Sellers

The labour market is nowhere near flexible enough for many people. Template work patterns such as 'family friendly shifts' or 'students' hours' are adequate for those with predictable lifestyles and reduced ambition. But, the reality of so many people's lives is much more complex and personal. Already we are seeing how Slivers-of-Time selling can accomodate anyone's willingness to work, constantly expanding their opportunities as it does so.

At HQ, we don't have much direct contact with sellers. (Although we do purchase several one-hour bookings a week to enjoy a serviced office environment we couldn't otherwise afford.) There has been no quantitive research into sellers' experiences because they have only been participating in a limited pilot market. However, we do come across the occasional lifestory that illuminates the well documented need for 'bits of work' across the economy.

East London sellers have included:

• A young woman doing 4 overlapping adult education courses, each with their own pattern of lectures, exams and assignments. Her hours of availability are so fluid she couldn't work any other way.
• An older man whose book-keeping career collapsed after personal problems. Now he is fast tracking a range of experiences while deciding on hisnew career.
• A single mum with two children on differing school holidays who can only work when her mother, who has an irregular part-time job of her own, is available to look after them.

The East London market now includes some individuals who have each been trained in skills as diverse as market research interviewing, site safety, call centre practices and retail processes. All training has been paid, and at the employer's expense. This growing depth of knowledge is one of the bonuses that comes with a track record of Slivers-of-Time reliability. It can make you irresistable to all sorts of employers.

Moving to full time

Increasingly, buyers in the East London market are interviewing their Slivers-of-Time sellers for full time posts. Often those sellers lack formal qualifications and would otherwise have been rejected at the application stage. Where the issues that restricted their availability can be resolved, and if they like the organisation they've already experienced, successful full time employment can result.

Other sellers are using their 'My Bookings' list as a CV. It shows that they have successfully worked for a range of employers, how many have re-booked them and that they have reliably done lots of small segments of work.

• Slivers-of-Time sellers who moved to full time work

Meet the sellers

Of course, many sellers can't hold down a conventional job. That's why they signed up for Slivers-of-Time Working. We've dotted their achievements around this site. Here's a few moreof them:

• Slivers of Time newsletter