World first: collective insurance including disability for self-employed platform workers

Self-employed people who find work using the Temper platform are now automatically insured for company liability, accidents and temporary disability as of 15 April 2022. This insurance has been developed by digital insurer Alicia in consultation with the Union for Independent Gigwork. This is a world first: the first collective insurance - including temporary disability - for self-employed platform workers.

‍Because of the costs and complexity, many self-employed choose to work uninsured, lacking a safety net if something goes wrong. It’s why digital platform Temper, together with the Union for Independent Gigwork, investigated the possibilities of a collective insurance for self-employed platform workers. Eventually, digital insurer Alicia was approached by Temper and asked to develop an appropriate, collective insurance package for people who use Temper to earn extra money.

Self-employed people who start working via Temper are automatically insured as of 15 April 2022 for company liability: if during their work they accidentally cause damage to a person or property belonging to another person or the client; accidents: if during their work they have an accident that results in permanent disability or death; and temporary disability: income if they are unable to work for up to two years due to illness or accident. The insurance even includes parental and bereavement leave, so they are also covered for a lump sum payment if they have a child or adopt a child, or if they lose a close relative or have a miscarriage. In such times, knowing you have the safety net of insurance offers immense peace of mind.

"The biggest gap between fixed and flex is the lack of accessible social securities," said Temper founder Niels Arntz. "With these unparalleled insurances we bridge this gap, and we hope other platforms will follow our example."

Alicia's CEO Marijn Moerman is proud of the new product. "One of the great challenges of the modern labour market is that the share of self-employed people is rising while the insurance rate is falling," says Moerman. "Alicia specialises in tailor-made insurance for the self-employed, and with this world-first, we think we’ve found a solution that can be used widely and can really make a difference."

The insurance is paid for by a small increase in the client’s contribution and therefore costs the self-employed worker nothing extra. Added to this, in the event of incapacity to work, the extra earners who are members of the Union for Independent Gigwork receive an extra benefit of 90% of the average shift income in the first year, instead of the usual 70%.

"The freedom to choose your own way of working with a safety net is a potential game- changer," says the Union for Independent Gigwork founder Enzo Salatiello. "If more parties follow Temper's example, this could be a revolution that will change the labour market forever.”

For more information, see the Alicia Benefits website.

About Temper

Temper's digital notice board connects flexible workers with temporary work at companies in the hospitality, retail, and logistics industries. It offers clients the security of an extra flexible workforce, because through the app they get quick access to affordable, good and motivated employees. It offers flexible workers freedom and flexibility because the app gives them quick access to a diverse range of well-paid extra income jobs where they can decide for themselves what they want to do, where they want to do it and when.

About Alicia Insurance

Insurtech Alicia makes insurance accessible to anyone, anytime, with ultra-simple, pay-per-use and collective products. Alicia is the response to a social problem: the protection gap created by the move of many from permanent contracts to the self-employed market. The company wants to give freelancers access to insurance with an easy, customised solution. This will be linked with API embedded software to work platforms, banks and SaaS (software-as-a-service) providers, giving freelancers easy access to appropriate insurance, right where they are.

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‍AboutStichting Vrij Platformwerk

The Union for Independent Gigwork is the advocate of independent platform workers in the new economy. They are committed to representing the interests of the FreeFlexer. The FreeFlex Foundation does not speak about the FreeFlexer, but for the FreeFlexer. They engage with platforms, government and trade unions to strengthen our vision of independent platform work.

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