tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/freelance-work-3441/articlesFreelance work – The Conversation2023-09-26T10:59:51Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2140262023-09-26T10:59:51Z2023-09-26T10:59:51Z‘You have to be everybody’s best friend’: how dreams and desires leave TV and film crew vulnerable to workplace exploitation<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550047/original/file-20230925-19-cig4tr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4256%2C2331&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/behind-scene-film-crew-studio-montage-1132607975">guruXOX/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A <a href="https://www.channel4.com/programmes/russell-brand-in-plain-sight-dispatches">recent investigation</a> by UK media outlets has uncovered a number of sexual assault allegations against Russell Brand, a comedian and TV presenter. Brand has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psFiwFI_VQo">denied the accusations</a>, however this is a timely reminder of the urgent need to challenge and address power asymmetries – not just between men and women, but within workplaces, and particularly across the creative industries.</p>
<p>People may work for little or no money, often for experience or exposure – typically in the hope that future opportunities may follow. We call this “<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0018726720940777">hope labour</a>”. This phenomenon is widespread, especially among those in the earlier stages of their working lives.</p>
<p>Hope labour is distinct from free labour because the work is discounted against imagined future opportunities or earnings. But our research shows it also creates a power imbalance: in hoping to gain experience or make connections in your chosen industry, you might be so eager to get a foothold that you leave yourself open to exploitation in terms of working hours, pay and conditions.</p>
<p>In the creative industries, hope labour is widely understood as a necessary pre-condition to paid work. There is a need for people to “prove that they deserve to earn their living”, as <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0018726720940777">one person told us</a> when we spoke about their experiences in the creative industries. This is how exploitative labour and working conditions become the responsibility of the hope labourer.</p>
<p>This form of self-exploitation is often understood as a rite of passage, or an obligation, even if it has a wider negative effect on the labour market. By working for free or at reduced rates, hope labourers downgrade the value of labour in the very sectors they wish to work in. They effectively become the gravediggers of their own and their peers’ careers.</p>
<p>And hope labour is only possible in certain settings. Creative and cultural jobs are often characterised by self-employment, uncertainty, project-based work, long hours, inequality and competition for scant opportunities. The resulting risks – not getting enough work to pay your bills – are transferred to workers, while employers are freed from the costs involved in standard employment. </p>
<h2>The rise of freelancers</h2>
<p>Work in <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00187267211062863">TV and film</a> has transformed over the last 30 years. Freelancers make up <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/166804/diversity-in-tv-2019-freelancers.pdf">over a third</a> of broadcasters’ workforces, although many previously worked in-house. </p>
<p>Recruitment and vetting for freelance teams are often managed through informal social networks. Commissioning editors use their connections to build their teams. </p>
<p>And commissions are given to independent production companies, which can reduce, if not absolve, broadcasters from the legal responsibility for hiring labour and managing production. </p>
<p>People, therefore, see social networks as important gateways to work that ought to be extended and nurtured. To gain access to these groups, undertaking unpaid or under-compensated work in the creative industries can be considered a necessity – or even an opportunity – rather than a hindrance. </p>
<p>This leaves hope labourers both keen but also at risk of exploitation. They need to build experience, reputation, exposure, or simply maintain access to work opportunities. </p>
<p>Our research also shows that being passionate about your art or work can help to downplay the severity of these risks and unequal power relations. It creates a “<a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/cruel-optimism">cruel optimism</a>” that you can turn experiences of uncertainty and vulnerability into future security. In this way, work isn’t simply about earning, it’s a way to build reputation, gain creative freedom or fulfilment, and learn or enhance skills. </p>
<h2>Getting a reputation</h2>
<p>Reputations are important and travel widely in the creative industries, especially if you can keep your cool during tricky shoots or moments of stress. One freelance artist and curator that we spoke to during our study of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0018726720940777">hope labour</a> among creative freelancers, admitted:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>there’s a trap that people fall into. I’m going to sound like a psychopath here, but that you have to be really nice with everybody all the time and that you have to be everybody’s best friend … People are trying to extract value from your time and they’ll keep taking that value if you keep giving them it as well. So you have to be careful with that.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is how the exploitation of hopes and desires in creative work and employment creates persistent power asymmetries. When your working life is governed by anxiety and insecurity about your next contract, project or job, you might be unwilling to speak out for fear of reputational damage or reprisal. And the <a href="https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526144164/">precarious working conditions in creative industries</a> provide few safe spaces for dialogue and critique, rebuke and reform. </p>
<p>This leaves people open to witnessing or even being subject to the kinds of situations that have been alleged by the joint investigation into Brand. Production staff interviewed by Dispatches <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/18/first-edition-russell-brand#:%7E:text=Production%20staff%20on%20the%20programme,Brand's%20needs%2C%E2%80%9D%20they%20said.:%7E:text=%E2%80%98We%20were%20basically%20acting%20like%20pimps%20to%20Russell%20Brand%E2%80%99s%20needs%E2%80%99">talked about</a> “acting like pimps to Russell Brand’s needs”, hinting at a reluctance to upset the “talent”.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Russell Brand." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550049/original/file-20230925-25-anm63a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550049/original/file-20230925-25-anm63a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550049/original/file-20230925-25-anm63a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550049/original/file-20230925-25-anm63a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550049/original/file-20230925-25-anm63a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550049/original/file-20230925-25-anm63a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550049/original/file-20230925-25-anm63a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Russell Brand has denied recent allegations but recent media coverage has highlighted concerns about power imbalances in many workplaces in the creative industries.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-oct-11-russell-brand-despicable-63047002">Chris Harvey/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the wake of the reporting, Philippa Childs, head of UK media and entertainment union Bectu, <a href="https://members.bectu.org.uk/advice-resources/library/3155">told broadcasters</a>: “In a sector where power imbalances are particularly extreme and the environment for junior freelancers can be incredibly precarious, it’s critical that victims can have confidence that their complaints will be taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, dealt with swiftly, and perpetrators held to account.”</p>
<p>The recently formed <a href="https://ciisa.org.uk/">Creative Industries Independent Standards Agency (CIISA)</a> offers the beginnings of an independent body for raising concerns about poor behaviour, workplace safety, and advice and protections. This could provide a way to challenge the disproportionate effects of a deregulated labour market on these freelancers. </p>
<p>If so, desires and hopes could be directed towards helping creative workers critique the way their industries are governed and managed. Hope, in this sense, would point to a different future that could be about fairness, equity and safety for all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214026/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>‘Hope labour’ leaves people working in creative industries open to exploitation as they try to develop their careers.Ewan Mackenzie, Lecturer in Work and Employment, Newcastle UniversityAlan Mckinlay, Professor of Human Resource Management, Newcastle UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1506022021-02-08T16:32:40Z2021-02-08T16:32:40ZHow to navigate a freelance career during the COVID-19 crisis<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377403/original/file-20210106-23-ib909b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4286%2C2243&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The COVID-19 pandemic has hit freelancers and gig workers hard. Here's how they can get through the crisis.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Piqsels)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.ilo.org/asia/media-centre/news/WCMS_763819/lang--en/index.htm">Millions of people around the world</a> have lost their jobs, temporarily or permanently, during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<p>Freelancers and contract workers have been among those heavily affected by this health and economic crisis. Freelancers often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726715580866">work on a contract basis and for multiple clients</a>. In some industries (such as cosmetics, arts and sports), freelancers have lost many contracts and employment opportunities. </p>
<p>The Canadian government has offered financial support to these gig workers. However, the long-term effects on freelancers might go beyond losing their source of income. It may require them to seek more stable forms of employment, foregoing <a href="https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/gig-workers-value-their-flexibility-lot">the flexibility many gig workers enjoy</a>.</p>
<p>This could halt further development of the freelance employment cohort, <a href="http://www.knowledgebureau.com/index.php/news/article/a-workforce-of-freelancers-almost-half-by-2020">which was expected to grow significantly in coming years</a>. So it’s important to understand how freelancers can cope with the pandemic and remain positive.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-some-workers-are-opting-to-live-in-their-vans-148961">Why some workers are opting to live in their vans</a>
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<p><a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/PR-07-2020-0563/full/html">I designed a study</a> to examine how freelancers can stay positive and determined in their job searches and how they can cope with the shock of COVID-19. In my study, I looked into three aspects I call “career resources” that freelancers might use to stay confident and to explore their job opportunities. </p>
<p>These resources are explained in a book titled <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/an-intelligent-career-9780190494131?cc=ca&lang=en&"><em>An Intelligent Career</em></a> by Suffolk University career expert Michael Arthur and his colleagues. As explained in this book, people use a combination of resources to work and navigate their careers, including the following three:</p>
<ol>
<li><p><em>Passion for career</em>: Internal motivation (or passion) to do the job;</p></li>
<li><p><em>Expertise and skills</em>: A set of skills that helps them perform the job; and</p></li>
<li><p><em>Professional relationships</em>: Colleagues and friends who offer encouragement, help and support.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>In short, I wanted to answer these questions: Do these three career resources help freelancers stay confident in times of uncertainty? Which career resources help them remain determined in exploring their job opportunities?</p>
<h2>The study’s design</h2>
<p>To find out, I asked 87 Canadian freelancers to complete a survey about their job search during the COVID-19 pandemic. I asked questions about their career resources (their passion for their freelance jobs, their level of skills and expertise, and their relationships). I also asked questions about their confidence in finding jobs as well as their proactiveness in exploring job opportunities.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377382/original/file-20210106-17-4g8k16.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1920%2C1279&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A makeup artist applies eye shadow to another woman." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377382/original/file-20210106-17-4g8k16.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1920%2C1279&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377382/original/file-20210106-17-4g8k16.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377382/original/file-20210106-17-4g8k16.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377382/original/file-20210106-17-4g8k16.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377382/original/file-20210106-17-4g8k16.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377382/original/file-20210106-17-4g8k16.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377382/original/file-20210106-17-4g8k16.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Freelancers were asked about the passion they feel for their work.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pixabay)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Statistical analysis showed that passion was the most powerful resource for freelancers to stay confident and motivated in job searches. Skills were also related to freelancers’ level of confidence and proactiveness. </p>
<p>However, relationships did not necessarily contribute positively to freelancers’ confidence and proactiveness in their job search. This could possibly be because they’ve heard disheartening news about their friends and colleagues losing jobs during difficult times, such as the pandemic. The larger someone’s network of people is, the more likely that they’ve heard bad news and negative thoughts. As a result, freelancers might lose confidence and drive after hearing that many of their colleagues and friends lost work.</p>
<h2>What now?</h2>
<p>There are many ways governments and employers can help freelancers remain hopeful, confident and proactive in their job searches.</p>
<p>Because passion and skills are key resources for freelancers, governments can provide programs that enable them to develop their skills and enhance their passions. For example, online educational videos can provide freelancers with insightful information on key skills such as leadership. These online videos could be provided to various groups of freelancers, especially those who apply for employment insurance in times of difficulty.</p>
<p>Employers can also assist freelancers by designing interesting jobs with on-the-job learning and growth opportunities. These opportunities not only improve freelancers’ skills, but also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113108">heighten their passion</a> by satisfying their desire to feel challenged.</p>
<p>Friends and family members can also help freelancers. In my study, friends and colleagues did not necessarily improve freelancers’ confidence and proactiveness. It might be because so many people share negative thoughts and discouraging news about widespread job losses and potential economic crises. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two people hold hands at a table." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377405/original/file-20210106-13-9n1nkr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377405/original/file-20210106-13-9n1nkr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377405/original/file-20210106-13-9n1nkr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377405/original/file-20210106-13-9n1nkr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377405/original/file-20210106-13-9n1nkr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377405/original/file-20210106-13-9n1nkr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377405/original/file-20210106-13-9n1nkr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Support from friends and family is critical for freelance workers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Piqsels)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I suggest people be kinder and spread positive thoughts to the freelancers in their lives. This is central to one of the three career resources that many people rely on in their professional lives — friends and colleagues offering support and encouragement.</p>
<p>Last but not least, freelancers themselves must be proactive. They can take advantage of lockdowns and economic downturns by investing their time in skill development. An inexpensive (or sometimes free) way to do so is to <a href="https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/platforms-for-online-courses">take online courses</a> related to their area of work, leadership or interpersonal skills. </p>
<p>Taking these courses will help them feel more skilled and connected, which will help increase their passion for their work while putting them in a stronger position to find jobs.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150602/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mostafa Ayoobzadeh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Freelancers who have lost work during the COVID-19 crisis can take steps to ensure they have a successful long-term career in the post-pandemic period.Mostafa Ayoobzadeh, Lecturer, Leadership Development, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1086642019-01-10T11:51:26Z2019-01-10T11:51:26ZWith foreign bureaus slashed, freelancers are filling the void – at their own risk<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/253108/original/file-20190109-32151-cqjtn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Documentary filmmaker Janet Jarman works on her film about midwives in Mexico.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Matt Cipollone</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When Time magazine <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/times-person-of-the-year-honors-jamal-khashoggi-and-the-guardians-of-the-truth">named journalists</a> who faced persecution, arrest or murder as their 2018 Person of the Year, it described them as “The Guardians” in the “War on Truth.”</p>
