Gig Labor: a job or a performance that is usually one time or short term
Gig Economy: a growing workforce of independent and part time contractors, and the economy that relies on them.
The definition of a gig worker is as broad and as simple as the part time UBER driver making some extra money after her kids go down. It is also the freelancer finding creative work on Spare5 or Wonolo. Some even generate income by renting out their things on TURO or Airbnb. The gig economy is alive and well. And the truth is, a gig worker is probably taking advantage of all these opportunities — providing the income and flexibility needed to survive.
Intuit predicts that by 2020 40%+ of the working force will be comprised of freelance or independent contractors. This report indicates, “the rise of the on-demand economy is part of a broader long-term growth trend in the contingent workforce, which has grown from 17% of the U.S. workforce 25 years ago, to 36% today, and is expected to reach 43% by 2020.” Like it or not, the gig economy — gig labor, short-term flexible or demand labor — is here to stay.
I am not here to argue the principles of this work force, just to consider its trend upward and how (as a co-founder of Intervals) we can build systems to better track a single person working on a single project, or tracking tasks for which a worker is hired to complete on-demand and remote.
We believe that success means on time, on (or under) budget, clear communication, and delivering beyond expectation. Unfortunately, it’s rare to deliver all four of these, all the time. With the right mix of tools — like Slack, Freshbooks, and Intervals — we are able to increase the odds in our favor. If we see sliding in any area, we and the whole team know right away.
Why is better tracking important? The sheer amount of creative and technical talent available world-wide today is extraordinary. The only thing standing in your way of tapping into this unlimited workforce is being able to manage and track it. Intervals is designed to help your team become more productive, regardless of their location.
Intervals tracks time, manages tasks, and gives you detailed reports on productivity and profitability. Once you have the data, you have the ability to make faster and better decisions.
Why limit your business to a small pool of local talent when you can tap into contractors all around the world? Intervals empowers you to centralize, manage, and track your team in any time zone.
The gig economy does not actually promote independence, it simply disconnects an employers responsibilities from their workforce. Most people in the ‘gig’ economy are still wage slaves either to banks, private landlords or the state.