Redundancies in business come with two opposing meanings and both are just as infamous. In one case, redundancies refer to the removal of someone from their position should the role become irrelevant or obsolete in the company. In this article, let’s explore the second type of redundancy — having more than one employee for one role.
What is the importance of redundancy in an organization?
Establishing redundancies in your business provides you with additional resources to your company that previously may have only been a dream. Here are some ways redundancies can be an advantage:
Business Resilience
Unexpected problems are inevitable in a business. From cyber-attacks and power outages to typhoons and health emergencies — there are a variety of situations that you have to be prepared for so that your business can continue running in the face of these challenges. Having more than one set of hands for a particular role can ensure that you have someone already equipped with the right skills to help out when you need them.
You can continue with your operations while allowing any employee who has been struck by unforeseen events to truly recover before coming back to work. Outsourced remote workers can often come from different time zones and areas which minimizes the possibility that they too will be affected by the same geographic problems as your onshore worker. For example, there may be a power outage in the city of your onshore worker. You can easily call your outsourced worker to fill in.
Reduced Risks
Redundancies can safeguard you from several potential operational or reputational risks, allowing you to provide the services or products you need consistently which only adds to your positive reputation.
Flexibility
You need to be quick on your feet to continue having a thriving business. Trends are always changing and you want to be on a team that adapts to any challenge whether this be market shifts or customer demands. You can benefit from the flexibility of hiring independent contractors to create redundancies in your business because you can scale up or down your workforce according to your needs. Should you need an employee for a specific number of months or a specific project, you can bring in redundancies tailored to your purposes. Examples of this include employing several accountants for the tax season or needing more executive assistants for a busy period.
Employee Retention
Every person on your team can possess a multitude of skills, not only the ones that you hired them for or that they specialize in. When you hire employees for one role but they can also perform another — this provides a space for redundancy. Providing further training to cultivate these redundancies gives you a backup when unexpected absences occur. You can see this type of redundancy in the marketing industry, especially if your employees are incredibly creative and have a command over different types of media. Someone can specialize in video editing but also know how to execute beautiful graphic design. Should your company decide to discontinue creating videos, the video editor can opt to become a graphic designer. These situations allow for smoother transitions since both parties are already familiar with one another.
Customer Satisfaction
The scenarios above show us that redundancies can reduce the occurrence of any problems during unexpected events. You are thus able to cater to the needs of your customers efficiently and consistently. They receive the personalized attention they need which will only boost your customer satisfaction. This can earn you several loyal customers who will keep coming back and also tell their friends about your services or products.
Innovation and Development
When you have redundancies in your personnel, you free up your team to enhance their skills and open them up to new opportunities. Your day-to-day operations will not be too taxing on them and they can focus on innovations that can take your company to the next level.
The Impact of Redundancies in the Workplace
Building redundancies into your business operation allows your employees to work at their optimal level since they will not have to worry should they be burdened by too much work or in an unfortunate situation. Since a backup plan is in place, your team can focus on what they do best and produce the results you need. Aside from this, redundancies allow your team to become familiar with any member that you might put into a different role. In this way, they are already familiar with one another’s work dynamic and have built the necessary rapport to efficiently complete the tasks needed.
What to Consider When Building Redundancies into Your Company
First, you can choose to hire outsourced workers to create the redundancies you need — maximizing the flexibility you want in these roles. Outsourced workers are often experts in their fields and exposed to several roles which can be beneficial to your team.
Selecting candidates who have multiple areas of expertise can also be an advantage to your company should there be any instances in which they can fill in or shift to another role. Adaptability would not only be in terms of skills but also in the attitudes of your employees. Find existing, trusted team members who want to expand their skills, explore another role, or
innovate within their role. You can provide them with the opportunity to expand their professional development and pursue their interests to advance your company.
The Bottom Line
Redundancies do not always have to be a bad thing. Look into the potential of having a backup plan in place to reduce the operational risks in your business and see how these redundancies can cultivate loyal customers and happy employees. Outsourced workers are the best way for you to build redundancies in your company, ensuring that you have competent and flexible members working with you. Propel your team to its optimal productivity level with the support they need.
For more insights to advance in your outsourcing game follow MOVE on Instagram and Facebook.