As the crewing business is growing in Europe, companies who do not obey local law are occurring and putting their clients in financial and legal danger.
Control by local authorities is not just checking the paperwork – clerks are showing up on site to interrogate workers, who are often not sure of who they are speaking with.
If a worker will state that they are working under a close supervision of the main contractor (your company) OR the clerks will assume that he does (wears your company’s clothes, uses your company’s tools), you might be in trouble!
Here are a few important things to know, if you don’t want to get a fine from Zoll (Germany) or Finanz Polizei (Austria).
1. Independent work – if you hire a crewing company that is actually not working independently, you might be classified as arbeitnehmerüberlassung.
In this case you are the one responsible for all the personnel on site.
It means – their contracts and safety. If it turns out you do not have a contract with them and also did not take care of their occupational health and safety training – you are in trouble.
Average fine – €5,000
Maximum fine – €50,000
How to make work independent?
a) Hire crewing companies with skilled specialists.
If there are stagehands in the crew – it is not a problem, but they should be supervised by a Crew Chief from the same crewing company.
b) Make sure the crewing company wears their own brand and uses their own tools.
Wearing your company’s t-shirts by subcontractors and using tools with your company’s logo on them might be seen as hidden freelance hiring.
A crewing company should make sure that the crew wears company t-shirts, vests, and uses company tools like hammers or power tools.
c) Give the crewing company a specific area they are responsible for.
Make sure that the specialists are working with a plot and do not need to be closely supervised by your on site manager. Your manager can consult things to do with them, but should not explain to them how to do basic things, like assembling a truss or opening the case.
It is good to also sign a contract with a crewing company, in which a specific area of work is established and agreed on.
2. Make sure that the crewing company hires their workers legally.
Some companies are actually sending not hired workers, since the controls are not very frequent. Thanks to not hiring their staff, they save a lot of money (difference between net and super-gross wage is up to 60%, so paying somebody 200 euros means a cost of 320 euros) and are able to give you a “better” price.
a) contracts between the staff and a crewing company should be signed
b) minimum wages valid in your country should be respected.
c) A1’s should be issued (in case of Poland, many times it takes time to issue A1 – US-4 formular combined with confirmation it’s submission is valid too).
Here is an article on the official ZUS website (Social Insurances Agency of Poland) that will tell you how much time they have for issuing A1 – from 1 day up to 2 months.
d) reporting in Zoll (Germany, fairgrounds only) or BMF (Austria, any job) should be made at least 1 day before the work starts.
e) It is a good practice for a crewing company to require their staff to have EKUZ cards.EKUZ is a European Card of Health Insurance, thanks to which any kind of hospital services will be free of charge. If a worker does not have one, they will have to pay for the services and ask for a refund back in the country of their origin (in our case – Poland).
EKUZ is a nice thing to have, though it is not obligatory.
A1 tells us that the social insurance is paid, EKUZ tells us that the health insurance is possible to use free of charge anytime.
f) make sure that the staff members have a citizenship of a European Union country or a consent to work in Germany or Austria.
Having for example a Ukrainian citizen without such consent can be treated by the authorities as human trafficking (no joke!).
If the company you are cooperating with has nothing to hide, it should not be a problem for them to show you all the documents from points a, b, c, d and f.
If the crewing company does not want to show you any documents, it should be a red flag for your cooperation with them.
TEST US – ask for any documents of our crew before the job starts and see how legitimate we are!
In September 2023, we received the ISO 9001 certification.
In a nutshell, having ISO 9001 means that a company has a well-structured interior. By interior, we mean what happens within – like sales, order fulfillment, recruitment. Every area has a repeatable path it follows. Professionally, these paths are called processes, which are further broken down into smaller segments – procedures and instructions.
With well-structured processes, we can achieve the following outcomes:
a) clients are served in a consistent manner,
b) repeatable problems are solved in a consistent way,
c) every employed individual knows their scope of duties and where to check how to perform them. And they perform them independently. (and if not, we have a clear signal that either the process or the employee needs improvement).
If you spend most of your day answering phones with repeatable, simple questions, and every emergency situation lands on your desk – it’s a clear sign that it’s worth looking at the processes in your company.
This situation may also apply to your managers – often they may think that engaging in micro-management all day is normal – it’s not – and so they don’t even let you know that a problem exists.
