An Interview with Alex Rose, UK CEO of Temper
Warehouse and Logistics News (WLN): Alex, thanks for joining us. For those in the logistics sector who haven’t yet integrated your tech, what exactly is Temper, and what is the story behind its rapid growth from the Netherlands to the UK?
Alex Rose: It’s a pleasure. Temper is a digital marketplace designed to restore agility to the workforce. It was founded in Amsterdam in 2015 to solve a universal problem: the friction between people wanting to work on their own terms and businesses needing an on-demand, accountable workforce. We grew rapidly in the Netherlands by proving that high-pressure sectors like logistics don’t need “middlemen”—they need better data and direct connections.
I took the role of UK CEO in 2022 because I experienced my own frustrations seeking temporary work at the start of my career. I saw that Temper was doing something genuinely ground-breaking in the Netherlands and jumped at the chance to launch and scale the business in the UK. I’ve not looked back!
WLN: Most logistics managers are used to the traditional agency model where they call a consultant to “send 10 people.” How does the Temper marketplace change that day-to-day workflow?
Alex Rose: It moves the power back to the warehouse floor. It’s a double-sided marketplace that prioritises transparency. A warehouse or transport manager posts their available shifts on the platform—detailing exactly what’s needed, from forklift certification to specific shift timings. On the other side, freelancers see those shifts and apply only for the ones they actually want to work.
The “magic” is in the selection process. In a traditional agency, you’re often getting whoever was available at the time. With Temper, you pick people based on their historical ratings and reliability scores. You can see how a freelancer performed for your rivals or peers last week. If someone has a 4.9-star rating over 100 shifts, you know exactly what you’re getting. It creates a self-policing ecosystem where high performance is the only currency that matters.
WLN: You’ve seen significant traction since launching here. Can you give us a sense of your current scale and where that momentum is coming from?
Alex Rose: The growth has been phenomenal, and we are currently doubling year-on-year. We now support over 3,000 UK clients and have a pool of 200,000 freelancers on the platform. While we started with a strong footprint in hospitality and retail, logistics is now a primary driver of our growth.
Why? Because the logistics “Squeeze” is real. Between the £12.71 minimum wage and the rising cost of National Insurance, businesses can no longer afford unreliable staff who don’t hit their pick-rates.
WLN: Beyond the technology, what are the commercial drivers for your rapid growth here?
Alex Rose: Our model provides the flexibility that logistics businesses needs, while legislation is making traditional staffing models more complex. Temper removes that friction by providing a purely freelance model that remains fully compliant.
Speed is the other factor. In logistics, an unexpected surge in orders can’t wait 24 hours for an agency to call you back. On average, a business on Temper receives its first applicant in just 6 minutes. Because we’ve automated the “middleman” tasks, our costs are typically lower than a traditional agency. We’re providing better quality talent, faster, for a lower price point. In a low-margin sector, that’s an easy decision for an Operations Director to make.
WLN: What does the “ideal” Temper client look like? Is this just for the giant 3PLs or can smaller operators join in?
Alex Rose: We appeal to a very broad church because the platform is totally scalable. We are nationwide and serve everyone from independent local hubs to massive distribution centres. You can use us to fill a single van driver shift once a month, or to scale up to 50+ warehouse operatives per day during a peak period like Black Friday.
Our tech enables you to plan and select highly qualified freelancers at unlimited scale without the administrative headache of checking right-to-work documents or chasing timesheets—the platform handles all of that. It’s “plug and play” labour for the modern economy.
WLN: Let’s talk about the bottom line. How does Temper generate revenue, and are there any “hidden” costs for businesses?
Alex Rose: We believe in simplicity. We charge a flat fee per hour worked, and that’s it. There are no joining fees, no monthly subscriptions, and no cancellation fees. We also offer volume-related discounts to that hourly fee for our larger enterprise partners.
One of our most popular features—and something that really disrupts the agency model—is our “no-fee talent-scout” model. If you find a freelancer through Temper who is a perfect fit for your culture and hits their KPIs every time, you can offer them a permanent contract whenever you want with zero temp-to-perm fees. We want to be a bridge to great talent, not a barrier.
WLN: Finally, let’s talk about the workers. You’re seeing over 1,000 organic sign-ups a week. In a tight labour market, why is the platform so popular with them?
Alex Rose: People are tired of the one-size-fits-all employment model. They love having total agency over their lives—deciding when they work, where they work, and even negotiating their pay rates. They’re building a digital reputation that they “own,” which allows them to access higher-value shifts as they prove their worth.
But we’re also deeply proud of the protections we’ve built. Every freelancer on Temper gets comprehensive insurance and a sick pay model that is significantly more generous than statutory requirements. We ensure a minimum earnings floor of £13/hour, and we’ve built in “cancellation protection” so they are compensated if a shift is pulled at the last minute. We treat our freelancers like the professionals they are, and in return, they show up and deliver for our clients.
WLN: Alex, it sounds like you’re rewriting the rulebook for 2026. If a logistics business wants to trial the platform, what’s the best next step?
Alex Rose: They can contact me directly at alex.rose@temper.works or visit https://go.temper.works/en-gb/business to request a demo or sign up immediately. We can usually have a business up and running, posting their first shifts, within the same day.
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