<p>It was a forceful rebuke to those who demean journalists as peddlers of “fake news” and the “enemy of the people.” But for freelancers who risk their lives in conflict zones, recognition does little to change the fact that they lack steady paychecks and security. </p>
<p>For decades, most leading media outlets have shuttered news bureaus abroad and cut the number of foreign correspondents on staff.</p>
<p>Since then, freelancers have increasingly filled the void. These include both Western journalists working in conflict zones around the world, as well as local journalists working in their own non-Western countries.</p>
<h2>Foreign staffers the first to go</h2>
<p>I became a freelance foreign correspondent when I moved to Mexico City in 1977. Two years later, I was a staff correspondent for United Press International. </p>
<p>At the time, Mexico was home to scores of staff and freelance journalists covering not just Mexico but also Central America and the Caribbean. But the number of both staff and freelance journalists based there has since declined, partly because the outlets for their work have downsized or disappeared, according to my interviews with colleagues who remain at their posts in the Mexican capital.</p>
<p>The change in Mexico wasn’t an isolated one. Beginning the late 1980s, the number of full-time staff journalists posted in foreign cities to cover stories of global importance started to drop. Studies showed this trend accelerated in the 2000s.</p>
<p>As journalist Sherry Ricchiardi noted in a 2008 article published by the <a href="http://ajrarchive.org/article.asp?id=4429">American Journalism Review</a>, “Foreign bureaus continue to fall like dominoes. The Boston Globe closed the last of its three international offices in Berlin, Bogotá and Jerusalem earlier this year. The Baltimore Sun plans to shut down South Africa and Russia by the end of 2007 and already has left China.” </p>
<p>In a groundbreaking 2004 report, “<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236123123_Redefining_Foreign_Correspondence">Redefining Foreign Correspondence</a>,” authors John Maxwell Hamilton and Eric Jenner wrote that economic pressures, globalization and technological advances have all led to the “chronic decline” of the full-time foreign correspondent.</p>
<p>Hamilton and Jenner noted that newspapers were budgeting over $250,000 a year to support a foreign correspondent, with networks paying up to twice that amount for a television correspondent and their production team.</p>
<p>These estimates were from 2004. Today – especially in conflict zones – the cost of insurance and security measures could push the price for a staff correspondent or a TV crew much higher.</p>
<h2>Survival of the fittest</h2>
<p>Freelancers – much cheaper to employ – have largely taken the place of salaried correspondents.</p>
<p>Journalists that value flexibility and the chance to pursue stories that inspire them might now have more opportunities to get bylines in mainstream outlets.</p>
<p>But freelancing is tough work, and freelancers lack the support, preparation and security typically granted to staffers.</p>
<p>As photojournalist Dominic Bracco told me during a recent interview for my “<a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-freelance-reporters-risk-their-lives-on-the-front-line?fbclid=IwAR00blPyMkkWzVGvEOHDgsMhl0X_CXVdY6tCSbIZwr7I5s7i8OE6j6NY2gg&source=facebook&via=desktop">Freelancers</a>” documentary series on foreign correspondents, “It’s difficult. There’s a lot of competition. There’s a lot of great people. You have to be better and smarter to survive. To make it in this career you have to work your ass off.”</p>
<p>Like many other freelancers, Dominic and his wife, Meghan Dhaliwal, also a photojournalist, spend much of their time pitching stories to a wide range of outlets, applying for grants, entering contests and forging personal relationships with editors.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252950/original/file-20190108-32151-ngindh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252950/original/file-20190108-32151-ngindh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252950/original/file-20190108-32151-ngindh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252950/original/file-20190108-32151-ngindh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252950/original/file-20190108-32151-ngindh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252950/original/file-20190108-32151-ngindh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252950/original/file-20190108-32151-ngindh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘You have to work your ass off,’ freelancer Dominic Bracco says.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Matt Cipollone</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Like most relationships, a freelancer’s connection with editors is founded on trust that’s built by producing outstanding work on deadline. </p>
<p>But freelancers, too often, are victims of a level of exploitation that most staffers don’t experience.</p>
<p>In a blistering <a href="https://www.cjr.org/the_feature/vice_freelancers.php">Columbia Journalism Review article</a> about Vice News’ treatment of freelancers, Yardena Schwartz wrote that “in an era of journalism in which freelancers have grown accustomed to being treated like disposable cogs of news production, Vice appears to be in a league of its own.”</p>
<p>While freelancers are accustomed to late payment for their work, Vice seems to have simply stiffed many of its freelancers. </p>
<p>“Journalists who have worked for Vice tell CJR that the company published their work without paying them for it, promised them assignments which were later rescinded, and asked reporters for their help with documentaries that covered issues they had written about without any plans to pay them for their work,” Schwartz reported. </p>
<p>During <a href="https://opcofamerica.org/Eventposts/video-panel-following-freelancers-screening-with-bill-gentile/?fbclid=IwAR28jtohf9PgrXYRwVrQ_dZdtsRrKFsPUCxM6j-aqK58LbqQ6BznY7xxpzk#.W-7YZU3iIOc.facebook">a recent panel discussion</a> on freelancing at the Overseas Press Club in New York City, one foreign-based freelancer said he was visiting New York partly to pressure outlets that collectively owed him a total of $60,000 in late payments.</p>
<p>Staff correspondents rarely have to deal with issues like those cited in the Columbia Journalism Review article or at the Overseas Press Club. Most get monthly paychecks, medical insurance and regular hours. Before being sent overseas to a conflict zone, most now get safety and security courses, plus emergency medical training. If they ever are hurt or abducted, they and their families can count on their company’s support. </p>
<p>For example, in 1989, members of Peru’s Shining Path Maoist guerrilla group abducted Newsweek magazine staff correspondent Joe Contreras and me in that country’s cocaine-producing Upper Huallaga Valley. The magazine did all it could to rescue us before the guerrillas set us free two days after we were captured.</p>
<h2>Venturing into the dark</h2>
<p>Despite these obstacles, foreign-based freelancers continue to venture into some of the most complex and dangerous regions of the world. </p>
<p>Many report on crucial stories. </p>
<p>In 2013, freelancer Jason Motlagh spent nearly three months in Bangladesh reporting on the collapse of the <a href="https://pulitzercenter.org/projects/asia-bangledash-garment-industy-rana-plaza-building-collapse-fast-fashion-factory-foreign-owners-negligence-disaster">Rana Plaza</a> building, the worst accident in the history of the garment industry and one that cost more than 1,200 lives. </p>
<p>In 2018, <a href="https://www.nytco.com/press/christina-goldbaum-joins-metro/">Christina Goldbaum joined The New York Times</a> after having worked four years as a freelance foreign correspondent in East Africa, where she spent a year in Somalia reporting on U.S. national security issues. While in Mogadishu she reported on <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/strong-evidence-that-us-special-operations-forces-massacred-civilians-in-somalia">the role of the U.S. military in the massacre of 10 civilians</a>, the buildup of a <a href="https://news.vice.com/en_ca/article/xw7nw3/somalia-is-looking-like-another-full-blown-us-war">secretive U.S. military outpost</a> 70 miles outside of the city, and details surrounding the <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-inside-the-secret-mission-that-got-a-navy-seal-killed-in-africa?ref=author">first two U.S. combat deaths</a> in Somalia since Black Hawk Down. </p>
<p>Few staffers have the latitude to work on stories like these for such extended periods of time. If it weren’t for these two freelancers, the public would understand much less about the tragic human cost of fashion clothing produced in Bangladesh, or about the expansion of U.S. military activity in Africa.</p>
<p>Yet freelancers around the world often find themselves in harm’s way. In its annual report, the <a href="https://cpj.org/data/imprisoned/2018/?status=Imprisoned&employedAs%5B%5D=Freelance&start_year=2018&end_year=2018&group_by=location">Committee to Protect Journalists</a> found that, as of Dec. 1, 2018, 251 journalists had been jailed for their work; of that total, 75 were freelancers. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252949/original/file-20190108-32154-c8r4e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252949/original/file-20190108-32154-c8r4e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252949/original/file-20190108-32154-c8r4e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252949/original/file-20190108-32154-c8r4e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252949/original/file-20190108-32154-c8r4e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252949/original/file-20190108-32154-c8r4e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252949/original/file-20190108-32154-c8r4e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Freelancer Ioan Grillo points to a hole in a drainage tunnel underneath the city of Nogales, at the U.S.-Mexico border. Drug traffickers often cut through the tunnel wall to get into the United States.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Matt Cipollone</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Perhaps in recognition of the more prominent role freelancers play in global news coverage, we’ve seen, in recent years, the emergence of organizations dedicated to supporting freelancers.</p>
<p>One of the most wide-reaching of groups offering support is the <a href="https://www.acosalliance.org/?fbclid=IwAR2esUrpVrm8a8RXAMPyH2hYZaotNmlqnnbkKVVe2rYADWYJgFIfObMGx5c">ACOS Alliance</a>, a London-based coalition whose mission specifically is designed “to embed a culture of safety across newsrooms and among freelance and local journalists worldwide.”</p>
<p>Other groups offering assistance to freelancers are the <a href="https://pulitzercenter.org/">Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting</a> and Sebastian Junger’s <a href="http://www.sebastianjunger.com/risc/">Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues</a>.</p>
<p>As mainstream media increasingly turn their gaze from places far away toward internal issues, it is freelancers who take up the mantle of “guardians” of the truth.</p>
<p>Without them, our view of the world dims.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/108664/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bill Gentile does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Gone are the support, preparation and security typically granted to staff correspondents.Bill Gentile, Journalist in Residence, American University School of CommunicationLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/930372018-03-29T10:30:05Z2018-03-29T10:30:05ZWhy are more people doing gig work? They like it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212467/original/file-20180328-109175-bbj2a5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Having some control over your workday can make it easier to bear.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/business-woman-working-on-laptop-computer-530237623?src=UQk0BV3e_ZMrmrZqFwIXvA-1-19">Branislav Nenin/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Thanks to companies like Lyft, TaskRabbit and Instacart, it’s never been easier for Americans who can afford it to zip from place to place, get groceries delivered or let someone else walk their dog. Likewise, the number of Americans who are <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/01/22/578825135/rise-of-the-contract-workers-work-is-different-now">self-employed or independent contractors</a> is soaring. </p>
<p>The share of Americans doing everything from accounting to driving as independent contractors rose from <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w22667">10.7 percent in 2005 to 15.8 percent in 2015</a>, according to a study by economists Lawrence Katz at Harvard University and Alan Krueger at Princeton University. The trend was more pronounced among women, they found, rising from 8 to 17 percent.</p>
<p>Based on my prior <a href="https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/eca/facstaff.html">research regarding labor markets and job satisfaction</a>, I wanted to know if this number was rising so fast partly because Americans enjoy the flexibility these jobs offer. To find out, I teamed up with a colleague of mine at Villanova University.</p>
<h2>Greater flexibility</h2>
<p>We already knew people take these jobs <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/employment-and-growth/independent-work-choice-necessity-and-the-gig-economy">for many reasons</a>, whether it’s as a primary source of income or as a side hustle.</p>
<p>Either way, many of these workers get enough flexibility on the job to give them some control over what they do and when they do it. That’s one reason why these arrangements are increasingly common, as a more recent study <a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.p20171092">Katz and Krueger</a> carried out suggests.</p>
<p>My colleague <a href="http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/business/facultyresearch/facultydepartment/biodetail.html?mail=mary.kelly@villanova.edu&xsl=bio_long">Mary Kelly</a> and I <a href="https://econpapers.repec.org/RePEc:vil:papers:32">analyzed data</a> gathered through <a href="http://gss.norc.org/">surveys conducted by University of Chicago</a> researchers in 2006, 2010 and 2014 to compare job satisfaction levels among Americans with different kinds of occupations and employment status.</p>
<p>The approximately 3,600 people in this nationally representative sample included workers holding down regular jobs, as well as independent contractors and self-employed workers with some degree of control over their schedules. It also included contract employees lacking autonomy and flexibility, such as those working for temp agencies or with on-call obligations. </p>
<p>We also contrasted job satisfaction for employees in managerial or professional roles with workers in blue-collar occupations, and checked whether there were any differences for men and women. </p>
<h2>More satisfaction</h2>
<p>As you might expect, we found that people with more control over their schedules and who could choose to some extent which tasks they would take on are significantly more satisfied with their work than their peers who hold regular salaried jobs – despite losing out on benefits and security.</p>
<p><iframe id="4Pyun" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/4Pyun/6/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>This satisfaction bump ranged between 6 and 8 percent for men and 4 and 8.5 percent for women. Perhaps surprisingly, this edge was bigger among people in nonprofessional jobs than for professionals.</p>
<p>And interestingly, women were generally more satisfied with jobs that gave them more control over their workdays than were men. That was true whether they were in professional occupations or had blue-collar status.</p>
<p>However, we detected no such added satisfaction for the workers without regular salaried positions, but whose jobs gave them little or no extra control over their responsibilities. Male and female employees in that situation were between 3 and 4.5 percent less satisfied with their work than their salaried counterparts.</p>
<p>To be sure, we cannot say exactly what it is about these jobs that Americans seem to find more satisfying. Most likely, different attributes appeal to different workers. For some it may be the flexibility, while for others it may be not being tied to a single employer. And some people, such as single parents or full-time students, may believe that these arrangements are the only way for them to work at all. Surely there are some aspects, such as having scant benefits and job security – or none at all – that they do not like, even if they find them satisfying in general.</p>
<p>But our findings do suggest that no matter how they make a living, American men and women are more satisfied with jobs that provide more control over their work day than with regular salaried jobs. We believe this signals that these kinds of jobs will probably keep growing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/93037/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cheryl Carleton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Whether they do it full-time or as a side hustle, Americans who have some say over their schedules and tasks seem to covet the flexibility.Cheryl Carleton, Assistant Professor of Economics, Villanova UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/905222018-02-15T11:36:53Z2018-02-15T11:36:53ZCongress failed to fix tax woes for gig workers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205761/original/file-20180209-51719-wnas1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Congress missed a chance to make it easier for workers who book gigs through big digital companies to do their taxes.
