Over the last eighteen months, as the UK has gone through unprecedented circumstances with the COVID-19 pandemic, the logistics sector has gone above and beyond to deal with the huge rise in demand for online shopping and deliveries as the country was locked down.
However, as the industry gears up for what has been the traditional ‘peak period’ in the lead up to Christmas (where the volume of demand and admin naturally rises), a number of firms are harnessing technology in order to deal with a mass of admin and issues around engaging their self-employed workforce of delivery drivers.
Simon Hills, Chief Executive Officer of self-employment technology specialists, Wise, said: “We know that the end of the year often sees delivery providers ramp up their workforce of subcontractor drivers. Traditionally, this has involved lengthy admin processes across documentation, onboarding and of course all of the tax and finance elements of engaging these self-employed individuals.”
“Now, we’re seeing more and more of these firms using technology and integrated platforms such as Wise to not only revolutionise their internal processes, but provide a much slicker and convenient experience for these increasingly in-demand subcontractors.”
Following Brexit, as the UK continues to lose self-employed delivery drivers from mainland Europe, the scarcity of available talent is going to mean that those main contractors which are able to find, recruit and onboard subcontractors with the best experience are going to be at a natural competitive advantage.
Whilst the pandemic has naturally forced a number of companies across the courier and logistics sector to reinvent some of their practices, the way these firms adopt technology will play a huge role in how they are able to flourish in the coming years within a fiercely competitive market.
To find out more about how the Wise platform can help your business to engage its self-employed workforce, head to www.withwise.com