current staff already know how to do the job. If the shortage you’re experiencing is related to a specific skill, provide training opportunities so that more staff are able to work on the tasks.

4. Harness the Power of Technology

Boost your association’s productivity and eliminate mundane, repetitive tasks by turning to technology. Time-saving apps and automation tools can take most manual work out of the hands of your employees, freeing up their time and energy for more important tasks.

There’s also a wealth of communication and collaboration programs out there that can make it easier to track big projects and streamline your workflow in just a few clicks!

5. Prioritize More and Pressure Less

When there’s too much work to be done and not enough time and people to complete it, levels of stress and pressure can rise among your employees. The key is to prioritize the tasks that are most valuable to your association and organize them by delivery date.

Get together and identify crucial and non-crucial tasks as a team. It would also be helpful to reevaluate your organization’s workflows and improve any areas of inefficiency.

Final Thoughts

Seasons of short staffing can seem like obstacles for your association, that stand in the way of its objectives. However, they can also be opportunities to streamline your services and eliminate processes that don’t add value to your organization.

In times of lean staffing, it’s important to show appreciation to your employees and to help them prioritize essential tasks. Don’t forget to reward your team’s efforts and respect work-life balance, so everyone can continue to deliver high-quality results to your organization.