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tired-business-man-crumpled-paper-on-525102391">I MAKE PHOTO 17/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://www.congress.gov/115/crpt/hrpt466/CRPT-115hrpt466.pdf">bevy of changes</a> to the tax code will give <a href="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/tcja-would-cut-taxes-average-1600-2018-most-benefits-going-those-making-300000-plus">most taxpayers</a> at least some relief. But because Congress didn’t address a common loophole that creates headaches for people who <a href="https://www.recode.net/2017/5/25/15690106/gig-on-demand-economy-workers-doubling-uber">earn money from gigs</a> booked through companies like Uber, Etsy, TaskRabbit and Airbnb, most of these taxpayers will struggle to figure out their tax bills without receiving any tax information forms. </p>
<p>It didn’t have to be this way.</p>
<p>Congress knew it had a golden opportunity to ease this burden for millions of Americans but lawmakers didn’t bother. I’m certain about that because <a href="http://www.american.edu/kogod/research/upload/shortchanged.pdf">I’ve conducted extensive research</a> and <a href="https://taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/Media/Default/Documents/PublicForums/Bruckner_statement-1.pdf">testified before IRS</a>
and <a href="https://smallbusiness.house.gov/uploadedfiles/5-24-16_bruckner_testimony_.pdf">congressional committees</a> on gig workers’ tax travails.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G7sntVKxyAE?wmode=transparent&start=1122" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The author testified about tax challenges during this 2016 hearing on the ‘sharing economy.’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Missing paperwork</h2>
<p>To get a sense of how big this problem is I surveyed 518 self-employed taxpayers, 22 percent of whom whom earned money in the gig economy – meaning that they were making a living or supplementing their day jobs through companies that connect customers who need goods and services with people who can provide them via apps. </p>
<p>I found that many if not most of them had trouble dealing with their taxes. Some 43 percent didn’t know what they would owe the IRS for this income and were not setting aside enough money to pay their taxes. About 61 percent didn’t get any IRS reporting forms from the company through which they booked gigs, such as <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1099-misc-miscellaneous-income">a 1099</a>. </p>
<p>Many first-time gig workers, being used to having their employers withhold taxes from their paychecks, may not realize they owe any tax on this income at all. Indeed, almost 47 percent of the people who took part in my study and earned money in the gig economy weren’t aware of the deductions or credits they could claim to lower their tax bill.</p>
<p>As a result, workers like these may wind up paying more in taxes than they should, when and if the IRS catches up with them.</p>
<p><iframe id="RRIGT" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/RRIGT/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>High threshold</h2>
<p>Why don’t most of these taxpayers get 1099s?</p>
<p>Like all businesses, the companies, in what is sometimes called the “sharing economy,” must issue these forms to their independent contractors who earn at least US$600 in a single year. But the government doesn’t mandate this paperwork for earnings tied to payments made with credit or debit cards. For that income, <a href="https://smallbiztrends.com/2015/01/1099-contractors-paypal-credit-card.html">the threshold for mandatory 1099s</a> jumps from $600 to $20,000. In addition, these workers must have been paid for at least 200 transactions during the year.</p>
<p>Because most gig workers get paid with credit and debit cards or apps linked to those accounts, they get snared in this loophole. An overwhelming majority – 88 percent – of the ones I surveyed earned <a href="http://www.american.edu/kogod/research/upload/shortchanged.pdf">less than $15,000</a> from this kind of work. Other studies have found that at least 85 percent of gig workers make <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2017/07/03/side-hustles-are-the-new-norm-heres-how-much-they-really-pay/?utm_term=.f9753d5671f1">less than $500 per month</a>.</p>
<p>To be sure, some platform companies choose to embrace lower thresholds. For example, Lyft now has a policy to send all drivers who earn at least $600 from rides a 1099. </p>
<p>And a few states, including <a href="https://www.mass.gov/service-details/new-massachusetts-reporting-requirements-for-third-party-settlement-organizations">Massachussetts</a> and <a href="http://tax.vermont.gov/news/1099-k-information-reporting">Vermont</a>, have mandated this approach for all platforms. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"961076886825816064"}"></div></p>
<p>But not all companies are moving in the right direction.</p>
<p>Until this year, Uber had always sent every driver a 1099. But the ride-share company recently told its drivers not to expect this paperwork unless they <a href="https://www.uber.com/drive/tax-information/faq-and-resources/">make more than $20,000</a> and have 200 transactions from trips booked through the company’s app. </p>
<p>And while this was always how companies like <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/414/should-i-expect-to-receive-a-tax-form-from-airbnb">Airbnb</a> and <a href="https://support.taskrabbit.com/hc/en-us/articles/207555983-Am-I-a-TaskRabbit-employee-">TaskRabbit</a> operated, it can create costly hassles for workers who may not be able to afford an accountant and struggle to comply with the IRS’ rules. </p>
<p>Anyone who doesn’t get forms indicating how much taxable income they earned <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/17/gig-job-workers-had-better-beware-of-pay-as-you-go-tax-payments.html">risks underpaying</a>. <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/the-tax-gap">IRS data</a> show that 63 percent of the taxpayers who are not subject to withholding by their employers or don’t get 1099s misreport income, often unintentionally.</p>
<p>When quarterly or annual errors surface, unsuspecting delinquent taxpayers may incur penalties and owe interest. They also miss out on claiming the deductions and credits they may have otherwise been entitled to, which would have cut their tax bill. Often, taxpayers may not realize that they owe taxes on income for work that doesn’t generate any IRS paperwork. </p>
<p>That can prove costly. Although Americans who don’t pay their taxes can avoid punishment if they owe less than $1,000, the IRS charges as much as 4 percent in <a href="https://www.thebalance.com/estimated-taxes-and-the-estimated-tax-penalty-3193117">interest every quarter</a> on the amount others underpay as a penalty.</p>
<p>The gig economy’s growth may help explain why the number of penalties the IRS levied between 2007 and 2016 spiked from 7.5 million to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/08/14/irs-penalizes-more-earners-mistakes-underpayment-estimated-tax-filings/565185001/">nearly 10 million</a> without a big crackdown.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204619/original/file-20180202-162093-17wu8gp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204619/original/file-20180202-162093-17wu8gp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204619/original/file-20180202-162093-17wu8gp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204619/original/file-20180202-162093-17wu8gp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204619/original/file-20180202-162093-17wu8gp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204619/original/file-20180202-162093-17wu8gp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204619/original/file-20180202-162093-17wu8gp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204619/original/file-20180202-162093-17wu8gp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">When gig workers don’t get a 1099, they run the risk of misunderstanding what they owe the IRS.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/taxes-stock-photo-1099misc-high-quality-406904218?src=jRtgZJ1SD1MeYRNYVKRFnw-1-1">ShutterstockProfessional/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Missed opportunity</h2>
<p>After testifying at that 2016 hearing, I worked with congressional staff to address some of these problems. Among other things, a <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3717/text">bipartisan bill</a> we developed would require businesses – including platforms like Uber, Airbnb and Etsy – to issue 1099s to all independent contractors who earn at least $1,500 in a calendar year through their apps and websites – regardless of how they are paid.</p>
<p>I initially <a href="https://smallbusiness.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=400301">got the impression</a> <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3717/text#toc-HA7651D8F55E946CA8F8C950D3E7FD1A9">that Congress would solve</a> this problem with the new tax law. Among other things, Sen. <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1549">John Thune</a>, a South Dakota Republican, pushed for an across-the-board $1,000 reporting threshold for 1099s.</p>
<p>However, Thune’s fix was bundled with other changes that created procedural problems in the Senate. That kept the 1099 reporting changes out of the new tax law. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"930972151976427520"}"></div></p>
<p>To be sure, the new tax law does make some changes that benefit independent contractors. </p>
<p>Along with lower tax rates, the new <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2017/12/21/your-money/tax-bill-2017/not-everyone-going-get-same-pass-through-benefits-tax-bill">pass-through deduction</a> could help many low-income and middle-class self-employed service providers, including those in the gig economy earning money by driving cars and running errands. They may be able to deduct up to 20 percent of their business income if they earn less than $157,500 (or $315,000 for married couples).</p>
<p>But Congress could have made simple changes that would have eased the compliance burdens for gig workers, something the IRS’ own <a href="https://taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/Media/Default/Documents/2017-ARC/ARC17_Volume1_MSP_14_SharingEconomy.pdf">taxpayer advocate</a> has said should be a high priority.</p>
<p>By neglecting to do so, lawmakers let this problem fester.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90522/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caroline Bruckner received funding from Boston College Center for Retirement Research to study how the tax compliance challenges of the gig economy could impact Social Security. </span></em></p>Companies like Uber and Etsy don’t have to tell most of the people working with them how much they’ve earned. With the federal government so behind the curve, some states are changing their rules.Caroline Bruckner, Executive in Residence, Department of Accounting and Taxation, American University Kogod School of BusinessLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/883792018-01-16T11:18:32Z2018-01-16T11:18:32ZShades of green: What gig economy workers can learn from the success of romance writers<p>When “<a href="http://variety.com/2018/film/news/anastasia-steele-pregnant-fifty-shades-freed-trailer-1202651017/">Fifty Shades Freed</a>” <a href="http://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a14453943/fifty-shades-freed-release-date/">opened in 2018</a>, fans flocked to see bad boy Christian Grey (played by Jamie Dornan) bested by naughty-but-nice heroine Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson). </p>
<p>A less racy but equally thrilling story, my research shows, is how romance writers are getting ahead in the digital era. </p>
<p>While economists and labor scholars wring their hands over the rise of the precarious <a href="https://www.citylab.com/life/2016/10/the-two-sides-of-the-freelance-workforce/502955/">gig economy</a>, these freelancers have developed innovative business practices over the past four decades that have set them up for success in the digital era.</p>
<h2>Romancing the gig economy</h2>
<p>Although few have reached the flabbergasting success of “Fifty Shades” author <a href="http://www.eljamesauthor.com/">E.L. James</a>, a former fan fiction writer whose net worth now totals more than <a href="http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-el-james-worth-58-million-20150629-story.html">US$58 million</a>, I found that the median income for romance authors has tripled in the e-book era. And more and more are earning a six-figure income. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/201145/original/file-20180108-83547-1ti9qtq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/201145/original/file-20180108-83547-1ti9qtq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/201145/original/file-20180108-83547-1ti9qtq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=950&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201145/original/file-20180108-83547-1ti9qtq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=950&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201145/original/file-20180108-83547-1ti9qtq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=950&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201145/original/file-20180108-83547-1ti9qtq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1194&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201145/original/file-20180108-83547-1ti9qtq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1194&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201145/original/file-20180108-83547-1ti9qtq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1194&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Fifty Shades Freed’ is the third film based on the steamy trilogy that originated as a self-published work of fan fiction.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This uptick occurred as other types of writing became less profitable. During the same period, a survey of 1,095 <a href="https://www.authorsguild.org/industry-advocacy/the-wages-of-writing/">Authors Guild members</a> found that their median income from writing fell by at least 30 percent.</p>
<p>Clearly, romance writers know something that other authors, and many struggling freelancers, don’t. The one-third of American workers toiling in the <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/24/news/economy/gig-economy-intuit/index.html">gig economy</a> can learn a few lessons from them.</p>
<p>Some <a href="https://www.upwork.com/i/freelancing-in-america/2017/">57.3 million U.S. workers freelanced in 2016</a>, according to research firm Edelman Intelligence. Economists <a href="https://doi.org/10.3386/w22667">Lawrence Katz and Alan Krueger</a> found that 15.8 percent of Americans work in “alternative work arrangements” (freelancing, contracting, temp work, etc.), up from 9.1 percent in 1995. In fact, they found that all net job growth in the U.S. from 2005 to 2015 came from such work. </p>
<p>If you’re not already freelancing, you may be soon. Edelman predicts that given current growth rates, <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/upwork/freelancing-in-america-2017/1">more than half</a> of the American workforce will freelance by 2027.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/05/15/is-the-gig-economy-working">Experts don’t agree</a> whether this trend is good or bad for workers and the economy. The freedom is nice but freelancing often pays poorly.</p>
<p>While few writers are getting rich off books alone – I found that half of romance writers earned less than $10,000 in 2014 – more and more are able to support themselves. While only 6 percent earned at least $100,000 in 2008, more than 15 percent did in 2014. Most gig workers, including authors, patch together a living through multiple occupations. </p>
<p>You might speculate that romance writers’ succeed because smut sells. But that doesn’t explain why romance writers are faring better than their peers with <a href="http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2016/a-profitable-affair-opportunities-for-publishers-in-the-romance-book-market.html">digital sales</a>.</p>
<p>Instead, three surprising practices set romance writers up for success: They welcome newcomers, they share competitive information, and they ask advice from newbies.</p>
<p><iframe id="r0E4m" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/r0E4m/7/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Welcoming newcomers</h2>
<p>Faced with rejection and ridicule from other writing groups in the 1970s, romance writers formed their own professional association, <a href="https://www.rwa.org/">Romance Writers of America</a>. It now has some 10,000 members. </p>
<p>From its start in 1980, the group embraced newcomers. Unlike other major author groups – and most professional associations – this one welcomes anyone seriously pursuing a career in the field. Newcomers may join once they’ve <a href="https://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=2126">completed an unpublished romance manuscript</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"947579151841574912"}"></div></p>
<p>Similar groups, including the <a href="https://www.authorsguild.org/join/">Authors Guild</a>, <a href="https://mysterywriters.org/how-to-become-a-member-of-mwa/">Mystery Writers of America</a> and <a href="http://www.sfwa.org/about/join-us/sfwa-membership-requirements/#active">Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America</a>, limit full membership to published authors. In some cases, these groups only accept members whose work has been published by specific companies or who have earned a specified amount of money in royalties.</p>
<p>Unlike Romance Writers of America, most traditional guilds, unions and trade associations only admit established professionals.</p>
<p>These barriers to entry can stultify and stagnate industries, especially with today’s transitions. Network theorists Walter Powell and Jason Owen-Smith, for instance, found that the most <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/titles/9909.html">successful biotech companies in the 1990s</a> formed strategic alliances with newcomers.</p>
<p>This phenomenon isn’t new.</p>
<p>Political science professor John Padgett of the University of Chicago found that <a href="http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/655230">upper-crust families in Renaissance Florence</a> who allied themselves with new, upstart families prospered, while members of the elite who shunned newcomers lost influence over time.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/201423/original/file-20180109-36028-1yxq4lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/201423/original/file-20180109-36028-1yxq4lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/201423/original/file-20180109-36028-1yxq4lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201423/original/file-20180109-36028-1yxq4lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201423/original/file-20180109-36028-1yxq4lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201423/original/file-20180109-36028-1yxq4lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201423/original/file-20180109-36028-1yxq4lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201423/original/file-20180109-36028-1yxq4lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Like the protagonist of this series, romance novel writers are pretty smart.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/fuzzcat/64359261/">Kate Haskell</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Sharing competitive information</h2>
<p>A strong tradition of mentoring pervades the culture. Romance Writers of America runs contests for unpublished writers and schedules conference tracks for newbies, and informal Yahoo loops, Google groups and meetups help newcomers get oriented.</p>
<p>These networks proved valuable when new digital self-publishing avenues opened up 10 years ago.</p>
<p>Numerous self-published romance writers, including blockbuster author <a href="http://bellaandre.com">Bella Andre</a>, known for her <a href="http://bellaandre.com/books/">Sullivan family</a> books, shared their mistakes and successes with other writers as they tried new digital methods of publishing and promotion. <a href="http://marieforce.com">Marie Force</a>, best-selling author of the Gansett Island series, started an online <a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/62790-staying-in-the-loop-romance-2014.html">self-publishing advice group</a>. Some authors, like <a href="https://brennaaubrey.net/blog/2014/12/07/one-year-no-regrets/">Brenna Aubrey</a>, whose romantic stories are about <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5824327.Brenna_Aubrey">geek culture</a>, even declare their earnings. </p>
<p>This radical transparency that propelled many romance writers to digital success can work in other fields. </p>
<p>For instance, openly sharing local rates and best practices could prove valuable to workers who find jobs through sites like <a href="https://www.earnest.com/blog/sharing-economy-income-data/">Upwork and TaskRabbit</a>, many of whom set their own prices. </p>
<h2>Getting advice from newbies</h2>
