Time required to build your labor pool

The exact answer to the question of how quickly you can build a labor pool depends on a few factors like the size of your business and what your demand profile looks like. When we say demand profile, we mean whether you have seasonal demand for your products, project-based demand, or something else. Identifying how often your demand changes will help you determine how quickly you can build a labor pool.

The table below shows how long it should take for a business that's doing everything right to build a labor pool according to facility size.

Smaller facilities needing five to ten extra workers during their busiest periods can build a labor pool in four weeks if they follow best practices consistently. For medium size facilities needing between 15-25 extra workers, they could build a labor pool in eight weeks. For larger facilities needing more than 50 extra workers during their busy periods, they can build a labor pool in about 12 weeks by following best practices.

Remember that demand profiles can also affect how quickly you can build a labor pool. If you only experience demand variation every few months, then you might build a labor pool for a few weeks and then take a break from using on-demand labor because your demand has decreased for a period.

Then when demand picks back up again later, you can continue to build your labor pool. This will technically mean it took you months to build a labor pool, but if you only count the time you spent using on-demand labor, the timeline should hold true to what you can expect on average if you are consistently following best practices.

Does a labor pool provide any benefits before it’s fully built?

A labor pool is valuable even while you are building it. While it is not fully optimized yet, having access to the large pool of workers available on-demand gives you flexibility that you wouldn’t have otherwise. Even while you’re building your labor pool, you can quickly get people in the door for just one day or a few days at a time, you’ll be able to meet unexpected demands without scrambling for temps or full-time hires. 

During the period when you’re steadily growing your labor pool, you’ll keep inviting the workers you like, so you should start to see some of the benefits early in the process.

As mentioned before, this is not an overnight miracle. There will be a period where you have to try out a bunch of new workers to see who fits your operation well. There will be no-shows and there will be all-stars, just like anytime you bring someone new to work in your building.

But if you stick with it, you will start to see the power of flexibility and the impacts of being able to choose who you’re working with when you need help fast.