2022: looking back and looking ahead

As we prepare to turn the page on another year, we’re reflecting on 2022, a year which saw the world emerging from the pandemic, bringing with it great opportunity, celebration and challenge.

For the UK as a nation, the past 12 months have been something of a rollercoaster. We all enjoyed the lifting of final restrictions and getting back to a normal life after Covid, with the ability to travel and see family and friends. We came together to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June, and together mourned her sad passing just a few months later. And who would have thought we would have seen three different Prime Ministers! 

At Liquid Friday HQ, it has certainly been a busy year, both as a business and for the team personally. Here’s a look back at some of the highlights!

Doing more for our contractors

In 2022 we’ve paid 15,555 contractors across 428 agencies. Thank you to each and every one, and we hope we have delivered the experience you expect and deserve from Liquid Friday.

We continuously strive to bring a valuable and differentiated service to our contractors and agency clients; we know people have a choice of what umbrella company they work with, and we never take that for granted.

While this begins with our core business of getting people paid, it certainly doesn’t end there. 

This year our in-house specialist mortgage advisor Matt Lay, CeMAP, has helped over 150 Liquid Friday contractors buy their own home. Matt works with a panel of lenders who fully understand contractor income and working through an umbrella company. Next year we hope to assist many more of our contractors in getting the keys to their own front door!

Post-pandemic, many of us have been more mindful of our own health and wellbeing. 2022 has seen a significant take up on our private medical care service. As GP appointments become ever harder to obtain, this service is freely available to all Liquid Friday contractors and their immediate families, allowing them to speak to a UK-based GP, online, 24/7. 

As the cost of living crisis began to bite, this year we upgraded our rewards package to enable Liquid Friday contractors to save on their supermarket and online shopping, as well as discounts on gyms, cinema tickets, days out and much more.

What’s the team been up to?

While it’s been an incredibly busy year for Liquid Friday as a business, the team has certainly not stopped after office hours! 

Head of Marketing Dan Blake and Head of Customer Experience Sam Pannell are both well into their second year of their respective degrees in Digital Marketing and Business respectively.

Our COO, Joe Taffurelli, is also over halfway through his MBA in Strategic Leadership and in the  summer took his place on Liquid Friday’s Board of Directors.

Compliance Officer Jack Clark completed his apprenticeship in Business Administration and also passed his driving test this year; you’ll have to ask him which was tougher!

Congratulations also to Beth Foley, Head of Partnerships, who completed her ICF Coaching qualification this year.

Aside from those brilliant achievements, there were wedding bells in stereo this summer, with two of our Liquid Friday gents tying the knot – Dan Blake with Sadie, and Colin Gunnell with Kate! We hope they enjoy a fabulous first Christmas together as man and wife.

This year we have taken on 11 new starters under the Job Centre’s Kick Starter scheme, which creates job opportunities for those aged 16-24. 

As we move into 2023, the team will continue to grow in order to fully support the needs of our contractor workforce and to deliver our plans for next year. Talking of which…

Look ahead to 2023

We’re hitting the ground running in 2023 with some big developments. Our new-look streamlined website will launch early in the year and at the same time the Liquid Friday app will go live. 

Our exclusive app has been a long time in the planning, because we wanted it to be game-changing for contractors. Like never before, you will be able to control and manage your assignment finances straight from your smartphone. 

For our agency clients, our app integrates with new software that will automatically update you when your contractors are looking for a new assignment – making redeployment easier and faster. 

We can’t wait to share the details of these plans very soon, but for now we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and custom this year. We hope 2023, in work and in life, is a fantastic year for all.