Meeting the Moment: Introducing Ōnin Flex
Recruiting for poultry manufacturing has always been challenging. Today, shifting demographics and evolving worker needs have made it tougher than ever. Ōnin Flex is built for the poultry industry and today’s workers. Backed by Ōnin Staffing’s 25-plus years of proven poultry staffing expertise, this program delivers a vetted, supplemental flexible team tailored to your facility. Your Flex Teammates work side-by-side with your full-time workers to ensure you meet production goals. These non-traditional workers choose when they work, while Ōnin handles the scheduling, coordination, and payroll for your facility.
The result? Less overtime, lower turnover, and a reliably staffed operation that aligns with how modern workers live and work.
Understanding Flex Demographics in the Modern Workforce
The poultry industry is facing a perfect storm of labor challenges that are impacting recruiting and retention efforts. At its core, the problem is an outdated workforce model that no longer aligns with how people live and work today. In this section, we’ll unpack the key challenges behind this growing disconnect.
Challenge 1: Poultry Jobs Are Hard — And Hard to Keep Filled
› The industry averages a 65% annual turnover rate, with some facilities experiencing rates as high as 150%.
› Employees’ main reasons for quitting included physically demanding work, cold environments, and attendance challenges.
Poultry manufacturing faces some of the most difficult hiring and retention challenges in the industrial sector. The work is physically demanding and often less attractive than roles in retail or light manufacturing. As a result, many qualified job seekers are incentivized to choose easier job options. Even when workers do choose to work in poultry, they often burn out quickly in their full-time roles.
To recruit effectively in poultry manufacturing, we must find innovative ways to make these roles more appealing to today’s workforce.
Challenge 2: The Pool of Immigrant Workers is Increasingly Limited
to of the meatpacking workforce is Hispanic. of the meatpacking workforce is estimated to be undocumented.
The poultry industry has long relied on immigrant labor to fill hard-to-staff roles. But shifting U.S. immigration policies are shrinking the available foreign-born labor force. Both legal and undocumented immigrants are being impacted, adding pressure to an already strained poultry worker labor market. To keep operations running, companies need a broader, diversified hiring strategy—one that goes beyond simply relying on immigrant workers to fill the gaps.
Challenge 3: Many Modern Workers Can’t Work Traditional Shifts
50% of workers leaving their jobs say it’s because of childcare issues
63%
of workers in the gig economy prefer flexible hours to a bigger salary
Traditional full-time shifts no longer fit the way many people live and work. Childcare—especially for single parents—education schedules, and personal responsibilities have made rigid schedules unworkable for many of today’s employees. At the same time, a new generation of workers has entered the job market, prioritizing flexibility, autonomy, and control over their time as much as pay. More than ever, people need jobs that adapt to their lives—not the other way around.
To meet hiring goals and reduce costly turnover, we need to help employees get the flexibility they need to work.
Overview of the Ōnin Flex Staffing Model
Ōnin Flex is a fully managed staffing solution that supplements your core team with pre-vetted, part-time workers who choose their own shifts through the convenience of their Ōnin mobile app. This model taps into a large, often overlooked labor pool: people who can’t or don’t want to work a standard 40-hour week.
Ōnin Flex gives plants access to a pool of pre-vetted, on-demand workers who can quickly step in to cover open shifts, production surges, or absences. This added layer of flexibility helps stabilize operations, reduce burnout among your core team, and keep production moving even when traditional staffing methods fall short.
1
Ōnin recruits, screens, and onboards a pool of vetted Flex workers.
4
Ōnin confirms shift coverage and manages your Flex team’s scheduling & logistics.
2
You submit your open shifts to Ōnin—daily, weekly, or as needed.
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We handle timekeeping, payroll, and support for your Flex workers.
3
Flex Teammates use the app to pick shifts that match their availability.
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Your vetted Flex team seamlessly supplements your full-time team exactly when you need them.
Operational Advantages of the Ōnin Flex Program
By aligning workforce flexibility with operational stability, Ōnin Flex helps businesses stay productive without burning out their core team. Here’s how Ōnin Flex delivers value to both clients and workers.
How Ōnin Flex Benefits Clients
› Access to a reliable, pre-screened, flexible labor pool
› Coverage for last-minute absences, no-shows, and production spikes
› Eliminate the need for Line Leads and Supervisors to work on the line
› Reduced overtime, burnout, and turnover among full-time staff
› Scheduling, payroll, and worker coordination — fully managed by Ōnin
› Tailored program design that fits your plant’s specific needs
› Stabilizes operations in high-turnover environments like poultry manufacturing
› Enables the expansion of production lines and increased revenue, in some cases
› Boosts efficiency while reducing staffing costs and headaches
Why Workers Choose Ōnin Flex
Freedom to choose shifts based on their availability and life demands
Next-day pay for every shift worked, giving Teammates true financial flexibility.
Access to radically affordable Ōnin benefits — a rare offering for flexible work
Flex Teammates are treated with dignity and backed by hands-on guidance from their local Ōnin team
Case Studies
Case Study 1: Cutting Turnover by 49% with Ōnin Flex
Challenge: This client was stuck in an unsustainable cycle of constant hiring and high employee turnover, leading to declining productivity, burnout, and inflated labor costs.
Result: After implementing Ōnin Flex, monthly turnover dropped by more than 49%. Full-time employees faced less stress and worked fewer overtime hours, which boosted morale and reduced quit rates. Workers going through life changes—who might have had to quit due to rigid schedules— were able to transition into the Flex program and stay engaged on their own terms. Flex Teammates were satisfied with both their flexible schedules and the Ōnin benefits. The result: a more stable workforce, stronger team dynamics, and a dramatic reduction in turnover.
Case Study 2: Reducing Overtime Through Smart Scheduling
Challenge: To meet production demands, the client operated understaffed and relied heavily on overtime—driving up labor costs, squeezing profit margins, and causing employee burnout.
Result: After implementing Ōnin Flex, the client reduced monthly overtime by 58%. With consistent staffing levels, shifts ran more efficiently, improving productivity and lowering overall labor costs.
Conclusion
› Ōnin Flex is custom-built to fit your unique facility
› Fully managed by Ōnin — not just software, but a hands-on program run by staffing experts with 25+ years of workforce experience
› Proven track record of success in poultry manufacturing
The poultry industry is evolving—and so is the workforce that powers it. Complete reliance on traditional staffing methods is no longer enough to meet today’s complex workforce challenges.
Ōnin Flex bridges the gap with a modern staffing solution that serves both employers and workers. By providing a fully coordinated, on-demand team of vetted supplemental workers who integrate seamlessly with your full-time staff, Flex keeps your operation productive, resilient, and fully staffed.
This isn’t just about filling shifts — it’s about building a more sustainable workforce model that aligns with the realities of modern life and the demands of high-paced production. With Ōnin Flex, you don’t have to choose between operational efficiency and worker satisfaction. You get both— backed by experience, insight, and a staffing partner that’s deeply invested in your success.
Let’s build a more agile, future-ready workforce together.