We explore the regulations that UK businesses must comply with when it comes to temporary staff, freelancers and contingent workers - as well as upcoming changes.

Is your retail or logistics business struggling with staff shortages? Seasonal demand, unexpected absences, and high turnover can make it hard to find reliable workers quickly.

From busy store aisles to packed delivery schedules, businesses need to scale their workforce quickly to meet peak season demands and maximise profitability.

As part of the Labour government’s manifesto, it announced a plan to end zero-hours contracts, in which workers are hired without a set number of hours of work guaranteed.

Coople, the leading digital staffing platform on the European market, is delighted to announce the appointment of Hadi Moussa as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective July 29th, 2024.

Coople has conducted a survey of 1000 UK business owners and senior decision makers, asking them to share how these economic conditions have – or have not – impacted their hiring decisions.

Flexible staffing is a powerful tactic that businesses can integrate into their toolkit in order to remain successful and competitive in the face of a difficult economic situation. We will go on to explore the ways in which increased flexibility can benefit businesses.

As part of this evolution, the UK government has announced an increase in the National Living Wage (NLW) effective from April 1, 2024. At Coople, we recognise the importance of staying abreast of these changes and how they impact both businesses and workers.

In this article, we discuss why employee retention is important and introduce some of these measures. Showing what is needed to keep employees in the business on a long-term basis, we will explore some of the tactics management can take to reduce labour turnover.

This article illustrates why performance appraisal is relevant for companies and which approaches and methods have proven effective over time.

Coople, Europe's leading digital staffing platform, today announced that Chief Executive Officer Rinaldo Olivari will be leaving Coople.

The principles of diversity and inclusion have become indisputable cornerstones of a successful HR strategy. This article exemplifies why equality, inclusion and diversity, and equal opportunities are important for staff members as well as for the overall success of a company.

The past few years have been a veritable rollercoaster ride for HR leaders, marked by redundancies, a paradigm shift in traditional working models, and economic volatility.

In this blog article, we’ll explain what ISO/IEC 27001 is and why it is essential in the current digital era.

Coople, the leading digital staffing platform, has reached an impressive milestone of one million registered workers in the UK and Switzerland. This success reflects the company’s exponential growth in recent years. Early on, Coople recognised the importance of digitalisation for temporary work and has been focusing on it ever since. In the UK, the company is currently registering more than 10,000 new flexible workers per month and counts a total of more than 350,000. Moving into the future of flexible work Since April 2016, the Coople Jobs app has been publicly and freely available in the UK. Workers can use the app to find and accept temporary jobs based on their preferences and flexibility. Coople’s rapidly growing popularity has attracted countless talented people looking for more flexibility. Workers from a variety of industries are increasingly joining the platform and discovering the innovative solutions that modern work opportunities can offer. This underlines Coople’s ongoing commitment to connecting workers with the right companies at the right time. So far in 2023, over 150,000 new users have registered worldwide, with an average age of 29. Coople provides flexible workers for short and long term assignments in the hospitality, retail, logistics, events and promotions as well as in the commercial sector. The average job performance rating of Cooplers registered this year who have already completed shifts is an excellent 3.67 out of 4 stars. As the employer of temporary workers who are placed with hiring companies, Coople takes full responsibility for ensuring that flexible or temporary work is fair, rewarding, and socially secure. Wide-ranging motivations for working flexibly: A look into the world of Cooplers The majority of new users have heard about Coople from friends or family who already use the app, and there are different reasons for choosing flexible work. Some people value the opportunity to be as flexible as possible in their working lives and to be in control of their work. Others are looking for extra income to improve their financial situation or cover basic living costs. Another driving force is the opportunity to acquire new skills, make better use of existing ones or expand one’s network. Currently, the photo and video competition ‘We are Cooplers’ offers exciting insights into the experiences of flexible workers from different backgrounds and age groups. A recipe for future success Particularly in times of a persistent shortage of skilled workers, the flexible work options Coople offers its users are a vital tool in attracting and retaining talent, as well as re-engaging returning professionals. Combined with a commitment to successfully matching qualified workers with the right companies, Coople has been able to consolidate and steadily expand its leading position in the digital recruitment industry. Or, as the founder of Coople, Viktor Calabrò, puts it: “With our ever-expanding range of short-term and also, increasingly, long-term jobs, we support many Cooplers in adapting their work to their individual lives, rather than the other way round. We work tirelessly to achieve this and are proud to be able to offer so many opportunities to our growing community. With its digital approach, Coople takes into account the growing demand for flexibility and enables temporary workers to work in a self-determined way and hiring companies to plan their staff according to demand.” What’s next for Coople? Coople started in the hospitality and events sectors and has a reputation for providing qualified staff for short term assignments in record time. Over the past few years, the company has expanded its offering to provide more and more staff in other sectors such as logistics, retail and the commercial sector. These jobs can last for several months or even years. Coople’s next big goal is to become known as the platform where companies can meet all their temporary staffing needs, regardless of the duration of the assignment. Guided by the mission. ‘The Job App to build a better life’, Coople is committed to expanding the range of opportunities on its platform to provide work for as many people as possible, whether they are looking to supplement their income with an occasional shift or find a full-time role. By leveraging technology, Coople can respond to the growing demand for flexibility in unprecedented ways. The company enables temporary workers to work where and when it suits them, and companies to manage their workforce based on customer demand.

