On Temper, FreeFlexers are free to appoint a substitute, if they are unable to perform the shift themselves.
We are sometimes asked about the payment flow, when a substitute is selected for a shift. Here is a little more information on both the payment process, and the contractual relationship between original FreeFlexer and their chosen substitute.
The substitute is contracted by the original FreeFlexer, meaning the original FreeFlexer contracts directly with the substitute.
Crucially, the original FreeFlexer is the substitute's payer and bears sole responsibility for compensating the substitute. This is true for all substitutions.
When off-platform substitution takes place, the original FreeFlexer is directly and solely responsible for paying the substitute.
For on-platform substitution, Finqle acts only as a payment facilitator on behalf of the original FreeFlexer. Technically, the payment mechanism remains the same: the incoming payment from the client is immediately passed through the original FreeFlexer's balance and then used to process the outgoing payment from the original FreeFlexer to the substitute. Finqle's 'settlement' process is purely administrative.
Here is a quick overview that may help as a simple summary:
Think of the original FreeFlexer as a contractor who wins a project (the shift). When they appoint a substitute (a sub-contractor), the original contractor is the one who hired them, manages the payment agreement, and is contractually obligated to pay the sub-contractor—even if the client pays the original contractor using a digital service.