Provide founders Kevin Christie (left) and chief technology officer Ranui Samuels. Photo / Supplied
Provide founders Kevin Christie (left) and chief technology officer Ranui Samuels. Photo / Supplied
"Your work, your way." That is the purpose behind a new app – Provide – designed by Tauranga entrepreneurs Ranui Samuels and Kevin Christie, who have created a technology platform to manage work and workers.
Co-founder Ranui Samuels said it was a "software with a purpose" company.
The app isa "hybrid solution" for a workforce where people can work from anywhere - at home, in the office or out in the field - while allowing employers to see who and where their workers are on a dashboard.
"Provide is a digital platform, creating a dashboard for employers that enables them to sort, organise and manage work and workers."
Workers upload their bios to the app, sharing information including their skills, work availability, pay expectations and how far they can travel.
As employers add a job description to the dashboard, workers are matched to a job that suits them. Employers can then see worker suitability through a matching system before offering the shift or the job.
The app enables job matching, engagement, payments, timesheets, and eliminates paperwork.
"We have deleted the old version of the CV," Samuels said. "We are building the future of work."
"You can work full-time, part-time, voluntarily, intermittently. We allow all types of employment contracts to exist within the platform."
Samuels said workers could reject or accept offers on the app.
"We believe by giving workers the confidence and the empowerment to reject or accept offers, we allow workers to be in control of their work journey.
"It means workers want to be on their game, they want to perform and it means businesses compete in treating people better."
Samuels said the start-up businesses' tagline was "let's get working".
"We believe that is to have a better supply of workers, more willing and motivated workers, and the ability for businesses to be less worried about having to contract long term."
"We want to move the dial on the economy."
"We see workers and employers as equal on this platform. It's the way we treat work and workers that makes us different.
"We are curating the mana of work. We are trying to find our tribe."
The app and website launched about a month ago. "We are brand new. Watch this space," Kevin Christie said.
Provide founder Kevin Christie said the app would give business owners the ability to focus more on productivity rather than paperwork. Photo / Supplied
Christie said there were about 15 initial investors involved from across the world and they were looking for more.
He said the app would give business owners the ability to focus more on productivity rather than paperwork.
"They are focusing on the people who want to work. Workers get a straight invitation to work. It matches the willingness to work with companies that want to engage with you."
Christie said one of the reasons workers feel disengaged is the formal nature of some communication.
"So we built in a community platform so workers can engage informally as well.
Provide chief technology officer Ranui Samuels. 'We see workers and employers as equal on this platform.' Photo / Supplied
"It opens the communication between workers and management. There is a communication system built in for the protection of workers."
It also has the ability to have built-in training modules for companies to load into the system, he said.
"We see this as a link between school leavers moving from after school and into study."
Christie said they were working with horticulture, event businesses and contractors as well as the volunteer sector, but were looking to expand further afield.
"It is for any type of job and in any type of industry."
The Provide app has been approved by Apple and Google Play, he said.
Glenn Meikle, the managing director of BOP Brewery Ltd and the new owner of the One Love Festival, said he would be trialling the app at next year's festival.
Meikle said he employed about 600 people during the One Love event and would trial the app for the contractors.
"I was keen on it because we have a lot of temp staff. It's a good communicating tool."
Meikle said the app would also help to pay his employees quicker.
"It should help us be a bit more efficient."
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley said underemployment was a "big issue" and anything people can do to make that easier was a good thing.