In today’s competitive labour market, businesses in the UK are facing a number of challenges that are making their recruitment efforts more difficult.

The digital staffing platform’s AI text-generation tool has been trained to create job descriptions using ‘deep learning’, helping companies save time when recruiting.

Freelancers, agency workers and hiring companies need to understand the differences between these working models to avoid potential risks and respect the law.

We’ve compiled a handy guide with things you can easily implement to improve your chances of hiring for your Coople jobs – Apply these 9 tips and you won’t be short of applicants!

Can you find regular flexible work as a temporary worker? How can you learn new skills and develop your experience with flexible work? To answer these questions, we spoke to Garvin, who recently completed 100 shifts with Coople – what a milestone! Read on to learn more about his journey with Coople and his tips for finding regular flexible work. Why did you join Coople? “I joined Coople because of the flexibility. The roles on the platform were surprisingly diverse, which kept me interested. Every shift was different from the last, which allowed me to gain new experiences and expand my skillset.” What roles do you enjoy the most? “Hospitality roles. I really enjoyed working as a waiter, bartender and event assistant. I had the opportunity to work with Aviary, and through that, I discovered my passion for working in customer-facing roles. I love working in the restaurant and lounge. Being able to interact with customers, take on more responsibility and engage with a variety of people daily is very fulfilling.” How does flexible work support you? “I like that you’re able to create opportunities for yourself with flexible work. In my situation, the manager at Aviary recognised my work and commitment. I showed up consistently and did my best with every shift. They saw that, and gave me the opportunity for regular long-term work. I’m now able to achieve my financial goals.” What was your very first Coople job, and how did your Coople journey develop from there? “My first job was at Pan Pacific as an event waiter. The journey has been amazing. I’ve met a lot of great Cooplers along the way. One Coopler taught me how to consistently find work with Coople. This led me to where I am now, working regularly with Aviary.” What are your tips for finding regular flexible work? “Don’t just work with one hiring company in the beginning. Work around and get a lot of ratings from a variety of hiring companies. Put yourself out there and make sure to leave a good impression. Take advantage of the opportunities you can find on the app as well! Coople helped me to work in different locations throughout the week. Since I’ve worked around a lot, I built a good reputation for myself and have even become a favourite worker for a few companies. Now every time I apply for a shift as a favourite worker, I’m hired instantly. This is why I encourage you to do your best, always. Wherever you go in life, always leave a good impression. You never know where it’ll lead you in the future.” Put yourself out there and make sure to leave a good impression… You never know where it’ll lead you in the future.” What advice would you give to new Cooplers looking for regular flexible work? “Have an open mind. You always have to start somewhere. For new Cooplers, treat your profile as your brand identity. Whatever client you work with, always leave a good impression. It’ll help you build your profile. Once you’ve established yourself as a good Coopler by working at different locations, the sky is the limit. Companies will see that you have a good track record and will want to hire you. It’s imperative to treat each hiring company with respect, even if you decide you don’t want to come back. All hiring managers will look at your profile and see comments from other companies. Sometimes I have bad days as well, but you have to remember that you made a commitment to the hiring company, and you have to do your best.” “Treat your profile as your brand identity. Companies will see that you have a good track record and will want to hire you… All hiring managers will look at your profile and see comments from other companies. Sometimes I have bad days as well, but you have to remember that you made a commitment to the hiring company, and you have to do your best.” Hear from our other Cooplers and discover how flexible work can support your career development.

