San Francisco, California Oct 27, 2021 (Issuewire.com) - Magic Dedicated Assistant, a service that matches businesses with hand-picked remote assistants starting at $10 an hour, is offering flexibility for entrepreneurs and job seekers alike in response to the shift in pandemic-related workforce conditions.

Over the past few months, the idea of "the Great Resignation" has been picking up steam. According to a widely-cited Microsoft survey, some 40% of workers plan to quit their jobs within the next few months. While not all employers are convinced -- resignation rates haven't exceeded pre-pandemic levels so far -- there's no denying that the topic du jour is work.

After all, beyond the Great Resignation, various other issues abound: rampant unemployment, employee burnout, and allegations of a labor shortage countered by denouncements of the unfairness of prevailing working conditions.

Whether or not people leave their jobs in droves over the next few months, some kind of change is clearly imminent. People are no longer approaching work as they once did -- the massive changes during the COVID-19 pandemic have seen to that. 

Businesses looking to attract and retain talent would do well to pay attention.

Workers Call for Flexibility 

A call for greater flexibility in working conditions has resonated widely among workers across the world. It ranks alongside calls for better compensation, perhaps most strikingly shown by some workers' willingness to accept lower pay prospects for greater flexibility.

Most companies have conceded to flexibility with policies allowing remote work or less rigid schedules. In practice, however, most employees are only encouraged to work flexibly if this means overworking themselves from home. Those who use flexibility to their own benefit are usually penalized in not-so-subtle ways.

Indeed, examples from past successes in promoting flexible work show that policies are only a starting point. It takes constant effort in reshaping culture to promote true flexibility -- the sort that empowers workers to perform better, while enabling them to live better lives.

Work has Already Changed

Flexibility may be the future of work, but it's also in its present. When the pandemic hit, it disrupted our conventional patterns of work, forcing people to adapt. Many businesses were forced to adopt remote work practices, which allowed for most people's first long-term experience of working from home.

But there were other ways of adapting, too, which also point toward how work will be shaped in the future. Many people laid off from their jobs, for example, turned to the gig economy, which grew considerably in 2020. Gig work is increasingly centralized through online hubs and applications. This, along with increased scrutiny and evolving regulations for gig work, hint at new horizons in flexible work.

Meanwhile, rather than seek new employment, others started businesses of their own. U.S. census data shows small business applications doubled in the early months of the pandemic. Yet another instance of ongoing changes hinting at the future of work.

Bridging Opportunities: Magic Dedicated Assistants

In the fall season of 2020, having observed these changes in the ways people work, Magic put a new service into its trial run: Magic Dedicated Assistants. The service sought out remote workers with various specializations -- marketing, sales, customer service, design, and development to name a few -- and matched them with clients looking for those talents. 

As a virtual hiring service, it bypassed the rigidity of older freelance or outsourcing models. Clients and their assistants interacted directly, providing clients and assistants alike with more flexibility and control in the working arrangement.

The service has found considerable success. Data from around 100 clients from early 2021 (after the service's trial run) showed that the majority of clients are micro (40%) or small/medium (49%) businesses. Meanwhile, over half of all assistants have 20 or more hours of work scheduled per week.

Moreover, data shows that the service has helped workers and employers alike navigate the new conventions of working. Around 18% of Dedicated Assistants clients have noted that the service helps them find the right person for their job where other platforms failed.

My assistant is exactly the kind of flexible professional I need in a start-up! - Terra Gross

On the other side, freelancers working through Magic have expressed satisfaction with their newfound flexibility.

In my [business process outsourcing] experience, I [was] always drained and overworked. ... [On] Upwork... and other platforms, it is really hard to find stable work. (Jean Coronel)

Flexibility. ... [Clients] have allowed me to manage the tasks at my own convenience, given that I accomplish the tasks by the deadline set by them. This helps a lot when managing multiple clients. (Miguel Tarrosa)

Flexibility is the future of work, and businesses ignore this at their own peril. Embracing the changes that are even now already happening will prove essential to attracting and retaining talent, and empowering workers to do their best.

About Magic

Magic is a flexible, on-demand workforce solution that's changing the way businesses outsource tasks. Magic's remote workforce is made up of vetted college-educated staff experienced in admin, sales, marketing, and recruitment best practices. Founded in 2015 in San Francisco, California, Magic is now a fully remote Y Combinator and Sequoia Capital-backed startup. For more information, visit www.getmagic.com today.