How Identity Manages 3,000 Freelancers for Mega Events Like The Coronation of HM King Charles III
Identity faced the monumental task of compliantly managing nearly 3,000 freelancers during high-profile global events like The Coronation of HM King Charles III. Identity also produces groundbreaking brand experiences like the first-ever global AI Safety Summit – hosted by the UK Prime Minister and attended by world leaders and global CEOs.
The complexity of scale and international compliance of such live events can present significant challenges. This case study explores how Identity leverages Worksuite’s Freelance Management System (FMS), to streamline and manage such a vast pool of contract talent – compliantly and efficiently.
Challenges
Before adopting Worksuite, Identity was entangled in a web of spreadsheets and disjointed systems to manage their growing freelancer base, which quickly grew from 1,000 to 3,000 talent in under 12 months.
“In less than a year we had to very quickly onboard 2,000 people. For just one event in Dubai we had nearly 800 contractors to onboard.”
What’s more, onboarding international contractors presents unique challenges depending on the local labor laws of that region. Identity needed a partner and unified system to help them manage all this – at scale.
Here’s a glance at the pre-Worksuite situation:
- Compliance with the United Kingdom’s IR35 regulation was a nightmare, involving disjointed tools and time-consuming administrative labor.
- Data management for freelancers was stored across multiple platforms, leading to inefficiencies, wasted time hunting down documents, and GDPR compliance risk.
- Onboarding contractors was a drawn-out process, taking four hours – and sometimes even up to three days – per freelancer.
Kat Quartermain In less than a year we had to very quickly onboard 2,000 people. For just one event in Dubai we had nearly 800 contractors to onboard.”
Resourcing Manager, Identity
Life before Worksuite was “really hard,” shares Kat Quartermain, Resourcing Manager at Identity. The previous onboarding, data storage and GDPR compliance processes were messy and time-consuming.
“It was all very tedious – manipulating data spreadsheets, different processes, interacting with three or four different systems. Excel, Paprika, SharePoint… and a separate tool that managed our IR35 screening process. It was just horrific.”
Accurately classifying independent contractors under IR35 law can be very stressful and risky. Since implementing Worksuite’s freelancer management system, Identity’s team has sped up their entire process on the FMS platform. Now, their teams can focus on other strategic and creative areas of their business (producing great live experiences).
“Worksuite has just streamlined the way that we do it. It was horrible before. So that has made a massive difference.”
Solution
Enter Worksuite: a platform that transformed Identity’s contractor management system into a cohesive and consolidated command center. Here’s how Worksuite solved Identity’s pain points:
- Streamlined IR35 Screening: Simplified compliance processes, serving as a cost-effective alternative to multiple disjointed legacy tools.
- Centralized Data: Stored personal files, deal memos, and documents in one secure repository.
- Rapid Onboarding: Automated workflows reduce onboarding time from a half-day or even up to three days (per contractor!) down to as little as 20 minutes. The time saved from onboarding and classifying 2,000 contractors would amount to at least 8,000 hours saved – potentially up to 48,000 hours.
- Scalability: No more manual administrative work to onboard, classify, organize, and assign talent. Worksuite set Identity up for scale – freeing up their bandwidth to focus on strategy, new business, and building long-term contractor relationships.
It’s a game changer for us and my team are asking what to do next, as it’s taking no time at all.”
Worksuite allowed Identity to streamline its entire freelancer management and classification process. Automated onboarding workflows and centralized data storage significantly increased efficiency and transparency.
“We’ve gone from talking to someone about a role to having them onboarded with a PO, IT logins, and paperwork signed in as little as 20 minutes today. It’s a game changer.”
Results
Identity’s requirements for global contractor management were diverse and specific. The implementation of Worksuite significantly reduced administrative burden and manual paperwork. The platform also ensured compliance with local labor laws, eliminated duplicate work, and improved resource allocation.
This allowed the Identity team to refocus their time and efforts on more important things. For example, improving the freelancers’ experience and preparing for new projects.
- Speed: Identity onboarded 800 contractors for the United Nation’s COP28 event alone, in just a few months. Worksuite allowed Identity to achieve this within the short timeframe between winning the project and the actual event.
- Compliance: Worksuite made sure that every freelancer and vendor managed on the platform was fully compliant with legal requirements, including IR35 classification. The previous manual process of achieving workforce compliance would’ve added tens of thousands of hours in administrative burden each year.
- Secure Document Storage: Passports, visas, deal memos, and all necessary documents securely stored in one place.
- Enterprise Efficiency: Integrating Worksuite’s API helps save even more time by automating other tasks like auto-provisioning email accounts – which ensures further security, simplified onboarding and reduced errors.
- Visibility & Ease of Collaboration: Identity now enjoys transparent, easily accessible information on each freelancer’s completed tasks, timesheets, purchase orders, classification status, and documents – all in one centralized platform.
But the true testament to Worksuite’s impact comes from direct quotes from those who have interacted with the platform:
“Worksuite has completely transformed the way we communicate and engage with our contractors… I genuinely don’t think I could go back to not using it,” Kat shared.
In times of high pressure and tight deadlines, Worksuite emerged not just as a tool, but as a foundation pillar in Identity’s strategy to manage thousands of live events contractors worldwide – efficiently and compliantly.
I don’t have the words to say how much I love it.”
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