A few weeks ago, we launched a photo competition for Cooplers to spotlight the versatility, talent and commitment of our workforce. From the 8th October to the 1st November, we invited our community to send in photos of themselves in action at work. This competition has since come to an end, but we’re still reeling from the amount of extraordinary entries we received!
As a thank you from the Coople team, we wanted to spotlight the incredible efforts of the community by highlighting some of our favourite entries from the competition. Each of the following pictures perfectly showcased the ambition and dedication we were looking for.
The winners
The winning photos, as chosen by the community! Congratulations once again Laure, Gabriele and Tamara a on your hard earned win.
Some hand-picked staff favourites
We loved seeing the creative entries you all submitted. Though these photos may not have won, we were particularly impressed by their quality and skill.
Thank you again to all that took part! Best of luck with your future shifts, and we hope you continue to showcase your incredible skills and professionalism as a Coopler for a very long time.
Coople was founded 10 years ago (then called StaffFinder) to create the future of work. A future, where anyone can work flexibly and fit their work around their life, instead of the other way around.
If that doesn’t sound very futuristic, you are right. Because that future is now. Today, you can work by the hour, find jobs that allow you to fund your start-up or take care of family. Flexible work can help you save for buying a home or traveling the world. It enables you to bridge a gap between jobs or resign from a position you don’t like, knowing that you can keep paying your bills.
If you run a business, freelancers and flexible workers can bring in much-needed skills, help during crunch times, and allow you to maximise your income. Many shops, warehouses and restaurants cannot operate during peak hours without flexible staff. In larger businesses, flexible workforce management has become a core component of business strategy.
In 2020, all of this assumed a new meaning. During a crisis, flexible work is no longer just a way for businesses to do better than their competition. For many, it’s the only way to survive. For workers, it is one of the best, if not only, options to pay their bills, change career paths, or find permanent positions after trying a few temporary jobs first.
Flexible work provides great opportunities in good times. It can become essential when things get difficult.
Coople’s Beliefs: Rewarding Ambition
Despite the importance of flexible work, something still seems to be missing. When you think of flexible work, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
Are you thinking about unmotivated staff, low salaries or poor work experiences? Then you are not alone. Flexible work still has a bad reputation. Many people think of it as an option for people who have no other options.
We have known this for a while and have been trying subtly to change that reputation. But that is not enough. With our re-branding, we want to put our position on this front and centre.
At Coople, we believe that flexible work is not a ‘holding pen’ for B-employees or a last resort for businesses. It creates career opportunities for ambitious people, and business opportunities for ambitious employers. On a digital platform like ours, your reputation matters more than your CV. By showing focus and commitment, you can reach your goals. Your ambition gets rewarded.
We are sure of this: Meet our Cooplers and clients
What makes our team most proud are your successes on our platform.
Meet Coco, who started working as a Coopler to bridge a gap while she was unemployed. After working a couple of shifts and getting great reviews, she applied for our internal one-year trainee program in the marketing department. Two promotions later, today she is a Marketing Manager.
Amgad works flexibly to support his A-Level studies. He can fit work around his study schedule to ultimately reach his goal of getting an Economics degree at Oxford. His Coopler experience in workplace communication and teamwork will help him in his future career.
RHIAG, the auto parts wholesaler, relied on a team of flexible hires to improve productivity and take pressure off their core team during peak hours. Their entire Swiss logistics operation now relies on Coople for staff management.
Just Eat built a pool of over 100 dedicated, flexible workers for their customer service team. Not only did they hire them, but they also trained and promoted some to team leaders. The right flexible work strategy enabled them to fill complicated shift patterns reliably.
All of them reached their goals with flexible work by working hard and showing commitment to their work or workers – no matter how long the contract.
Our new look
You will have noticed that things look differently on our website. We took a bold step and made it black and white. Why? To put the spotlight on our Cooplers. We know that employers come to Coople because of our Cooplers’ focus, dedication and commitment. That’s what we want to highlight. The photo competition we launched will give Cooplers the opportunity to show off their work (and make some money). Have a look at it to participate or to see our Cooplers at their best!
