State of Gig Work, Web3 Is the Future, Hotel-Style Hybrid Offices and More...

Approximately 60 million independent workers in the United States represent $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 the future of work.

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.

The Freelance Revolution

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

How banks can better serve the growing gig economy ?- From independent contractors to side hustlers, the gig economy has a substantial – and growing – presence and momentum. Banks that fail to notice and adjust service strategies accordingly are at risk of losing revenue and relevance.

From treatment of gig workers to tip transparency, the app-based economy could see key changes in 2022 ?- Efforts in states, the U.S. Labor Department, and other countries to regulate Uber, Lyft, and others could lead to significant changes in the business model launched more than a decade ago.

How talent acquisition is changing with the gig economy ?-?In the gig economy, independent/contract workers engage with organizations to complete various tasks such as deliveries, sales, phone calls, etc. These workers are not entitled to employee benefits and can work part-time as per their availability and convenience.

The State of Gig Work in 2021 ?-?16% of Americans have ever earned money from an online gig platform. While most gig platform workers say, they have had a positive experience with these jobs, some report facing on-the-job troubles like being treated rudely or sexually harassed.

The Creator Economy?

The Creator Economy has many similarities to the sharing and gig economies 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.

Web3 Is the Future of the Creator Economy ?-?Defined by the?50 million creatives turning their passions into professions , the creator economy comprises content creators of all kinds: influencers, artists, journalists, gamers, and anyone else making content and connecting with fans. Relatively new platforms such as Patreon, Twitch, Substack, and Discord are fueling this direct creator-to-fan network, bypassing traditional gatekeepers while swinging open the doors to new kinds of content creation and monetization.

Not every creator economy startup is built for creators ?–?Ten years ago, if you were a scrappy kid somehow making a living off of YouTube ad revenue and brand deals, you were probably told you didn't have a real job. Now, if monetizing your creative output is how you pay your rent, you're part of the creator economy, a buzzy new industry.

HypeFactory Identified Three Trends in the Creator Economy to Keep In Mind in 2022 ?-?HypeFactory has analyzed the results of this year and identified trends that brands should keep in mind when planning their marketing and advertising strategies.

Five predictions for the creator economy in 2022 ?-?Monetizing digital content is nothing new, but the pandemic turbocharged the sector as people turned to social and subscription platforms to supplement their income during stay-at-home measures—or out of boredom like many TikTok stars who joined the growing platform as something to do and found a full-time career.

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.

Maintaining Security in Offices with a Hybrid Work Model ?-?In a workplace redefined by remote capabilities, there are new concerns for company leaders and building owners, managers, and developers to address—especially security. Maintaining security in offices with a hybrid work model requires efforts in cybersecurity to protect digital assets and?access control ?to safeguard physical ones.?

A Hotel-Style Hybrid Work Environment May Be the Answer to the Post-Pandemic Office Question ?-?Before Covid, we at BluShark Digital had a more traditional office setup — assigned desks for everyone organized by department. We could not implement work-from-home (WFH) on a large scale, but we had to accommodate a completely remote team by force when the pandemic hit. The office lease was up in December of 2020, but with Covid still raging, we decided not to renew.

What Really Happens When Workers Are Given a Flexible Hybrid Schedule? ?-?The Covid-19 pandemic has redrawn corporate policies such that most major companies now offer employees the flexibility to work both from the office and from home. BlackRock Inc. mandates three days per week in person, and Apple Inc., which this month postponed its planned Feb. 1 office return indefinitely because of disruptions from the omicron variant, has chosen three specific in-office days: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

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.

?Burnout dominated 2021. Here's the history of our burnout problem. ?–?Today, burnout is a keyword for how we talk about our problems with work. Burnout was?cited in one recent survey ?as the main reason record numbers of people quit their jobs in 2021. (Meanwhile, the?people who stayed behind ?in understaffed workplaces were experiencing their own burnout.) But burnout has been with us for decades. And like Dylan's career, its origin story is tangled up in the counterculture of Lower Manhattan.

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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 Talent Economy podcasts. Each week, Paul provides insights and perspective to over 100,000 readers of his weekly LinkedIn newsletter, and he frequently shares his insights as a keynote speaker and panelist.?