No need to cite any scientific studies here – just ask yourself or your managers:
– How many times a day do you answer the same questions?
– How often are you pulled away from your tasks due to urgent calls, which don’t really address highly complicated issues?
Working on processes, procedures, and instructions in your company will allow:
-> minimizing the number of critical situations, or in industry jargon, reducing the number of ‘fuck-ups’,
-> freeing up your time and your managers’ time for handling significant matters that bring real profits to the company,
-> increasing the quality of service to your clients.
These 3 points will significantly impact the efficiency of your company (more serviced orders with the same resources).
I am satisfied that in the case of BWS, passing the ISO audit was a formality.
At the beginning of 2022, we underwent a significant restructuring, which included creating procedures and implementing them. We also set the direction we are heading, and what followed – we replaced the entire managerial staff.
Managers at BWS don’t waste time on small management and inventing new solutions to old problems.
The result of having, applying, and improving processes, procedures, and instructions in our company includes:
– only 0.77% absence of personnel on jobs – for a crewing company, it means that for every 100 people on implementation, we need less than 1 person in reserve. So, the attendance is almost flawless, absences are traceable.
– specialisation -> by the end of October 2023 alone, our technical department conducted 64 technical trainings, thanks to which we now have 160 individuals with confirmed qualifications in our team.
– more than half of our clients from 2022 increased their demand for our crew in 2023 (and the year isn’t over yet!).
-> check our article about the trainings here 👉 bws.net.pl/en/how-do-we-train-our-crew/
Without procedures, we would still be answering phones from the crew asking “when’s the job?” and from clients asking “what are your rates?”. Crew doesn’t call because they know that new jobs appear in our system. Clients place orders through our app or via email, knowing all the terms upfront for the entire year.
Say “check mate”! Book our crew and see how fast, organised and structured we are!
And if you’d like to discuss processes noncommittally – I’d be happy to talk about it and share more of my experiences.
In the event industry, the success of every event, whether it’s a concert or a trade show, relies on a well-coordinated team working behind the scenes. These professionals, who effortlessly navigate through the maze of cables, lights, and sound, are often the result of extensive training and experience. At BWS Event Support, we take pride in our highly skilled and trained crew, who have undergone various training programs to enhance their expertise in event management and production.
Since January of this year, BWS Event Support has organized 64 training sessions, totaling an impressive 183.5 hours of training. These were not just any training sessions! They covered everything from the basics of event management to advanced rigging and LED screen programming. In 2023 alone, BWS Event Support has provided a solid foundation of knowledge, and there are still two months left for more training.
BWS Event Support have four types of technical training:
BWS Event Support’s training is not just theory. It provides practical experience that has already yielded results. For example, their team set a record during the load out of the stage at the “Girl in Red” event in Warsaw, where the entire operation took only 1.5 hours. This is proof that a well-trained crew is an absolute game-changer.Some of the training sessions include a proprietary exam to test participants’ knowledge.
So far, 186 people have taken the test, with a pass rate of 89.58%. This means that over 160 people are using their acquired knowledge in practice. Most of the participants are still hungry for knowledge and want to continue their development. In addition to the opportunity to take on more advanced jobs, they can participate in specialized training sessions that require previously acquired knowledge.
The entire training system implemented by BWS Event Support is based on gradual development, ensuring that everyone has the chance to gain experience and new skills, regardless of their level of expertise. So, if you’re looking for a team of real event stage masters, test BWS Event Support.
Join the ranks of satisfied customers who have chosen professionalism and expertise in the event industry.
Let’s connect!
Steering through employment in the event world can be tricky, especially making sure everything is legal and clear. At BWS Event Support, we know how key it is to stick to employment laws and keep both employers and workers safe from risks that come with informal employment in our lively industry.
Understanding the Risks
Engaging in informal employment practices, such as paying workers “under the table”, can expose your business to significant financial and legal risks. From potential audits, back payments, fines, to legal consequences, the repercussions can be detrimental to your business’s reputation and financial health.
The Importance of Legal Employment
Steps Towards Legal and Safe Employment
Your Solution – BWS Event Support
Navigating through employment laws and ensuring all practices are legal can be a complex and time-consuming task. That’s where we come in! At BWS Event Support, we provide a solution that allows you to focus on your event and delegate all employment aspects to us.
