Between factors like seasonality and delays, logistics has always been a highly variable field. But when COVID-19 arrived, things became even more unpredictable — especially for quickly-growing businesses like DUER, a Vancouver-based company that makes activewear that balances everyday style with athletic performance.
While they managed to build a strong core team of in-house warehouse workers, DUER still needed temp labour when overdue shipments arrived without notice or last-minute busy periods occurred. With their temp agency not delivering as needed, it was time for a new approach to staffing.
The challenge
Inconsistent quantity & quality of agency-sourced temp staff
One of the principal challenges DUER had with their staffing agency was that they weren’t delivering the right number of workers.
“Because of COVID, they were down about 70% of [the workers] they normally had,” said Gareth Rencken, Operations Specialist at DUER. “We were battling to find people.”
Other times, they would send more temp labour than had been requested, which isn’t ideal when you’re trying to optimize operations. And rather than communicating with their temp staff directly, DUER had to go through the agency, which added a layer of complexity that sometimes caused things to get lost in translation. When Rencken began looking into alternative staffing solutions, Instawork immediately stood out.
The solution
Instawork's flexible staffing platform
Rencken began booking Instawork Professionals whenever they needed an extra hand, which helped DUER quickly fill their shifts. “It opens up availability,” Rencken said. “We can try and book Pros directly, or we can open it up to your pool, which is great for us.”
This allows Rencken to take a more hands-on approach to staffing, which in turn, has helped him build a better team of temporary staff. “My experience from the previous company was we got whoever was available,” he said. With Instawork, Rencken explained, “I can rate who I want and build my roster over time with the right people.”
“My experience from the previous company was we got whoever was available,” he said. With Instawork, Rencken explained, “I can rate who I want and build my roster over time with the right people.” Now, DUER can call on their favourite Instawork Pros again and again.
“When we identify a Professional that we like, we can then create bookings for them over an extended period of time and really build that relationship,” Rencken shared. And now that DUER is interacting with staffers directly through the app instead of a third party, they’ve been able to avoid the miscommunications they ran into in the past.
The result
More productivity & less waste for better business
With a hand-picked lineup of top performers, the Instawork Pros DUER books can start adding value right away.
“We don't have to spend an hour training them or giving them a rundown,” Rencken said. “When those individuals come in, they already have a sense of what we do.” This hasn’t just cut down on training time — it’s also ensured there’s less time that needs to be spent overseeing performance on the floor. Rencken continued on, “We don’t have to sit there watching… We can go and do our own jobs.”
Most importantly, with just the right headcount — no more, no less — they don’t have to waste money on workers they don’t need, which is critical for any successful business, especially given the uncertainty of the last couple of years.
“We need a company that is flexible, and [Instawork has] provided us with that,” Rencken said.
