We’re celebrating at Collective Benefits HQ - we've had a successful year and a half with freelance platform YoungOnes!

We first teamed up with YoungOnes UK in December 2021 to provide insurance to freelancers using their platform - people who want to fit earning around their lives; deciding when and where to work, and what industry to work in. In February 2022, we expanded our offering to include their Netherlands cohort, and six months later expanded again into Belgium. 

The partnership comes off the back of YoungOnes’ drive to find an insurer that could help them close the protection gap for freelancers. This is a mission that reflects the platform’s commitment to doing things differently; to giving freelancers the chance to find freedom in their work, and in their work-life balance. 

That sounds pretty close to our own reason-for-being here at Collective Benefits. We know that freelancers thrive off the freedom of working for themselves, but that this also often means curtailed freedoms in terms of basic protections. Say, the ability to take time off for sickness, or financial coverage if there’s an accident, for example. 

The partnership has led to YoungOnes seeing a really healthy (and quick) growth in registered freelancers who are protected with insurance – woohoo! Plus some other cool wins, too. Let’s take a closer look👇

The problem

YoungOnes knew they needed a platform that could provide freelancers with insurance. They were specifically looking for accident insurance, compassionate leave, family leave, and public liability insurance. 

They needed this to:

• Close the protection gap: it was important to YoungOnes to do what’s best for freelancers, and to reduce the entry barrier for freelancers looking to work with a platform like theirs.

  
  

• Stay independent: arranging insurance for freelancers with Collective allows YoungOnes to take care of anyone finding work via their platform, despite being neither an employer nor  an agency.  

  
  

• Increase freelancer engagement: to make sure that freelancers, and business partners, were getting the very best out of the platform. 

  
  

• Unlock new business partners: Lots of the businesses require that any freelancers they use are covered with public liability insurance (without this the business is technically unprotected if there’s an accident involving a freelancer).

YoungOnes wanted a partner who could help them tick all these boxes. As well as this, they wanted one that could provide a modern, flexible product to suit the fast-paced, fast-growing nature of their business - without compromising on freelancer experience, of course. Enter: Collective Benefits 👋

The solution

YoungOnes partnered up with Collective Benefits after seeing how freelancer-focused our digital platform is, which makes for a super easy and stress-free claims experience. This seamless, digital experience is something they felt other companies lacked. They were impressed by our experience in rolling out multi-country programmes, too - essential to a business growing as fast as YoungOnes.

Pim Graafmans, Managing Director of YoungOnes says about the partnership: 

“We had long been searching for any insurer who could provide a solution and were excited to find the digital insurance experts at Collective Benefits solving this gap for all freelancers in the Netherlands and across Europe.

“With this collaboration YoungOnes are proud to be the first freelance work-platform in the Netherlands to provide automatic insurance in the event of serious injury from workplace accidents, for claims by third parties and even additional income to take time off for bereavement or to celebrate the birth of a child, at no cost for all freelancers.”

The results

Since the partnership launched, YoungOnes has experienced a very healthy, quick growth in freelancers protected with insurance - take a look:

This has resulted in: 

• Breaking down barriers to new business partners, and supercharged growth for YoungOnes: businesses can now partner with YoungOnes in confidence, knowing that the freelancers using the platform have comprehensive protection. 

• Business peace of mind: YoungOnes having peace of mind of knowing they’re doing right by freelancers and businesses by closing down the protection gap.

• Reassurance for freelancers, making YoungOnes their preferred platform: most importantly freelancers using YoungOnes can go to work safe in the knowledge that they’re covered financially if they need to take time off work, or if they have an accident on the job and someone gets hurt or something gets damaged.

Ultimately, the partnership has led to healthy business growth for a pioneering tech platform that’s striving to make waves in the on-demand freelance space by closing the protection gap - and they’re just getting started. Watch this space 😉

Interested in learning about Collective Benefits insurance? Just head here.