With the UK logistics industry preparing for the busiest time of year, many companies are facing more pressure around ensuring their business and workforce are set for the inevitable annual spike in demand. Recruiting and onboarding new subcontractors has always been one of the main areas of strain for the logistics and courier industry. Typically, recruiting new self-employed delivery drivers involves advertising the role, finding the best-suited candidates, contacting them individually and manually sorting out all required documentation such as driving licences, ID, toxicology, tax and right-to-work documents.
All of this can take considerable amounts of time for business owners throughout the year, but this becomes even more of a burden during peak period when delivery firms need to grow their driver workforce. Now, as we move towards the end of summer, UK businesses are harnessing software to improve their processes around personnel and make sure they’re in the best position to manage this year’s Christmas peak.
In order to maximise efforts ahead of the 2022 peak period, many last-mile delivery firms have now opted to use innovative workforce management technology to streamline their processes around onboarding, payments and much more. This use of cutting-edge technology allows business owners to drastically cut down on paperwork and admin whilst freeing them up to focus on growing their businesses.
These workforce management systems, such as Wise, provide improved clarity to main contractors so that they can see a complete overview of their subcontractors as well as their pipeline of incoming drivers, which is vital at the busiest time of year.
Managing compliance around self-employment is essential for any thriving delivery business and managing everything from contracts to documentation is an integral part of this.
Traditionally, many firms have spent vast amounts of time worrying about everything from IR35 to employment status and potential readiness for an upcoming HMRC audit. Now, with the introduction of user-friendly software, these firms are able to receive expert legal support, sign and share contracts digitally and keep an online record of all documentation ready for any enquiries from the taxman. All of this combines to not only provide stress-relief for the business owners, but means that the subcontractor drivers can be confident that they’re also protected.
Traditionally, self-employed individuals haven’t been able to get some of the perks that are often given to full-time employees. Now, through third party software, many delivery business can offer their subcontractors access to essential products such as accountayc and invoicing support, whilst even getting them access to unique high-street discounts. By providing these different facets to improve the self-employment experience, logistics business owners are able to not only create a more attractive offer than their competitors, but again increase their driver retention rates.
James Orton is Chief Technology Officer at Wise, a tech firm specialising in improving self-employment within the UK delivery sector. He said: “We have seen the key areas main contractors have been struggling with for years in terms of engaging with a self-employed workforce and know how this is only exacerbated during peak period. “Now, with the free Wise platform easing these stress-points for over 250 UK delivery firms, we’re seeing how business owners can not only save time, money and stress for themselves, but create a vastly improved self-employment experience for their drivers at the same time.”
