How will Employee Engagement work in the Gig Economy of the future?

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending an interesting & insightful Masterclass on the Bloom-World platform. 

A major subject of the discussions was Employee Engagement

This got me thinking about how employee engagement will pan out as  Gig Economy evolves in future.

Undoubtedly, employee engagement contributes to employee wellbeing, productivity, retention & profits.

But it’s generally discussed in the context of a Company.

Current trends seem to suggest that the future will see more of the gig economy.

Which means more remote, flexible, project & contract work, freelancers, self-employed & side-hustles.

If you don’t work for a Company, who will be responsible for your engagement?

Gig workers need to feel engaged as much regular employees.

HR will need to understand their psychology & have mindset that gig workers are also employees, not just temporary resource.

They need a sense of belonging & camaraderie. After all, gig workers are also people.

Including them  in team activities, video conferencing, team programs will make them feel valued and respected.

Their onboarding process could  be structured & robust, to be aligned with main stream employees. In fact it is more critical for gig employees, to be more involved & effective.

Giving gig employees access to relevant training, mentorship, coaching could make them feel empowered.

All hygiene issues like timely pay, reimbursements, PF medical insurance need  to be taken care. I have personally witnessed that these can be serious irritants & source of angst.

Giving them a voice in the Company would be great….though not
easy. Taking feedback including them in periodic engagement surveys  etc.

Continuing to connect with gig workers even after their term is over through alumni & social media platforms is also something to consider.

Whatever steps organisations choose to take, it’s important to remember that gig employees could be ambassadors of Company reputation. They may also be returnee employees.

So we need to treat them with due respect!

Would love to hear your perspectives on this issue.

#skillgrill #company #employment #gigeconomy  #hr #jobsearch #coaching