BT signs £30m deal with workplace platform Distributed

In a hybrid working world, digital transformation has never been so important. Not only that, but employees want to work flexibly and on their terms. These factors have been difficult to manage, and this has been illustrated by millions leaving the workforce.

In an effort to successfully deliver digital improvements with a flexible workforce, BT has penned a £30 million (GBP) deal with transformation talent specialist Distributed. The deal intends to help BT with its projects and provide staff through its Elastic Teams™️ function.

Elastic Teams™️ enables workers to join projects flexibly through a platform that ensures they will be paid on time and can carry out their work remotely.

The contract marks a first for BT as it secures a board seat and an equity stake in Distributed. Additionally, Distributed is the first investment by BT Digital’s Startup Amplifier, which is designed to accelerate next-generation services.

This deal has been made to support BT’s ‘Digital Way.’ The Digital Way is a set of principles, behaviors and practices that will embed a digital mindset in the company and it is setup to help BT deliver its digital strategy by boosting productivity and reducing costs.

BT’s digital future

Discussing the deal, Harmeen Mehta, chief digital and innovation officer at BT Digital, said: “Our work with cutting-edge start-ups like Distributed will help us extend our internal pool of talent, accelerate the digital revolution within BT and help to make BT, and the UK, a key hub for the digital innovation economy.”

Mark Murphy, director of HR and technology at BT, will now be taking the board seat at Distributed as part of the deal.

Murphy noted: “Distributed’s Elastic Teams™️ approach is closely aligned with our mission of building an agile and innovative digital company. This partnership creates another avenue for us to attract great talent who share our ‘Digital Way’ philosophy and approach to work.”

Reflecting on the deal Callum Adamson, CEO and co-founder of Distributed added: “Our partnership represents a huge milestone in the use of on-demand talent within enterprise and demonstrates BT’s strategic foresight and commitment to providing the very best outcomes for their customers.

“This partnership will allow BT to engage the very best talent the world has to offer and will supercharge our mission to deliver independent careers with more benefits than permanent employment through Distributed’s Elastic Team™️ platform.”

This shift will undoubtedly be a landmark step for gig workers in the professional space.