We’ll also sound a little different from now on. You come to Coople to work with professionals. You want to be challenged, in a constructive and respectful way. And you know that reaching your goals is hard work, as an individual or as a business leader. We want to help you do that and we can. We understand flexible work like nobody else. And we want to share our knowledge and experience with you. Like a good work mentor who asks the tough questions, says it as it is and helps you reach your long-term goals.
Each shift is a step towards meaningful goals
Our product is changing as well. If you log in regularly, most of this probably isn’t news to you. We’ve been doing the work under the hood and even our new website has been live for a while. If you haven’t logged in for a while, come and have a look!
As part of the re-brand, we conducted specific interviews, surveys, and focus groups with many of you. What stood out is your ambition and your desire for showing commitment, whether you are a Coopler or a client. Cooplers want to contribute meaningfully, no matter how long or short the work relationship. They want to build new skills, and then use them. Businesses want to find Cooplers who have the right skills, but are also a good fit for their team, to be able to develop longer-term relationships with them.
We’ve been hard at work to make changes to the Coople platform that will make these things easier for you and support long-term relationships:
We overhauled the jobs marketplace for Cooplers to make it much easier for you to find jobs at the firms you’ve worked at before, and especially those where you’ve been selected as a ‘favourite’. We are using AI to notify you of the jobs you most likely want to apply for and are likely to be successful with. All of this to help you contribute meaningfully, have rewarding work experiences, and reach your personal goals.
On the employer side, we transformed the information you can see about Cooplers which will help you to make the most informed hiring decisions. You can now see more easily where Cooplers have worked before and which of their skills are rated highly by other employers. This focus on their platform reputation allows our most ambitious Cooplers to stand out, and it allows you to easily find them instead of having to download their CV. We have also made it easier to select Cooplers as ‘favourites’ so you can request them again whenever you need them.
At Coople, you control where you work or whom you hire. We are striving to continuously improve this experience, so that all ambitious workers and managers who join our platform can have the same experience that Guiseppe, Coco, Saomanee and Amgad had, where each shift was a step towards their own, meaningful goals.
As a self-confessed geek, Tony Macklin became interested in technology when playing computer games as a teenager. However, unlike most adolescents, Tony went on to develop an inventory control program for his father’s business at the tender age of 14. His interest lay in how the existing program could better fit the needs of employees; the start of a long-held interest in the relationship between technology and people. Tony still believes that truly understanding customers lies at the heart of developing great technology solutions.
Joining Coople in 2016 as CPO, Tony Macklin is responsible for enhancing the way Coople connects people to jobs. We sat down with him to discuss how technology is changing the way people live and work.
Tony, prior to joining Coople, you worked at eBay and Ancestry.com. What prompted you to make the leap?
I’ve been lucky to work at many companies that have changed the world in some way. eBay created a step-change in how we buy and sell. Ancestry.com made it possible for people to discover their family history online; I like to think of it as a Facebook of those that came before.
The common factor is the use of technology to solve human problems and impact our lives for the better. When I came across Coople, I was fascinated by the potential for technology to change the world of work and increase the level of choice for workers. Delivering this self-determination is important. In the UK alone, close to 5 million people have made an active choice to work as temps, contractors, or freelancers as they strive to juggle employment with other commitments. Coople gave me the chance to help people balance life and work, touching their lives in a meaningful way.
With that in mind, how can technology change the workplace for the better?
The internet has changed many aspects of our lives, but until recently it had not won in the world of work. This is because work is a human endeavour that cannot be governed by algorithms. However, there is an important role for technology in the workplace. It can help people and businesses succeed by connecting workers to the right jobs and managing the communications process that enables this.
On-demand staffing platforms like Coople have been developed to help employers find skilled, flexible workers, even when they need staff at short notice. This helps businesses to respond to fluctuations in demand and ensure shifts are filled. It also lets them run their businesses more economically, using on-demand staffing to dramatically lower overall staffing costs. For workers, we make it easy to select jobs based on location, experience and availability. It is this ability for businesses and workers to better connect and engage, in a way that meets the needs of both sides, that will revolutionise the industry.
