Augmenting Staff Without Increasing Headcount: The RaaS Advantage

Throughout the pandemic, organizations from across all industries have faced an urgent need for additional EHS&S (Environmental, Health and Safety, and Sustainability) resources to meet the shifting regulations and changing needs of their workplace and workforce.

When needs like this arise, how can organizations augment their EHS&S staff without increasing headcount? By turning to a contingent worker source such as Antea Group’s RaaS (Resources-as-a-Service) solution. This model of solving temporary yet critical needs is gaining fast popularity, providing clients with workers of all experience levels to address any number of circumstances from urgent events to years-long planned endeavors.

p>We’ll walk through some of the roles that can be filled using the RaaS solution while highlighting a few examples and scenarios where organizations might need to augment staffing with RaaS.

How RaaS Works

In this case, the “resources” in RaaS are human resources. Long a staple in the tech industry, the practice of utilizing a contingent workforce is spilling over into other sectors that require highly specialized, uniquely skilled professionals for shorter-term engagements.

In the EHS&S space, organizations often come across situations where the scope of work requires an increase in staff, but only for a limited period of time or for a project where the specialized skills are only needed to fulfill a small portion of the full scope of work. Organizations find it much more practical to bring on those professionals as contingent workers.

When a business needs to augment their workforce without increasing headcount, they engage Antea Group employees on a contract basis using our RaaS solution. In many cases, the resource that is brought on to serve an organization is an actual experienced employee from Antea Group, being “borrowed.” (This is our standard practice at Antea Group, and clients love that they're able to incorporate a member of our trusted team into their own.)

Antea Group, using its RaaS solution will work with organizations to clarify details of the engagement, such as employee count and length of service. They will also ensure the resource fits within the hiring organization’s workplace culture in the interest of fast rapport and an effective working relationship.

RaaS Roles

Antea Group employees are able to step into any RaaS role, from junior level to highly-credentialed professionals with expertise in specific fields and technologies. They bring instant experience and perspective that can be invaluable for addressing acute needs and oversight. The cross-industry relationships and networks established by Antea Group make it easy for them to tap additional talent on an as-needed basis.

Terms of engagement are quite flexible in the RaaS solution, allowing organizations to augment staff as needed on an ongoing basis. Organizations can bring on individuals or whole teams depending on demand.

When to Utilize RaaS

Every region, industry, and organization has its own specific set of needs for augmenting EHS&S staff. These are a few of the more common scenarios.

Urgent events

COVID created an urgent, global need for EHS&S solutions. Organizations across every sector suddenly needed skilled and knowledgeable talent to assist with health and safety strategies, trainings, and oversight. These RaaS employees have been instrumental in helping organizations with return-to-work programs and COVID-safe event planning.

Other events such as natural disasters or industrial incidents present the need for a sudden and rapid upscaling of EHS&S teams. The fires that have been ravaging regions of the world over the past few years have left organizations seeking EHS&S staff to address issues with wildfire smoke and evacuation plans.

Pandemic-fueled staffing challenges

Lingering issues from the brunt of the pandemic–including continued infections, parental and family leave needs, and the fallout of the Great Resignation–have left some EHS&S departments understaffed and overworked. These situations can be alleviated by hiring RaaS employees on a contract basis as the pandemic moves to its next stage.

Business transitions

Times of transition within an organization create specific needs for additional EHS&S staff.

Start-ups benefit from knowledgeable staff who can get their organization running with as little disruption as possible in the EHS&S space. Business mergers and acquisitions often require increased staff to assist with changes in facilities use, procedure documentation, and training programs.

Facility changes

Large-scale physical projects require specialized EHS&S expertise. Facility construction and closures are two ends of a spectrum that both present unique needs and challenges.

Construction projects might require an expanded safety staff to ensure compliance with national and local regulations on worksites. These staff may also consult with clients to ensure safety is properly considered in the overall facility design.

Closures of facilities that produced or utilized hazardous materials require a very specific EHS&S skill set. These experts are limited in number worldwide, and it can take an organization a long time to locate the talent they need through their own searches. In this instance, an RaaS employee augmentation means having expedited access to a proven expert or team of specialists who can confidently take on a project of that scale.

RaaS at Antea Group

Antea Group prides itself on having a workplace culture and standard of quality talent that makes our RaaS employees a much sought-after resource.

Our RaaS model offers a global pool of EHS&S subject matter experts who are ready to meet your specific technical and culture needs.

Find Out if RaaS is Right for You

About Antea Group
Antea®Group is an environment, health, safety, and sustainability consulting firm. By combining strategic thinking and multidisciplinary perspectives with technical expertise, we do more than effectively solve client challenges; we deliver sustainable results for a better future. We work in partnership with and advise many of the world’s most sustainable companies to address ESG-business challenges in a way that fits their pace and unique objectives. Our consultants equip organizations to better understand threats, capture opportunities and find their position of strength. Lastly, we maintain a global perspective on ESG issues through not only our work with multinational clients, but also through our sister organizations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and as a founding member of the Inogen Alliance.