Guilt, shame, dissatisfaction: workers and customers on the gig economy (and how to make it better)

Thu, 4 Aug 2022 10:34:57 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/guilt-shame-dissatisfaction-workers-and-customers-on-the-gig-economy-and-how-to-make-it-better-185502>

"The gig economy is in trouble. Rideshare drivers are cancelling in droves.
Wait times for food delivery are ballooning out and driver shortages are
leading to food waste.

So, what’s going on? To find out more, I interviewed 30 Melbourne gig workers
who worked as rideshare drivers, food deliverers or for task-based platforms
such as Airtasker.

I also spoke to 30 customers who use such services, and to 20 industry
stakeholders. My colleague, Elizabeth Straughan from the University of
Melbourne, conducted a further ten interviews with gig workers after the
pandemic set in, to learn how they’d been affected.

Our five years of research reveals an industry facing pushback from both
workers and customers. Many workers we spoke to sought to leave the gig
economy.

Customers, meanwhile, often have complicated feelings – including guilt and
shame – about using rideshare or food delivery services that rely on gig
economy workers. Many have already quit them."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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