What sort of work is suitable?

Any work that relies more on "soft skills" than formal qualifications is likely to benefit from Slivers-of-Time Workers. They are particularly useful where work patterns can be irregular and/or at short notice.

Because employers have not easily had access to an ultra-flexible pool of top-up workers before, they often don't spot where it could be useful to them. Some examples:

One buyer of Slivers-of-Time workers for office support tasks was also employing a courier company to do a daily run delivering packages between their buildings. They then discovered that run could be a one hour booking for another seller every day. They are making considerable savings as a result.
Many types of work should ideally be weather-dependant. If the task for example is painting a community hall sometime this week the decision as which day the 10 painters are needed can be made on the morning. If it looks like rain, wait.
A company had a basement full of long ignored archive files. Once aware of how Slivers-of-Time works they were able to book a rotating squad of sellers whenever a supervisor was available to clear it out and key the data into their systems.

Serving the less well paid

Slivers-of-Time Working is best suited for people at the bottom of the wages pyramid. There is little expectation that it will work for accountants, lawyers or managers who tend to be: (a) rarely needed for small amounts of time (b) not expected to prove their reliability (c) well connected enough to find work through their networks.

For providers of less well-paid work, a Slivers-of-Time marketplace offers a self selecting pool: individuals who have chosen to work in a way that rewards them for constant flexibility and reliability. They may lack formal pieces of paper, but anyone who has attained the higher levels in a Slivers-of-Time market is a quality worker. It can be very cost effective to induct them in specific skills that you require.

Inducting a pool of Slivers-of-Time Workers

Work categories

what types of work Below is a prompt list of types of work currently offered through Slivers-of-Time marketplaces. It may help you spot where there is potential for Slivers-of-Time workers in your area.

Tiele	Typical Tasks	Definition Of Work
Admin/ office	Phone answering Typing documents Entering data (eg figures) Envelope stuffing Directing phone calls Receptionist Translating	Inside Office environment Basic computer skills expected
Physical work	Cleaning Moving items Unloading vehicles Pick & Pack in a warehouse Stacking shelves	Inside or outside Reasonable manual effort expected but minimal skills
Hospitality/ catering	Bar work Serving behind a food counter Waiting at tables Kitchen duties Collecting glasses Being a steward	Working around food in a hygienic environment
Customer service	Shop assistant work Answering inbound phone calls Helping customers fill out forms Directing customers in a building	Engaging with the public but not initiating conversations
Sales/ interviewing	Market research Sales promotion Proactive leafleting Surveys Making outbound calls with a script	Expected to start conversations with members of the public
Mobile work	Deliveries Courier runs Drop offs (from a van) Leaflet deliveries	There will be travel within a booking
Building management	Handymen/women Caretakers Security Cleaning supervisor Store security	Looking after a premises
Care	Home care Working in an institution eg old people's home Home help eg: shopping or cleaning	Working with the vulnerable (after vetting). Ability to converse with clients.
Education/ training	Teaching people how to use a computer Basic life skills tutor Demonstrating a product or skill	One on one training and reporting on progress Likely to require induction of sellers Ability to engage with designated students

Support workers

If your organisation is setting up a project where individuals will be employed to support clients, you may want to consider developing a pool of Slivers-of-Time support workers.

Hiring support workers through Slivers-of-Time

New businesses

If your focus is encouraging new economic activity, it may be worth thinking through new enterprises that could become viable on the back of a local Slivers-of-Time marketplace.