Temper at the House of Representatives: The future of work

What types of employment exist within the platform economy? On Thursday 16 November 2017, the Social Affairs and Employment Committee (SZW) held roundtable discussions with experts and company representatives on working for online platforms such as Thuisbezorgd, Werkspot or Temper.

The platform economy offers opportunities to create the work environment that suits you. But not everyone sees these opportunities. Co-founder Niels Arntz was present during the hearing to share Temper's vision with the committee - consisting of participants A. Bosman (VVD), G.J. van Dijk (PvdA), A.D. Wiersma (VVD), B. van Kent (SP), Z. Özdil (GroenLinks), R. Raemakers (D66), P.E. Heerma (CDA) - and audience members in the room.

ContributeNiels Arntz (30) shares his dilemma with the committee: "Working through Temper appeals especially to young people in their early twenties, to earn extra income in addition to following an education. Young people who consider freedom an important value. The vast majority of this group is not waiting for occupational disability insurance and pension savings. They prefer to spend their income on study or on a beer at the weekend. Based on the desire to be socially involved as an organisation, Niels is happy to talk to the committee members on behalf of Temper.

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Collective protection, individual distinctionTemper enables freelancers to distinguish themselves individually. Niels is keen on possible risks: 'Freelancers who sign up with Temper are generally less likely to find nice jobs, because many people are already working there. They have collected reviews and often find it easier to get work.' An academy to work on hospitality skills could be a good solution. This way freelancers work on their skills and are attractive to hire in the eyes of the hospitality industry.

Niels indicates that the platform has limited resources: 'To protect collectively, we are working on a scalable bread fund and connection with an online pension bank, but above all to provide information.' The fact that many freelancers - regardless of experience or expertise - are not waiting for collective insurance underlines the dilemma.

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Quest towards qualityTemper experiences rising hourly rates; in the past year by as much as 7.2%. Niels: 'We do not experience a race to the bottom, but rather a quest towards quality. The quality of the hospitality professionals is of great importance to the hospitality businesses. But the business must also be attractive to contractors, which is why good commissioning practices are encouraged. Niels mentions that there are many more factors involved, such as communication and the working atmosphere. These soft factors cannot be expressed in an hourly rate.

Niels notices that not only Temper wants to contribute to the qualities of its contractors, but also the hospitality industry. Niels: 'For that reason, we would like to have more room in the law, so that we can give our social involvement more hands and feet, and do not have to fear being considered an employer.

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Digital spaceNiels emphasises the role of the platform: 'With Temper we offer a digital space where workers - in our case independent entrepreneurs - can get a job at various catering establishments. We do not fulfil any employer duties. Temper does not benefit from fulfilling jobs, and therefore does not steer towards that. Niels about the platform: 'We do not have complicated algorithms that drive up the price. We do not benefit from a higher hourly rate, because we charge a fixed fee of €3 per hour.

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Multiple clients per yearContractors consciously choose autonomy and flexibility with payment per assignment and are advised to work a maximum of 660 hours per year with the same client. Niels explains: These 660 hours have been established in consultation with the tax authorities. A full-time employment contract is approximately 1950 hours per year and, as a self-employed person, you need to have several clients per calendar year. Only then do we speak of a small chance of dependency. Practice shows that the safe margin is three clients. In short, divide the 1950 hours by three and you arrive at about 660 hours. According to Niels, this way Temper encourages freelancers to have multiple clients.

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