How can temp-to-perm work support your career development? Join us as we speak to our temp-to-perm Coopler, Guiseppe, and discover where Coople can take you.

Easter joined Coople in 2017 and started off in hospitality as a waitress. After booking her first shift, she promptly gained glowing four star reviews, with hiring companies praising her teamwork and communication skills.

We’re proud to celebrate the work anniversary Cooplers! Join us as we speak to Mary, our Coopler of five years, to hear more about her journey with flexible work.

Join us as we celebrate Stella's five year Coopler anniversary! Find out more about her career journey with flexible work.

Ben joined Coople in 2017, working across a variety of job profiles in hospitality. After picking up a few shifts as a bartender and a waiter, Ben quickly gained a reputation for his friendly, professional attitude and became a favourite worker for over 50 hiring companies.

We spoke to our Himani, our temp-to-perm Coopler, on how flexible work aided her professional advancement. Hear her story today!

Our temp-to-perm Coopler, Yasir, shares how working flexibly has supported his career journey. Hear his story today!

Our temp-to-perm Coopler, Sophie, shares how flexible work has supported her professional growth. Hear her story today!

To find out more about how flexible work can support you, we’re continuing our new series where we highlight our temp-to-perm Cooplers and their professional development with Coople.

Temporary work can be a great opportunity for career advancement. Hear from Nikol, our Coopler, on how temporary work can support you.

In today’s blog post, we give the spotlight over to our Lavan, our temp-to-perm Coopler. Hear Lavan’s story and discover how temporary work can support you too!

How can temporary work help your career development? We spoke to our temp-to-perm Coopler, Modupe, to hear her story.

We spoke to Abimbola, one of our long-term customer service agents. Abimbola joined the team on a permanent basis in 2021 and has been working alongside our customer success team to get Cooplers ready for work ever since!

Selina has been a part of the Coople community since 2017. Since joining the Coople community, Selina has worked temporarily in a variety of hospitality positions before joining JustEat’s permanent team as a Technical Support Specialist.

The National Minimum Wage regulations set the lowest rates of pay all UK workers must be paid as a minimum. Following government announcements, these rates will increase from 1st April 2022.

For businesses in need of seamless solutions, we’ve laid out how Coople can help overcome each of these Brexit challenges below. 

Adding professional documents such as certificates, diplomas and any licenses you may have is a great way of showing off your skills and experience. This will also improve your profile and help you stand out as a great candidate. What documents can you upload? There’s a variety of documents you can upload via the Coople Jobs App. These include: Diplomas: if you have any diplomas from completed courses, make sure to upload it to your profile to show off your education and professional training Driving licenses: some jobs require a driving license. To receive such job requests and to apply successfully to these roles, make sure you add your driving license to your documents Certificates: from language certificates to emergency first aid and mixology, we have a wide range of certificates you can upload CV: to increase your chances of getting hired, it’s a good idea to upload and regularly update your CV. Read here for more information on how you can create a great CV How can I upload my professional documents? To upload your documents, make sure you have them saved on your phone or cloud system (such as Google Drive, iCloud or Microsoft365). Alternatively, you can take a picture of your document(s) with the Coople Jobs App. Open the Coople Jobs App Tap on Profile at the bottom right Tap on Documents, then tap Add Document Select the document type you want to upload Take a photograph of your document or upload from your phone or cloud system. Make sure the photo is clear, non-blurry and shows the document in full And you’re all set! For more information on how you can improve your profile, take a look at the links below. What are job profiles? How to tailor your CV for any job How to take the best professional profile picture

In 2020, we surveyed over 900 of our Cooplers (the flexible workers on Coople’s platform) to understand why they look for temporary work and what attracts them to specific flexible jobs.

With Coople’s help, Hema gained access to thousands of skilled retail workers who they could hire quickly across multiple locations.

Four Seasons embraced the Coople platform to source skilled banquet staff, allowing them to match demand and maximise their revenue.

Pergola Paddington, one of the largest outdoor venues in London, often experiences fluctuating demand due to the weather. During sunny weather, demand can double within hours.

Coople partnered with Restaurant Associates, one of London’s leading contract caterers, to provide high quality customer service to reflect favourably on their client’s brand.

