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The changing face of working life in the UK
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Regardless of industry, companies are always looking for ways in which they can improve efficiency and help their workforce to get the very best results.
This can come in many forms: changing ways of working, streamlining processes and of course by harnessing technology and innovation, something that the UK logistics industry is beginning to harness.
ONBOARDING SUBCONTRACTORS
One area of strain within the logistics industry for generations has been around personnel and how companies recruit and onboard new self-employed subcontractors. Of course, this issue has been exacerbated by the dearth of available self-employed drivers following Brexit and the implications this has immediately had on the industry.
Traditionally, recruiting new self-employed delivery drivers has involved advertising the role, finding potential candidates, contacting each of them individually and then after an interview process manually sorting all of their documentation including driving licences, ID, toxicology, tax and right to work checks. All of this can be extremely laborious and time-consuming for staff and was previously accepted as an area of accepted inefficiency for firms across the UK, regardless of size.
REINVENTING THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Now, this recruitment and onboarding process, as well as other areas such as route optimisation and finance, are being reinvented with software and platforms to reduce the workload on staff and provide further protection to each business around finance and compliance.
James Orton is Chief Product and Technology Officer at Wise, a Birmingham-based technology firm that specialises in self-employment and works within the logistics sector. He said: “Following the launch of the Wise platform in April, we’ve seen first-hand how logistics firms of varying sizes across the country are adapting and working tirelessly to meet the ever-high demand for deliveries from businesses and individuals.
“As we continue to move through peak season, we’re noticing the anticipated surge in supply chain demand and therefore seeing that there is even more emphasis on delivery service providers to recruit and onboard new subcontractor drivers both quickly and efficiently.
“We’re aware that with the current shortage of available drivers and a long backlog of new drivers going through the DVLA testing process, this peak period is unrecognisable from any in years gone by. However, as the industry is beginning to truly embrace technology and digital innovation, this is already providing much-needed relief to firms at such a critical time.”
ENSURING A POSITIVE SELF-EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE
As organisations such as Logistics UK continue to lobby the government for relief around delivery drivers, businesses must ensure their self-employment experience is positive and stress-free to try and retain their current subcontractor workforce amongst a competitive environment.
By harnessing cutting-edge software, firms are now able to improve the way they engage their subcontractor workforce across all elements of invoicing and finance, whilst also creating rock-solid protection from HMRC enquiries around compliance.
As the sector continues to adapt to this changing landscape from a personnel perspective, businesses that continue to integrate and welcome the latest technology into their processes will unquestionably benefit from a natural competitive advantage.
To find out more about how Wise can help modernise the way that your company engages with its self-employed subcontractors, please visit the link below.
*www.withwise.com
Published On: 16/12/2021 16:00:49
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