Novo Constare co-founded Syft in part to democratize access to jobs. The idea started simple – everyday services were being changed by technology. As a former temporary worker, Novo’s co-founder, Jack Beaman, realized that the temporary staffing industry could use a refresh, particularly around giving workers the choice of where and when they want to work and providing more transparency into the workforce for businesses. The pair thought that by introducing technology to the matching process, hiring could happen faster, there would be increased transparency of shifts, and businesses could better align with motivated, qualified workers.
"He had this light bulb moment: 'wouldn’t it be cool if you could book temporary workers last minute? Like you book an Uber driver?'” - Novo Constare
On these foundational premises, Syft was born. The company quickly became a leader in connecting job seekers with temporary work across various roles. With a focus on hospitality, industrial, facilities management, warehouse operators, and delivery drivers, Syft launched in the UK in 2015. Over the ensuing years, the company built out its platform to include workforce management tools, matching technology, and service functions that helped businesses streamline their hiring processes and augment staff quickly. Their success caught the attention of Indeed, who acquired the staffing platform in 2019.
Indeed proved to be a well-aligned partner for the Syft team. The team decided to rebrand to Indeed Flex to capture the brand value of Indeed, one of the most well-known staffing brands in the US. As the temporary staffing division of the largest jobs marketplace in the world, Indeed Flex taps into a network of 300 million users per week and over 5 million employers to quickly build confidence with enterprise customers.
After a soft launch in September 2020, the rebranded entity officially launched in 2022. Since the acquisition, the Indeed Flex team has helped Indeed leverage its cutting-edge HR-matching technology against a deep database of high-quality registered temporary workforce across the globe.
A New Normal
Temp workers have also become vital to current business needs, according to Novo.
"Those taking on extra shifts, or doing temporary work for the first time are also proving to be a lifeline for businesses struggling to find enough staff to fill vacancies. Temp enables employers to fill shifts at short notice and cover staff absences while also providing vital extra support during busy periods,” he said.
For many employers, the new reality of staffing is fierce competition with a new set of options for today’s hourly workers. Post-pandemic workers are familiar with unprecedented flexibility across hospitality, industrial, warehouse, and other temporary roles.
Indeed Flex makes it possible to dispatch temp workers to sites when they are needed. It makes the process of applying, screening, and interviewing far simpler and faster, enabling employers to fill upcoming shifts promptly, especially for simple jobs that do not require complex skills
By leaning into the Indeed Flex approach, companies can quickly staff up while meeting the requirements of the workforce as well as the changing demands of the business.