You have worked with some of the most exciting technology brand around. What has motivated you throughout your career?
The phrase ‘I didn’t know the internet could do that,’ is what drives me. Technology is at its most powerful when it is solving human challenges in surprising and unique ways. To do this effectively you need to talk to your customers, understand their problems and develop innovative approaches to tackling these. At Coople we have spent a huge amount of time talking to our customers and our Cooplers to understand their challenges. These conversations will guide our approach to product development as we continue to power the gig economy across Europe.
Since Amanda started working as a Coopler earlier this year, it’s given her flexibility in her work life. It has allowed her to follow her dream of setting up a food photography business while working as a chef.
Meet Amanda: Coopler, Chef, Photographer
24-year-old Amanda moved to London at the start of this year from Dublin. Originally from Brazil, she moved over to Europe in 2018 seeking a new, creative environment. “I’ve always loved the European lifestyle,” she said.
Amanda is a self-confessed food lover – she studied culinary arts at university and has five years of experience working as a pastry chef. However, she always dreamt of starting up her own business as a freelance food photographer. Ultimately, Amanda wanted photography to be her main job and source of income – no easy feat. “In the kitchen, you don’t have time for yourself. The hours are really long,” Amanda explained, reflecting back on her time working as a full-time chef. “Every week you have a different day off, so it was impossible to plan anything.”
How does Amanda approach work?
Luckily, upon moving to London, Amanda found a solution that enabled her to continue working as a chef and begin to start her own business – being a Coopler. She knew that working as a chef on a flexible basis (i.e. as a Coopler) would fit around her lifestyle. When she downloaded Coople, she realised she could book short-term shifts working as a chef. This offered her some financial stability as well as a working schedule that was completely malleable to her wants and needs. It also gave her the spare time she was seriously lacking.
This flexibility meant she could finally start her freelance food photography business. She had the time to dedicate to it, and crucially, no strict bosses that she had to ask for time off. She also didn’t want to give up entirely on her work as a chef. As a Coopler, she could easily balance the two.
At the start of this year, inspired by London’s creativity and photography scene, she took the plunge. “It’s challenging, but I love a challenge,” she explained. “I’ve always loved the artistic side of food and capturing it in my photos. Now, being a chef is my side business – my photography takes priority.” Typically, Amanda books in for two chef shifts a week on Coople, and spends three or four days a week focusing on her business; always changing up the days to ensure variety in her work life.
Balancing photography with a chef career
This flexibility is her favorite thing about Coople. “I can arrange what time I’m going to work and how I can fit it around my photography – that’s the main benefit,” she explained. She tends to book Coople shifts a week or so in advance. Time management is key for Amanda, but Coople lets her manage her time in a way that truly works for her. “The most challenging thing for me is creating a good balance between the two facets of my work, but Coople has massively helped with that.”
Now, less than a year since its launch, Amanda’s freelance photography business is thriving. Amanda gets to work for a variety of clients in a job that embraces her creative side – and all on her own terms.
“Now that I balance my work using Coople, my lifestyle is much better. I can plan everything as my schedule isn’t always changing like it did when I worked full-time as a chef. And my personal life as a freelance chef is the best. I get to have so many experiences, and make lots of different contacts at the same time.”
You can check out more of Amanda’s beautiful photography @caneveramanda
Every year in the middle of January, the picturesque mountain village of Wengen up in the Swiss highlands takes center stage in the world of winter sports. More than 37,000 spectators from near and far gather at the International Lauberhorn Races (Lauberhornrennen) to cheer on competing skiers as they swish down slalom and downhill courses. This year, for the event’s 89th edition, Coople was also in the Alps to give a helping hand.
An event on the scale of the Lauberhorn Races requires great skill, not only from the athletes, but also from the side of event organizers and sponsors. To accommodate the temporary boom of visitors, skiers, and journalists in Wengen, companies are turning to Coople to find and employ temporary staff—the Cooplers. Cooplers are also eager to be a part of the Lauberhornrennen, where they get the chance to work in dynamic roles and perhaps brush shoulders with the sport industry’s best and coolest.
