Disruption Proof, M.A. Ballot Measure, Square Partners With Tiktok, and More...

There are approximately 60 million Independent workers in the United States, representing $1.5 trillion in U.S. GDP and growing. Projections estimate that 50% of our U.S. workforce will be independent workers by 2025- 2030. The Gig Economy represents a trend that will digitally transform how organizations engage with talent.

I believe that?every organization?in?every industry?needs a Gig Economy strategy. Not having one in 2021 is like missing the internet trend in 1990 or the mobile revolution in 2010.

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Join me tonight at 7:00 PM as I have a conversation with The New York Times bestselling author Brant Cooper. We will be discussing his new book, Disruption Proof (RSVP HERE)

One thing in life is certain: change is constant. Thanks to the rapid pace of technological innovation in the digital age—and further accelerated by the global COVID-19 pandemic—massive structural change is happening on a grander scale than ever before. Faced with unprecedented complexity and uncertainty, most business leaders struggle to see the way forward. Company organization, systems, and management are still primarily based on the most effective in the Industrial Age. Disruption Proof offers a new approach that addresses our current reality.

The Freelance Revolution

The rise of independent contractors and globalization of knowledge work is the Industrial Revolution of our time. Everywhere we look, we can see the U.S. workforce undergoing a massive and structural change.

How a Fractional Executive Can Take Your Business to the Next Level?-?What is occurring with the gig economy is fascinating. I nerd out on this stuff; I can't help it — I was an economics major in business school. Before this type of work hit a magnitude to justify an entire economy, I knew it as the fractional workforce.?

Innovating the gig economy?- Matt Spoke, the CEO of Moves Financial, talks about what it takes to innovate for the gig worker and change labor's relationship to capital.

UC Berkeley finds gig workers could earn $4.82 per hour if M.A. ballot proposal passes?-?A coalition of app-based delivery and ride-hail companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash recently?filed a ballot proposition in Massachusetts?to continue classifying gig economy workers as independent contractors, rather than employees. Suppose the measure makes it to the November 2022 ballot and passes. In that case, drivers could end up earning as little as a quarter of the minimum wage,?according to a University of California-Berkeley study?published on Wednesday.

This rider-owned food delivery service is taking back power from Deliveroo?-?Food delivery companies famously treat their workers poorly. They don't give them a paid holiday, sick leave, or secure job contracts. So a group of ex-Deliveroo and Just Eat drivers got together and decided to do things differently. Wings is a rider-owned co-op based in Finsbury Park in central London. It works much like?Deliveroo, but one crucial difference is that it only delivers for local independent restaurants.

The Creator Economy?

The Creator Economy has many similarities to the sharing and gig economies back in 2012-2015. Independent talent, technology platforms, and hype. All are driven by the dream of making a living by doing what you love. At over $100B+ the creator economy is just getting started.

Creator Economy Platform Koji Announces "Commerce Week," Including New Apps For Selling Lightroom Presets, Physical Products, E-Books, And More; Tools For Offering Exclusive Discounts To NFT Owners; Partnerships With Alex Stemplewski and Other Artists And Creators?- Koji, the world's most powerful link in bio and the leading app store for social media, today announced its inaugural Commerce Week, which includes a celebration of the artists, creators, and small businesses using Koji to lead the next generation of creator-first e-commerce, as well as the launch of six new e-commerce mini-apps on the Koji App Store.

The ultimate guide to the creator economy?- The COVID pandemic has propelled the Creator Economy into a new era, fuelled by the upward trend of people monetizing their passions to make a living.

Square Partners With TikTok To Capture The Creator Economy?- Fintech powerhouse Square announced a new partnership with TikTok that enables merchants on the social media platform to set up online stores.

CreatorIQ Raises $40 Million in Thriving Influencer Economy?- In 2014, Igor Vaks knew the creator economy would boom — and he wanted to be a part of it. He created Culver City-based SocialEdge Inc., better known as CreatorIQ, to develop marketing software for influencers' brands.

The Hybrid Workplace

We see unprecedented numbers of companies implementing remote work programs. The way we work has forever changed and will require new skills and leadership approaches.

How to manage remote workers across different time zones?-?The modern shift to a remote-heavy work model has put a novel kind of pressure on teams as they strive to stay on the same page.?Flexible schedules?and different time zones can make it challenging to be on the clock simultaneously - let alone?collaborate.

Are office perks obsolete??- For the past decade, it has sometimes felt like companies have been in a perks arms race to attract talent. Free snacks, break-room pool tables, or in-house gyms: the more 'fun' the space and the better the freebies, the thinking went, the more likely people were to want to dedicate their working hours (and then some) to the organization.

Why flexible working is the future?– It is no surprise that the need for more flexible working practices has become a talking point. Before Covid, many companies were reluctant to formalize working from home or consider hours outside the traditional 9-5. The last 18 months have proven that employees can shift to home offices and adapt hours to better fit their lifestyles without compromising productivity.

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Workplace Wellness?

We will spend one-third of our lives working, and the disruption to the way we work has never moved faster. This all can impact our overall wellness as we navigate the changing landscape and fight for balance.

?Are workplace wellness programs all they're cracked up to be? Here's the deal?- If you've never experienced a workplace wellness program, you might consider yourself lucky. These seemingly ubiquitous programs spread like wildfire after the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, with workplace wellness industry revenue more than tripling to $8 billion between 2010 and 2018.

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PAUL ESTES, the best-selling author of the best-selling book?Gig Mindset?and is an unstoppable advocate for the simple idea of ensuring that all voices are heard and that all people have access to opportunity. This passion is inspired by the quote from the late?Leila Janah?"Talent?is equally distributed,?opportunity is not."?Now is the time to address systemic?location bias?and encourage companies to reach beyond their organizational boundaries to engage the world's best minds.??For 20 years, He struggled to balance his life with fast-moving leadership roles at Dell, Amazon, and Microsoft. He led a team of progressive H.R., procurement, and legal trailblazers to launch Microsoft's Gig Economy freelance program. Hiring his first virtual assistant transformed the way he lived and worked.

Paul is the former host of the Gig Mindset and?The Talent Economy podcast. Each week, Paul provides insights and perspective to over 95,000 readers of his weekly LinkedIn newsletter, and he frequently shares his insights as a keynote speaker and panelist. He has nine pending patents in content and collaboration related to the on-demand economy.?