Gig Economy Benefits

Gig Economy Impact : Labour Challenges in Facilities Management Industry

Published on : 3/28/22
  • The last decade witnessed a sea change in work culture. Millennials started working according to their own terms and conditions. Today, they don’t think twice before changing companies and jobs if their stipulations are not met and moreover, tend to give up their jobs in favour of working as freelancers or microentrepreneurs. In other words, they prefer a more independent role; taking up job assignments as per their convenience - a task-based role and not a job-based one. This mindset has paved the way for the gig economy to flourish.

     

    What are the advantages of a gig economy?

    The gig economy has been there for a long time, but the pandemic pushed more people towards it. With lockdowns forcing businesses to shut offline operations, many people lost their jobs and others had to quit jobs to manage unforeseen circumstances at home; they all became a part of the gig economy. According to a latest report, the gig economy is responsible for a $250 billion volume of work that translates to 1.25% of the Indian GDP. Delivery agents, warehouse helpers, assembly line operators constitute the major portion while content writers, designers and digital marketers also belong to this gig model.

    Earnings increase – Since earning is directly proportional to the number of tasks completed successfully, a person can plan ahead, set targets and ensure target achievement very well. The person can utilise skills in an optimised way; exercise liberty to work for more hours or to take a break once the target is met.

    More flexibility –  People who must shoulder many kinds of responsibilities can divide their time well; they can devote a particular number of hours to work and spend the rest in dispensing other responsibilities. This particularly works well for women who are the first-in-line care givers and have to look after the household, children and parents.

    Cost effective for companies - The gig model is not only advantageous for the workers but for the organisations as well. Companies need not recruit people full-time for jobs that require only on-demand attention. They hire skilled workers for these part-time jobs, which increases productivity and also cuts down costs quite considerably. Urban Company, Zomato, Uber are some good examples of the gig model.

    Utilising technology to the best advantage – The proliferation of technology has led to easy availability of (the) internet and consequently the use of messaging apps and video conferencing platforms everywhere, across the country. Growing smartphone penetration is allowing gig workers to work from anywhere, even from small towns and rural areas.

    Bigger talent pool and better scope of work – Organisations have the advantage of hiring gig workers from any place. They have access to a huge talent pool that is not restricted by geographical boundaries. This can effectively surmount the excessive dependency on migrant labour. Gig workers too can experiment with different kinds of tasks in a variety of organisations, allowing themselves to explore their potential to the maximum; breaking monotony and enjoying work more.

    How is Sodexo a part of this gig economy?


    True to its motto, Sodexo constantly endeavours to create a better everyday for everyone to build a better life for all. The company associates with NGOs and microentrepreneurs to reach out to skilled and needy people to become a part of facilities management, food and also technical services.

    Whenever there is a need for housekeeping, particularly cleaning washrooms at large workplaces, Sodexo accesses its pool of part-time workers, already trained and knowledgeable about cleaning processes. Since cleaning is required only during particular times of the day, workers are assigned work as per necessity. Similar is the trend for providing preventive maintenance for equipment used at workplaces, like air-conditioners, computers, printers, etc. Sodexo also utilises the same model for servicing clinical equipment in hospitals.

    Food services enlists the help of gig workers too. One example is during peak lunch hours, when chapatis need to be churned out quickly and in huge numbers. Ladies, specialising in roti-making, help in meeting the demand, only for a few hours during the day.

    Sodexo has also currently associated with a start-up to provide technical services. Following the gig model, technically skilled people will be called in to service electrical charging points, vital for electrical vehicles across India.

    Technology plays a key role in managing the gig workforce at Sodexo; there is an internal HR system (AccessHR) with the capability to onboard, train, and engage with gig workers.

    Thus, a gig economy is a win-win situation for both organisations as well as workers. It is very likely to play a major role in making India a USD 5 trillion economy, the third largest economy in the world. And corporates would be wise to hop onto this bandwagon, without haste.

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