Dive Brief:

• Meijer has announced a partnership with labor-on-demand platform and app Hyer to help meet its workforce needs in real time, according to a press release. 
• The retailer will utilize Hyer to identify gig workers who want to fill roles at its 246 brick-and-mortar stores and its Serv-U-Success operation, which helps with warehousing, distribution and in-store product management.
• Todd Weer, senior vice president of stores at Meijer, said the platform has helped simplify store-level resource management, save time and increase efficiency. It has also helped with customer experience.

Dive Insight:

With the Hyer partnership, Meijer gains quick access to a large, independent and qualified workforce, Mike Graham, senior vice president of supply chain and manufacturing at Meijer said in a company statement. He added that many store-level responsibilities can be filled easily by gig workers who want flexible arrangements.

While there are several on-demand labor platforms on the market today, Dave Dempsey, CEO of Hyer, said a benefit of Hyer is the ability to manage multiple tasks in one app. Hyer also offers a roster of potential workers who are fully vetted and have already received a background check, the company says on its website. Companies can use the app to find people to fill delivery, general labor or merchandising roles. Gig workers can create a profile on the platform and can also get paid through the app, and businesses can scale their use of the app depending on their needs. 

Hyer, which launched in May last year and was the brainchild of major app developer Blue Label Labs, hasn’t announced any other retail partnerships aside from the one with Meijer.

Gig workers are hired widely for grocery delivery with companies like Shipt and Instacart, and demand for them to fill roles in-store is increasing as well, on-demand labor company Jyve previously told Grocery Dive. The frequent turnover among employees in retail has caused a lot of uncertainty for employers, and turning to the gig economy can be an effective solution.

Still, on-demand workers in-store present a different set of obstacles, including a lack of knowledge about the store where they’re working and no formal training with one specific retailer.