Coople helped Five Star Catering find and hire large numbers of cashiers and baristas for their festivals and events. Coople’s mutual rating system made it simple for them to find the best workers efficiently.

With the help of Coople, Tobacco Dock were able to reliably and consistently source high quality, trained workers from their favourites pool for each event.

Chelsea Stadium worked with Coople to consistently source high quality, VIP event staff for their on-site restaurants. With the help of Coople’s flexible platform, Chelsea Stadium successfully hired professional waiters, bartenders and runners and achieved 100% coverage per match.

Technology has been redefining and revolutionising the way businesses find talent. With the ability to create job ads in seconds and vet candidates online, organisations can hire faster and better than ever.

To help you reach your full potential on the Coople platform, we’ve put together a handy overview on how you can successfully build your platform reputation to find regular flexible work.

With less than a month until hospitality begins to re-open, what does the future hold for the industry and how can you best prepare? Read the report here.

On 19th February 2021, the UK Supreme Court ruled that ride-hailing drivers must be treated as “workers” rather than self-employed contractors. This means that these drivers are now entitled to some employment rights and protections associated with more traditional form of employment, such as national minimum wage and holiday pay. This ruling from the highest court in the land could affect an estimated 40,000 ride-hailing drivers and can have wide implications on the whole gig economy. Will this affect you? TUC research indicates that the UK’s gig economy workforce has doubled since 2016, with nearly 1 in 10 workers performing casual work at least once a week in 2019. Similarly, workers are increasingly turning towards short-term opportunities to top up their income. The world of work is changing fast, and with this court ruling it’s important for employers to fully understand the pros and cons of different employment models, as well as their exposure to legal or PR risks. Cooplers are already treated as workers Our flexible workers have always been and will continue to be engaged by Coople as workers. We therefore ensure that they are always paid the national minimum wage or above. As their employer, we also take care of Right to Work checks and manage their national insurance contributions and employee benefits. Cooplers have always been entitled to holiday pay, pension contributions and statutory payments (sick pay, maternity and paternity). As part of our mission to make flexible work a rewarding experience, we also provide avenues for progression to our workforce. Find out more about how Coople are striving to provide a rewarding work environment for everyone. Alternatively, learn more about our pricing and how this reflects the employment model we offer to our flexible workers.

Coople exists to make flexible work a rewarding experience. For us, this means building easy-to-use tools to hire verified professionals for as little or as long as you need them.

Boutique Workplace trusts Coople to consistently provide high-quality staff for their many serviced offices across London. Hiring staff has become seamless since they have built a strong pool of reliable workers to choose from for last minute absences and holiday covers.

Drake’s, the men’s clothing store, used Coople’s platform to find and hire quality, experienced warehouse staff. With Coople, they were able to instantly access thousands of skilled, vetted workers via the Coople for Business App and online platform, allowing Drake’s to fulfill their hiring needs at short notice. Additionally, thanks to Coople’s flexibility, Drake’s were able to trial candidates before hiring them into their permanent team. How did Coople help Drake’s find experienced warehouse staff? Coople connected Drake’s to a large pool of motivated, quality workers, allowing Drake’s to source the right hires to join as long-term team members. With the flexibility of Coople’s on-demand staffing platform, Drake’s were able to easily manage and scale up or down as and when needed to avoid fixed costs. The challenge Ability to trial candidates for longer periods of time before offering them permanent positions within their team Finding and hiring reliable, quality staff during peak seasons Having the ability to scale up or down as needed, often at short notice The solution With the use of Coople’s unique algorithm, Drake’s successfully hired several professional, experienced warehouse staff on a temporary to full-time basis. Coople provided the flexibility to adjust team sizes and change workers based on fit when needed. This is what the process looked like: Job publication: Drake’s used the simple in-app job creator to create and post jobs in minutes. They selected the wage, role and experience they required, as well as the number of workers needed. Matching and reviewing: the job was then automatically matched via the Coople algorithm. The workers were able to apply and Drake’s reviewed the applicants based on their CV and ratings before hiring them. Confirmation of hours: once the job was completed, Drake’s reviewed the hours. Next, the platform handled all the administration and payroll. Drake’s then added their best temporary workers to their ‘favourites’ pool. The results Fully vetted workers: hired up to 8 Cooplers per day during peak season before building a pool of over 25 temporary, permanent and flexible workers. Time and cost efficiency: large amount of time saved on recruiting and the ability to flex their workforce. Fast delivery: quickly found and hired skilled workers with expert level industry experience at short notice. Want to know how we can help your business? Leave your contact details here and we’ll get in touch!

