How Ergeon Scaled a Distributed Workforce With Upwork as Its Operational Backbone

899+

contract team members

45 – 50 countries

global team spanning

35,000+

projects, 4.7+ rating

Industry

Home improvement and construction

The client

Ergeon has an operating model that is unique in the construction industry. It serves homeowners across the United States by running a fully remote business, with most of its team made up of long-term independent contractors located outside the country. Ergeon’s core company values are investing in people, being kind, and staying lean — values they actively uphold in the way they operate.

By centering operations on technology and AI-based systems, Ergeon delivers projects that stay on schedule and within budget, and earn consistently positive customer feedback. This is driven by a “Lean” operating model where every team member is empowered by AI to act with the expertise of a much larger department.

The challenge

Operating as differently as this only works if the systems behind it hold up. As Ergeon’s leadership built its internal infrastructure, they saw that scaling a global team without losing the Kindness and connection of a smaller shop would be a challenge. Because as the business grew, more people would be added across more locations, making time tracking, payments, and compliance increasingly complex.

Ergeon’s operating model depends on tight workflows, clear accountability, and fast execution. Leadership needed a way to grow the team wherever people were located, while maintaining speed, flexibility, and control. They also needed to move toward a system that intelligently supported each person’s unique skills.

The solution

Ergeon found its answer through Upwork. Ergeon brought its existing contract workforce onto the Upwork platform, which it uses as a centralized system for employer-of-record support and contractor management.

“Since day one, we’ve always used Upwork as the complete backbone of the company,” said Alina Jesien, senior director of HR.

That backbone shows up in the details of day-to-day operations. Jesien explained, “We use work diary to track hours — not as a policing tool — to gain more efficiency. It allows us to be Lean by automating time cards and Kind by ensuring our global team is paid quickly and accurately, with zero administrative friction.”