<p>The openness of romance writers has yielded an unexpected side benefit: access to innovators. The most successful romance writers I studied were experienced authors who asked newcomers for advice. </p>
<p>Using social network analysis tools, my colleague <a href="https://anthropology.stanford.edu/people/elspeth-ready">Elspeth Ready</a> and I looked at advice patterns among 4,200 romance writers I surveyed. </p>
<p>While you might presume that novice writers would seek advice more often than anyone else, this wasn’t the case. While 72 percent of unpublished authors in my survey sought advice in the past year, a subset of established writers asked advice just as often. These were established authors interested in shifting to self-publishing.</p>
<p>Many of them did, successfully. I found that, by 2014, traditionally published authors who had added self-publishing to their portfolio out-earned all other romance writers: These so-called “hybrid” authors had a median income of $87,000. </p>
<p>Of course, most writers weren’t earning nearly that much: Half earned less than $10,000 a year. And my survey relied on self-reported income, which can be imprecise. Still, as a whole, these writers saw their prospects improve as the digital gig economy grew and other authors were earning less than before. </p>
<p>At a time when work is becoming increasingly solitary, it only seems fitting that a model involving mutual care and support comes from the freelancers who earn a living from imagining successful connections.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/201421/original/file-20180109-36034-1fysn90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/201421/original/file-20180109-36034-1fysn90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/201421/original/file-20180109-36034-1fysn90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201421/original/file-20180109-36034-1fysn90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201421/original/file-20180109-36034-1fysn90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201421/original/file-20180109-36034-1fysn90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201421/original/file-20180109-36034-1fysn90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/201421/original/file-20180109-36034-1fysn90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Two samples of this genre.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dno1967b/7309506932/">Daniel Oines</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88379/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christine Larson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Few of them are getting rich off their books but the genre is making them more money than it used to.Christine Larson, Assistant Professor of Journalism, University of Colorado BoulderLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/810572017-07-18T10:58:44Z2017-07-18T10:58:44ZThe gig economy is nothing new – it was standard practice in the 18th century<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178415/original/file-20170717-6073-a7eth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The uber pool of the 18th century.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AJames_Pollard_-_The_London-Faringdon_Coach_passing_Buckland_House%2C_Berkshire_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg">James Pollard / Google Art Project</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Taylor Report, the UK government’s recent <a href="https://theconversation.com/taylor-review-a-high-principled-report-into-the-gig-economy-that-will-fail-to-deliver-80836">major review of modern work</a>, paid particular attention to the “gig economy”. This is the idea that the traditional model of work – where people often have a clear career progression and a job for life – has been upended. It encompasses “self-employed” Uber drivers to the web developer freelancers and it allows workers more freedom – but also denies them benefits and protective regulation. </p>
<p>While it might seem that long-established ways of working are being disrupted, history shows us that the one person, one career model is a relatively recent phenomenon. Prior to industrialisation in the 19th century, <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/making-a-living-making-a-difference-9780190240622?cc=us&lang=en&#">most people worked multiple jobs to piece together a living</a>. Looking to the past uncovers some of the challenges, benefits and consequences of a gig economy. </p>
<p>The diaries of three men in 18th-century Britain that I have found give a fascinating insight into how middle class people – the <a href="https://theconversation.com/flexible-work-how-the-gig-economy-benefits-some-more-than-others-67865">supposed beneficiaries of today’s gig economy</a> – made multiple employments work. <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Diary-of-Edmund-Harrold-Wigmaker-of-Manchester-171215/Horner/p/book/9780754661726">Edmund Harrold</a>, a resident of Manchester in the early 18th century was a barber by training and title. He rented a small shop, shaved customers’ heads, bought and sold hair, and crafted wigs. In the hours unfilled by this he worked as a book dealer, and eventually as an auctioneer, selling various items in alehouses within Manchester and in outlying towns. He lent out money when he had it, earning 10% interest on his holdings. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178399/original/file-20170717-6054-7lynqu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178399/original/file-20170717-6054-7lynqu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178399/original/file-20170717-6054-7lynqu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178399/original/file-20170717-6054-7lynqu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178399/original/file-20170717-6054-7lynqu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178399/original/file-20170717-6054-7lynqu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178399/original/file-20170717-6054-7lynqu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178399/original/file-20170717-6054-7lynqu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Thomas Parsons’s diary.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://huntingtonblogs.org/2015/09/stone-carvers-diary-from-the-spa-city-of-bath/">The Huntington Library Collections.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another enthusiastic embracer of the gig economy was Thomas Parsons, working as a stone carver in the city of Bath in 1769, as well as an amateur scientist – work that we might normally classify as leisure. In the West Country, <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-chronicles-of-john-cannon-excise-officer-and-writing-master-part-1-9780197264546?cc=us&lang=en&">John Cannon</a> took jobs as an agricultural labourer, excise man, failed maltster, and teacher.</p>
<p>Like people earning money through the gig economy today, the three men were thrown into a world of precariousness. They had independence but fretted frequently about having enough money to pay bills, and feared the potential for failure. Parsons agonised about his ability to pay his debts, noting in one entry: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Am in debt and know not how to pay. This gives me great uneasiness – what a multiplicity of concerns have I to employ my thoughts! </p>
</blockquote>
<p>In one entry, Harrold thanked God for “tolerable business” and noted that he lived very comfortably. By the next month, he would write that he was “ill set for money”, that he had very little work, and described being “in great straite what to do”. </p>
<p>All three diarists earned a comfortable, though modest subsistence for tradesmen of the time, earning between £50 and £70 a year, which made them part of the growing middle class in terms of income. But in an economy of multiple jobs, their income was precarious, and this had a big impact on their lives. Cannon described himself as the “tennis ball of fortune”.</p>
<h2>More than the money</h2>
<p>Money was a concern, but the diaries make clear that, like today, work was also about more than pay. The experiences of these three men show that people chose their work because different jobs offered different forms of fulfilment. Some tasks earned them money, but other roles gave them social status. In some cases, they even judged fulfilment and the status these jobs gave them as highly as material gain. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178398/original/file-20170717-6058-18ktu7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178398/original/file-20170717-6058-18ktu7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178398/original/file-20170717-6058-18ktu7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=937&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178398/original/file-20170717-6058-18ktu7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=937&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178398/original/file-20170717-6058-18ktu7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=937&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178398/original/file-20170717-6058-18ktu7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1177&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178398/original/file-20170717-6058-18ktu7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1177&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/178398/original/file-20170717-6058-18ktu7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1177&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">John Cannon’s diary.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.glastonburyantiquarians.org/site/index.php?page_id=169">Glastonbury Antiquarian Society</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The opportunity for networking, building reputations and power could be equally as important as the cash earned. In fact, the value of work in terms of status and income could have an inverse relationship. Parsons made most of his money from his stone-cutting business rather than his intellectual pursuits, but it was his scientific experimentation that conferred the most status. That status, in turn, helped him get contracts. </p>
<p>Historical accounts of the gig economy remind us that we need to think about work as more than a form of wage earning, but as something crucial to our social and cultural lives. We define ourselves according to the jobs that we do. Though the recently-released Taylor review of Britain’s gig economy focuses on wages, benefits, and regulation, it also clearly recognises work as an experience. The report is peppered with words like “happiness” and “aspiration”. </p>
<p>Plus, we might notice that work – even gig work – depends upon status. Today, workers relying on online platforms for work depend upon their user rating. Status and employment go hand-in-hand. And activities that help a person build status blur the distinctions between work and leisure, or unpaid and paid work. Work, for men like Parsons, Harrold and Cannon, was a social practice. It was not only a productive activity to support themselves, but was rather an undertaking that established skill, independence and self-worth. </p>
<h2>What counts as work?</h2>
<p>The gig economy considered in a historical context challenges us to better define the simple category of “work”. Should we define work as tasks undertaken for pay? Or should we include productive labour that is not paid? </p>
<p>Harrold was the nominal breadwinner of his family, but the household also depended upon his <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/continuity-and-change/article/married-womens-occupations-in-eighteenthcentury-london/FFDF28058689D622E45C16F8C49357E1">wife’s work</a>. Sarah rented a room in their house to lodgers, sold secondhand clothing and washed other people’s clothes. For these tasks, she earned money. But like many women in the 18th century (<a href="https://theconversation.com/through-the-looking-glass-on-gender-pay-gap-transparency-54989">and today</a>), much of Sarah’s work was unpaid. She cared for children, baked bread, and brewed ale. These tasks sustained the household and its reproduction, but because they were unpaid, they remain unrecognised as work. Even though she spent her days working, Sarah would have been listed as having no occupation in formal tax or census records. </p>
<p>In today’s gig economy, more and more informal domestic tasks are becoming forms of paid work. Will accounting for these help us to better recognise the invisible work that takes place in the household? </p>
<p>The gig economy certainly poses challenges to the well-being of workers. The disruption that it brings, however, offers an opportunity to better account for the diversity of different kinds of work that take place in society, and to recognise the people who perform it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81057/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tawny Paul receives funding from The Huntington Library, San Marino; the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Economic History Society. </span></em></p>Prior to industrialisation in the 19th century, most people worked multiple jobs to piece together a living.Tawny Paul, Senior Lecturer in Economic and Social History, University of ExeterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/729152017-02-20T09:36:22Z2017-02-20T09:36:22ZJob insecurity cuts to the core of identity and social stability – and can push people towards extremism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/157111/original/image-20170216-12953-cyjq80.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hanging by a thread?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>“Will I lose my job in the near future?” For most people this is an unpleasant scenario to ponder, and for many it is a real and pressing concern. Since the financial crisis, more than half of all jobs created in the European Union have been <a href="https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/sites/default/files/ef_publication/field_ef_document/ef1557en.pdf">through temporary contracts</a>.</p>
<p>This high level of job insecurity doesn’t just have an economic effect on people, making financial planning extremely difficult. <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/job.2172/abstract">Our research</a> shows how the precarious nature of the job market has a huge impact on how people feel, too. In fact, job insecurity strikes at the core of who we perceive ourselves to be – our identity – and this can have much wider ramifications for society. </p>
<p>Psychologists rank job insecurity among <a href="https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/phwa/workplace-survey.pdf">the most prominent work place stressors</a>. The worry of not knowing whether you will be laid off, whether you will be able to pay your bills, and whether you still have a future within an organisation, is, of course, very stressful, especially when it is out of your hands. Job insecurity implies a potentially adverse future, and one which you cannot control. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/157112/original/image-20170216-12964-r33smg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/157112/original/image-20170216-12964-r33smg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157112/original/image-20170216-12964-r33smg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157112/original/image-20170216-12964-r33smg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157112/original/image-20170216-12964-r33smg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157112/original/image-20170216-12964-r33smg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157112/original/image-20170216-12964-r33smg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Job insecurity has health, as well as financial, effects.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock.com</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Indeed the list of negative consequences of job insecurity is depressingly long; the more people worry about losing their jobs the lower their mental <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Magnus_Sverke/publication/11233704_No_Security_A_Meta-Analysis_and_Review_of_Job_Insecurity_and_Its_Consequences/links/0912f50fec4455f617000000/No-Security-A-Meta-Analysis-and-Review-of-Job-Insecurity-and-Its-Consequences.pdf">well-being</a>, and the more physical health complaints they report. Effects can range from occasional sleeping problems to <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953604003892">clinical depression</a>. </p>
<p>For organisations, the effects of job insecurity are also <a href="http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/45119/1/10.pdf">pervasively negative</a>. Contrary to popular belief, the worry of losing one’s job does not act as a motivator. Instead, it typically leads to poorer performance at work. And within communities or countries, widespread job insecurity is associated with political unrest, with insecure jobs cited as a cause of <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261379402000471">political extremism</a>. Job insecurity, in short, seems to get the blame for many of individuals’, organisations’ and society’s ills.</p>
<h2>Sense of self</h2>
<p>So why exactly is job insecurity so bad? Jobs mean more to us than just providing a financial income alone. What we do for work is an important aspect of who we are. After all, most of us spend about a third of our lives working. When someone is introduced to a stranger, very often one of the first questions that pops up is “so, what do you do for a living?” Even in retirement homes, a popular pastime is to discuss previous work. Thus, our job is important to our sense of self, to who we feel we are.</p>
<p>So, it is not surprising that job insecurity threatens how we feel about ourselves – that is, our identity. In a study of British employees, we discovered that people who were afraid of losing their jobs often felt their identity as an employed person was diminished, even though they were still actually at work. Job insecurity – as common as it might be – was perceived as an alienating experience, excluding people from the status and community of “the employed”, and making them feel less normal. </p>
<p>In turn, this affected their well-being: people who felt a loss of identity as an employed person reported problems in concentrating and sleeping, and felt they were losing their confidence in themselves. Feeling excluded also affected people’s behaviour at work, performing the core parts of their jobs less effectively. </p>
<p>So while job insecurity threatens our immediate well-being – such as future income, relations with colleagues, the ability to finish an important project at work – it goes deeper than this and threatens important parts of who we are. And the way that it harms our perception of ourselves can have a pervasive effect on those who suffer from it, as they attempt to deal with their insecurity. This manifests itself in sometimes contradictory ways.</p>
<p>For example, people who feel threatened in their identity have been found to be more likely to turn against others (if that helps their own status), while at the same time identifying with others who experience a similar threat. Feeling “less normal” might make people more susceptible to messages that make them feel more included again – for example, the opportunity to become part of something greater, making their own, excluded group “great” again. For others, feeling more alienated makes them more empathetic – towards other, more excluded people, unemployed people, minorities. This explains how job insecurity pushes some people towards political extremes, both right and left.</p>
<p>This growing evidence of the harmful effects of job insecurity – on individual’s identity and hence well-being, as well as on company performance – shows it is time not only for organisations, but for politicians to wake up to the issue. Policies are needed to counter the growing trend towards temporary work and zero-hours contracts, with added protection required to ensure people do not feel excluded from society and pushed toward extremism.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/72915/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eva Selenko currently receives funding from the British Academy. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Stride currently receives funding from the ESRC and the Nuffield Trust. </span></em></p>Psychologists rank job insecurity as one of the most stressful things about work – new research uncovers why.Eva Selenko, Senior Lecturer in Work Psychology, Loughborough UniversityChris Stride, Senior Lecturer (Statistician), University of SheffieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/717162017-01-30T00:47:19Z2017-01-30T00:47:19ZHow to cope with the stress of working alone<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/154512/original/image-20170127-30413-1aw3dnk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Freelance and contract work can be stressful, depending on your situation and personality type.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The gig economy is offering Australians jobs, but it comes at a cost. These are often temporary positions, where workers are independent and have to take on more risks.</em></p>
