The gig and freelance economy ‘dehumanisation’

Eric Anicich, Associate Professor of Management and Organization at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business argues that 3 things employees really want: career, community, cause won’t be found in gig work (and it’s the same for freelancers). 

“At the core of the issue are changing preferences and practices with respect to “renting” instead of “buying” talent to meet organizational objectives. For example, a survey of C-suite executives and senior managers revealed that more than 90% think that leveraging digital freelancing marketplaces is either “very important” or “somewhat important” and more than 50% reported that their expected use of digital talent platforms in the future “will increase significantly.”

From this perspective, the 40 million Americans who have rented out their services to technology platforms like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash may be canaries in the coal mine of the new world of work. What they experience today, millions more are likely to experience in some form in the future.”

Source: Harvard Business Review, Dehumanization Is a Feature of Gig Work, Not a Bug