Snagajob, the nation’s largest online hourly labor marketplace, now offers a mobile app that places pre-vetted hourly and gig-economy workers in shifts at local small and mid-sized businesses within 10 seconds.
It’s a natural fit given that “most of our hourly workers are utilizing their smartphone as a lifeline to their jobs,” says Megan Overton, head of small business product management at Snagajob.
The company’s workforce platform offers businesses a recruiting, scheduling and communications tool to quickly staff up and easily manage HR functions. The scheduling tool is available to sole proprietors at no charge.
“Our new solution gives employers a better way to actively communicate, manage and recruit for their business by identifying and resolving potential staffing challenges before they have the chance to impact the business,” says Overton.
Streamlining administrative duties on a single platform removes complicated workflows and difficult user experiences, as well as prevents daily operational disruptions. The end result is improved efficiency that the company says saves both time and money. Most small and mid-sized businesses that use manual spreadsheets, for example, devote about 10 hours a week to scheduling related activities, according to Snagajob.
These companies are seeking operational efficiency in hiring and ensuring that they’re maximizing the value of recruiting dollars, Overton explains. Time savings associated with this tool, however, cannot be quantified in terms of any return on investment.
While there’s no formal role for benefit brokers and advisers, she says they still could find value in letting their small-business clients know about the technology platform through word of mouth. The use of small-business channels could help organically grow the service and establish synergies in the market, Overton adds.
Employers can expect to see more technology, a bigger focus on employee benefits and an enhanced job candidate experience in the next few years.
Snagajob doesn’t have any partnerships or platforms specific to employee benefits, but she says “that is certainly something that we would be open to exploring if we found the right partnership.”
The larger significance of this tool is that it helps ease the sting of more than 100% staff turnover at many smaller service-sector businesses that struggle to recruit and engage employees. Mindful of this challenge, Snagajob has sought to match workers with the right jobs since 2000.
Here’s how it works: Employers post a job to Snagajob’s network once they notice a gap in their schedule. Workers can use the app to apply for jobs, view their schedule, communicate with co-workers, swap shifts and receive manager approval in minutes through a text messaging framework.
“I love that when I post a job, I don’t have to wait long for applications from people who are a great fit for my team,” says Kathy Hester, owner of BakeHouse, LLC in Las Cruces, N.M. “The new scheduling feature is incredibly helpful, making it easier for everyone to stay up to date with our schedule. A lot of the students on my staff like the ability to trade shifts on their phone; I like that shifts are updated without disrupting my business. Plus, the team messaging keeps us all connected when it’s most important.”
Snagajob, which has raised $100 million in private equity investment, connects 85 million registered hourly workers to 300,000 businesses primarily in the restaurant, retail, hospitality and healthcare industries. It also does placements in manufacturing and wholesale settings. Earlier in the year the company acquired PeopleMatter, whose tools are expected to help service-industry employers expand the visibility of their job postings to a more targeted labor pool.
