Hyperflex work in the hospitality industry 

ING research shows that around half of hospitality businesses are suffering from a shortage of people. Their colleagues at ABN AMRO also write that the tightness in the labour market is '"structural" and slowing down growth. So hospitality entrepreneurs need to be more creative than ever to find good people. YoungOnes has a solution. The platform facilitates 'hyperflex work' and acts as a marketplace between freelancers looking for an assignment and hospitality businesses looking for suitable people.

Pim Graafmans is Managing Director of YoungOnes, a platform where companies and independent freelancers can find each other for short-term assignments. "Freelancers on YoungOnes are often young people. They want freedom and a lot of flexibility, according to several surveys," Graafmans says. 

He continues: "With YoungOnes, companies keep everything under their own control, without an employment agency in between. It is a very transparent system where all users know exactly where they stand. Freelancers are their own boss, decide how much they work and which assignments they want to do. There appears to be a need for our way of working: by 2023, almost 23 thousand unique freelancers will have collectively completed 350 thousand jobs in the hospitality industry via our platform as required." 

Graafmans, then working in the staffing industry, saw that that sector was becoming less and less flexible and that legislation was getting in the way of that development. He gives an example. "Arranging people quickly on Friday afternoons for the weekend was becoming increasingly difficult. Putting someone to work somewhere for a month was more lucrative for staffing companies. At the same time, we saw that young people themselves were demanding more and more flexibility - not for nothing do we speak of hyperflex. Through YoungOnes, we offer freelancers that freedom and flexibility. So they are also not temporary workers, but self-employed. So they don't respond to a position, but to an assignment or a job." 

The freedom that YoungOnes' platform offers freelancers makes it very easy for them to switch from job to job: one day they are cleaning hotel rooms, a few days later they are serving at the restaurant. 

"At the same time, they automatically build a digital CV through our app. Clients and freelancers can also give each other ratings. At a glance, it is clear how much experience someone has and how other clients rate someone. If there is a click, companies can indicate which freelancers are their favourites and place them in a favourites pool. This makes it easy to continue a successful collaboration. 

"Clients also don't have to worry about things like payments or invoicing. That all runs through the platform," explains Céline Lodder, Business Development Manager at YoungOnes and responsible for working with clients on the platform. "Getting started with the platform is also very easy for companies. During an appointment, we take clients through how it works, how they can post jobs and what skills they can select on. Where before you had to switch with several employment agencies if you were looking for people for both housekeeping and serving, now you can do that from one place." 

Lodder reveals that the app has a calendar function where clients select the period for which they are looking for a freelancer. "The freelancer can then indicate whether he is available for the whole period or only part of it. Others can then indicate that they can come and work on the remaining days or hours." 

That YoungOnes' model is working is evidenced by the large number of freelancers who have accounts and the growing number of clients, especially in the hospitality industry. Lodder: "We see that freelancers take on many different types of assignments. And the great thing is that you can see all that as a client. So you can also see whether someone really has experience in a higher-end hotel." 

An advantage of freelancers who also work for other clients is that after each job done, a client can assess the competences. Graafmans: "If someone's profile states that he can walk with three boards, you can assume that is correct. With everyone, you can see exactly what other clients think of them and what someone's rating is. It's super transparent." 

Moreover, YoungOnes' model also guarantees responsibility. Graafmans: "Freelancers keep their appointments, and in case of a cancellation they are obliged to arrange a suitable replacement themselves. On the profile, clients can see how reliable a freelancer is in keeping appointments, which minimises the risks for clients."

So with YoungOnes, hospitality companies and freelancers keep control. Lodder: "There is no one in between, so both parties have to put their best foot forward. The freelancer wants good reviews and clients want the best people to keep doing jobs for them. Sometimes it takes a while for that penny to drop, but as soon as it does, we immediately see the use of YoungOnes at a client's site increase. That's great to see."