Do you have It in you to be a gig worker?

Sanjay Arora

 What do you understand about the term "employment"? While a majority refer to it as a source of living, some believe that it is a method of utilising qualifications and interest.  With varying mindsets of working, people have spread across different types of corporate jobs and non-corporate jobs. Mentally saturating roles absorb some, and others are keen to become lancers for monetary satisfaction. However, these traditional forms of employment and unemployment have given rise to a workforce that demands flexibility, autonomy and mental security. As a result, contractual jobs are no longer restricted to physical labourers at construction sites. It has evolved into what we know as the "Gig- Economy" today.

As more and more people are beginning to take up various short-term jobs, known as Gigs, this type of economy is starting to take up a larger workforce, and studies show no sign of slowing down.

 The gig economy enables a free market system that provides temporary positions to people. These include statuses of independent workers for short-term commitments, freelancers, independent contract/project-based workers and temporary or part-time hires. All of these different jobs together form the Gig Economy.

 To get a job that can be done from any place you like, at a time you wish to, and at a pace that runs with your tempo, can lure anyone from their current employment position. But it sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? However, this job comes with its fair share of challenges.

To work on your terms can sound pleasing until you have to start hunting for a job that properly suits your taste constantly. Companies do outsourcing on a contractual basis, and therefore the project only sustains for a short period. And within this short-term, you will be expected to keep up to the agreed deadlines, gain positive reviews to attract more clients, and above all, not mess up with the work that is under your full responsibility.

 The temporary nature of work can often burden you with more work than you can deliver, and at other times you are practically idle. Maintaining a continuous stream is the most commonly faced challenge by our work in the gig economy. Moreover, finding quality work and reliable clients regularly can also be quite a test of patience.

 The idea of being the boss sounds appealing, but this responsibility extends even to become a challenge at work. As the only master of your time, the work can sometimes keep you floating on the surface and sometimes completely under pressure according to your temperament. The time and energy spent must correspond to the target amount of what you would expect from a regular job. The roles of a gig worker aren't as flexible as they seem because companies only incentivise them when they are in dire need or under pressure. Under the gig economy, the whole purpose of companies hiring a gig worker is because they wish experts to come in and complete specific jobs correctly within a small frame. Therefore, even the first day on a freelancing project can look like the 100th day of a never-ending task.

 Your job lies in not only completing the work skillfully but artistically balancing the given work. Unlike an office, you may or may not be able to wind up an equal amount every month. Managing freelance time includes a solid recording of everything you get up to. You need to keep accurate accounts of all pays for direct billing and self-assessment of your progress. Although the Central government has proposed many benefits of registering as a gig worker successfully, it is difficult to regulate due to its flexible and dynamic nature. As a result, execution of tax laws and labour laws becomes ineffective mainly. You will have to get accustomed to unguaranteed minimum wages, irregulated hours of work, and lack of healthcare and other benefits.

 Working as a freelance worker will accommodate and allow you to invest in your skills. Unlike full-time workers, who receive the salary at the discretion of the employers, it's in gig workers' interest to keep evolving their expertise. Corporate jobs give money to employees to advance their learning as per the needs of the organisation, but as a gig worker, you will be left at your own stake to develop the skills needed to survive in this kind of economy. If you fail to possess a higher skill, you will also be terminated from gaining a higher bargaining power and hence have neither financial security nor dignity of labour.

 The benefits of the Gig industry makes it look easier to join in. But, compared to the lancer skills we have been developing since childhood, you will have to nurture a completely different set of skills to get a grip over this type of economy. Unlike the translucent and measured conversations in an organisation, you must hone skills to convey transparency in communication so that you can gain employers' trust and earn rapport with your customers.

To start a career in the gig economy, you must be fluent in utilising technology in the most effective ways so that you can advertise and sell your skills in the right market. It is hard to say how gig economy will affect or change the future of the job market, but we do know that both companies and workers will need to continue to adapt to it. However, it's up to you to decide whether you are strong enough to become a successful gig worker.

 It really depends on how much-specialised knowledge and expertise you have been bringing to the table.

If you are running from one kind of work to another without having your own brand in a particular area, you are not ready to do gigs.

If you are a specialist, you have been learning and unlearning continuously through experience, online courses, academic qualifications, and blogs.

All this is visible on more than one social network. You would be a great hit in the gig economy. You can choose the projects you work on. You can choose where to work. If there is enough demand for your expertise, you can have much more flexibility and variety than you could ever get working for one employer. You will also have many more opportunities to learn new things and grow in your field.

 Are you prepared to be an expert on something and take advantage of the gig economy, or are you ready to be repeatedly exploited as an undifferentiated daily labourer? The choice is yours.

 The writer is Chief Mentor and CEO at mavencareercoaching.com

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