Surviving The Gig Economy
Whether you’re another freelance writer, a web designer, someone working in care work, delivery work, or any other of the range of industries that are increasingly relying on “gig workers,” you should know what it means to be part of the gig economy. While it does offer freedom and flexibility to the work, it also comes at the cost of some of the reliability of the traditional job and, as such, it’s important to know how to navigate it. Here are a few tips on doing just that.
Ensuring that you get fair pay
Getting paid for your work is crucial. However, there are plenty of clients or hirers of freelancers who will be unreliable with their payments. You need to make sure that you get paid, so you should try to ensure you only work with those who are likely and able to pay. You can do your research on your clients and see if they have any signs of being unreliable. Most importantly, you should always have them sign a contract detailing the work you’re going to complete, how much you’re getting paid for it and (this is crucial) when you can inspect payment, then send them an invoice upfront.
Know your contracts
A lot of people do not actively choose to be part of the “gig economy,” but rather they simply find themselves accepting a contract that changes their relationship with work. If you want to know how this happens, take a look at a zero hour contract example. Zero hour contracts are contracts that have no minimum number of hours to offer you but also offer you the ability to refuse any work that does not suit your needs. If you’re on a zero hour contract, then you need to understand that you don’t have a set earning figure. A lot of people start a zero hour contract and then find themselves surprised that they’re not getting enough work to keep food on the table and the bills paid. Understand your contract and what you might have to do to supplement the income from them.
Know when you’re being treated like an employee
If you’re a freelancer or you’re on a zero-hour contract, then the lack of assurance is supposed to come with a guarantee of freedom, but a lot of employers/clients don’t offer that. If you’re being pressured to work to very tight deadlines or you have no right of refusal, then you could be more technically qualified to be treated as an employee. Aside from the fact that this opens employers up to legal trouble for misclassing their workers, you can actually get in trouble as well, as current guidelines put the responsibility on the worker to understand and accurately report their work situation. As such, you want to make sure you avoid or correct this situation as best as possible.
Despite the hype, the gig economy is far from a net positive for workers. You can make it work for you, you just have to ensure that you’re navigating it properly.