Let’s ensure your events go smoothly!
Click below and schedule a quick video chat with us to explore how we can safeguard your business together.
Stagehand or Technician: Who Do You Really Need for Your Event?
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a stagehand and a technician, and who you really need for your event? The answer largely depends on your specific needs—whether you require basic manual labor for moving equipment, or a complete technical setup and coordination. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the nuances that set stagehands and technicians apart, and why understanding these differences is crucial for the success of your event.
If you need a team for unloading/loading, pushing cases, or carrying equipment, a stagehand is your go-to. They are skilled in basic physical tasks that don’t require specialized knowledge. Stagehands are the backbone of any event, ensuring that everything is in its right place for the show to go on.
Don’t underestimate the value of an experienced stagehand. Those with substantial experience are familiar with industry-specific terminology, know how to properly coil a cable, fasten a transport belt, or assemble a truss. An experienced team can significantly speed up the setup and teardown process, making them an invaluable asset to any event.
If you’re looking to delegate tasks to a team, minimize your involvement in manual labor, and hear the words “Done, what’s next?”—then you definitely need technicians. They are capable of working independently, interpreting technical plans, and coordinating a team. Technicians are the strategists of event production, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and according to plan.
A technician is someone with extensive experience in the industry. They can independently read and execute a technical plan, possess their own set of tools, and often work at heights, operating machinery like lifts and forklifts. Whether it’s lighting, multimedia, sound, construction, or rigging, a technician is the expert you need for specialized tasks.
So, have you figured out the difference? Both stagehands and technicians play vital roles in the success of an event, but their responsibilities and skill sets differ significantly. Whether you need a team for basic manual labor or specialized technical tasks, BWS Event Support has got you covered. With our skilled stagehands and highly trained technicians, we ensure that your event in Poland and across Europe is nothing short of spectacular.
Ready to experience the difference? Contact us to book your team today!
P.S.By understanding these roles better, you can make more informed decisions for your events. At BWS Event Support, we pride ourselves on our deep industry knowledge and expertise, offering top-notch stagehands and technicians to make your event a resounding success.
1. Quality Boost:
Training isn’t just about learning; it’s about elevating. When we invest in our crew’s skills, the result is top-notch work. It’s like giving them a superpower – they’re not just doing the job; they’re acing it.
2. Equal Opportunities:
At BWS, we believe in fairness. Everyone gets a shot at leveling up. It’s not just about the job; it’s about growth, passion, and potential.
3. Fresh Faces, Fresh Perspectives:
New to the crew? See the bigger picture. With training, pushing cases becomes a stepping stone to more technical, exciting assignments.
4. Safety First, Always:
Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to safety. A trained crew knows the ropes, understands the risks, and ensures everyone goes home safe.
In a nutshell, training is our secret sauce. It’s what sets us apart, ensuring every event is a masterpiece.
P.S. Every month, we run multiple technical trainings. Want to see the difference? Test our trained team on your next event.
Let’s connect!
So, you’re scratching your head, wondering how to cut down those pesky crew logistics costs? Well, you’re in luck! Here at BWS Event Support, we’ve got some tricks up our sleeve, and we’re not shy about sharing. Here’s how we do it:
1. Team Travel – More Fun, Less Expense:
Who said commuting has to be a solo affair? We say, the more, the merrier! We get our crew to travel together. It’s not just about saving on transport costs; it’s about building that team spirit. Plus, it’s way more fun!
2. Connect Projects – Keep ’em Busy:
Idle hands are the devil’s workshop, right? We keep our crew busy by connecting projects. No more paying for rest days. Our crew moves from one gig to another, staying active, engaged, and out of mischief!
3. One Team, One Invoice – Keep it Simple:
We’re all about making life easier. So, we take care of all the boring stuff like insurances, contracts, and payouts. You get just one invoice. Simple, right?
4. Join the #TeamBWS – We’re More Than a Crew:
We’re not just a crew; we’re a family. We look out for each other, have fun together, and even throw a fancy BWS awards gala. Why? Because everyone deserves to feel appreciated!
So, there you have it!
That’s how we tackle crew logistics costs at BWS Event Support.
Want a piece of the action?
Join us and let’s make events more fun and cost-effective together!
Let’s talk 👇