Camden Town Brewery aimed to maximise production output with the use of flexible staff to cover a variety of warehouse roles.

Read the article to discover how we have improved Coople, including the information in our job descriptions.

Find out the recent product updates for companies we have made to the Coople platform, including a smarter algorithm to match you with the right workers and a more intuitive hiring experience.

Flexible work in 2020 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. Read the press release on this topic.

How Regus used the Coople platform to quickly find and hire workers to fill operational gaps, for both urgent sickness cover and long-term holiday cover.

Helping Comdata, a leading global outsourcing service provider, pre-screen and hire long-term and permanent workers. Coople enabled them to hire high volumes of specialist language talent quickly.

How Financial Times, one of the world’s leading global business publications, partnered with Coople to recruit skilled, temporary to permanent workers.

How Just Eat, a leading global hybrid marketplace for online food delivery, partnered with Coople to successfully source committed workers for long-term projects.

Helping Key Enviro Solutions, a commercial cleaning company, quickly hire high-quality staff to service student accommodations increase in demand.

B2B International, a global business-to-business research firm, used the Coople platform to source specialist bilingual talent with market research experience.

How Bennett Hay, one of the UK’s leading bespoke hospitality services, used Coople’s digital staffing platform to consistently hire high-quality staff to meet and exceed clients’ high expectations.

Stuff U Sell, the eBay selling experts, hired Coople’s flexible workers to find and get to know high-quality staff before offering them permanent positions. They were able to reduce hiring risk successfully.

Are you so exhausted you can’t move a muscle? Is the weight of responsibilities too much to bear? Does going into work fill you with dread? If any of these apply to you, you might be experiencing burnout.

On Coople’s platform, Soho Sandwich found high-quality, experienced and flexible staff at short notice.

How HelloFresh, UK’s leading recipe box, benefited from Coople’s on-demand staffing platform to quickly find and hire the necessary flexible staff in times of unpredictable growth.

With over 300,000 registered skilled workers, the Coople app allowed the discount supermarket to tap into a large pool of flexible workers.

Deliveroo Editions used the Coople staffing platform to quickly find skilled workers who supported their teams through the COVID-19 crisis.

A common misconception when it comes to flexible and temporary workers is that they are unable to produce the same standard of work as you would expect from permanent employees. A flexible workforce can prove that incorrect. It’s easy to see why plenty of hirers in the event industry have come to this conclusion; permanent employees know the processes of the businesses, they’re usually familiar with various venues and, in some cases, have even developed good relationships with repeat clients. Flexible workers however, come with a number of tangible benefits, such as enabling event companies to cover peaks in demand and manage absenteeism. With that in mind, more and more event companies are tapping into the growing flexible marketplace to get the cover they need. Increasing numbers of workers are choosing to work flexibly too, and event companies are finding that rather than the quality decreasing with flexible hires, they are able to access skills and experience that they have been unable to access with permanent hires. Quite often, even flexible workers without event experience will have transferable skills, such as the experience of working in fast paced hospitality environments. These kinds of assets allow workers to hit the ground running, meaning there’s very little time lost with on-boarding, and as soon as flexible workers have done one or two events, they can be added to ‘pools’. That means the event company has access to reliable workers any time they need them. To help ensure you make the most of temporary workers for your events, it’s a good idea to follow these easy to implement tips… Clear communication Clearly communicating with your temporary or flexible workers will go a long way towards ensuring quality. Simply setting out the expectations at the start of the shift will avoid confusion and if you working with an on-demand platform – rather than an agency – you will have you greater control over who you hire, meaning you will be communicating with people who have event experience and are used to the standards required. Show them around Knowledge of the location is particularly important with events, so taking the time to show them around is vital. The less time your flexible workers spend trying to find their way around will increase the amount of time they spend working. For large scale events, this can obviously be delegated to a permanent worker, or a flexible worker you have previously hired. Expect the same standards Having an even playing field is vital when working with a temporary or flexible workforce. If you set standards for them that are higher or lower than the permanent staff, you run the risk of making them feel less valued. With the numbers of skilled flexible workers within the event industry higher than ever, flexible workers are having more choice over which events they choose to work. If you ensure favouritism doesn’t exist at your events, you’ll go a long way towards making it a pleasant experience, meaning the most reliable workers are more likely to choose to work at your events in the future.

