An online auction for interim professionals is one of the new things that sets Planet Interim apart from other online marketplaces for interim professionals. Planet Interim is an independent self-sourcing platform that offers employers the opportunity to publish their interim assignments with an auction function. Niels van Berkel, director of Planet Interim: 'Before responding to an assignment, interim workers see the average, highest, lowest and most common hourly rate offered up to that moment.

The interim worker can still quote a higher price, but then he or she must also demonstrably add more value for the client. The employer receives an e-mail with the motivation of the interim professional as well as a PDF with his CV. He will also receive a link to his own online account. There he or she can easily and quickly invite the interim professional for contact or turn down the interim professional. Easily and in a few seconds with a selectable motivation from a list of available rejection reasons and free text if desired. 

If the employer waits too long, we remind him of this because we think it is important that the interim professional is dealt with properly. After all, it is one of the most frequently heard complaints about brokers and mediators that professionals no longer hear from them after their response has been sent'.

Not a race to the bottom

According to Van Berkel, this does not mean that from now on competition will only take place at the lowest price: ‘Employers and clients must provide an indication of an hourly price. And interim workers can't deviate more than 25% plus or minus from that because of the technology anyway. 

Furthermore, I think that many companies are not just concerned with the lowest price, but with the right relationship between price and quality. That is what this auction technology ensures.

Cheaper and less noise on the line

One of the biggest advantages is that this way of working is simpler and cheaper with less noise on the line: 'You can now save the margin that agencies normally ask for and distribute it between each other. In this way we achieve a fair price'. It is true that employers and interim workers have to get used to increasing transparency and learn to negotiate rates realistically. It is optimal if the employer and the temporary worker are able to share the mediation margin of 20% on average (which would otherwise have been lost to a mediation agency - ed.). On average, the client pays 10% less in hiring costs and the temp receives 10% more income at the same time'.

Market compliant

In order to create rates in line with the market, and to support both the client and the professional in this, Planet Interim, together with Intelligence Group, has developed the 'Rate Indicator'. With this, you can quickly obtain a well-founded rate indicator based on the fixed gross salary of a comparable permanent job or an indication based on market research and current data of over 55,000 assignments placed on Planet Interim in one year and data of 20,000 professionals affiliated to Planet Interim. For more information see these infographics as an analysis of the interim market.

International

Another important element of the platform is that it is not only available in Dutch and English, but also in French, German and Bulgarian, so professionals from other EU countries can be easily reached'.