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Post-Covid Resilience with Agile Workforce Strategy

 

As the most unprecedented health crisis in the recent history, Covid-19 pandemic ushered a unique set of challenges that forced traditional-minded employers to embrace more agile strategies like mainstreaming project-based work and remote work environments. As the business continuity planning gained more prominence in the new normal, more resilient strategies had to be adopted to make the maximum out of the existing workforce while managing the rapid economic downturn that affected most businesses. While newer industries like software development, telecommunication, fast-food restaurant chains and even apparel manufacturing had already adopted agile workforce strategies in project-based work setups, many other large-scale industries were caught off-guard with glaring inadequacies of proper strategies in place to counter the challenges posed by Covid-associated travel and other restrictions. 79% of executives of reputed companies agree that it is high time to shift from permanent roles at work to project based work according to a report from Accenture, titled ‘Shaping the Agile Workforce’. The report has also indicated that 40 % of companies in the world have come across talent shortages that impact their ability to adapt and innovate. In light of these revelations, it is vital to understand the nature and benefits of adopting an agile workforce strategy in view of remaining resilient in highly volatile business environments.

Understanding The Agile Workforce

The traditional approaches to workforce management which entail the retention of permanent carders for every critical aspect of the work in a company, are replaced by agile workforce strategies which are aimed at striking a balance in utilizing full-time, part-time and contingent workers in the workforce. While such strategies support to meet the constantly changing workforce targets in a volatile and competitive business environment, they also ensure the constant engagement of the employees with the company sans being fully obliged to retain many of them amidst possible setbacks. Catering to seasonal demands and swiftly up scaling and down scaling the business operations can be easily accomplished through such strategies. Among numerous other benefits, adopting agile workforce strategies can also ensure that project-specific expertise is easily attainable.


                                                                      figure 1:Agile workforce planing

Advantages of an Agile Workforce

1.       Smarter workforce related investment decisions: The investments on fulltime carders are practically impossible with ever changing aspects of production and service delivery. Hence, having an agile workforce can significantly minimize human resources retention costs with the flexibility attained through a project-based approach to work.

2.       Flexibility in scaling the business: The focuses of businesses are rapidly changing with the technological advancement while the competition among businesses amidst the volatility of supply and demand is causing the need to be swiftly adoptable. Hence the companies are faced with quick decisions to scale up or down depending on the external factors. Rather than having a traditional workforce that weighs down the businesses upon making such instant changes, an agile workforce strategy can help the company cope with the changes and adjust easily.

Conclusion

The uncertainty of business organizations amidst unprecedented situations like the Covid-19 pandemic has urged those organizations to rethink their strategies in terms of workforce management. The advancement of technology and consequently expanding access to new talent markets, have provided those businesses with the ideal solution of agile workforce strategies to remain resilient amidst the high volatility in business focus and environments. While switching to project-based approach paving the way to creating agile workforce is beneficial for organizations in many ways, it also enables the organizations to drive innovation and thrive amidst the uncertainty that has impeded their progress.

References

 Future Workforce | Accenture (2018). Future Workforce | Accenture. [online] Accenture.com. Available at: https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/future-workforce-index.

‌Martin, A. (2015). Talent Management: Preparing a “Ready” agile workforce. International Journal of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2(3-4), pp.112–116.

Junker, T.L., Bakker, A.B., Gorgievski, M.J. and Derks, D. (2021). Agile work practices and employee proactivity: A multilevel study. Human Relations, p.001872672110301.

Comments

  1. Steffni_DNovember 17, 2021 at 10:58 PM

    While transitioning to a project-based strategy benefits organizations in many ways, it also allows them to foster innovation and prosper despite the uncertainty that has hampered their development.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nimesha SundarapperumaDecember 17, 2021 at 11:53 PM

      Managing a productive and profitable organization requires cultivating a culture that values and promotes organizational effectiveness and employee growth. The world is moving fast and there is a rapid change in the dynamics of  work.  Organizations that understand the value of a talented, adaptable workforce will assure their long-term viability and success.Institutions realized the value of an optimistic ,active workforce ,specially in the face of an epidemic,and realized that they were the future assets of the organization.

      Delete
  2. Vishwa GunarathnaNovember 18, 2021 at 4:54 PM

    Stepping back for a moment, let’s examine what agility and resilience mean for companies in the here and now. This isn’t a semantic exercise. It is critical to understand the “what” and the “why” of these concepts, so that the “how” of building and promoting them can be executed effectively.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Buddhika JayarathnaNovember 18, 2021 at 7:44 PM

    When companies do a buy back, they consider how to make their employees feel loved and cared for by analyzing how they vary from one another. give the opportunity The good news is that new technology will allow leaders to address the experiences of their employees in a more focused and benefit from new. That's exactly what happened. Instead of just telling your staff to do tasks, you can also arrange activities that create a feeling of well-being and cooperation between employees, while diving into what types of support they need Thanks to Share

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thushara WattegedaraNovember 22, 2021 at 8:09 AM

    A good piece of thinking and you have deeply explained the agile work environment and benefits of the agile workforce to the company. I feel it will be more professional if you can add more benefits that the employees will get through the agile working flat form. thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nimesha SundarapperumaDecember 18, 2021 at 12:18 AM

      Yes Mr Thushara, One of the most powerful advantages of agile is the ability to notice when things are going off ,notice fast and adjust based on what you've learned.When we have agile working platform ,we have freedom and sense of autonomy for workers,
      Improved well-being, sense of happiness and job satisfaction,Reduced operating costs due to better space management and flexibility in everything and finally increased productivity.

      Delete
  5. Nuwansiri RathnayakeNovember 23, 2021 at 6:39 AM

    A valuable article. Adding more knowledge through your blog. Thanks for the sharing your valuable thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sandya December 13, 2021 at 9:13 AM

    Timely valuable article. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Varuni GunasekeraDecember 17, 2021 at 10:18 PM

    If organizations want to develop a truly agile workforce to better face external market demands, they should focus on and develop the foundational drivers of agility: growth, open and promotion mindsets.

    ReplyDelete

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