Meet Yvonne, an experienced restaurant industry professional living in Thun who often works in luxury mountain resorts such as the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel and the art-nouveau Vitznauerhof. “I prefer assisting long banquets and large events because they’re always impressive, well organized, and often unforgettable occasions,” she explains. “This year, the SWISS VIP lounge where I was serving welcomed members of the Patrouille Suisse.” The aerobatic airshow display put on by the Patrouille Suisse has become a regular highlight of the Lauberhorn Races, and Yvonne delighted in spoiling the pilots with champagne, good food, and coffee.
“There’s nothing better than Coople: I decide for myself when I want to work. I’m free, independent, and I always get great support.”
Although she regularly receives offers from other companies, Yvonne says she enjoys working through Coople because of the control it gives her. “There’s nothing better than Coople,” she says. “I decide for myself when I want to work. I’m free, independent, and I always get great support from the Coople team.” Needless to say, it was all smiles in the VIP lounge at this year’s Lauberhorn Races. For Yvonne, getting to meet guests from all corners of the world in the beautiful Swiss Alps is the cherry on top.
For others, Coople offers a unique occasion to be together. Hellen and Gerard are a pair of Cooplers who also signed up for service shifts at the Lauberhorn Races. With free time in their calendar, the couple wanted to earn some extra money while still being together. Hellen, who loves the mountains and the snow, works frequently as a Coopler on Bürgenstock, a mountain resort in central Switzerland. She recently convinced Dutch boyfriend Gerard to also register on the platform. “He’s only been in Switzerland for two years,” she says, “so I love the opportunity to be able to work together with him and show him locations in Switzerland at the same time.” Despite having different work experiences, both Hellen and Gerard were able to find jobs through Coople where they could work together.
Working at the Lauberhorn Ski Races this year was a dream job turned reality for many: it was freedom, togetherness, and excitement rolled into one. For more exciting winter jobs, keep your eyes peeled: Coople has just arrived in the Alps!
Christmas is a time of joy, love, and giving, so in the spirit of the holiday season, Coople has committed to spreading some winter festivity to families living in the region of Zurich. We’ve covered the working costs of Cooplers working at Caritas Zurich and invited nine Cooplers to spend an afternoon in solidarity wrapping gifts for children from low-income families. For some Cooplers, it was their very first job; for many, it quickly became their favorite and most meaningful Coople job.
Caritas and Coople: Helping those in need in Switzerland
Caritas is an international network active in more than 200 countries. In Switzerland, 16 regional, independent Caritas Organizations engage in social projects in their local area. Their main mission in Switzerland is to improve the lives of the 615,000 people affected by poverty.
“Although we enjoy a high standard of living here in Switzerland, there are still many people close to us who are in need of assistance,” explains Sandra Rauch, Head of Communications at Caritas Zurich.
Throughout the year, Sandra and the rest of the team at Caritas Zurich are actively engaged in fighting poverty in the canton of Zurich. In addition to running six second-hand shops and three Caritas Markets, the Zurich chapter organizes volunteer projects, offers debt counseling sessions, and empowers people with low-incomes to participate in Swiss social life through the Caritas Culture Pass.
The Caritas Christmas initiative of distributing presents to children from low-income families is a tradition now in its tenth year. “This year, we’ll be giving out 500 gifts,” says Samuel from Caritas Culture Pass, “250 of which will have been wrapped by Cooplers.” Once wrapped, the presents are delivered to the Culture Pass office, from where they can be picked up by the families on December 19th — just in time for Christmas.
At Coople, our mission is to empower people to take charge of their own working schedules so that they can lead the lives they want. That’s why we also fully support the Caritas quest to empower disadvantaged people to lead socially rich lives of their own. You can learn more about Caritas Zurich and lend a hand to families in need here. Happy holidays from Coople Switzerland!
