It’s soaring up like a bird high in the sky. As Harvard Business Review likes to call it “The Rise of the Supertemp,” the gig economy is rising and booming. While it’s been hard to calculate how far the gig economy has spread to, it has been found that 34% of the U.S workforce or 53 million Americans are already working as freelancers. Freelancers comprise 35% of the workplace and experts believe this number will double itself in the next four years!
But, when did this happen? And how did this and continues to gain so much momentum?
The Changing World of Work
The gig economy refers to the increasing number of people moving away from traditional employment methods to work as freelancers.
The main cause of this transformation is the generational and cultural shift. Employees saw their previous generations working for the same company for years, unable to give time to their family and working with little or no job satisfaction. But employees today are mobile, tech-savvy, and independent. They will only do work in which they find meaning. Work that makes them happy and gives them a sense of purpose.
Another reason is the changing expectations of employers. Employers today are upending the traditional approaches to working and recruiting. The work they expect is a lot more diversified and project-based. This means that they require people who are a lot more skilled and flexible to their changing needs and goals. And also people whose financial needs, scheduling and goals they can fulfill. Hence, gig employees or freelancers or remote workers.
The third reason for this boom is the breakthrough and acceleration of technology. These last few years have become the hub of a technological marketplace. The increasing numbers of user-friendly mobile applications have also helped people find the right kind of work as, when and how they want it. This has increased the number of job opportunities for people and helped make them more independent.
Forbes says technology will be the backbone of the gig economy in 2018. And rightly so. With a huge section of the workforce still untapped- students, teachers, writers, nurses- who don’t follow a strict 9-5 schedule, the opportunities are immense and almost overwhelming.
Embracing Gig - The Globetrotter
I like to call it ‘Gig - The Globetrotter’ because, as pointed by many, it will soon be the next big thing in the job industry and take over the entire workplace all over the world.
Entrepreneurs and recruiters now have the freedom to select employees irrespective of their location or where they are based. A survey also found that on a scale of 1-10, remote workers claimed they would rate their happiness at a 8.10!
So, how can you build an effective remote working system?
Technology
Utilize the dominance of technology to improve collaboration and association. Having a diverse set of online tools will help you strategize and manage having a remote working team. Use tools to manage projects, calculate time required to meet deadlines and ask your team to continuously update and share these data. This will enable you to track and keep a record of their progress and is a lot more effective than calling or emailing them constantly.
Quality over Quantity
This is the foremost thing to understand before building up a team of remote workers. You need to place productivity over anything else. Remote workers are found to be happier than others because they work when they know they’ll be able to deliver their best. The number of hours put into completing a task is not the guaranteed source of a job well done. To measure your employees’ progress, judge them on the basis of their efficiency, productivity and ability to meet deadlines.
Video Calls
Communication is the key. In a setup where you cannot see your employees on a regular basis, it is important to stay in constant touch with them through video calls or face time. Video calls enable to have personal discussions on important issues, high priority work, negotiate scheduling and develops the overall relation between the employer and employees.
Build Trust
Trust is the backbone of any relationship. And especially if it’s a long distance relationship or all your employees are scattered across the globe. While harder when working remotely, a good manager should be able to point when their employees are facing difficulties. The manager should make it so that employees feel free to express their opinions, share their problems and question the manager.
The Best Gig Economy Jobs
With companies like Uber, Airbnb, Bellhop setting up their empire based mainly on employing gig workers, it would be no wonder if the whole world starts practicing the gig culture.
Having said that, if you are a company based on the following industries, it would be beneficial for you to join on this revolution:
Delivery Jobs
Caregivers
Freelancing Jobs
Rideshare
Hospitality
Labor Service Jobs
Conclusion
With the changing demographics in the workplace, advancement of technology and cultural transformation, it might be safe to assume that the gig economy might be the next big thing in the HR industry.
So, the next time someone tells you “sorry, I can’t make it. I have a gig this Monday,” I hope you’ll know what they mean.
Latest posts by Shreya Dutta (see all)
- The Rise Of The Gig Economy - January 20, 2022
