RotaCloud’s 3,000 SME business owners and managers will be able to give their employees up to 50% of their wages in advance, helping them to meet unexpected expenses during the month and avoid turning to high-interest loans or credit.

Founded in 2013, Yorkshire-based RotaCloud provides staff management software to thousands of businesses across 11 countries. Working with SMEs in sectors as diverse as hospitality, leisure and retail to care and education, and with customers such as the NHS, Sheffield Hallam University and Subway, RotaCloud helps businesses of all sizes plan rotas, manage sickness and annual leave, and record employee time and attendance.

The partnership with Orka Pay demonstrates the growing demand for salary advance schemes, which offer hourly workers true pay flexibility. These services have become particularly popular for workers during the pandemic, as many have seen their incomes reduced, or become less predictable, making it more difficult to cover large, unexpected costs in the middle of the month.

Orka Pay was launched in 2020 by Manchester-based worker tech firm Orka Technology Group. The product is app-based, allowing workers to choose how much of their earned wages they want to withdraw from their available balance, charged at a small interest rate, and facilitated by full integration with their employer’s payroll system.

Tom Pickersgill, CEO and Co-founder of Orka, said: “By partnering with RotaCloud, we can make a real difference to the lives of 100,000 workers, by giving them access to their wages the minute they’ve completed shifts.

“Why should workers have to wait for a monthly payday to be given what they’re owed? We know that everyone’s budgeting habits are different and Orka Pay accommodates this, while also allowing employers to separate themselves from the competition, improving their employee satisfaction and retention rates.”