Recent research has shown that 4.4 million people in England and Wales work for gig economy platforms at least once a week. As the world embraces remote working in the post-pandemic era, more businesses are rethinking the way they source talent.

While gig work is often associated with the B2C world, the fluidity of working life means businesses are increasingly turning to these platforms. Here Ashmita Das, CEO of Kolabtree, explains how the knowledge and expert economies will shift gig work beyond B2C.

The idea that the gig economy is a service of convenience is not a new one. In its list of top-20 gig economy jobs, CareerAddict lists everything from rideshare and food delivery driving to pet sitting as ways to make some extra income. Similarly, whenever we hear of gig platforms, this evokes memories of the likes of Uber and Deliveroo.

If the last two years taught us anything, it’s that perceptions change. For example, before the pandemic, remote working was the exception, but overnight it became the rule. Similarly, the gig economy is far more than an assembly line for pizzas or a way of getting dog walked — it’s a valuable resource, a flexible solution for … Read More

Industry-leading Bike.Rent Manager has launched a new platform to connect consumers with rental shops worldwide, Bike.Rent.

Working with over 650 bike stores worldwide, Bike.Rent has combined its trusted rental management software with the new platform. Cyclists will have visibility on how many bikes a shop has got and when they are available.

The unique expansion to Bike.Rent Manager means cyclists can browse and book third-party rental providers, in real-time.

After raising over £750,000 in capital for the venture, the founders of Bike.Rent will use their 10 years of experience in the SaaS world to launch the booking.com of the bike industry.

Before Bike.Rent, cyclists would search and contact multiple websites to book their bikes. The new platform avoids the issue of users navigating multiple websites, accessing the real-time availability of over 650 bike shops in one place. The stores on Bike.Rent operate the powerful BRM (bike.rent propriety software) to manage all their bookings. In this way, fulfilment is guaranteed.

With powerful search ability, users can narrow their search by location, date, bike type, bike shop, and specific bike availability. This multilayered search approach, combined with the live data stream to the back office of bike shops means customers can have … Read More

There’s only one direction for business travel costs in the coming year: up. That’s according to the Global Business Travel Forecast 2023, which predicts that airfares will continue to rise 8.5 per cent next year. Hotel prices are also expected to increase by 8.2 per cent in 2023.

There’s no two ways about it: travel can be an expensive business. Who can blame companies for wanting to cut costs wherever possible. That’s where a good TMC is worth its weight in gold. Why? Because they will give you access to exclusive rates and deals – or as they call it: content.

Content covers all the prices, seats, extras, and options a travel professional can see on their screen when they’re searching for flights, hotels, and cars. They quite literally have access to millions of rates and deals from anywhere in the world, including consumer-facing websites like Expedia.

Although airlines have tried in the past to bypass travel agents and TMCs by offering ‘better’ deals online, the latest development in this space (called NDC) has ensured that all products an airline offers on its own website, such as upgrades, extra baggage, or priority boarding, are now available in a clear and … Read More

Career advancement is a big life goal for a lot of people, with many working hard to develop their skill set and build experience in hopes of progressing into more advanced roles over time.

However, for many of these hardworking hopefuls, a clause in their employment contract may be set to get in the way of their advancement.

‘Non-compete’ clauses refer to a clause within a contract of employment that sets terms for the employee wherein, upon leaving the business, they’re most commonly unable to work for any competitors or establish their own business in the same sector. But these clauses can even potentially force employees to leave their industry altogether in select circumstances.

Whilst these clauses are more commonly found in the US, where authorities are seeking to have them outlawed due to being dubbed ‘exploitative’ and ‘unfair’, they are also found in a relatively large number of UK contracts. The UK government ran an open consultation in February 2021 on whether non-compete clauses should be allowed at all, and whether employers should be required to compensate employees during this period.

On the use of non-compete clauses as a business practice, Connor Campbell, business finance expert at NerdWallet… Read More

More Housing’s new home, The Parker gives councils a solution to the housing crisis.

Currently, the UK has close to 100k people in temporary housing or on the streets. Conditions in temporary housing have been widely reported by charities and the media as unsafe and unsatisfactory, with one in five having hazardous conditions. This menagerie of problems – poor air circulation, damp and mold, only shared facilities with no private, lockable front doors, safe storage or room to work – means living in poor-quality temporary housing can have a variety of mental health implications for those affected.

More Housing’s mission was to create mental health inspiring, low carbon, eco-innovative homes that could be deployed quickly to suit each county’s requirements.

With homes designed using MMC for meanwhile and permanent sites, More Housing now provides a unique eco-innovative, mental health friendly solution for councils nationwide.

Attempting to solve one issue without creating another was the challenge for the team.

Three years of constant setbacks and continued innovation to source solutions for them, has seen More Housing finally launch.

Mr Hossain, Operations Executive at More Housing said:

‘Whether it’s temporarily using brownfield sites or permanent spaces, Councils can now use our plug … Read More