The evolution of the gig economy in recent years has put portable workers on the priority lists of companies around the globe. As workers find ways to capitalize on their skills outside of the traditional office environment, businesses are able to fill their skills gaps by investing in talent at times that make the most sense to the ebbs and flows of their individual organizations.
The gig economy has begun to infiltrate every industry. Some people work a part-time side hustle after they finish their day jobs; others work as independent consultants, sharing expertise in their fields of study. It goes without saying that technology has fueled the onset of solopreneurship, bringing with it an explosion of opportunities for both businesses and service providers. Thanks to readily accessible GPS tracking systems, we can now order drivers, dinner, and dog walkers that arrive right to our doors.
How else is technology empowering today’s portable workforce? Let’s take a look!
1. Cloud-Based Marketplaces Give Gig Workers Easy Access to You
Finding the right freelancers—and enabling the right freelancers to find you—is a lot easier in today’s world, thanks to the talent-infused marketplaces that live up in the cloud.
By working with online platforms, you enable your portable workers to focus on the things you’ve hired them to do without bogging them down with marketing and billing that can steer a lot of freelancers away from independent projects. Most platforms take care of the administrative tasks so you and your remote team members can focus on the activities at hand.
2. FinTech Assists Workers and Companies with Invoicing and Benefits
Through the dozens of FinTech apps that are founded on the idea that managing money doesn’t have to be as difficult as used to be, your portable workforce can invoice your company and give you an easy way to pay.
Spreadsheets are so passé for several reasons, including the fact that they’re cumbersome, difficult to translate into proper invoices, apt for human error, and aren’t readily accessible by all applicable parties. FinTech apps, on the other hand, can be accessed anywhere via mobile device or web browser, making it easy for vendors and buyers to stay on the same page throughout their projects.
Some FinTech firms have even started to branch out into the benefits administration and 401(k) worlds, acknowledging independent workers’ needs for the types of proactive future planning that’s found in traditional jobs.
3. Collaboration Apps Bridge Communication Gaps
Apps like Slack have revolutionized real-time communication in ways that have made a profound impact on efficiency, productivity, and overall project management. By bringing the people who are in your portable workforce into your own mobile portal, they’ll have access to all the information you need them to have right at their fingertips. Collaboration apps enable you to communicate your thoughts, upload files, and share inspirations with your contingent workers effortlessly, whether they’re on the go, working from cafés, or perched upon home-office chairs.
4. Time-Trackers Help You Set Proper Expectations
The gig economy is the quintessential opposite of micro-management, but that doesn’t mean minutes don’t matter. After all, time is money on all sides of a business. It’s just as important to your business’s budget as it is to your freelancers’ bottom lines.
Time-tracking apps aren’t intended to micro-manage workflows (at least—they shouldn’t be). Rather, they should enable everyone to realize ideal expectations. They can help your gig workers supply the hours you need to know so you bill your own clients properly, and they ensure freelancers are making the ROI they need to, facilitating transparency during bidding as your portable workforce gains a greater understanding of the number of hours it’ll need to complete your projects properly.
Speaking of portable marketplaces that put the right people in front of the organizations that need them, WriterAccess touts thousands of talented content writers, strategists, and editors. No matter your industry or angle, our platform will empower your workplace to have the best content possible. Find your favorite writer today!
Kristin B is interested in anything that teaches her something new or gives her a different perspective on something she already knew. She’s a self-proclaimed Learn Nerd, which means the world is her educational oyster, and she’s always seeking opportunities to learn from life’s experiences and her clients’ assignments.