<p><em>In our series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/working-well-in-the-gig-economy-35122">Working Well in the Gig Economy</a> we ask experts how workers can cope in this new environment.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>The nature of work in the gig economy - where workers have to support themselves and take on the risk associated with the job - undermines some of our fundamental human needs and can create a significant amount of mental stress.</p>
<p>People often define their worth to society, friends, and family through their job. In fact, when people are asked “If you were to get enough money to live as comfortably as you would like for the rest of your life, would you continue to work or stop working?”, studies consistently find that <a href="http://www.nap.edu/read/9600/chapter/4#50">most people</a> say that they would keep working. </p>
<p>With work playing such an important role in our lives, it’s not surprising that the stress of insecure work can have a huge big impact. </p>
<p>It’s not uncommon for people to feel insecure about their job at various times in their working life. This insecurity comes from <a href="http://www.sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/viewFile/200/197">concerns about the future of their work</a>, whether it will continue in the future, the nature of the job, or a combination of the two. </p>
<p>Job insecurity is associated with <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02678373.2015.1075624">emotional exhaustion</a>, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/occmed/article/65/2/110/1488809/Work-and-home-stress-associations-with-anxiety-and">depression, anxiety</a>, and even <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021915012008891">heart disease</a>. But with the gig economy, this sort of insecurity is part and parcel of the job.</p>
<p>According to the well known <a href="http://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/abraham-maslow/">hierarchy of needs</a> it’s essential that our physiological, safety, and security needs are met. Feelings of security can come from having a job, a home, and sufficient financial means. Once these needs are met, then we turn our motivation to the remaining levels of the hierarchy of needs: belonging, esteem, and (for some) self-actualisation.</p>
<p>For workers in the gig economy, the motivation to meet these safety and security needs can understandably become overwhelming. They might withdraw from family and friends, struggle with their mood, and stop enjoying the things that used to give them pleasure (think that sounds a lot like depression? <a href="https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/depression/signs-and-symptoms">You’re right</a>).</p>
<h2>Freelance work is more stressful for some</h2>
<p>The lack of security that comes from this type of work is not a problem for all of these workers. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299405455_The_Rise_of_the_Gig_Economy_and_Implications_for_Understanding_Work_and_Workers">Different life circumstances</a> will mean the stakes involved with gig work change over time. </p>
<p>It’s important to differentiate between people who use contracts through choice, versus those who feel like contract work is their only option.</p>
<p>Workers in the gig economy might also have a different experience based on age. Worrying about how much money you can put into your superannuation feels quite different depending on whether you are 20 or 50. </p>
<p>Similarly, someone who chooses to do some driving for Uber on the weekend to make a little extra money on top of their permanent job, will have a difference experience of gig work than someone who relies on their Uber driving to pay their rent. </p>
<p>This means that for some, the insecurity of gig or contract work is unlikely to have a negative effect on their mental health. If you are doing the contract work by choice or using it to “top up” your main source of income, then the insecurity of that work isn’t likely to be a problem.</p>
<p>A person’s personality can also play a role. If you’re a <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpp.12675/full">risk taker</a> you might feel quite comfortable with the prospect of long periods without work, and short-term contract work might suit. But someone who is risk averse is likely to find the lack of security very stressful, potentially leading to negative psychological outcomes like anxiety and depression.</p>
<p>Some people will be very well suited to freelance work. <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.679.1597&rep=rep1&type=pdf#page=5">Enterprising individuals tend to be</a> ambitious and self-confident, and can enjoy starting and carrying out series of different projects. Work in the gig economy <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1069072715616107">might also be easier for those who are more creative or autonomous</a>, who prefer independent contract work, rather than trying to fit into an organisational structure. </p>
<h2>Coping with freelance and contract work</h2>
<p>If freelance workers are struggling to stay mentally healthy in the gig economy, there are a number of coping strategies they can try. </p>
<p>Getting emotional and social support from people around you (particularly those in a similar position) can be valuable. Of course, if you are an freelancer, you might not have a water cooler to stand around for debriefs. </p>
<p>Freelancers could consider getting some social support from other workers <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563212003226">online</a>. Be it online or offline, sharing strategies to deal with work-related problems and managing stress will help to make a difference. </p>
<p>Focusing on what is good about the situation (known as <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1467-8721.00073">positive reappraisal</a>) might also be <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3278301/pdf/nihms350262.pdf">helpful</a>. This is more than just thinking positively, it means emotionally reframing a situation in a constructive and realistic way. For example, rather than focusing on the down-time between contracts as a lost opportunity, freelance workers could instead see it as an opportunity to start the ground work on their own small business, with a view to securing a more stable income stream. </p>
<p>Finding a mentor <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0950017011398891">can be difficult in a gig economy</a>, but a good mentor can help you identify what you need to do to survive and thrive in your chosen field. A mentor’s support and guidance can be invaluable in <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1059601115617086">building career success</a>, and importantly, can also help to <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001879107000401">reduce psychological strain</a>. </p>
<p>Historically, finding a good fit between the job and the worker was considered to lead to workplace success. This principle still applies in the gig economy.</p>
<p>Although the way we work is changing — and seems likely to keep changing for the foreseeable future — for the right person at the right time in their life, gig work can provide the chance to independently match their skills with the demands of the marketplace.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/71716/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachel Grieve does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Workers in the gig economy may need to family members, online services or mentors to preserve their mental health.Rachel Grieve, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of TasmaniaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/680102016-11-04T14:15:53Z2016-11-04T14:15:53ZIs Uber ruling the beginning of the end for bogus self-employment?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144561/original/image-20161104-25343-bfn69h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C0%2C1895%2C1141&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-268598132/stock-vector-revolution-poster-workers-raising-fists-with-text-its-time-to-make-a-change-vector.html?src=rEKfa0Vtl0fZUwfqL0r2hg-1-17">Seita/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When the much anticipated <a href="https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/aslam-and-farrar-v-uber-reasons-20161028.pdf">Uber judgment</a> on the self-employed status of two drivers came in, the victory was described by their union, the GMB, as “<a href="http://www.gmb.org.uk/newsroom/GMB-wins-uber-case">monumental</a>”. Respected commentators including the lawyers, Leigh Day, and the Guardian newspaper described the judgement as “<a href="http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=3ddede8f-4497-4acb-b99a-37da5509229f">historic</a>” and “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/oct/28/uber-uk-tribunal-self-employed-status">a landmark</a>”. </p>
<p>There is no doubt that the judgement delivered by the London Central Employment Tribunal on October 28 was an advance in the campaign to provide workers’ rights to the hundreds of thousands that are wrongly classified by their de facto employers as “independent contractors” or “self-employed”. But this is no triumph. It is only a small victory in one battle that is part of a much larger and more protracted war. There are five principal reasons for this.</p>
<p>First, Uber will appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal, and if unsuccessful there, go to the Court of Appeal and maybe all the way to the Supreme Court. As its business model and, thus, profits, are fundamentally based upon using what the Employment Tribunal regarded as a “bogus” form of self-employment, it will expend a huge amount of energy and resources to overturn the ruling.</p>
<h2>Campaign plans</h2>
<p>There is a second, more quintessential reason. The nature of the Employment Tribunal decisions means that if many more Uber drivers wish to be availed of workers’ rights – minimum wage, sick pay, holidays, pension enrolment and so on – then they will have to take Employment Tribunal cases as well. Therefore, it was wrong for various commentators such as <a href="http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=37149b7d-3fec-47e6-85c9-b165e82e8ee3">lawyers</a> and <a href="http://www.cipd.co.uk/pm/peoplemanagement/b/weblog/archive/2016/10/28/tribunal-rules-in-favour-of-uber-drivers-in-landmark-case.aspx">personnel professionals</a> to imply that the rest of Uber’s 40,000 drivers in Britain will be now suddenly be entitled to workers’ rights. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144557/original/image-20161104-25343-k34e1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144557/original/image-20161104-25343-k34e1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144557/original/image-20161104-25343-k34e1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144557/original/image-20161104-25343-k34e1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144557/original/image-20161104-25343-k34e1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144557/original/image-20161104-25343-k34e1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144557/original/image-20161104-25343-k34e1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144557/original/image-20161104-25343-k34e1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Shoot for the moon. Finding justice.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevec77/107868154/in/photolist-awRrL-egseeD-gHSY7g-ahY38n-asiq1f-h13vDR-6N9E3e-fvHbD4-CRCDz-5ej6LS-a8obRR-ruvWPt-nGE6fY-87gsKr-ot7y2w-afTasu-eFqRqz-bVX5dF-df4vu5-byYC6j-df4Dik-afaBTj-fvH5Yk-4xBsjc-49HGS-gHSfgW-eFwZ3Q-afaCFj-4bFztC-ajjxMq-4dELvS-4dAJu4-etjK2-4dMprK-pij2jm-pS9WnQ-5QY9bH-61qvMQ-bFEffX-5yvatZ-cdZyKj-bAKFRm-hoo6q1-afaC1J-egy1by-4dENKy-5uXSRH-7LxCKN-4xFCqN-qhxgxG">Steve Calcott/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<p>Sure, the Tribunal’s finding does intimate that idea but it is no more than that. The ruling is not binding upon how Uber treats its other drivers – something Uber itself is <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/uber-tells-drivers-tribunal-ruling-on-workers-rights-doesnt-apply-to-them-a3382686.html">clearly aware of</a>. The other drivers were not joint plaintiffs in the case. The only way the GMB union can make Uber cave in on all of its drivers is not only to take many, many more ultimately successful cases (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/04/uber-facing-hundreds-more-claims-from-drivers-for-back-pay">as it seem intent upon doing</a>), but also to use various non-legal avenues to pressurise Uber into changing its ways.</p>
<p>Organising consumer boycotts, investor strikes, industrial action <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/aug/15/deliveroo-workers-strike-again-over-new-pay-structure">of the Deliveroo sort</a> are all viable options. This would be most effective if deployed, along with the legal means, against Uber in a form of pincer movement.</p>
<p>Another important tool available to the GMB at the moment is to use the statements of the prime minister, Theresa May, concerning <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/ffb25e84-8af2-11e6-8aa5-f79f5696c731">an economy that “works for all”</a>. If it can get other Employment Tribunals to see which way the political wind is now blowing, this will increase its chances of success. </p>
<h2>One case at a time</h2>
<p>A third reason to avoid jubilation is that even a final victory after appeal in the Uber case would not automatically mean success for the host of other self-employed workers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jul/19/uber-drivers-court-tribunal-self-employed-uk-employment-law">bringing similar claims</a> against the likes of Addison Lee, Excel, City Sprint and eCourier and backed by their GMB and IWGB unions – or any others that might come in the future elsewhere. This is because each is treated in law as an individual case. Even where there are class actions of multiple plaintiffs in a coordinated series of cases, the judgements only apply in law to them. </p>
<p>So the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/jul/30/job-pay-workers-gig-economy">plaintiffs’ cases</a> against Addison Lee, Excel, City Sprint and eCourier will have to pass the same stringent tests that were applied in the Uber case and show that in different settings that their work – and the organisation of it – was effectively controlled in a conventional managerial method. Moreover, cases take time. The process of gaining the Uber ruling started in the summer of 2015.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144559/original/image-20161104-25339-1nr5eo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144559/original/image-20161104-25339-1nr5eo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144559/original/image-20161104-25339-1nr5eo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144559/original/image-20161104-25339-1nr5eo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144559/original/image-20161104-25339-1nr5eo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144559/original/image-20161104-25339-1nr5eo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144559/original/image-20161104-25339-1nr5eo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144559/original/image-20161104-25339-1nr5eo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Next cab off the rank?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/everydaylifemodern/456816708/in/photolist-JZEEF-GnocP-GniG9-96jMS-jaECL-33gPS-i85qW-i8586-uhAVX-4Dnusw">observista/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fourth, even if those other cases are successful, Employment Tribunal rulings are no substitute for a legislative solution. Ultimately, case law precedents can be undermined, overturned and superseded by other case law precedents. Legislation – along with robust enforcement – is the only way to outlaw the bogus use of self-employment. Anything else means that the war to do so means fighting on a piecemeal, incomplete basis. </p>
<p>Fifth, and crucially, employers will undoubtedly find new ways to introduce and embed self-employment. We have seen it already in the construction industry. New rules in 2014 sought to stop employment agencies falsely providing workers on a self-employed basis, but all that happened was that workers were shifted over to so-called “umbrella” companies where workers can be employed legally on a temporary basis and many on zero hours contracts. The practice is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/oct/21/temporary-workers-umbrella-companies-extra-costs-dodging-ni-cutting-rights-supply-teachers">now spreading elsewhere</a>. As employers have both the means and the motivation, they will develop new methods to get around any legal challenges. Again, this flags up the need for legislation to provide a blanket ban on bogus self-employment.</p>
<p>The two Uber plaintiffs, James Farrar and Yaseen Aslam, along with their union, the GMB, are to be congratulated on pushing open the door to the legal possibility that self-employed workers might gain worker rights. But it will take much more than this to turn the possibility into a probability, let alone an actuality. Political and legislative change is needed to make sure that their victory is neither Pyrrhic nor temporary. Unless that happens, the Uber ruling will not even be the end of the beginning for bogus self-employment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/68010/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gregor Gall is the editor of Scottish Left Review and the director of the Jimmy Reid Foundation.</span></em></p>Ride-sharing app Uber is facing a new wave of legal claims after a landmark ruling on work conditions. But any triumphalism is deeply premature.Gregor Gall, Professor of Industrial Relations, University of BradfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/607352016-08-22T11:28:06Z2016-08-22T11:28:06ZWhy a growing number of working mothers are choosing to go freelance in the corporate world<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134265/original/image-20160816-13042-q98dxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bored meeting.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/dl2_lim.mhtml?src=cst4K0lKCum23tzRFJ4_5A-2-31&id=369727514&size=huge_jpg">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The original “freelancers” were historic knights and mercenaries, selling their fighting skills to whoever paid the right price. Today’s freelancers include a <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2014/01/29/obama-is-the-job-of-the-future-a-freelance-one.html">growing army of people</a> who decide to leave highly paid and secure jobs in large organisations to strike out on their own and become independent consultants. An <a href="http://bath.academia.edu/DavidCross">increasing proportion</a> of them are mothers with young children, who have decided they simply don’t want to choose between the demands of a company workplace and the needs of a family. </p>
<p>According to the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed, there are around 1.6m freelancers in the UK and <a href="https://www.ipse.co.uk/news/key-statistics">one in seven of these is a working mother</a>, the fastest growing freelance demographic. Some command fees of up to £1,000 a day (others an eye-watering £450 an hour) to do their specialised corporate work for clients including accounting firm PwC, telecoms giant BT and the Ministry of Defence. </p>
<p>Becoming an independent consultant is relatively easy. Start-up costs are low, and there is no specific qualification requirement or exam to pass. You just need wifi, a professional profile online and, crucially, experience and an impressive CV. Accumulated skills and knowledge is what counts if your advice is going to be valued. This isn’t a sector for fresh-faced graduates. </p>
<p>Many female consultants <a href="http://bath.academia.edu/DavidCross">I spoke to</a> in my research on employee commitment described “taking back control” as a major motivating factor in their decision to go freelance. It’s also a way of maintaining a professional identity they feared they might lose by becoming a stay at home parent. </p>
<p>In practical terms, the flexibility of working as a freelance consultant can mean childcare costs are dramatically reduced (if the job can be done outside normal office hours, for example, or while children are at school). Work can be done from home or negotiated around the needs of clients. The high rates of pay earned by some also mean the cost of childcare doesn’t swallow up a significant proportion of the money earned. As independent consultants, some mothers often feel they can earn more while working less. </p>
<p>Vanessa, a freelance management consultant who lives in the south-west of England, used to work for one of the top American consultancies before having children. Afterwards, she explained: “My brain was ready to go back to work but I didn’t have a job to go back to. So I started up my own business.” For Vanessa, the difficulties of juggling family and work were balanced by the freedom to choose the work she took on. Invoicing at up to £600 a day, what motivates her is the interesting work she does with her clients. If it’s not interesting, she won’t do it.</p>
