Leader FAQs
For all those juicy questions that have come before you.
BRINGING IN ON-DEMAND TALENT
When you need something sometimes.
Werkling’s here for the Leaders who want someone to understand what they need, who they need, and what they need to know.
There’s something about just knowing it’s possible to quickly and easily tweak your team.
Got some questions about making it happen? You’re in the right place …
About On-Demand Talent
What's the difference between bringing in On-Demand Talent for 'capability' vs 'capacity'?
Capacity
You and/or your team is slammed and you need a trusted, experienced and affordable pair of hands to jump in and help you through a busy period.
Capability
You need a specialist skill set that you don’t need all the time in order to deliver a specific piece of work.
Have all On-Demand Talent worked in-house?
The vast majority of On-Demand Talent have gained their experience, developed their strengths, and progressed their careers working in in-house roles in organisations and teams prior to becoming On-Demand Talent.
Some On-Demand Talent may have had stints in consulting agencies but they’re never the ‘Consultant Consultants’ type.
In the Werkling matching process, we require On-Demand Talent to demonstrate they’ve delivered related work and results that align to your Gig Brief (we call these examples mini case studies), which you will gain access to as part of your matched On-Demand Talent Profiles.
What if I'm not yet sure that On-Demand Talent is a good fit for what I need?
Sometimes there are a few different ways to get the work done…we get it.
Before we chat, it’s important we know that you know that we don’t work to sell you on On-Demand Talent being your best or only option…that’s not our jam.
So, if you would like to spitball your options or you’d like to try on the idea of On-Demand as one of the options you’re considering, we invite you to chat with our Head On-Demand Talent Matcher, Michelle.
When you’re ready, please click here to book our chat.
Does Werkling "manage" the On-Demand Talent?
Not in the way you may be thinking.
Werkling plays the part of connecting and being the connector.
To make it (hopefully) super simple and clear, Werkling plays the part of:
- matching Leaders with the right-fit On-Demand Talent, and
- bringing the best On-Demand Talent together in the Werkling Community.
All On-Demand Talent operate independently in their services and delivery. Werkling checks in to see how things are working between you and the On-Demand Talent, facilitates invoicing, and can step in any time that Leaders have questions or need support.
What is the Werkling Fee and what does it include?
The Werkling Fee is a friendly 12% (and an even friendlier 10.5% for NFPs), which is applied to any engagements over a 12-month period.
The Werkling Fee includes the Talent Matching Service and Invoicing Facilitation Service (no matter how many On-Demand Talent, your org only need set up Werkling once…your accounts team will love you all the more for it!).
When is On-Demand Talent not a good fit?
On-Demand Talent works best when the capability and/or capacity is not required on an ongoing basis.
So, if what you need is consistent and has no variability then fully resourcing your team with employees is likely the best option for your org.
Is Werkling the same as a Talent Recruiting Agency?
No.
(…and it’s a ‘no’ for three reasons.)
Firstly, we don’t match talent for traditional “jobs”
Secondly, we don’t advertise for Talent.
Werkling works because we know what each On-Demand Talent in the Werkling Community has been up to and what they’re working on.
And lastly, we’re about supporting On-Demand Talent to grow together in our Werkling Community.
While everyone works independently, having a place to call home keeps both Werkling and On-Demand Talent current, connected, and curious in the People, Change, and Comms fields.
How does bringing in On-Demand differ from using the same skills/experience from a Consulting Firm, Temp/Contractor or In-House Employee?
Oh goodness, there are so many differences between these options for resourcing a short-term or specific need.
A couple of quick points to help a little clarity:
- When you work with a Consulting Firm, you’re working with an employee of that Consulting Firm who’s allocated to the project and who will deliver a specific outcome by a specific time. They typically draw on the Consulting Firm’s methodology and may be experienced (aka expensive) or “quite” junior junior (we hear this a lot!).
- When you work with a Temp/Contractor you’re engaging a Labour Hire employee. They may (or may not) be in between jobs and their experience level may vary anywhere from awesome to ‘ahhhh, yeah nah, I can’t do that.’
- When you engage a Fixed Term Employee, you’re working with someone whose capability set you need at a consistent level over a defined period. The employee talent pool that you can access is limited to those professionals who are open to fixed term contracts.
- When you engage On-Demand Talent, you’re engaging someone with in-house experience, someone who delivers defined outcomes and services and who are well practiced in working with Leaders and teams to either increase the team’s capacity or capability for a specified time.
