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 take into account your most recent 15 shifts on the platform. Each time you withdraw or no show, your score will drop to reflect this. You can find more details on how your reliability score is calculated here.
Why is it important to minimise withdrawals?
Shift withdrawals not only cause issues with the Sidekicker clients, it also means other Sidekicks who’ve applied to work the shift will miss out. 😢 Withdrawals and no shows also impact your reliability score, which in turn may impact the businesses decision to hire you. Having a high reliability score will help you stand out from the applicants list, and secure more jobs on the platform.
A quick summary....
✅ Only apply for shifts you know 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.
❌ Every withdrawal will deduct your reliability score. Withdrawing from too many shifts over a short period of time may lead to a warning and limited your visibility on certain shifts on the platform. Continuing to show unreliable behaviour may gradually lead to no visibility on any shifts.
❌❌ If you fail to show up to your shift without withdrawing from it with adequate notice, this will be considered a "no show". No show will result in a major withdrawal score deduction, and your account being put under review.
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:
Part 1: Committing to working a shift
Part 2: Withdrawing from a shift
Part 3: Implications of poor reliability
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.
If you withdraw from the shift within 5-minutes from applying, your reliability score will not be penalised.
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.
Selecting a withdrawal reason:
When withdrawing from a shift you'll be prompted for your withdrawal reason. Please select the best reason you’re withdrawing from the options.
Physical injury: You’ve injured yourself at work or at home in a way that prevents you from working. As a response, Sidekicker will send you an Incident Report Form to gain more information about what’s happened, and to provide any additional steps if deemed necessary.
Sickness: You’ve become ill and therefore unable to work the shift. Withdraw as soon as you know you’re sick, and withdraw from all the shifts you know you’ll be sick for at once. Shifts withdrawn in a single calendar day will only count as one withdrawal, and will only be penalised once.
Other personal reasons: You have a reason other than the ones outlined above, and need to take the time off for personal reasons.
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 beforehand, this will be recorded as an unexplained absenteeism (a "no show"). No shows will result in a major reliability score deduction, your account being put under review, and may limit your access to seeing certain shifts on the platform. If you can't attend your shift, ALWAYS withdraw through the app!
If your reliability score keeps dropping, your shift visibility may be increasingly limited, ultimately leading you to not see any shifts on the platform.
What happens if I withdraw multiple times?
Multiple withdrawals will have a bigger penalty in dropping your reliability score, with the potential of impacting your platform visibility. You may first receive a warning and a withdrawal refresher, and be limited to seeing certain shifts on the Sidekicker platform. Your visibility may become increasingly limited or lead to your account being deactivated, if you continue to show repeated unreliable behaviour.
To avoid being flagged for poor reliability, you should:
Only apply for shifts you know you can attend
Always withdraw from shifts you can’t attend via the Sidekicker app
Withdraw from shifts as soon as you can (ideally >48 hours before shift start time)
Always use the correct withdrawal reason
Withdraw from all shifts you know you can’t attend due to sickness at once, to minimise the penalty
Withdrawing from multiple shifts at once - Example
You get the flu on Monday, and know you’ll be bedridden for a while.
You have upcoming shifts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Withdraw from Mon, Tue & Wed shifts all on Monday, and you’ll only be penalised once. If you withdraw from Monday shift on Monday, and Tuesday shift on Tuesday, you’ll be penalised twice.
Do I get a second chance?
When your reliability score starts dropping, you can increase it by completing more shifts with perfect attendance.
If your reliability score drops below our minimum threshold, you may be limited to access shifts on the platform, which you may never be able to recover. This is referred to as your account being "deactivated".
I think I was wrongly deactivated. What can I do?
Sidekicker has strict reliability processes in place as worker reliability is increasingly important for our clients.
However, if you believe you have been wrongly dismissed, you can appeal your deactivation. At the time of your deactivation you will be notified of the next steps. Please note deactivations are rarely overturned from the outcome of an appeal.