FAQs

Won't this marketplace just force pay rates down because the buyer can see how much each seller will cost for his job?

No. There are online services that exist just to force down worker's pay, but this isn't one of them. There was a site in Germany, jobdumping.de, and shiftbay.com in the US (both now apparently defunct) which operated the force-down model. A true Slivers-of-Time marketplace has to be much more sophisticated. The payrate for each booking is calculated according to the individual seller's willingness to do that specific booking at that time, in that place.

Is this a threat to my benefits?

• No-one is taking away your entitlement to state support if you are genuinely trying to find work and there's none around. But this marketplace can connect you to work in new ways that you may find easier and more appealing than the drudge of conventional job hunting. Basically you just have to list some details and then be ready to do what you said you would do.
• If you are striving to stay on benefits you don't really merit then - being honest - this service is bad news for you. It's harder to find reasons to turn down a flow of potential bookings built around your personal parameters than to convince assessors that periodic job offers aren't right for you. But, sooner or later, the DWP will start to get heavy with you. At least if you choose the Slivers-of-Time route into work you'll have your dignity and control as you start tentatively engaging with the local labour market.

What if I don't have access to the internet?

• You may only need to visit the website every week or so to update the dates/time you're available. Communication about bookings can be through your mobile. Finding free internet access, through libraries, "ideas stores", colleges or community centres shouldn't be a problem. If you live in an urban area you should be less than 15 minutes' walk from free use of a connected computer.

What if I don't have a mobile phone?

• Then you'll need to be contactable by email. You can set up a free email address in about five minutes.

I never know when I'll be available to work, my life is too unpredictable.

• Then Slivers-of-Time working is perfect for you! The trick with your lifestyle is to only list availability at the last moment. Don't know if you can work this afternoon? Then don't list any availability until lunchtime.

Can I have periods away from the marketplace?

• Absolutely. Go away travelling, or get a job or stop selling Slivers-of-Time for any other reason. You can re-enter the market at the same level at any point in the future. Feel free to use your agency's marketplace as a stopgap between jobs or something to fall back on when needed.

Isn't this marketplace just going to be full of crap work that they can't get full time workers to do?

• OK, we don't anticipate much filling of senior management positions through this channel.
  Yes, the services economy is booming and the types of work most suited to Slivers-of-Time working are currently the ones in that sector. But you may find yourself having to do one of those jobs anyway. At least if you enter the market with Slivers-of-Time you will have variety, control and the chance to build a track record of reliability that's going to be a useful to you.
• What you won't get in the Slivers-of-Time market is "get rich quick" type schemes. All buyers are vetted by an established recruitment agency. That's one way the marketplace protects its sellers from undesirable employers.
• A lot of quality work with plenty of human interaction is perfectly suited to the Slivers-of-Time market, think of homecare, classroom assistants or entry level healthcare. You will need training and higher-level vetting to do this kind of work. But if you take to Slivers-of-Time working, and you can prove you are conscientious about bookings, you will have become a prime candidate for that training. How do you avoid the kind of debts that deter so many people from training? By selling Slivers-of-Time, of course.

Will I be paid for training by employers?

• You tell us. You may take the view that you're willing to do a few hours training without pay because it will bump up your number of bookings afterwards. Or you may recognise that you've proved yourself as so reliable and so attractive to buyers that you don't need to do anything for free. If you are that good then it's more likely that companies will pay to induct you.

I like the idea of controlling my own interaction with the market but I'm not into this very fluid, unpredictable, style of working. Can the marketplace still help me?

• Yes. You may decide you will only log once a week, that you only do longer bookings with at least several days notice. You won't have the excitement, and earnings potential of others who choose to respond precisely to local demand, but you will still reap all the other rewards of this new way of working.

How does it work with my pay, tax and holiday pay?

• Just as it does if you were doing conventional temping. Your agency sends you a payslip with everything itemised.

What if I forget the commitments I've made in the marketplace?

• If you don't do what you've said you'll do that's bad news and you'll find yourself stuck in the bottom levels of the market while others overtake you and become more sought after by buyers. But your agency website will do everything it can to help, at any time you can print out your current diary of commitments. Maybe get in the habit of pinning it on your fridge door or keeping it in your bag?

How do I sign Up?

• Register your interest in Slivers-of-Time working