Can I search through all the Werkling On-Demand Talent Profiles?
We know who you need and where to find them…so as much as we love that you want to check out the On-Demand Talent in our Werkling Community, we share only the On-Demand Talent Profiles that are matched as a right-fit for your Gig Brief.
Is the Werkling On-Demand Talent Community local?
Yes! The delightfully diverse On-Demand Talent in our Werkling Community are Aussies with a handful of Kiwis thrown in for good measure.
About the Gig Brief
What if I don't know what or who I need exactly?
In our Gig Brief chat we usually hear this one of two ways. Either…
“I know what needs solving, buuuuut I haven’t fully thought through the details, or even how exactly I want it done and the scope of the work. Can we nut out some options with you?”
or
“I know what work needs to be done and I’m wondering if On-Demand Talent could work for what I need. Have you got someone who can help us to…”
We’re here for both.
We invite you to have a chat to clear up what you don’t know yet and to spitball some options that may work for you.
How much detail do you need in the Brief?
Enough detail is enough to get started.
A Gig Brief is simply a snapshot that helps guide Werkling towards the right-fit On-Demand Talent for what you need. After you choose the On-Demand Talent you want to meet, then together you’ll talk out the details that are necessary and needed to get started.
A Gig Brief can begin as simple as, ‘I need an experienced Change Manager yesterday.’ Or ‘We have a huge transformation program coming up and will need a bunch of support implementing the changes.’ Or ‘I need an A+-non-corporatey facilitator to run our front line leadership program.’
If we need more details, we’ll reach out.
Giving us the details you do have now (either in a Gig Briefing Call or via the Werkling Platform) is the best way to get started.
It's my first Brief, do I have to do it in a Briefing Call or can I submit on the platform?
No. It’s super quick to jump straight onto the Werkling Platform and drop in a Gig Brief anytime.
But when you want to talk out your first Gig Brief (or when you have a curly one you can’t quite put into words just yet!)…we got you.
Do I pay a fee to submit a brief?
You only pay the Werkling Fee when:
- the gig goes ahead, or
- you engage the matched On-Demand Talent for work over the next 12-month period.
This means, if the gig doesn’t go ahead then you don’t pay a penny.
For gigs that do go ahead the Werkling Fee is 12% (or 10.5% for not-for-profits) and is applied to any engagement over a 12-month period.
How long before I need On-Demand Talent to start work do I need to submit my Brief?
Most Leaders take a ‘just-in-time’ approach.
Sometimes this means they needed someone yesterday or they’re ready to kick off ASAP. In these cases, we can make things happen super quickly with gigs going from briefing to kicking off in a matter of days.
At other times Leaders submit their Gig Brief ahead of time to allow for:
- refining the gig scope through conversations with Werkling and On-Demand Talent
- navigating the internal processes, or
- to lock in working with their preferred On-Demand Talent who are in high demand.
As soon as you submit your Gig Brief we can match your pace.
What if I need to cancel the gig after I submit my brief?
This is the reason we exist.
If you’re curious, some of the reasons for cancelling a briefed gig are due to an internal resources being freed up to do the work, or budget being pulled, or org priorities changing.
All totally normal.
We’ve been where you are and know how easily (and quickly) things can change. The key’s to keep us in the loop and let us know when you need to cancel so that we can adapt accordingly. It’s that easy, just as easy as if the change swings back to bringing in On-Demand Talent, you know we’re here ready to roll.
Can I still submit a Gig Brief if I required further approval by my organisation?
Absolutely! Having the right-fit On-Demand Talent already lined up can help you get the tick of approval.
If this is you, then when preparing your Gig Brief please flag where you’re at in your budget approval process. Easy.
About the Matching Process
Is it okay to submit a Gig Brief if I'm still exploring other options?
Of course! You can tell us about your needs at any stage in your thinking or while you’re working your way through your org’s approval processes.
You’re exploring your options, great, get in touch!
You’re scrambling for a way it can work last week, great, get in touch!
You’re hiding under your desk just for a little breather, great, get in touch!
We’re up for a chat!
Ready? Great! Please click here to jump into our calendar.
What's included in an On-Demand Talent Profile and how will I receive them?
After you give us your Gig Brief, we begin the Werkling Matching Process (after we do a little happy dance, yep, we still geek out at gig-matching).
