Sidekicker's Reliability Policy
Updated over a week ago

What do we mean by Reliability?
At Sidekicker, the reliability of a Sidekick is measured by how frequently you withdraw from shifts you have already committed to working. This is reflected in your Reliability Score.

What is a Reliability Score?

Your Reliability score allows transparency and visibility over your current reliability status. Your score will start at 100%, and will take into account your most recent 10 shifts on the platform. Each time you withdraw or no show, your score will drop to reflect this. If you complete another 10 shifts after you've withdrawn, your score will go back to 100%. You can find more details on how your reliability score is calculated here.

Why is it important to minimise withdrawals?
When you withdraw from a shift that you've already committed to working, it causes issues for our clients. Additionally, it means that other Sidekicks that applied to work the shift miss out 😢 That's why having a high reliability score can help you stand out to clients and secure more jobs on the platform.

A quick summary....

  • ✅Only apply for shifts you can work!

  • ⚠️If you can no longer work a shift you applied for, withdraw from the shift ASAP through the app at least 48h before the shift start time.

  • ❌If you withdraw from too many shifts in a short period of time you'll be given asked to complete our Reliability Refresher training quiz. If you continue to withdraw from shifts after you've been sent the Reliability Refresher, you will lose access to your Sidekicker account.

  • ❌❌If you simply "do not show" to your shifts and don't give us adequate notice by withdrawing from the shift through the app, this will be considered a "no show". No showing to a job will result in your account being put under review. If you no show again or withdraw with less than 48 hours notice your account will be deactivated.

What is included in the Reliability Policy?

If you want to find out about best practice in reliability, please scroll through this article or click here. Sections include:

Applying to a shift:

To apply for a shift, select a shift from within the Sidekicker app. At the bottom right corner you can 'Apply' to this shift. Only apply to shifts you can commit to working.

The client will then review your application. If they like your profile, they will hire you onto the job and you will receive a notification to your phone and email (if your notification settings are turned on).

Accepting an auto-hire shift:

When you see the lightning bolt emoji ⚡️ it means the shift is set to auto hire.

You do not need to apply to an auto hire shift and wait for the client to review your application or hire you. As soon as you click 'Accept' on the auto hire shift you will be automatically hired onto the shift and expected to work the shift. Please ensure you only 'Accept' auto hire shifts that you can commit to working.

Withdrawing from a shift I am not yet hired on:

If you have already applied to the shift but not yet been hired, select "Remove application" from the bottom of the screen. Withdrawing before you have been hired is preferable, as it is less disruptive to the client. Withdrawing from a shift before you are hired does not impact your reliability.

Withdrawing from a shift I am hired on:

If you've already been hired on the shift, select "Withdraw" from the bottom of the screen. This is disruptive to the client, but we would always rather you withdraw than not show up at all!

How to withdraw:

Withdrawals are self-service via the Sidekicker app, so there is no need to email or call our Support team! Just select the job in your "active" tab, and then select "Withdraw" at the bottom of the screen. A detailed overview of how to withdraw from a shift in the app can be found here.

Why you can withdraw:

When withdrawing from a shift you'll be prompted for your withdrawal reason. Please select the correct reason from the following three options:

  • Confirmed COVID-19 positive case: Select this reason if you test positive to COVID-19 via a Rapid Antigen Test or PCR Test.

  • Physical Injury: Select this reason if you have injured yourself at work or home in a way that prevents you from working. We'll send you an Incident Report Form to gain more information about what happened, and provide any additional steps if necessary.

  • Personal reasons/sick: If you need to withdraw for any other reason, select the 'other personal reasons' option.

If you are sick and need to withdraw from multiple shifts in the future, please withdraw from all the shifts at once and select the "personal reasons" option.

When to withdraw:

We encourage you to always withdraw at least 48 hours before your shift start time.

This ensures we can find our clients a replacement to cover your shift!

What happens if I don't withdraw and don't show to my shift?

If you can't attend your shift but you do not withdraw before hand, this will be recorded as an unexplained absenteeism (colloquially known as a "no show"). "No shows" will result in your account being put under review. If you no show again or continue to withdraw with less than 48 hours notice your account will be suspended. If you can't attend your shift, always withdraw through the app!

What happens if I withdraw multiple times?

If you withdraw <48 hours before your shift starts twice within a fortnight your account will be flagged for poor reliability. You will be contacted by our team and encouraged to complete the Reliability Refresher quiz to ensure you fully understand our Reliability policy. To avoid being flagged for poor reliability, you can:

  • Withdraw from shifts as soon as you know you can no longer attend. Ideally, >48 hours before the shift start time!

  • If you are sick and expect to be sick for a while (e.g. flu, COVID) withdraw from your upcoming shifts all at once

  • Always use the correct withdrawal reason. If you have COVID, withdraw for the COVID reason!

  • Withdraw via the app (not by telling the client or by email)

An example: you get the flu

You get the flu on Monday and know you will be sick for a while. You have shifts upcoming on Wednesday and Thursday. You want to withdraw from these shifts because you are sick. If you withdraw from both of these shifts on Monday, you have only had 1 day of withdrawals. If you withdraw from 1 on Monday, and then again withdraw from another shift on Wednesday you will be flagged for poor reliability.

Do I get a second chance?

After your account has been flagged for poor reliability and you have been sent the Reliability Refresher training, you will get one more chance to change your behaviour! If you withdraw <48 hours before your shift starts twice within a fortnight AGAIN, you will lose access to your Sidekicker account. This means you will not be able to apply for, or work, any future shifts. This is referred to as your account being "deactivated".

I think I was wrongly deactivated. What can I do?

You can appeal your deactivation if you believe you have been wrongly dismissed. At the time of your deactivation you will be notified of the next steps. However, deactivations are rarely overturned from the outcome of an appeal.

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