When Tana Greene launched the MyWorkChoice app, she never dreamed a global pandemic would be the catalyst to push her vision to the next level.
Since March 14, 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits. That's roughly 13.5 percent of the workforce, according to the Department of Labor.
The North Carolina Division of Employment Security has seen almost 650,000 unemployment claims in that same time frame, most of them related to COVID-19. According to the DES, in an average week, 3,000 claims are filed.
Greene's app, MyWorkChoice, has been an important tool to help find work for those laid off or furloughed because of the pandemic.
The app, available on iOS and Android, is a flexible shift scheduling tool that streamlines the job placement process. It recruits, screens, trains and schedules potential employees in four, six or eight hour shifts, up to 40 hours per week.
Greene founded MyWorkChoice in 1988. Originally, the Cornelius-based staffing company was focused on placing workers in large-volume industrial, manufacturing and distribution jobs. The app-only platform was rolled out in 2017.
The former career counselor calls it, "couch to check," and she said use has increased due to COVID-19. The company nearly doubled its client count in the last quarter and grew locations and facilities by 100 percent, Greene said. The solution has particularly taken off with grocery distribution and other supply chain providers.
"I didn’t expect this," she said. "I feel like I've been able to help those on the sidelines who have been displaced. We’re that conduit that's trying to help bridge the gap in the workforce."
The Need for Shift Flexibility
About four years ago, Greene said they hit a wall and were forced to reassess operations.
"We kept seeing higher and higher turnover and absenteeism from the employees we placed," she said.
Greene said they discovered the daily rate of worker no-shows in jobs place by staffing agencies was 28 percent in 2016. In 2020, that number had risen to 33 percent, she said.
"We began studying the numbers and watching Uber and Lyft, asking 'What is it about these companies that really works?'"
The answer? Shift flexibility.
"It took three years and a lot of tech build to get the process streamlined," she said. "Being able to see shifts on your phone and pick the shifts you want is the biggest benefit to the employee."
The app connects potential employees to companies like Nordstrom, Shutterfly, DeWalt and Stanley Black and Decker.
"The beauty of embracing flexible staffing is that jobs are always available for those who want to work," she said. "The only thing the (companies) are realizing is different, is improved longevity in their workforce and shifts being consistently filled."
MyWorkChoice raised a $3 million funding round in January led by Jeffrey Leck’s Mallard Capital.
Job seekers in Arizona, California, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas can use the app, and Greene said she is confident all 50 states will have access within 12 months.
"I have huge expectations," she said. "We're being pulled to these places. We're not choosing the markets, they're choosing us."