<p>Lucy, an HR consultant with 25 years’ experience, now works as an independent consultant with eight different clients within ten miles of her home. After having children she switched from being an HR director for a firm to a working as a freelance consultant offering advice and a troubleshooting service for three to four days a week. The consulting is a way for her to maintain a senior professional position. “Without it I would have had to take a job that was significantly lower-skilled and lower paid,” she said. </p>
<p>Technology has also played a major role in the rise of these workers. <a href="https://www.skype.com/en/">Skype</a>, <a href="https://www.webex.com/">WebEx</a> and a host of other software and apps have made it easier to establish and run your own company. <a href="https://uk.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn</a> makes staying in touch with past clients and contacts easier.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134266/original/image-20160816-12998-kkfifb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/134266/original/image-20160816-12998-kkfifb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134266/original/image-20160816-12998-kkfifb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134266/original/image-20160816-12998-kkfifb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134266/original/image-20160816-12998-kkfifb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134266/original/image-20160816-12998-kkfifb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/134266/original/image-20160816-12998-kkfifb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Freelance freedom.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span>, <a class="license" href="http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en">FAL</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But being an independent consultant isn’t all plain sailing. These individuals still have to juggle family and work life which increasingly becomes blurred. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/work-blog/2014/jul/22/freelancing-lonely-business">It’s also lonely</a>. Escaping the controlled environment of an organisation and boss also means losing the professional and social support of co-workers and a structured workplace. </p>
<p>Independent consultants have to take on every office task necessary. There is no admin assistant to total your hours, no finance department to invoice and chase clients for payment, and no sales team to keep the pipeline of work going. </p>
<h2>A risky business</h2>
<p>Psychologically, it’s also a precarious way of working. There is no guarantee of a stable income. Some clients don’t pay and August can be a month when the phone rarely rings. There is no sick pay, no paid holiday, hours of work are not set, and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/employment-status/selfemployed-contractor">employment rights are not as clearly defined</a>. </p>
<p>But despite these downsides, the decision to go it alone <a href="https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2014/09/04/53million/">is a common one</a>, for men as well as women. Independent consultancy is also a handy way for those approaching retirement to gently parachute into it, reducing their hours but still using the accumulated skills and knowledge to offer senior and highly effective consultancy. </p>
<p>The rise of independent consultancy means that a huge source of knowledge and skills previously temporarily excluded from the economy is now there. And parents don’t have to choose between family and career. They can do both, either continuing as a consultant or using it as a way of keeping their skills, knowledge and intellectual capital current – in case they ever want to go back to the office.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/60735/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Cross does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>High fees and independence make consultancy a popular option for professionals with families.David Cross, Doctoral Researcher, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/463202015-08-27T23:46:46Z2015-08-27T23:46:46ZWhen journalists write for free it hurts our democracy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/93000/original/image-20150826-16707-vrhbze.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">We all like free, but who really pays?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Image sourced from Shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It might seem like good business sense when new media proprietors decide not to pay their writers, but the cost is adding up for those of us who value a healthy democracy.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/huffington-post-success-will-rely-on-fresh-voices-45959">arrival in Australia of Huffington Post</a>, which built a big part of its empire on using unpaid bloggers to tell the “inside story”, brought a brief outcry on social media using the hashtag #paythewriters. </p>
<p>To be honest it was more like a whimper from an already underpaid and undervalued part of society. HuffPo Australia is, after all, just one in a long line of successful international and local news publications which either pay nothing or pay little for the work of some wordsmiths. They pay curators, but not those who actually produce the work.</p>
<p>There are three players in this tragic comedy: the proprietors of the non-paying media outlets who get rich off the wealth of a creative class; the writers who often cling to romantic ideals about what journalism is and deny the realities of a business model; and finally the tragic readers who are left with articles written by those with vested interests.</p>
<p>It is a sad reality that like the iron ore price, the bottom has fallen out of the freelance market. Just a decade ago a trained and experienced journalist could command $1 a word if they were producing good words for a business publication. The invoices would be paid on time and the work would often be commissioned in advance. It might still be difficult to pay the mortgage, but it could be done for those with certain skills. </p>
<p>But even 10 years ago business writers were a special lot. They were paid well. Travel writers could expect little more than 25 cents a word, sports writers found themselves with unpaid match reports or ghost writing for footy heroes, and music writers rarely got a cent. Poets and creative writers could only muster a byline. Today many freelancers earn just 5 cents a word, if that. Often they get little more than “exposure”. </p>
<p>Jennifer Mills wrote in a <a href="https://overland.org.au/2013/03/pay-the-writers/">recent article</a> in Overland: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“A major newspaper emails me via a literary journal to ask if they can publish one of my stories. I am afraid that in these straitened times all we could offer you in exchange for publication rights to the short story would be a quid pro quo arrangement in terms of publicity. They’re waving ‘exposure’ at me like it’s a cheque.”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Less journalism, more commentary</h2>
<p>The problem is, the ease of producing the written word in the digital age has created a buyers’ market. No longer are journalists valued for their important skills of being able to analyse, synthesise and create understandable copy that puts pressure on people in power. Journalists are increasingly considered hobbyists who can work another job and doing their writing on the weekend. It’s rather like the Uber model of journalism, where people only take it up for pocket money that supplements another income. You can almost hear them saying: “I’ll just take my journalism out for a spin this weekend and see if I can raise a bit of spare cash.”</p>
<p>The attitude of the proprietors has created a fertile ground for those of us (including academics) who are paid to write, and or propagate certain ideas or ideals. The list includes those who write for The Conversation, appear daily in our newspapers, on our televisions screens, the Institute of Public Affairs, the Grattan Institute, the Lowy Institute, Per Capita, the big four accounting firms, the high profile lawyers, and of course politicians of all persuasions who have staff (including former journalists) who can write something for them. I haven’t even mentioned the public relations firms that are paid to create news-like reports which can be effortlessly eased into publications. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/feb/04/comment.pressandpublishing">Nick Davies</a> was among those exposed with PRs some years back with his book, Flat Earth News. </p>
<p>Sadly, this model excludes people who are not of independent means – often those who are the most vulnerable in our society: the homeless; the refugees; the women; and the less educated. Once upon a time their stories were told by staff journalists who didn’t need to worry about paying the rent. </p>
<p>Proprietors need to be held to account, but writers also need to fight back. The appropriate professional body the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance has put a lot of effort into trying to help, but writers seem unable or unwilling to organise. Some cling to their lofty ideas and align themselves to the myth of the struggling writer even though there is no nice reality in being down and out in Paris, London or Melbourne. </p>
<p>No one can pay the rent by writing a news story on a napkin. Others often undercut each other. For those who <a href="http://mediamusings.dsc.rmit.edu.au/2012/10/12/how-not-to-get-a-job/">try to hold out to be paid</a> for their time, their legal expertise, their equipment, their skill, there is always someone else who is willing to do it for less, or do it for free. Just like those Uber drivers. </p>
<p>There are a few publications that do pay well, mostly related to thriving business or sex industries. As a society we need to find a way to support journalists and publications that are not aligned to vested business interests or pornography. That means paying the online subscription to news organisations that uphold the values of independent journalism, even if you no longer hear the thud of a newspaper on the front lawn. A full list of who pays the writers in Australia is being collated on <a href="http://heypayup.tumblr.com/">this tumblr</a>, set up by author Jennifer Mills. </p>
<p>For those of us who care about journalism and its role in keeping an eye on people in power – both political and business – we need to support and donate to news organisations and cooperatives that pay the writers and maintain an independent charter. As a society we need to act more philanthropically by donating funds to those who support this kind of journalism. </p>
<p>Right now, our media tragic comedy ends with the spotlight firmly back on the audience. It is up to us to turn it around, for the sake of democracy. We can do it together, by paying for what we read.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/46320/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexandra Wake spent three years as a senior ministerial media advisor.</span></em></p>While some are being given new platforms to express their views, the decline of paid journalism is shutting others out.Alexandra Wake, Lecturer, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/433682015-06-26T05:11:07Z2015-06-26T05:11:07ZThe rise of the coworking space – sign of the times or flash in the pan?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86410/original/image-20150625-12984-1wai4gp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A coworking paradise.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thehub/12913907324/in/photolist-kFa9Jy-7cPygR-7cPzD6-7cPxvK-7cTtBQ-8TReJh-8TNbUz-8TNbhv-7cPzgF-7cTtHQ-7cTtYJ-7cPzvK-kFdHZK-7cPxix-7cPxqv-8NbeLV-8NejxE-8Nbexx-7cPy96-7cTsCb-7CnAVj-qsjQSH-5kX22K-2aYRtv-cuBFMC-cT8WNs-7cTuey-cT8W7y-cT8W5b-cT8WLq-7cPxRH-cT8Wyu-7KEi2e-J6YdD-daLHLv-9C155P-uNcCqH-v3kjV9-8u1oxj-fr4Ha8-4SYhJq-4SYhEL-4SU4s2-4SYhKQ-4SU4tt-gAGj6-7cPyur-bCPa3X-a3B6Tr-pgkwWh">Impact Hub</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Back in 1980 Alvin Toffler coined the concept of the <a href="http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/179102/the-third-wave-by-alvin-toffler/">Electronic Cottage</a>. While this might sound like a feature from Tomorrow’s World, it was essentially the idea that people, particularly those engaged in “knowledge work” – using their brains – would in the future be less bound to a traditional workplace. Technology would increasingly make working from home possible.</p>
<p>Thirty-five years later, there is evidence that teleworking is not as ubiquitous <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21588760">as Toffler might have envisaged</a>. But data from the Office for National Statistics does show that there are now <a href="http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-371749">more than 4.5m self-employed workers in the UK</a>. While we should keep in mind that there are still 25m people in “normal” employment, an increase in self-employment of more than 1m since the turn of the millennium (and 15% since the beginning of the economic crisis in 2008) suggests that something significant is happening when it comes to employment. </p>
<p>The two occupational categories with the highest increases in self-employment during this period have been “managers, directors and senior officials” and “professional occupations”. So perhaps this is where the inhabitants of the electronic cottage are to be found – not working remotely for someone else, but for themselves.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86281/original/image-20150624-31504-1fx0hzs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86281/original/image-20150624-31504-1fx0hzs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=245&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86281/original/image-20150624-31504-1fx0hzs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=245&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86281/original/image-20150624-31504-1fx0hzs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=245&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86281/original/image-20150624-31504-1fx0hzs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86281/original/image-20150624-31504-1fx0hzs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86281/original/image-20150624-31504-1fx0hzs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The rise in self-employment since 1992.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-371749">Nick Clifton | Data: ONS</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Following the recession of the early 1990s, the chart above shows self-employment declined as firms began to take on workers again. But though the UK economy is <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/nov/25/uk-economic-recovery-continue-2016-oecd">now in recovery</a>, self-employment is still rising. This may indicate a more fundamental shift to new ways of working. </p>
<p>These trends are by no means restricted to the UK. For example <a href="http://www.ephemerajournal.org/contribution/coworking-city">recent research</a> has shown that almost one third of the total US workforce is engaged in some form of “contingent” labour, which means it is largely project-based.</p>
<p>This in turn of course begs the question as to where these activities are being carried out. As a freelancer you can either rent your own office – which will be expensive and for many tasks probably not necessary. Or you can <a href="http://www.fsb.org.uk/policy/rpu/scotland/assets/home%20truths%20-%20final.pdf">work at home</a> – with the various distractions and disadvantages that entails. One other option might be to use “third places”, your local coffee shop, perhaps. Although often convenient these will inevitably have drawbacks of their own, not least the somewhat random set of encounters to be found therein. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86421/original/image-20150625-29066-hfoq31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86421/original/image-20150625-29066-hfoq31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86421/original/image-20150625-29066-hfoq31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86421/original/image-20150625-29066-hfoq31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86421/original/image-20150625-29066-hfoq31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86421/original/image-20150625-29066-hfoq31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/86421/original/image-20150625-29066-hfoq31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The self-employed freelancer’s dream.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And so the idea of “coworking” has arisen. Different from co-working, coworking is about working independently but in the presence of <a href="http://jbt.sagepub.com/content/26/4/399">others</a>. </p>
<p>If one person can be identified as the pioneer of the coworking movement it would be Brad Neuberg, who founded Spiral Muse in San Francisco back in 2005. Neuberg <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-rIQAwAAQBAJ&pg=PP6&lpg=PP6&dq=%22Not+an+MBA+Press%22&source=bl&ots=zwSr26FkuI&sig=KEZ3c1rd0DDYo8Yak6CC4iv-0Yc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=SR-MVZ75EIqj7Aam7IC4Bg&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Not%20an%20MBA%20Press%22&f=false">sums up</a> how coworking solves one of the central tensions of the working at home versus working in an office dichotomy:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Traditionally, society forces us to choose between working at home for ourselves or working at an office for a company. If we work at a traditional nine-to-five company job, we get community and structure, but lose freedom and the ability to control our own lives. If we work for ourselves at home, we gain independence but suffer loneliness and bad habits from not being surrounded by a work community. </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Individual preference</h2>
<p>The rise of coworking has provoked much debate on whether or not is it a good thing. Coinciding as it does with the rise in self-employment, <a href="http://www.ephemerajournal.org/contribution/rise-coworking-spaces-literature-review">critics</a> have objected to the lack of security, sometimes lower wages and benefits that freelancers who cowork have compared to their employed counterparts. </p>
<p>Champions of coworking, meanwhile, have celebrated the creative flexibility that it brings. Coworking spaces have been touted as <a href="http://www.deskmag.com/en/1st-results-of-the-3rd-global-coworking-survey-2012">hotbeds of collaboration, interaction</a>, and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263298239_New_in-house_organizational_spaces_that_support_creativity_and_innovation_the_co-working_space">innovation</a>. The <a href="http://www.ephemerajournal.org/contribution/coworking-city">emerging evidence</a> is that this is most likely when interactions are facilitated rather than relying purely on serendipitous encounters between unconnected individuals.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263298239_New_in-house_organizational_spaces_that_support_creativity_and_innovation_the_co-working_space">my research on the issue</a>, I’ve found that individual experiences differ, and as researchers we should be wary of projecting our own world view onto the phenomena we are studying. It’s an emerging concept and we still don’t fully understand people’s motivations for joining coworking spaces – both positive and negative – and whether they really do improve creativity and collaboration, or are just a lot of buzz over nothing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/43368/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nick Clifton has received funding from Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and Research Councils UK to investigate coworking. He was worked with the Innovation Centre for Enterprise <a href="http://www.welshice.org">http://www.welshice.org</a> during these projects.</span></em></p>Coworking is on the rise, but the jury’s still out on whether or not it’s a good thing.Nick Clifton, Professor of Economic Geography and Regional Development, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/424832015-06-09T19:58:30Z2015-06-09T19:58:30ZUber ‘micropreneurs’ signal the end of work as we know it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/84278/original/image-20150608-8732-v8up3x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The sharing economy is moving rapidly but we haven't yet figured out how it will impact traditional workplace norms.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Image sourced from Shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you are a driver for Uber or ride-sharing platform Lyft, a host on AirBnB, or a “tasker” doing odd jobs on TaskRabbit, you may consider yourself what has been recently labelled a “<a href="http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679903/the-rise-of-the-micro-entrepreneurship-economy">micropreneur</a>”.</p>
<p>Making money from your idle capacity – be that time and skills, or assets such as your spare room, car, or driveway – is made easy by firms offering platforms to connect supply and demand in the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/10/16/why-the-collaborative-economy-is-changing-everything">collaborative economy</a>. </p>
