Interview featured in October 2019 issue of Show House Magazine:

Matt Rantell is the CEO & Founder of The Square, the leading workforce management platform for the construction industry. With tens of thousands of vetted construction professionals it provides a valuable and transparent resource for companies to hire, manage compliance and pay their teams.

SH: So, what made you start The Square?

MR: I worked in advertising & marketing for 15 years and in my last business we found it increasingly difficult and expensive to find relevant workers with specific skills and experience that were located nearby and were available. At the time we were working with some of the most innovative digital businesses in the world and I thought that technology could and should be able to address this pain point too. So, I decided to do something about it and launched The Square.

SH: But why construction?

MR: Good question! I looked at other specialist skilled industries like healthcare and education and we’ll be entering those industries in the future too but construction needs it more. The industry as a whole is incredibly fragmented and there’s a lack of transparency, accountability, productivity and trust. The Square uses technology to address these things and empowers both companies and the construction workforce on a number of levels. We’re on a mission to connect construction and become the largest specialist network in the world!

SH: Pretty ambitious!

MR: Yes, and we mean it. The industry needs it. There’s a skills shortage, there’s a lack of tech adoption and company cultures and people’s lifestyles are changing. People now want to have information at their fingertips, they want to move quicker and want the flexibility to work how, when and where they want. We believe a global platform like The Square will be the way the industry connects in the future.

SH: And how have you found people responding to it?

MR: We’ve had a great response from government bodies, industry bodies, companies and workers, however it is certainly not plain sailing! We’ve saved companies over £25m to date so when speaking to business owners or senior managers, it goes down very well however we’re finding that getting their teams to use it regularly is difficult. Changing behaviour is difficult! People get stuck in their ways and it takes time to educate and inform them about new ways of working. Other than that, we’ve had a fantastic journey so far and we’re only really just getting started!

SH: What advice would you give the business owners and managers out there?

MR: Don’t ignore technology. I appreciate that not everyone likes change, especially when it comes to technology however it is the future and those that don’t embrace it will lose. There’s so much to gain from adopting technology whether it’s for your project management, operations, timesheets, hiring or compliance. In most cases it will save you and your businesses’ time, money, effort and stress.

For more information about The Square visit www.thesquareapp.com or call them on 020 3868 6303.

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