IR35 is the new UK tax legislation designed to combat tax avoidance by companies and contractors who could use the set-up of an intermediary company in order to pay less tax.

We’re pleased to announce the release of our new employer app ‘Coople for Business' Designed to give employers the information they need in the palm of their hand.

We’re pleased to announce the release of our new company app Coople for Business. Designed alongside our users, it gives employers the information they need on the go and puts all the features from the desktop version in the palm of their hand.

Leading on-demand staffing platform, Coople, continues on its high-growth trajectory, with new funding and expansion, disrupting the traditional staffing industry.

Joining Coople in 2016 as CPO, Tony Macklin is responsible for enhancing the way Coople connects people to jobs.

It’s not only workers who are embracing the gig economy. Companies have also cottoned onto the idea of on-demand staffing, rather than hiring salaried employees. As a happy result, both parties are enjoying the benefits of integrating the gig economy and HR.

Meet Amanda, who used Coople to work flexibly as a chef allowing her to follow her dream of setting up a food photography business.

Did you know that 2.8 million Brits have worked in the gig economy in the last 12 months? As people seek control over their working life or extra supplemental income, more flexible part-time work has become increasingly desirable.

Fact or fiction: what’s the truth behind the myths of temporary work? Workforces across the UK continue to grow and evolve. Figures published by the Office for National Statistics show the overall employment rate in the UK stands at 76.1%. This is the joint highest figure on record. The general increase of this number since early 2012 has been attributed to a variety of factors. One of these is the growth in people utilising ‘flexible’ working options. A 2018 DBEIS report shows 4.4% of Brits have worked in the gig economy in the last 12 months. This figure is only forecast to continue to grow in the coming years. 62% of those working flexibly state that they first got involved in the gig economy in the last two years. The terms “temporary work” and “gig economy” often come with misconceptions. For many they bring up images of students earning money alongside their studies. Some only believe these options are somewhat of a last resort. Whilst these people do form part of the flexible workforce, this fails to tell the full story of a diverse section of workers who want to work in ways that suit their lifestyle. Temporary workers continue to be major players in the gig economy. With the industry expected to become a $2.7 trillion economy by 2025, it’s vital that we paint a realistic portrait of the growing flexible workforce. Too often we make assumptions of who these workers are, whether it be their backgrounds, their qualifications or their ambitions. In response, we have outlined three of the most frequently-held beliefs about temporary workers. We want to show you the facts behind these myths of temporary work. Myth 1: temporary workers lack qualifications and training The level of qualification of temporary workers has continued to increase over the years. According to the RSA, an impressive 44% of gig workers in the UK have a university degree. On the Coople platform we have thousands of registered Cooplers with a wealth of experience both academically and in their respective fields from hospitality to office work. In fact, the high skill level amongst many temporary workers in the gig economy regularly creates examples of under-employment. Whether it is due to being in-between jobs or wanting the freedom to work flexibly, many workers can be found performing tasks they are overqualified for. This demonstrates that temporary workers often possess a diverse range of skills across a huge variety of industries. Myth 2: temporary workers are only young students Research shows there is no single type of temp worker. The proportion of older working professionals joining the flexible workforce has continued to increase. In fact, over half of gig workers (52%) are between the ages of 31 and 54 whilst 14% are over the age of 55 according to the RSA. One reason we see more older people entering the flexible workforce is that it allows them to decide how often they want to work. A survey of 12,000 workers over 50 reported that 78% want to see more flexible hours. With temporary or part-time work, this possibility becomes a reality. Myth 3: temporary work is a last resort option Temporary work is often seen as a transitional phase, but it can also be a long-term solution. Recent studies show that 45% of temporary workers chose to work this way as it suits their situation. Professors at UoP also found that a large number of people in the gig economy did so not because of necessity. Instead they chose this lifestyle to supplement their income. This demonstrates that working flexibly can suit the lifestyles of many whether it be a full-time working solution or a way to generate additional income. Coople is designed to make flexible working rewarding for everyone. A few clicks is all it takes to start working the way you want to!