<p>Such platforms, many initially based on connecting neighbours and communities, and/or driven by a social purpose (hence the earlier label of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharing_economy">sharing economy</a>), have also led to the emergence of global giants, some with capital valuations of over US$<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-12-04/uber-valued-at-40-billion-with-1-2-billion-equity-fundraising">40 billion</a>. Their profit-driven business models are also disruptive for traditional industries, such as transport, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/joeharpaz/2014/05/07/airbnb-disrupts-hotel-economy-sends-regulators-scrambling">accommodation</a>, and <a href="http://pwc.blogs.com/industry_perspectives/2015/02/">logistics</a>. </p>
<p>Suppliers are often referred to as “hosts”, members of a “community”, or “partners”; even their logos are co-created and “<a href="http://blogs.ft.com/tech-blog/2014/07/airbnb-new-logo-belo">belong to everyone</a>”. The main attraction for suppliers, or rather “workers”, on these platforms, is – unsurprisingly – the <a href="http://www.requestsforstartups.com/survey">flexibility</a> they offer in earning extra income. And it’s not just basic services that are supplied. Recent <a href="http://www.afr.com/brand/boss/how-online-marketplaces-will-replace-the-big-services-firms-20150312-13ht9v">reports</a> suggest these types of platforms have the capacity to enter more specialised industries such as professional services, for instance, online marketplaces for <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/09/upcounsel-2-4m/">legal services</a>. Here, the average supplier is highly qualified, often providing niche legal services. Interestingly, anecdotal reports suggest that large firms may be using this flexible supply option to scale up and down their internal legal services as needed. </p>
<p>So, working in the collaborative economy offers significant flexibility and the opportunity for almost everyone to become entrepreneurial. This is especially the case for students, stay-at-home parents, and retirees (according to a recent <a href="http://www.requestsforstartups.com/survey">survey</a>). </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/83754/original/image-20150603-19255-tjzoxe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/83754/original/image-20150603-19255-tjzoxe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83754/original/image-20150603-19255-tjzoxe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83754/original/image-20150603-19255-tjzoxe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83754/original/image-20150603-19255-tjzoxe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83754/original/image-20150603-19255-tjzoxe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/83754/original/image-20150603-19255-tjzoxe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Not everyone is happy about the sharing economy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scott L/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But on the <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3027355/pixel-and-dimed-on-not-getting-by-in-the-gig-economy">down side</a>, a lot of uncertainty comes with such work. This wouldn’t surprise those who are already freelancers, moving from gig to gig. Newcomers, however, have to come to grips with having less security and no guaranteed income, fixed benefits, or other standard worker protections. They also have to deal with platforms that are often run via algorithms that demand potential suppliers rapidly respond to customer enquires - or they risk reduced performance ratings, potentially putting off new clients. Seen that way, not much self-determination remains, and traditional <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_management">scientific management</a> reigns. But perhaps this is just the high-speed, tech version of existing independent contracting. </p>
<p>There are some interesting developments in the relationship between workers and online platforms, though. For example, in a <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/can-the-sharing-economy-provide-good-jobs-1431288393">report in the Wall Street Journal</a> on whether the sharing economy can provide “good jobs”, collaborative economy thought leader <a href="http://rachelbotsman.com">Rachel Botsman</a> says organisations such as <a href="http://www.peers.org">Peers.org</a> and <a href="https://www.freelancersunion.org">Freelancers Union</a> “are creating ways for independent contractors to pool bargaining power to access discounted health insurance and telecom plans. Some platforms are looking at how they can give providers equity, to share value with the people creating the value”. Does that mean, in turn, we will see the collective spirit of the “community” of workers crafted and managed by these platforms <a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/1919fc24-c5b0-11e4-bd6b-00144feab7de.html#axzz3bFVAH8Lu">rise up against a platform itself</a>?</p>
<p>Adding to the complexity is the question of whether the suppliers of work are contractors - or essentially employees. The jury is out. Actually, it really is: <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/08/16/sharing-economy-are-workers-employees-independent-contractors/6GTpn1a735kNiM7T7k2vtO/story.html">Class action law suits</a> against Uber and Lyft, as a start, are challenging the classifications of freelancer or contractor versus employee (a legal classification that demands benefits and protections). These issues are also drawing attention in <a href="http://www.afr.com/news/economy/labor-stakes-a-claim-on-the-sharing-economy-for-workers-20150323-1m5okn">Australia</a> and elsewhere. </p>
<p>It is a rapidly evolving space. In the past five years, this social movement has already been relabelled several times – from “sharing”, to “collaborative”, to - more recently – the “gig” or “peer economy”. It is no longer about <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-everyone-gets-the-sharing-economy-wrong-1432495921?KEYWORDS=sharing+economy">criticising</a> the sharing economy for not only being about sharing, but about the broader questions and important <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/06/09/the-future-of-work-in-the-sharing-economy-with-esther-dyson-ron-conway-and-john-hennessy/">debates</a> we need to have on the <a href="http://www.aspeninstitute.org/about/blog/future-work-sharing-economy">future of work</a>, <a href="https://agenda.weforum.org/2015/05/what-is-the-future-of-work-travel-mobility/">skills development</a>, and issues of inclusion when it comes to sharing the created value. </p>
<p><a href="http://webuser.bus.umich.edu/gfdavis/Presentations/Davis%20CES%20talk%203-15-15.pdf">Evidence</a> has been mounting about the coming <a href="https://michiganross.umich.edu/faculty-research/faculty/jerry-davis">collapse of the traditional corporation</a>, and the end of the “<a href="https://www.freelancersunion.org/blog/dispatches/2015/05/21/need-more-proof-era-big-work-over-here-it/">Era of Big Work</a>”. As we shift from jobs to tasks and projects, how can we avoid the possible deterioration of social standards due to lower income and reduced worker protection, as raised in recent <a href="http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/sites/default/files/ef_publication/field_ef_document/ef1461en_3.pdf">reports</a> by the European Union? </p>
<p>At the <a href="http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/programmes/degrees/mba">University of Oxford</a>, and in the first MBA course dedicated to the collaborative economy, an important question is being asked: Can decentralised and distributed networks of labour actually contribute to the redistribution of wealth? As rising inequality is recognised not only as a local but a global socio-economic concern, what role will micro-entrepreneurship play? This isn’t just about more informal employment relationships, we think, but about the bigger questions of social contract, rights, duties, and responsibilities in this emerging ecosystem of work and community.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The lead author thanks Rachel Botsman and Pamela Hartigan, Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, University of Oxford, for the opportunity to discuss these issues and recent developments.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/42483/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Danielle Logue is Visiting Fellow at The Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Said Business School, University of Oxford.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Markus A. Höllerer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With the momentum of the sharing economy growing, we’re only just starting to come to grips with what it means for the future of work.Danielle Logue, Senior Lecturer in Strategy, Innovation & Organisation, University of Technology SydneyMarkus A. Höllerer, Senior Scholar, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/150012013-06-16T20:30:14Z2013-06-16T20:30:14ZLife on edge as new divide ignored<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/25559/original/nz85gkxx-1371190416.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1000%2C911&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Millions of workers struggle on the emerging periphery while those at the core enjoy the benefits of stability and skills.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Fair Work Commission’s recent wage review may have struck an increased pay deal for low-paid workers but its decision overlooks the growth of a worrying new divide in the Australian workforce.</p>
<p>With the rise and rise of the insecure worker, the issue has become less about adequate safety nets and more about the power relationship between employee and employer, the way that shapes the work contract, and the increase in a ‘disposable worker’ syndrome.</p>
<p>But while an <a href="http://www.securejobs.org.au/Home/Campaigns/Secure-Jobs-Better-Future.aspx">ACTU campaign</a> is trying to draw attention to insecure work growth, the development of a ‘core’ and ‘periphery’ workforce has largely been ignored.</p>
<h2>Waging war</h2>
<p>There are about 1.5 million low-paid workers who rely on the Fair Work Commission’s <a href="http://www.fwc.gov.au/index.cfm?pagename=min">Annual Wage Review</a> to protect their living standards: almost one in six of Australia’s 9.5 million employees. Many do not belong to unions but the ACTU represents their interests to the commission’s minimum wage panel.</p>
<p>This year, the ACTU argued for a $30 per week increase, while employers - through the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry - argued for a $5.80 increase. The Fair Work Commission awarded a $15.80 increase – worth roughly 2.6% – and reiterated that any casual employee not covered by an award or collective agreement should receive an additional loading of 24%.</p>
<p>However, while the Annual Wage Review focuses on the economic needs of the very low paid, I would argue that it does so within a framework that is heavily grounded in the idea that most low-paid workers are permanent, full-time employees.</p>
<p>In fact, the opposite is true. </p>
<h2>Core of the issue</h2>
<p>During 2011 and 2012, I chaired the Independent Inquiry into Insecure Work. The results, <a href="http://www.actu.org.au/Publications/Other/LivesonHoldUnlockingthepotentialofAustraliasworkforce.aspx">Lives on Hold: Unlocking the Potential of Australia’s Workforce</a>, were presented to the ACTU congress last year. </p>
<p>In that report, I argue that the Australian workplace divide is no longer between the blue-collar and white-collar worker, or between the private and public sectors. Instead, over recent decades, it has become a divide between the core of the workforce and those on the periphery.</p>
<p>Those in the core are likely to be in full-time employment, either permanently within organisations or possessing skills for which there is a steady demand and for which they can charge a premium. They are likely to enjoy sick leave, paid holidays and in many cases parental leave above the government’s universal scheme. </p>
<p>For them, flexibility means the chance to work in a variety of industries, to work overseas, to earn good money freelancing or to secure part-time arrangements. Periods of unemployment are short or voluntary.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/25565/original/hv2k36ht-1371192710.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/25565/original/hv2k36ht-1371192710.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/25565/original/hv2k36ht-1371192710.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/25565/original/hv2k36ht-1371192710.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/25565/original/hv2k36ht-1371192710.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/25565/original/hv2k36ht-1371192710.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/25565/original/hv2k36ht-1371192710.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Those at the core enjoy full-time employment within an organisation or they possess skills for which there is steady demand.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And then there are those on the periphery. They are employed in various insecure arrangements – casual, fixed-term contract, labour-hire companies – earning low wages and enjoying few, if any, broader entitlements such as paid leave.</p>
<p>Many do not know what hours they will work from week to week and often juggle multiple jobs in an attempt to earn what they need. If their skills are low or outdated, they are rarely offered training through work. They may shift between periods of unemployment or underemployment, effectively destroying their ability to save money. Their work is not a career – rather it is a series of unrelated temporary arrangements, with a constant struggle to maintain enough income to pay for rent, bills and food. </p>
<p>For those on the periphery, ‘flexibility’ means not knowing when and where they will work, facing the risk of being laid-off with no warning, and being required to fit family responsibilities around unpredictable periods of work.</p>
<p>Employers have always exercised authority over workplaces, but in the new economy the stronger focus on flexibility and innovation is resulting in greater rewards and power for ‘the self-programmable’ worker, who is able to process information into specific knowledge. Meanwhile, the less skilled and unskilled possess far less control over their jobs.</p>
<h2>Lack of scrutiny</h2>
<p>Unfortunately for those who find themselves in this position, the development of the core-and-periphery workforce has attracted little scrutiny. Despite growing interest and research by academics, it has slipped under the radar of our political class.</p>
<p>It’s therefore heartening to see the ACTU leading <a href="http://www.securejobs.org.au/Home/Campaigns/Secure-Jobs-Better-Future.aspx">a campaign</a> against the growth of insecure work. Importantly, the unions’ campaign is built around stories about the real experience of work today, not unlike those we heard again and again during our inquiry – workers who <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PN9BSGzfro">can’t get a loan</a> or who <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoPpvSs71UE">struggle to make time to be with their family</a> because of the precarious nature of their working arrangements.</p>
<h2>Narrow view</h2>
<p>Increasing polarisation in the workforce follows from and reinforces a narrow definition of the desired ‘skills’ that make workers attractive to employers looking to hire, as opposed to broader strategies that might strengthen workforce capability.</p>
<p>As our inquiry found, the issue is less about having an adequate safety net and more about employers having a narrow view of our workforce potential, leading to an unwillingness to invest in people. The recent debate over the misuse of 457 visas by some employers reinforces this point.</p>
<p>It is obvious that Australia needs new and less hierarchical forms of work organisation if we are to get the most from our workforce. This will also require more inclusive strategies designed to increase workforce potential.</p>
<p>The alternative is more of the same: a “disposable worker” syndrome that undervalues the potential of our greatest asset - our people.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/15001/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brian Howe chaired the 2012 Independent Inquiry into Insecure Work, established by the ACTU. He was deputy prime minister in the Keating Labor government between 1991 and 1995.</span></em></p>The Fair Work Commission’s recent wage review may have struck an increased pay deal for low-paid workers but its decision overlooks the growth of a worrying new divide in the Australian workforce. With…Brian Howe, Professorial Associate in the Centre for Public Policy, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/85262012-08-03T04:46:43Z2012-08-03T04:46:43ZThe Future of Work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/13823/original/thcpfmfj-1343969059.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Technology and globalisation are dramatically transforming the workers and workplaces of the future.</span> </figcaption></figure><p>The modern workplace is constantly evolving. The water cooler and the 9-to-5 grind are quickly becoming relics of the past; what is in store for the future?</p>
<p>The Conversation has been running a series, the Future of Work, which looks at the way technology, globalisation, and demographic change are rapidly transforming the way we work in the 21st century. </p>
<p>Read stories from the series here. </p>
<hr>
<p><strong>On the rise of freelance workers:</strong> If you’re sick of sticking it to the man, is it truly better to become your own boss? University of South Australia’s Barbara Pocock highlights the imperfect freedoms that pose a challenge to independent contractors. </p>
<p><em>“As Dederer’s story shows, the freelancer’s life is not all a happy or smooth one, even in a bustling haven of freelancing like Seattle. Her household’s income is low and unpredictable: they do not starve, but there are unsteady moments. When her children come along, she describes the schizo-manic life of mother-worker, torn between the deadline and the playground.”</em></p>
<p>Read the full story <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-imperfect-freedoms-of-the-freelancer-in-the-changing-world-of-work-8312">here</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Home sweet office:</strong> A growing number of workers have flocked from the cubicle to the comfort of their own home. It’s time, London Metropolitan University’s Frances Holliss argues, that we started <a href="https://theconversation.com/home-is-where-the-work-is-the-case-for-an-urban-design-revolution-8147">designing dwellings</a> with this in mind. </p>
<p><em>“Cities and buildings designed around home-based work would inevitably take a different form. It’s time for us to explore this. Recognising the existence of the workhome – and its immense contemporary relevance – is a necessary first step.”</em></p>
<hr>
<p><strong>The growing precariat:</strong> Greater casualisation of the workforce will mean that <a href="https://theconversation.com/labour-in-vain-casualisation-presents-a-precarious-future-for-workers-8181">job security will lessen significantly</a> in the future, argues Monash University’s Veronica Sheen. </p>
<p><em>The dynamic of how casual work can masquerade as employment stability is illustrated by Patricia, who had been working for 18 months prior to interview as a ward’s clerk in a hospital in an outer suburb of Melbourne. After 12 months as a casual, she attained permanent part-time status for one day per week. However, she was still on call as a casual to work another two or three days per week, although there was always variability in days and hours of work.“</em></p>
<hr>
<p><strong>A boom - but for whom?:</strong> As Australia continues to reap the rewards from the resources boom, it’s logical to assume that demand for fly-in, fly-out workers will increase. QUT’s Alison McIntosh looks at the social and economic effects that large-scale transient workforces have on mining communities. </p>
<p><em>"Demand for resource sector workers undoubtedly means that FIFOs/DIDOs are here to stay. It is also clear that these practices have huge implications for host communities’ viability and wellbeing. The diminution of human, social, economic, institutional and environmental capital in mining regions jeopardises communities and towns, deters development or investment in alternative industry sectors and threatens sustainability.”</em></p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Technology and the death of leisure:</strong> Even when it’s time to tune out and relax after a hard day’s work, the instant email alert on your smartphone makes it impossible to switch off. We must be wary of becoming <a href="https://theconversation.com/tool-or-time-thief-technology-and-the-work-life-balance-8165">slaves to the machine</a>, argues Monash University’s Anne Bardoel. </p>
<p><em>“There is no doubt that technology has changed the way we work and provides challenges for work-life balance.
