The gig economy refers to a labor market where there are more short-term contractors than permanent employees. In recent years, there’s been a trend towards a gig economy, and it’s a trend that is going to continue to rise to prevalence. A study by Intuit has forecasted, that by 2020, 40% of American workers would be independent contractors.
“Individual commitment to a group effort–that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
-Vince Lombardi
With a gig economy that is constantly evolving, the individual and group commitment must be a greater focus as we move at a rapid pace with “new” types of teams.
The part of this paradigm that needs to evolve is that trust and partnership are not mutually exclusive with short-term engagements. Obviously, most parties that are operating in a gig economy understand the why, the how, and the result of this growing portion of the workforce. The gig workforce still needs to value the same pillars that traditional workforces follow: partnership, loyalty, trust, and a mutual desire to succeed.
When a full-time employee is hired, there is built-in trust from both sides that allows people to start from a more trusting space. This is a space where all employment types should begin from regardless of contract, full-time, or freelance. By starting with trust, we can let time be the judge of how we succeed or fail due to bad intentions or lack of trust. This is not just an employer and an employee/consultant issue, it is both. Both parties need to buy into a common goal regardless of the type and length of an assignment.
Trust is a must and failure is not an option. We all know employees who are not bought-in and consultants who are completely bought-in and vice versa. We need to be able to change the narrative, so all workers have a handle on where people stand and can work in partnership.
“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”
– Henry Ford
By starting a working relationship with trust and by entering into a partnership, the gig economy can transition smoothly into the rest of the workforce.
