WOFO transforms aged care rostering with gig economy platform 

When WOFO launched in 2018 there was no intention to transform the healthcare staffing landscape. But as COVID-19 swept across the globe, the New Zealand-based company pivoted into aged care. 

A successful pilot led to a complete pivot into the healthcare industry and now the share economy platform is in Australia, offering aged care providers effective access to experienced workers. 

The outsider’s perspective

While speaking to Hello Leaders about their unique platform, WOFO Founder and Managing Director Chris Mackle was upfront in sharing that they were not healthcare-oriented people when the business launched. The construction industry was their foundation. 

Yet that hasn’t stopped Chris or Andrew Wills, his fellow Founder and Managing Director, from making a major impact on temp staffing in New Zealand. This is a feat they plan on replicating in Australia, too. 

“Our early growth was exciting, but then COVID-19 hit. Coming out of that we pivoted into healthcare entirely because everyone loved it as we could fill shifts within minutes. The sector was ready to embrace it,” Chris explained. 

“One reason why it’s so effective is because we weren’t in healthcare. We had an outsider’s perspective and could see everything that worked or didn’t work. Then behind the scenes, everything was triple-checked because we wanted to make sure the platform was perfect for its users.”

Doing the heavy lifting

WOFO effectively works as a business-to-business platform, albeit one of those parties is an independent contractor. 

When a provider needs a shift filled, they put a callout onto the WOFO app. From there, a meticulously organised algorithm will notify the cream of the crop workers looking for a shift to fill. 

“While our system is similar to that of a rideshare or food delivery app, it’s incredibly unique how the algorithms work behind it. Fundamentally, we put pegs in holes; we supply staff when no one else can,” Chris added. 

“Our system allows us to do it with a mixture of geolocation and rated algorithms. We’re connecting the most efficient person to the service request. 

“We have facility managers who have staff calling in sick on a Friday night. They can put in the app they have a certain amount of shifts to be filled and within a matter of minutes it’s filled with the staff they trust.”

“So if you need Registered Nurses you can put that call out, they fill the shift and they come pre-vetted, qualified and with all the experience under the sun.”

Alongside direct care nurses, the platform can fill shifts for personal care workers, hospitality/kitchen staff and cleaners.

They currently fill 98.6% of shifts requested through our managed service.

One of the key features is a detailed rating system that ensures any vacant shift is always offered to the highest-rated aged care workers available. 

The workers with the highest ratings are punctual, reliable and hardworking. Organisations can trust these ratings, too, as the details are based on employer feedback and a host of data points such as whether a person was on time for their shift or cancelled at the last minute. 

Organisations have full control over the parameters of their request. For example, minimum and maximum pay rates can be set by the employer. But even if they are lower than what an individual contractor has set, they will still receive that offer and can choose to accept it or not. 

The ability to set favourites means an employer can also put the request out to a preferred pool of workers before offering it to other talented workers on the app. 

Detailed onboarding processes see all relevant police checks and qualifications assessed. Users who do not renew any certifications on time cannot accept shifts until they do so. 

A history of success

There was instant success once WOFO pivoted entirely into the healthcare sector; the organisation grew by 303% with over 5,000 registered healthcare workers in New Zealand in no time. 

WOFO is steadily growing in Australia after launching here in March. And the long-term plans are even more ambitious as they will establish a main office here.

But first, they are after partner organisations for a pilot program. Chris said, “We want to work with innovative organisations that believe they could make a huge difference by tapping into a new platform for staff. We feel confident enough that we could halve the expenses organisations are spending on agency staff.”

WOFO has enjoyed plenty of success operating in regional markets, collaborating with aged care providers to organise travel and accommodation for staff seeking work outside of metropolitan areas. 

This collaboration has resulted in a platform where both organisations and healthcare staff are empowered. It is an efficient system that offers fulfilling and rewarding experiences for staff.

If you are interested in learning more about WOFO or are interested in working with them, visit wofo.com.au or call (07) 3916 9636.