On the football field, the boundary marks the edge of the field. Inside the boundary, the ball is in play; beyond the boundary it is out of play. The trouble with the boundary between work and personal lives is that it is very permeable. As renowned sociologist Arlie Hochschild identified, workplaces are greedy institutions and technology has allowed them by stealth to expand the boundary line and encroach on our personal lives.”</em></p>
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<p><strong>Sick of shift work:</strong> FIFO workers may be bringing in comfortable wages, but Griffith University’s Olav Muurlink holds <a href="https://theconversation.com/despite-wealth-for-toil-fifo-workers-find-themselves-sick-and-tired-8540">serious concerns about the physical and psychological impacts</a> on individuals. </p>
<p><em>Despite a hefty paypacket, he sleeps more nights in a “<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/rural/reporter/stories/s3149168.htm">donga</a>camp” 1400 kilometres from home than he does under his own roof. Whereas 30 years ago, the typical Australian shift worker was a nurse, police officer, or other front-line emergency worker, Bureau of Statistics figures show that mining is single-handedly changing the face of the night owls.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/8526/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Veronica Sheen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The modern workplace is constantly evolving. The water cooler and the 9-to-5 grind are quickly becoming relics of the past; what is in store for the future? The Conversation has been running a series…Veronica Sheen, Research Associate, Political and Social Inquiry , Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/81472012-07-24T20:17:57Z2012-07-24T20:17:57ZHome is where the work is: the case for an urban design revolution<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/12990/original/wmxwkt8d-1342404197.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">From the workplace to the workhome: architectural design should evolve to reflect the growing number of people taking part in home-based work.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">seier + seier</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Welcome to the Future of Work, a series from The Conversation that looks at the ongoing evolution of the workplace. Today, London Metropolitan University’s Frances Holliss looks at the growth of home-based work and the implications for urban design.</em></p>
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<p>The home-based workforce is <a href="http://wiego.org/informal-economy/occupational-groups/home-based-workers">growing rapidly, globally</a>. This is a popular, family-friendly, environmentally-sustainable practice; good for both the city and the economy. But we do not generally design for it at either an urban or a building scale. </p>
<p>This needs to change.</p>
<p>As ubiquitous as the “house”, the building type that combines dwelling and workplace has existed for hundreds - even thousands - of years. Examples can be found worldwide. </p>
<p>They range from the Japanese <a href="http://www.kyotomachiya.com/">machiya</a> to Malaysian <a href="http://penangshophouse.blogspot.co.uk/">shop-house</a>; Iranian <a href="http://www.oikodomos.org/workspaces/app/webroot/files/deliveries/skahayyat13135_150_ProcessofHousingTransformationinIran.pdf">courtyard house</a> to Vietnamese <a href="http://blog.quintinlake.com/2010/06/16/tube-houses-of-vietnam/">tube house</a>; medieval English <a href="http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/wharram-percy-deserted-medieval-village/history-and-research/long-houses/">longhouse</a> to contemporary live/work unit. Taking different forms according to culture and climate, these buildings are often so familiar that we do not notice them.</p>
<p>Their history has not been constructed before. But it can be found - fragmented and often disguised - in publications about houses or workplaces, about individual buildings or architects’ oeuvres, or about particular geographical locations or historical periods of history. </p>
<p><strong>The “workhome”</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/science-of-natural-history/biographies/linnaeus/index.html">Carl Linnaeus</a>, the 18th century botanist whose classification system for the biological sciences is still in use today, said: “If you do not know the name of things, the knowledge of them is lost too.”</p>
<p>This may be key to understanding why so little is know about this age-old building type. </p>
<p>Before the industrial revolution, it was called “house”, with sub-sets of bake-house, bath-house, ale-house and so on. But through the 20th century, the term “house” came to refer to a building type in which people cook, eat, bathe, sleep and watch TV, and nothing else. So the building that combines dwelling and workplace lost its name.</p>
<p>In order to be able to gather knowledge about it, this building type needs a name. So I have coined the generic term “workhome” to refer to all buildings that combine dwelling and workplace. </p>
<p><strong>Research process</strong></p>
<p>To establish the existence of the workhome, I excavated its <a href="http://www.theworkhome.com/history-workhome/">history</a> from medieval times to the present day in England. </p>
<p>Then, building on work carried out by North American architects <a href="http://www.scarp.ubc.ca/profiles/faculty/Penny%20Gurstein">Penny Gurstein</a> and <a href="http://live-work.com/">Thomas Dolan</a>, I set out to identify some (ideally universal) design “truths” for workhomes. </p>
<p>A close <a href="http://www.theworkhome.com/underlying-research/">scrutiny</a> was made of the lives and premises of 76 contemporary home-based workers in urban, suburban and rural contexts in England. Participants were selected from across the social spectrum, working in a wide range of occupations and inhabiting all sorts of different buildings. </p>
<p>A semi-structured interview was held with each person. Some lasted only twenty minutes while others talked for hours. Many said how much they enjoyed the process and how it affirmed their chosen lifestyle.</p>
<p>Photographs were taken of each building, inside and out, except where these would endanger the inhabitant in some way. And each building was measured so simple plans could be drawn.</p>
<p><strong>Who are these home-based workers?</strong></p>
<p>An <a href="http://www.theworkhome.com/user-groups/">analysis</a> of all the home-based workers, first, revealed eight different workhome user-groups.</p>
<p><em>juggling parents</em></p>
<p><em>backbone of the community</em></p>
<p><em>professionals</em></p>
<p><em>24/7 artists</em></p>
<p><em>top-up</em></p>
<p><em>craft-worker</em></p>
<p><em>live-in</em></p>
<p><em>start-up</em></p>
<p>The analysis highlighted the different spatial and environmental requirements for each group, which hints at the need to revolutionise design for home-based work. </p>
<h2>What are these buildings like?</h2>
<p>An <a href="http://www.socresonline.org.uk/17/2/24.html">analysis</a> of the buildings, in terms of their dominant function, found two basic types</p>
<p><em>home-dominated</em></p>
<p><em>work-dominated</em></p>
<p>Home-based workers either work in their homes or live at their workplaces. A lack of understanding of this basic distinction has led to confusion on both sides of the ocean as local authorities tried to legislate the “live/work” movement. </p>
<p><strong>Three degrees of spatial separation</strong></p>
<p>Most contemporary home-based workers inhabit buildings that have not been designed for the dual use. This often causes frustration, stress and inefficiency. A central issue is the relationship between the “dwelling” and “workplace” elements of the workhome.</p>
<p>Three basic degrees of spatial separation between the two functions were found in the 76 buildings studied. Each is suited to different sorts of home-based worker.</p>
<p><em>no separation: live-with</em></p>
<p><em>some separation: live-adjacent</em></p>
<p><em>more separation: live-nearby</em></p>
<p>The first type combines dwelling and workplace in a single fire compartment with a single entrance. Many different possible models exist, including the “double-height space and mezzanine” and the “workspace in the spare bedroom”.</p>
<p>The second type combines dwelling and workplace in two adjacent fire compartments each with its own entrance. This type is popular in workhomes such as shops, pubs and funeral parlours, where the work involves interactions with members of the public. </p>
<p>The third type separates dwelling and workplace into two buildings a small distance from each other. Each has its own entrance. Common models include the “shed at the bottom of the garden” and the “mews workspace at the bottom of the garden across a courtyard, with a separate access road”. </p>
<p><strong>Design as a tool</strong></p>
<p>Common disadvantages to home-based work include problems with <a href="http://www.socresonline.org.uk/17/2/24.html">occupational identity</a> and social isolation. The fact that most home-based workers inhabit cities and buildings designed around the dominant spatiality of the industrial revolution, which separated dwelling from workplace, exacerbates this. </p>
<p>Cities and buildings designed around home-based work would inevitably take a different form. It’s time for us to explore this. Recognising the existence of the workhome - and its immense contemporary relevance - is a necessary first step. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/8147/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Frances Holliss has received funding from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council and from the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation.</span></em></p>Welcome to the Future of Work, a series from The Conversation that looks at the ongoing evolution of the workplace. Today, London Metropolitan University’s Frances Holliss looks at the growth of home-based…Frances Holliss, Architect and academic, London Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/83122012-07-23T20:41:53Z2012-07-23T20:41:53ZThe imperfect freedoms of the freelancer in the changing world of work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/13134/original/qh3fhy9y-1342659921.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Self-employment can offer a great deal of flexibility, but it can also result in a poorer work-life balance.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">lulemon athletica</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Welcome to the Future of Work, a series from The Conversation that looks at the ongoing evolution of the workplace. Today, University of South Australia’s Barbara Pocock looks at the rise of freelance workers.</em></p>
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<p>Anyone who has read Claire Dederer’s memoir <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Poser-Life-Twenty-three-Yoga-Poses/dp/0374236445">Poser: My life in twenty-three yoga poses</a>, will have gleaned some insight into the romantic hopes of the freelancer. A writer, Dederer spends her days working at home with her partner (also a freelancer) nearby, taking extended walks and improving her downward dog – and many other yoga poses - in between assignments. She does not have to deal with a boss, she has no start or finish times, no dreary commute, no need for negotiation with colleagues around tasks and time, and no need for shallow water cooler conversations with people she does not care much about.</p>
<p>However, as Dederer’s story shows, the freelancer’s life is not all a happy or smooth one, even in a bustling haven of freelancing like Seattle. Her household’s income is low and unpredictable: they do not starve, but there are unsteady moments. When her children come along, she describes the schizo-manic life of mother-worker, torn between the deadline and the playground. She has children who need her at inconvenient times, an extended family who think she should be “on tap” because she is not clocked into an office somewhere, and has a career that is, well, not a career but a flexible supplement to her partner’s vocation.</p>
<p>Dederer – like millions of other workers around the world, in growing numbers – is in pursuit of control while performing her occupation. She wants to follow a vocation, earn a living, and stay in charge. Years of research about jobs that are good for our health and wellbeing provide a rationale for this quest: autonomy at work is good for you – that is, control over what you do, and how and when you do it. Jobs that offer low levels of control – especially where tasks are demanding ‑ are toxic for workers, who feel trapped by having too much to do, while having no way of controlling their working lives.</p>
<p>In 2011, <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6359.0/">one million Australian workers</a> are technically in the “independent contractor” or freelancer category. This is a lot in a workforce of just 11.4 million. Changing technologies and growth in the services sector, in company with the changing demographics, preferences and care responsibilities of workers like Dederer, are driving growth in new forms of employment. Business strategy also explains this growth – with many businesses (like newspapers) looking to cut labour costs, outsource functions and more tightly match labour supply to specific tasks. This means more work is occurring outside traditional employment relationships, creating a challenge to the regulation of fair working practices. Unfortunately, this issue doesn’t get anywhere near as much political airplay as fights, for example, on the well-rehearsed IR stamping grounds of collective agreements versus individual contracts.</p>
<p>Some people turn to independent work in pursuit of control, because it lets them do what they want, does away with a boss, and because they are put off by inflexible work schedules. Some get what they want. However, it seems that many do not.</p>
<p>Our large national surveys of work-life interference in Australia, for example, show year after year that self-employment does not result in better work-life balance: on a range of work-life measures life looks about as busy for the self-employed, on average, as it does for employees (for example see <a href="http://w3.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cwl/documents/AWALI2010-report.pdf">Pocock, Skinner and Pisaniello, 2010</a>). However, when we look at part-timers and full-timers separately, the full-time self-employed do longer hours than employees – nearly a day a week – and not surprisingly, they have worse work-life outcomes than full-time employees. These same results are evident amongst parents: self-employment does not result in better work-life outcomes for mothers and fathers, compared with employment. Outcomes for fathers in particular are worse.</p>
<p>ABS surveys tell us that only 60% of independent contractors (defined as those who operate their own business and contract to provide services to others) have authority over their own work (ABS 2011). Many others are essentially on the end of the phone or under instruction from clients – often a single client. Autonomy is probably far from their daily experience. That said, most (82%) have some say over their start and finish times, which is well above that available to the 40% of employees who have some flexibility of this type.</p>
<p>In fact, many so-called independent contractors are actually “dependent” contractors. For example, a third of all such contractors are in the construction industry and another sizeable group drive trucks and work in the transport sector, with very little authority over their own work. They far outnumber the freelancer professional. And far from being in control of their working lives and fitting their jobs around other activities, they are often on the end of the phone and accepting the terms of engagement offered by a boss – sorry, client. As the <a href="http://www.actu.org.au/Publications/Other/LivesonHoldUnlockingthepotentialofAustraliasworkforce.aspx">recent public inquiry into insecure work</a> pointed out, bogus employment arrangements of this type need regulating in a changing labour force.</p>
<p>Many people – employers and employees - want to organise work differently: employees because they accurately perceive prevailing workplace cultures as inflexible and inefficient, and employers because the nature of their business and its environment is changing. The work-life and productivity dividends of better arrangements may well be sizable. But realising them requires ‑ <a href="http://ministers.deewr.gov.au/shorten/sydney-institute-address-future-work-having-good-job">as Bill Shorten recently said</a> – the employment relations debate in Australia to rise above “quackery” and the re-run of old debates in old tracks. Instead, we must come to grips with new kinds of workers, looking for new kinds of work arrangements, that can deliver both good work, fair outcomes and sustainable work-life outcomes.</p>
<p>While the romantic life of the yogi freelancer might be realised by some, it is not the dominant experience. Decent labour standards and good management to underpin new types of employment are essential in Australia for the million who work this way now - and the many more who are likely to in the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/8312/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>As Director of the Centre for Work + LIfe at the University of South Australia, Barbara Pocock received funding from the Australian Research Council, The South Australian and Australian Governments, the Community and Public Sector Union, The State Public Services Federation, ZerowasteSA and the Land Management Corporation.</span></em></p>Welcome to the Future of Work, a series from The Conversation that looks at the ongoing evolution of the workplace. Today, University of South Australia’s Barbara Pocock looks at the rise of freelance…Barbara Pocock, Professor & Director of the Centre for Work + Life, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.