Flexible National Workforce

The Challenge

As the cost of living continues to rise, providing year-round work opportunities for casual workers has become increasingly important. The traditional stocktaking work schedule has long been characterised by peaks and troughs, with retailers often facing ‘blackout’ periods during high trade seasons. These busy periods leave little to no available assignments for casual workers, sometimes for weeks at a time.

When stocktaking resumes, retailers often turn to RAS to supply an experienced and skilled workforce, minimising the need for new hires. However, the cost pressures faced by retailers mean that incorporating these ‘fallow times’ into the stocktaking cost models isn’t a sustainable solution. The challenge, then, is how to ensure colleagues have consistent, year-round employment while also meeting the needs of clients for quality auditors during peak stocktaking periods.

The Flexible Solution

RAS developed a unique approach to tackle this issue by integrating their complementary business units to provide a flexible national workforce. This strategic model allows RAS to provide a diverse, national workforce, enabling colleagues to work across multiple business units.

Colleagues are recruited into a specific business unit but are encouraged to make themselves available for work in other areas through an in-house resourcing application. By entering their availability, colleagues can be assigned work not only in their original business unit but also in the other units, offering a flexible and consistent workflow throughout the year.

While many colleagues prefer to stay within their initial business unit, an increasing number are choosing to work across others. This flexibility ensures year-round work opportunities, enhancing retention and providing clients with a reliable, experienced workforce when stocktaking resumes.

Over the past five years, RAS has successfully secured seasonal replenishment work for retailers during the typical stocktaking blackout period (mid-November to the first week of January). As a complementary service to the merchandising division, RAS deploys experienced and skilled stocktaking colleagues to stores they are familiar with, allowing them to assist with replenishment work. Client feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing the value of this model.

To further support colleagues, RAS provides free transportation to and from assignments via a dedicated minibus fleet. This service, which is especially appreciated given the rising cost of fuel, not only ensures colleagues can access work but also streamlines the logistics of assignments. Minibus supervisors accompany colleagues, overseeing their work to ensure tasks are completed efficiently. This supervisory approach eliminates the need for store management to allocate time to these tasks, freeing them up to focus on high-traffic periods.