What is the Independent Workforce?

Here at IWORK we champion all forms of independent working, but what the heck does that even mean? For us, an independent worker is anyone that works but is not permanently employed. This means temporary workers, gig economy workers, self employed people, freelancers and contractors. Almost a quarter of the UK’s workforce are independent (i.e. […]

What is the platform economy?

The platform economy is also known as the gig economy, and it refers to people who get their work via apps or platforms. The work is usually in small pieces, or “gigs” such as food delivery, parcel delivery, car journey, property hire etc. Well-known platform economy firms include Uber, Deliveroo, Hermes, and Airbnb. The term […]

What is the gig economy?

In the gig economy workers get paid for the “gigs” that they do, such as food delivery, parcel delivery, car journey, property hire etc. Well-known gig economy firms include Uber, Deliveroo, Hermes, and Airbnb. The term “gig” comes from the music industry and describes jobs that only last for a short period of time, or […]

What maternity / paternity rights might I have?

Maternity and paternity for self-employed people Unfortunately self-employed people are not entitled to statutory maternity or paternity pay as these would require your income to be paid via PAYE, and you would have needed to work for company for at least 26 weeks at the 15 th week before the baby is due. However, there […]

What maternity and paternity rights might I have?

Maternity for agency workers As an agency worker you may be able to get statutory maternity, paternity or parental pay, but you cannot get statutory maternity, paternity or parental leave. Under the Agency Workers Regulations, agency workers are entitled to the same basic conditions of employment as permanent employees after 12 weeks’ continuous weeks with the […]