They offer their services to nursing homes through platforms. A status chosen to be freer and better paid than on permanent or temporary contracts. The problem is that this self-employed status would not be legal and the authorities are trying to put an end to it. On the left, politicians denounce the “Uberization” of health.
With self-employed people on one side, caregivers, and clients on the other, health establishments, the platforms resemble a new Uber application. Sometimes there is even a rating system, like on Brigad which Wendy is listed on. “We are rated on the quality of work, attendance and punctuality, which is very important”she specifies. “It’s a one to five star rating.”
To become self-employed, it’s very simple, caregivers just have to register on one of the platforms and let themselves be guided. But normally this status is not made for them and Maxime Klein co-founder of Mediflash recognizes that his company plays on the flaws in the system, “a gray area”he said “to be very transparent.
Labor inspectorate accused of “scaring” establishment directors
The labor inspectorate makes life difficult for these platforms by summoning self-employed caregivers and sending letters to establishment directors telling them not to hire them anymore. And it works. The manager of Mediflash deplores a drop in activity of a third in the Grand Est. “The reality is that we are trying to scare the directors of health establishments by dissuading them from working with our platform. Except that there is no legal action against us. Our model is perfectly legal. If tomorrow there were to be a trial, we are convinced of winning, assures Maxime Klein. Strictly speaking, it creates case law and at least it would clarify our model.” In a letter from the Department of Economy and Employment of the Grand Est, Mediflash is singled out for “abusive labor lending”, but there is still no complaint against the company.
According to the caregivers, becoming self-employed is beneficial: they earn more and they control their schedule. “What interested me above all was the flexibilityexplains Wendy, do not work on public holidays. I have two little 8-year-old girls, so to organize yourself for school, homework, outdoor activities, it’s really ideal.” The other advantage of this self-employed status is the remuneration. Mickaël Matusales claims to earn much more than before.
“In permanent contract, we will be at 1,400 net as a young graduate, we will be almost at 1,800 in fixed-term contract, and for example, with Mediflash, I will be between 2,000 and 3,000 euros net per month as a self-employed person .”
Mickael Matusales, independent caregiverat franceinfo
Moreover, “When you are an employee, you are subject to the Labor Code but here, if I want to do five days or seven days in a row, I am free to do so”, praises Mickaël Matusales. If there are no time limits, there is also less protection, objects Noureddine Douissa, geriatrician in a residence for dependent elderly people in Lyon. “When they work, they are paid but when they no longer work, they are no longer paid”argues the doctor who thinks that caregivers are not well informed of the risks, particularly in the event of a road accident for example.
A win-win system
For the moment, these self-employed caregivers continue to provide replacements in nursing homes due to the labor shortage. It’s a profession under pressure, and even more so since Covid, which is too hard for Sabrina to manage. This is what pushed her to become self-employed. “I couldn’t take it anymore. We were called at any time. We had to work, we had to work… We couldn’t do it anymore, we fell into depression”, she says. She had experienced depression five years before the epidemic. “So I preferred to drop everything, resign and leave.”
On the employer side, there are also advantages to using these platforms. Evelyne Romanotto, who manages schedules in a long-term care unit in Lyon, the Hibiscus, easily finds replacements who already know her establishment.
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“My patients are very dependent. It is very important to know their habits. Mediflash has been able to recruit staff in the sector. These are staff who are able to come very quickly and who come back. So indeed, it is very interesting for me to work with them.”
Cécile Hamon, who runs a senior residence near Rennes, confirms that she would have difficulty doing without these self-employed people.
“We can hear the question of legality but at the level of residents, there is still security, continuity of service that we cannot ensure because we cannot find staff.”
Cécile Hamon, director of Ehpadat franceinfo
For the same reason, “there is no question of our employees accumulating excess working timeshe highlights. It’s the dog biting its tail. We need to find a solution.” And these self-employed caregivers are part of the solution. This is what they are putting forward to demand this legally independent status from the government.