For The Collective Good
Creating a safety net for a growing part of the labor market, flexible workers.
There are more than one billion self-employed workers worldwide. Their jobs range from tasks picked up on platforms such as Uber or TaskRabbit, to intermittent, part-time assignments as contractors to full-time roles. The recent shift towards self-employment has changed the dynamic around access to benefits. These benefits, such as time off work in the case of sickness or injury, or access to health and wellbeing programs,, have traditionally been tied to being a salaried employee. However, the rise of self-employment has created uncertainty around access and availability when it comes to benefits, with some companies offering workers a broad range of benefits, and others offering only a few, or none.
This has led policymakers around the world to try and implement new laws regulating the treatment of self-employed workers, with varied direction and mixed success. While debates continue around how to more effectively adjust policy to incorporate the self-employed, one thing is apparent: a solution is needed to provide consistent access to benefits for this class of workers. This gap and challenge is at the heart of the mission of London-based Collective Benefits, launched by founders Anthony Beilin and Benjamin Hay.
EARLY DAYS & INSPIRATION
From an early age, Anthony Beilin was passionate about helping people. After graduating from university with a degree in political science, Beilin got involved in local politics. One of his first jobs was at the United Nations, lobbying for the rights of the displaced. He followed this with various roles, including founding a successful startup that was later bought by a subsidiary of the Singapore government.
On the back of this success, Beilin looked for a new opportunity. While working for the insurance company Aviva, Beilin remembers, “At the time, I was researching and looking into the future of work and I ironically happened to get injured. During my injury, I was on full sick pay, covered by Aviva. At the same time, a friend of mine who recently had become self-employed also happened to become unwell, but did not have any sick pay to rely on. I distinctly remember having a conversation about our recovery journeys. While I knew the impact of having company benefits, the difference in our situations was incredibly stark.”
That conversation provided the impetus for Beilin to re-examine his research. What he saw was a growing number of people proactively choosing to become self-employed, and thus a real variance in access to benefits based on location, job-role, and company. The realization of the size and importance of this issue provided the inspiration for the founding of Collective Benefits, a first-of-its kind platform providing insurance and benefits specifically for flexible workers.
Once Beilin recovered, he was introduced to Benjamin Hay through a mutual acquaintance. Hay has a background in law and operations and has the same drive for creating social impact as Beilin. Unsurprisingly, the two hit it off and ran full steam ahead into starting the company together in April 2019.
WORKING FOR ALL
Collective Benefits was built with the future of work in mind and acknowledges the dynamic aspect of how and where we work. The change we are seeing is driven in part by flexible or remote work. Another factor is the need for more flexibility for workers who juggle the demands of parenting or looking after elderly relations, all in line with the financial demands of modern life. Whatever the cause, it means the working contract model has and will continue to change fundamentally.
Beilin explains, “Whether it is statutory sick pay or pension systems, because of the changes in modern employment, people are falling outside their safety net. While self-employed workers are “free” and “flexible,” it also can leave them exposed and vulnerable. Challenging times like the Covid-19 pandemic and worsening macroeconomic conditions can really expose the gaps they face in coverage. At Collective Benefits, we’ve been able to help replicate and extend the safety net with benefits for the self-employed workers who make up a vital and growing part of our labor force.”
A key facet of how Collective Benefits has approached the problem is by recognizing there are three elements to its work. At the core is a need to provide key benefits for the workers. At the same time, a solution needs to pull in the insurance underwriters and capacity providers to make the provision of services work, as they are fundamental to the structure. Finally, it needs to work for the companies who want to find the right balance of available benefits to attract and retain the self-employed workers powering their businesses. What makes Collective Benefits successful is its ability to create a system that works for all these parties.
At Collective Benefits, we’ve been able to help replicate and extend the safety net with benefits for the self-employed workers who make up a vital and growing part of our labor force.
DELIVERING FOR WORKERS
When a worker covered through Collective Benefits via their business is seriously injured on the job, they receive financial support to help them through their time off work. The benefits also go beyond help with catastrophes and emergencies, providing self-employed workers with access to health and wellbeing support. This includes mental health and gym memberships to look after their overall wellbeing, as well as a rewards marketplace featuring savings and discounts that can be used to save money and time day-to-day, on essentials such as food and fuel.
Collective Benefits collaborates directly with companies across the work spectrum – including temporary employee providers like Indeed Flex, gig-work stalwarts like TaskRabbit, and traditional part-time employers like KFC. Collective Benefits allows them to provide a range of benefits and protections for their workers. This helps these companies ramp up recruitment and retention, increase internal engagement, and protect their people.
As one Collective Benefits customer said, “When we feel safe, we find it easier to relax, do all the things that comfort us, and focus on the work we need to do to help ensure our stability.” Together, Collective Benefits and the companies it partners with are making flexible work successful for all.
With this simple, but effective model, Collective Benefits has grown exponentially over the past two years and is a great example of the mantra of “doing well by doing good”. Beilin understands that to effectively grow a company driving social impact like Collective Benefits, their own culture needs to match. He added, “People have bought into the social mission at Collective Benefits. The chance to shape and be part of our goal is alluring.” The social good Collective Benefits is bringing to the market is what connects the internal team to the work they do every day.
People have bought into the social mission at Collective Benefits. The chance to shape and be part of our goal is alluring.
LOOKING AHEAD
Currently, Collective Benefits supports over 250,000 workers in over 30 countries, delivering much-needed benefits for self-employed workers. As macroeconomic issues and world events continue to play out, it is that group of workers who could be hit the hardest. As a result, Collective Benefits is focused on how best to support workers and build out more capabilities where needed.
Beyond that, Collective Benefits wants to expand into other world markets, while also expanding its own team. It is making sure that once established, Collective Benefits has the foundation to support each new market fully. Until then, they are just beginning and will strive to establish itself as the company providing support for workers of the self-employed economy.
For more, visit Collective Benefits: https://www.collectivebenefits.com/
