Wonolo, the leading platform disrupting the temporary staffing industry, launched Wonolo Pro^TM, a mobile app, that gives businesses across the country the ability to identify, engage, and scale a flexible workforce drawn from an unparalleled pool of 500,000+ workers who use Wonolo. wonolo app

The launch of Wonolo Pro comes as Wonolo continues to see aggressive demand during the COVID-19 pandemic from businesses in the light-industrial space, including meal-kit delivery companies, warehousing firms, merchandisers, and e-commerce distribution centers. Wonolo Pro, combined with Wonolo’s onsite clock-in and clock-out technology, Wanda^TM, gives businesses and their on-site representatives insight into who is working and how to best work with a flexible workforce in real-time.

Wonolo Pro is one of many new product enhancements aimed to help workers gain access to an unparalleled amount of flexible opportunities. Wonolo also recently launched Wonolo U – a pilot program through which workers can connect with online learning and  professional skill development opportunities.  These portable skills can help them stand out in jobs both in and outside of Wonolo.

“Wonolo Pro is a game changer for on-the-go business representatives who want the ability to engage with flexible workers and scale their labor needs. It will help companies navigate an unprecedented holiday season,” said Yong Kim, co-founder and CEO of Wonolo. “And importantly for workers, many of whom are struggling in this tough economy, Wonolo U will let them obtain skills that will lead to more economic opportunities.” wonolo app

Founded in 2014 as the “Lyft of merchandising,” according to AJ Brustein, company co-founder and COO, the platform has connected shift workers to gigs in everything from distribution to fulfillment, largely in retail and e-commerce, as well as manufacturing, settings.

The company first gained traction with smaller and mid-sized companies, but has started seeing larger enterprises finding workers through Wonolo. Corporate clients range from Papa John’s and McDonald’s to Neutrogena and JCPenney.

“For so long, companies have had all the power, and that’s why there’s been no flexibility,” Brustein says. “Companies are becoming more comfortable understanding that, if you don’t allow that, you’ll lose good people.”

Ravin Jesuthasan, managing director and global practice leader at Willis Towers Watson, estimates there are currently about 500 on-demand staffing platforms operating nationwide—for everyone from hourly shift workers to software developers to attorneys.

“It’s a unique win-win that solves a lot of inefficiencies,” Jesuthasan says, noting that, for hourly workers especially, the on-demand approach allows them to expand their options, while companies can expand their talent pools—and both can lessen the time and money spent on job searches.

For Wonolo, that talent pool is now made up of more than 100,000 people. The company sells to eight primary markets, but Wonoloers live and work across the country, Brustein says.

Wonolers typically fit into three categories: unemployed (the smallest group), those who primarily want flexible work (a large, but often unpredictable, proportion), and those who are underemployed. “These are the people working a permanent job but who need more hours and struggle to do that without the flexibility Wonolo provides,” Brustein says. “It can be a lifesaver.”

While on-demand staffing can solve problems for workers, making sure a company’s interests are met is another piece of the puzzle.

Like this? "Sharing is caring!"