Talent Acquisition and the "Gig Economy" - Building a strategy and maintaining a network of "Side Hustlers" (2/4)

Continuing on the discussion with John Syverson of Gentry Partnership. If an organization decides to keep the responsibilities in house and have started in on a plan there are a few other steps and strategies to consider. In this look into starting a Gig Workforce strategy we'll discuss one of the more important partners to engage early on in the process, Legal. Uber is a great example of a company that relies on a gig workforce. They currently are in a legal battle with California over responsibilities to those workers that could significantly impact their model and financial standing.

Consult your legal counsel - There are two different definitions of the types of gig workers INDEPENDANT, those who work as their own entity or “boss”, or CONTRACTORS, those that work similarly to FTE’s without the benefits and security of an FTE, but also don’t have the same constraints as an FTE such as working from a specific location or specific work hours.

It is important to work closely with a legal representative with a strong background in the ever changing employment laws to define your relationship with these workers. Each company will have a different level of flexibility in their compliance interpretation so it is important to establish that and stay within the defined boundries. Laws can vary state by state and simple things such as recognition and team lunches can quickly become more complex with the addition of a gig workforce. Co-employment issues can result in big financial penalties and audits can be quite painful, so it is important to be aware of any potential issues ahead of time.

Final 2 articles next week we'll dig deeper into the strategies behind attracting and maintaing a gig workforce.