What is a Gig Worker?
According to Investopedia, ‘In a gig economy, temporary, flexible jobs are commonplace and companies tend toward hiring independent contractors and freelancers instead of full-time employees. A gig economy undermines the traditional economy of full-time workers who rarely change positions and instead focus on a lifetime career.”
Gig workers include independent contractors, freelancers, consultants, part time, and side hustles. Generally, a gig worker is a short term resource and is not a traditional full time employee. It’s estimated that as much as a third of the workforce is involved in gig work in some capacity.
Why are Organizations Engaging Gig Workers?
There are advantages in using gig workers in the right situations:
The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend toward engaging gig workers. It has highlighted a need for staffing flexibility, both up and down, as the economy adjusts. Remote working is also a contributor to moving toward gig workers.
Should I use Job Fit Assessments for Gig Workers?
It is important to recognize that your gig workers will contribute to your organization’s success in the same way a traditional employee will. Their productivity and retention (for the required period) will have the same impacts as our traditional employees.
Hiring and onboarding a gig worker often happens more quickly than with a traditional employee. Given the shorter tenure, it is critically important that the gig worker gets up to speed quickly. The manager needs to learn their strengths and weaknesses and how to best communicate with them just as quickly.
Job fit assessments provide objective information about the worker’s reasoning ability and behavioral traits. Comparing these traits to a benchmark of requirements for a specific job, helps ensure the worker is a good fit and can hit the ground running. A manager will not have the normal 6 – 12 month “get to know you” period with a gig worker, and so it is vital that they understand up front, the worker’s traits, their reasoning skills, and how they will fit the job.
You’ll want to use an assessment that is easy to administer, measures traits important to the role, generates results immediately and is easy to use. PDServices offers a family of assessments that meets these needs. There are different assessments for different job levels and benchmarks for specific jobs. And you will be pleasantly surprised by the cost! Give us a shout at 740-326-4494 or info@PDServices.com to try one today.