For Mental Health Awareness week 2019 (13th-19th May) we have highlighted five ways how the Coople platform supports mental health within the workplace.

To fully appreciate how technology will change the future of work, you only have to look back on the last couple of years.

Coople founder Viktor Calabro participated in a panel discussion on new trends in the Human Cloud.

It’s the return of the breakfast round table discussions; where we invite industry leaders to share their experiences amongst peers.

As soon as you sign up with Coople, you will be invited to attend a Right to Work assessment. Attending an assessment is something you need to do in order to start working with us, and as the name suggests, we run them to check your Right to Work legally in the UK. Checking your Right to Work isn’t the only reason we run the assessments however; we also introduce you to Coople, our app and give you an idea of the type of work you can expect to find with us. Ultimately our aim is to give everyone who attends the session the possible chance of not only getting their first job, but also building up their reputation as a reliable worker. Introducing you to our app Our app lets you find work whenever and wherever you want. With roles in hospitality, events, retail and plenty more all available, there’s plenty to discover. During our Right to Work assessments, we’ll walk you through the app and give you all the information you need to apply for your first job. We’ll also show you how to filter your results to find the jobs closest to you that match your skills. Put simply, the assessment will give you the tools you need to use the app to find and apply for flexible work in seconds. Getting you ready for work We also make sure you’re ready to work with Coople. As well as having staff on-hand to help you build your profile and apply for your first job, we’ll also share our expectations with you. By letting you know what our expectations are, we’re making sure that you’re fully informed and ready to make an excellent impression during your first shift. What do I need to do before my Right to Work assessment? Great question. If you haven’t already, you’ll need to register with Coople on the app and book your assessment. We run several assessments a week at our offices in Central London. Before the assessment begins, it’s also a good idea to save time by uploading your documents and filling out your profile. It only takes a few minutes, and it will let us know in advance about the type of work you’re looking for. If you want to find out more about our Right to Work assessment, be sure to check out these handy guides: What is a Right to Work assessment and how can I do it? What details do I need to add to my profile to do the Right to Work assessment?

Coople, Europe’s largest platform for flexible work, announces that it will sponsor the Nendaz Freeride and Xtreme Verbier, the final stage of the Freeride World Tour, on its mission to solve staffing needs in the modern world of work.

To help you find an agency that suits your needs, we’ve put together a guide on how traditional recruitment agencies work, and how we at Coople offer an alternative way to find flexible work.

Welcome to the latest edition of the ‘Meet the Masters’ series, where we interview experts across the hospitality industry. In this edition, we interview the head waiter and bartender of the Village Vanguard in Stratford, Austin Ventour.

Leading on-demand staffing platform Coople continues its high-growth trajectory, with new funding raised and senior management changes, disrupting the traditional staffing industry.

We are proud to announce that Coople’s Founder and CEO Viktor Calabrò has been chosen by the Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) to feature in this year’s “2018 European Staffing 100”.

Did you know that your profile picture can make or break your chances of getting hired? Fortunately, you don’t need to hire a headshot photographer. We’ve put together some tips for taking professional profile pics at home.

In this guide, we give you tips on how to use the Coople jobs app to find the perfect flexible jobs for you.

In this article, the Coople Team will guide you through the process of writing a powerful personal profile that will increase your chances of getting hired.

Be in charge of your work life with the all-new Coople Jobs App. The simplified new design and easy-to-use features allow you to find flexible jobs that truly match your skills. Getting to work has never been easier. Check out what new features we have in store for you:

Follow our step by step guide on how to complete your profile with the new Coople Job App. Having a complete profile will help you get access to more work.

We caught up with our Head of Hospitality, Michael Perry, on his hospitality background and journey to Coople.

Ali started the Hospitality Futures programme after being unemployed for over six months.