Typically within 1-2 days you’ll receive an email notification letting you know the On-Demand Talent Profiles that have been matched to your Gig Brief are ready for you to view. The email will point you to the profiles on the Werkling Platform via a link.
Each On-Demand Talent Profile includes their strengths, experience, and a small selection of mini case studies that are there to give you a good idea of their relevant experience and previous results.
After your review, you select the On-Demand Talent you want to meet with by clicking a meeting booking link on the profile.
How many Profiles will I receive and when?
Up to three.
Sometimes there’s a stand out and we’ll make it easy for you by sending just one.
Note, if there’s a need for more profiles, for example if you need multiple people or a broader pool to draw on, all you need do is let us know and we’ll send you more on the next business day (or earlier!).
What if I don't like any of the profiles I receive?
You may be surprised (or not), but this rarely happens … and if it does, we’re ready with another option. If you need On-Demand Talent who’s a little more this and a little less that, then you can let us know (via email, platform message, call, Zoom) and we’ll forward through some more On-Demand Talent Profiles.
Who's my working agreement with, Werkling or the On-Demand Talent?
Your working agreement, engagement, and responsibility of all delivery of the work is with the On-Demand Talent.
Werkling’s part is to match, facilitate invoicing (invoicing both the Werkling Fee and the agreed On-Demand Talent’s Fee), and to be available if you have feedback or would like to ask a question.
You can check out our T&Cs here.
Will I be charged a matching fee?
Only if:
- the gig goes ahead, or
- you engage the On-Demand Talent for over a 12-month period.
This means, if the gig doesn’t go ahead then you don’t pay a penny.
For gigs that do go ahead the Werkling Fee is 12% (or 10.5% for not-for-profits) and is applied to any engagement over a 12-month period.
About the Gig Experience
Do I still have contact with Werkling after the Gig has started?
Yes.
Once you’ve kicked off, we’ll check in and see how things are going and then after that we’ll only pop into your inbox as needed.
It’s important to know that we’re only an email, meeting invite, or call away at any point in time.
You’re welcome to contact us when you have a question or to let us know how totally obsessed you are with your On-Demand Talent (yes, we get these messages at least once a gig!).
As you need, we’re here.
How does the invoicing work?
Werkling will facilitate invoicing. Which means all invoices will come from Werkling and include both the agreed On-Demand Talent’s fee and the Werkling fee.
The upside to Werkling facilitating the invoices is that your org only needs to set up Werkling as a supplier once, regardless of how many On-Demand Talent you bring into your org!
What if my On-Demand Talent isn't working out?
We get it. While it’s as rare as hen’s teeth, we’re here to help both of you get on the same page or to close up the gig.
First, we have a chat to hear your experience on what’s not working out the way it was agreed. Second, we chat with the On-Demand Talent. Then, we can work with you both to either bring the gig back on track or to call it a day and close up the gig.
Does the On-Demand Talent play nice with others?
Always.
A big part of drawing on On-Demand Talent from our Werkling Community is that we know them as people and professionals.
On-Demand Talent’s will interact with your team exactly how you would like them to.
Sometimes the work’s highly connected and related to other work that’s happening in the team, so the On-Demand Talent will work super closely with the team.
Other times, when the On-Demand Talent’s bringing in a specialist skill that you want the team to be up-skilled in, the On-Demand Talent will adapt in how they work to best support growing your team’s capabilities.
And then there are those times as a Leader you just want something taken off your desk such as an independent or highly confidential piece of work. In these times, the On-Demand Talent can largely deliver their service offline with only necessary contact with the team.
Part of working with experienced On-Demand Talent’s not only getting access to insane talent, but also someone who’s experienced in moving in and out of the organisational spaces with little to no fuss.
CASE STUDY
Gig Brief
‘We’re going through a lot of change and are introducing an innovative learning experience platform to support our leaders. The launch date is fast approaching and the team’s stretched between this and several other large projects. We need extra support designing the learning pathways and launch activities.’
Talent Matched
The Leader was matched with On-Demand Talent who had previously worked on a number of learning design and learning platform projects. The On-Demand Talent was briefed to pick up the identified critical project elements and to relieve some of the work pressures from the team during times of competing org priorities.
Impact
The On-Demand Talent delivered within scope, budget, and the planned timeline which resulted in the reduced need for additional work hours by the team and freed up resources to be allocated in other parts of the project.
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