Article: Dealing with challenges of the gig economy

Learning & Development

Dealing with challenges of the gig economy

A discussion on how to deal with the problems that the gig economy will present to the corporate world.
Dealing with challenges of the gig economy

With the rise of the gig economy, the corporate sector is expecting or almost experiencing the fact that nearly 20% of their workforce is now composed of freelancers or part-timers.  In this situation which affects a company’s workforce organization, the companies need to be able to rise to the challenge of the changing face of the workforce.

Management of the workforce

The usual method employers must provide a situation where these workers can go from project to project, focusing on one at a time, and it is obligatory from the part of the company that the project managers who will play a vital role in the organization of the workforce, have everything they require to manage the projects at hand. But on a superficial commercial level it is always optional for a corporate to give in to this complex organization of the gig economy but if coherency can be attained, the right investment on skill development programs can produce an efficient workforce, whereas in a different situation the company might have to maintain the system of enforced skills through capability training and other such programs to maintain a level of efficiency. 

Need skills and transparency to be inclusive

Another noticeable shift with the coming of the gig economy will be the importance given to managerial skills and also to the basics, only on which development can be brought up on. The gig economy will require the conjoined efforts of both the functional capabilities and the managerial skills of an employee to be up to the par and also technological skills will play a vital role in a world where rapid technological changes are registered by the seconds. So any full-time employee should be up to date as a freelancer or part-timer will be. These employees, indifferent of their work demographics must be able to have a clear communication medium so that there is integration beyond the physical boundaries of the office. This opportunity of transparency should be formulated by the company, which should embrace the challenges of diverse workforces they are dealing with. 

Specialization of jobs 

The gig economy will also bring up a requirement of specialists in all kinds of work sectors. These specialists who are employed will have to deal with projects which are broken down to tasks based on the skills of the specialists available in the company, where the performance assessment of these individuals will be taken into account when it comes to dishing out the next projects. Attributes like readiness to take up a project and adaptability skills will be of merit in this competent area of work. These specialists can also be asked to go beyond interpersonal skills when it comes to customer handling or a peer group creation with the company employees, who will work alongside these outsourced freelancers or part-timers. 

And to make this possible, the company would have gone beyond the assessment of these individuals and then provide platforms of interaction for the employees of different kinds. The HR department will have the significant responsibilities of such activities, and they will also have to make sure that equal opportunities are available to everyone in the work environment, even in their management of the gig economy.

Troubles that tag along with the economy

One of the major problems companies will have to face while familiarizing freelancers will be the dealing of confidential projects or documents, for this they would need an organized infrastructural base within the company for easier administration of such projects, this type of projects can be used for the retention of specialists or the development of an inclusive attitudes towards the freelancers. Which is hard because the key purpose of the gig economy is the situation of a worker where there are no strings attached towards the company, and it just has the right skill at the right time where the factor of loyalty is eliminated. 

The demographics will also have freelancers who are committed to different projects from different firms at the same time, where the freelancers will work through different platforms without working in an office and get paid as they complete a given project. So as a whole the economy will see a shift from capability training to enforced skills development, where corporate companies will have to create that can work together and also formulate inclusive activities to retain their specialists.         

(The article is based on a Fireside chat on the topic Culture of learning at scale between Dr. Selvan Dorairaj, VP & Head- Learning and Development, Capgemini, Amit Gautam, Founder and Director, Upside LMS, Ishan Gupta, Managing Director, Udacity India, and Chandana GC, Lead- HR Technology, IDFC Bank at the People Matters L&D Conference 2018)

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Topics: Learning & Development, #PMLnD, #GigEconomy

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