Have you been worrying about how to work in London? Finding a job in London, especially for candidates that have recently arrived in “the big smoke” can be very daunting. First of all, London is a huge city with a growing population close to nine million. According to the Office for National Statistics, between 2011 and 2015 nearly a half million people decided to take up residency in London. Secondly, with such a large population, the job market is fiercely competitive with scores of people applying for the same jobs. This often leaves newcomers with a disadvantage when it comes to knowing what exactly they need to do to get on the job ladder. So, what can you do? Avoid the saturated permanent work market One of the first things people do when seeking work in London is to instantly search for permanent work through job boards and send their CVs to unknown individuals. However, we all know permanent job searches can be highly competitive, where only a small percentage of applicants proceed to the assessment or interview stage. By avoiding the all too well-known rat race and registering onto flexible job platforms, you will be able to sit back and let jobs come to you within the hassle of interviews. Assess the alternative paths to work in London The job searching landscape has drastically shifted in the last few years. With the buzz of the gig economy and the flurry of job app launches have challenged the way of how people think of work. Traditional agencies have been the mainstay of newcomers seeking work, but now, newcomers looking for work in London are turning to to the gig economy because the traditional agency is stuck in their regimented ways of not letting people fully control where and when they work. They also rely on traditional recruitment processes comprising of long interviews, meaning it could be weeks before you hear anything back – less than ideal for people who urgently need to find a source of income when arriving in the capital. Join the future of work with Coople There’s a new way to work. With the Coople job app, you are in control, with flexible work at your fingertips, you accept or decline job requests as they come in and decide what work you want. Once registered and you’ve uploaded your profile, you can work straight away letting you discover what London has to offer at your own pace. Accept jobs on your mobile – accept job notification on the app and just turn up to work, it’s that easy. Find jobs in your location – decide where you want to work. Our smart algorithm conveniently matches you with jobs in the locations you want to work. Confirm the hours you work – make sure you always get paid for the hours you work with our check-in and check-out feature on the app and get paid weekly. Not only can we make your working life easier with the Coople job app, but we can also help boost your CV, by giving you the opportunity to work in London with some great brands and also be upskilled with industry recognised training and qualifications which we offer for free to our Cooplers. We are constantly looking for new people to join our platform and you could be part of our Coopler family. So, if you would like temporary part-time work with experience or without experience in hospitality, events and offices then don’t hesitate to sign up. Sign up here to get started.

In today’s world, with ads, smartphones, apps and social media vying for our attention, staying focused on our tasks is its own challenge.

Welcome to our latest content series ‘Meet the Masters’ where we interview experts across the hospitality industry.

A new world of work where businesses are increasingly seeing the need of having a highly flexible workforce to match the rapidly changing economic and business environment in which they operate.

Working in a customer service role requires excellent communication skills. No matter the size of the business, above par customer service is the key to efficient service and product delivery.

You’ve probably heard you should tweak your CV for every job application – but there’s more to it than just reversing your work history and hoping for the best.

Whether you would like to embark on a career as a mixologist or simply need something to do while you complete your studies, figuring out how to become a bartender when you have no experience can seem daunting.

Coople announces the appointment of a new board member and board observers to strengthen its expertise across the technology, financial, operational and commercial sectors.

New research from Europe’s largest flexible jobs marketplace, Coople, reveals British millennials are a generation of career jugglers, seeking varied lifestyles and accelerated multi-skilled growth, undertaking multi-jobs.

On-demand recruitment is on the rise. With technological advances and evolving cultural priorities, consumers, employees and businesses have all embraced this change.

Coople is proud to announce its partnership with Springboard Charity, who strives to help those from disadvantaged backgrounds find employment within the hospitality industry.

Sick of doing the same job every day? Do you dream of being in better control of your time? Flexible working might be just what you’re looking for.

The Mobile Future is already here. What is going to be the next major disruptor to drive change and consumer behaviour? How readily will businesses and HR directors grasp the digitisation of on-demand staffing?

If you are looking to become an expert waiter, find work as a waiter or to build on your existing experience, here are 7 tips from Coople to build your profile further and to obtain more job requests:

If mixing drinks and making new mixtures from scratch is your idea of fun, then a career in mixology could be perfect for you. In this article, we’ll cover the ins and outs of mixology, as well as how to become a mixologist. Read on and find out if you’ve found your calling!

The on-demand staffing industry is booming right now. More and more businesses want to streamline the cost and time it takes to hire personnel and operate more efficiently.

Are you one of 8.4 million part-time workers in the UK who wants more flexibility than the rigid 9-5 hours schedule?

The on-demand economy has grown rapidly in the past few years, causing major shifts in how companies do business.

New models in the era of digitisation, particularly in human resources and recruitment, are helping to simplify staff management.

Krispy Kreme’s pool of Coople ‘favourites’ helped them to continue maximising productivity and revenue daily.