I tried to keep this article is around 500 words and I just couldn’t. For those looking for bullet-points and bolded words and think TL;DR, I have included them for your preferred convenience so thanks for the drive-by. Those of you still reading and read until the end of this article, thank you, and hope you find this helpful and at the very least entertaining.
The Gig economy consists of a labor market characterized by temporary/contract-based work and projects or freelance work instead of permanent jobs. Today, 1/3 of the workforce is made up of gig workers. No stranger to the Gig economy, I’ve been practicing this trend for years. The term is somewhat new, but the concept is not. It’s just more common in the recent past, partly because of corporate budgets, management needs, and partly because of the workforce preference and availability.
One of the challenges with this gig economy is the ability to build and maintain a positive and nurturing culture. The aspect of having various staff members join in and out of projects and tasks as needed tends to minimize interaction and getting to know each other well. It’s a characteristic that promotes people working purely so they can make money to live. They can also be selective on what project or work they are willing to do and which team or company to work with. Today, people are stepping outside of that comfort zone and actively seeking projects and careers that excite them, hoping for more than a 9-5 job that’s purpose is to put food on the table and make sure the mortgage is paid. Unless they are able to find a team or company that they feel connected to as they belong in that culture.
What is culture?
Building history that turns into relationships: Culture is not just having activities like Tie/Thai Tuesday, ice cream Thursday, Formal Friday, scooter Saturday or Ping-Pong table in the game room. Those are just methods to help develop or maintain a culture that already exists. In any setting, whether family, friends, or corporations, culture IS relationships. It’s taking the time and getting to know one another.
Communication, interactions, and helping each other is how we build relationships that form the foundation of the culture. Developing that interaction and history is important for employees to show that they have each other’s back and are willing to help each other. Each member is part of this relationship and culture, so each has the impact and responsibility as well. With comfortability, we see people more willing to step in and even call each other out, with respect and kindness, in order to help each other succeed. This environment will help retain workers who want to come back and work with the team again on the next/subsequent projects.
Showing temporary workers your culture: With a gig workforce that operates more remotely than before, it’s important to make sure that those short-term workers get a sense of the culture and a sense of belonging to your team or company. Once those relationships have been built and nurtured, you create memories, jokes, and references that then become part of the team’s history and keeps them connected. This also promotes dedication and loyalty, not to mention attracts new talent.
Here’s how I nurture culture and relationships?
Host open Conference Sessions: To make sure that our teams stay connected and maintain those relationships, I have an open conference session every morning. Anyone on my team can join in at any time throughout the morning to have a quick chat, have their questions answered, or to collaborate. This forms a connection similar to that if I was walking to my cubicle as though I was in an office – I’m just as accessible as I would have been if I was sitting at the desk directly next to a team member.
Collaborations with team members lead to stronger problem solving: These open type sessions allow for unfiltered discussions and problem-solving. Whether there are three people on the call or ten, open collaboration garners teamwork and analytical thought process that help solve issues twice as fast as they would have been if it was just me and one team member hypothesizing solutions. It also alleviates the deficiencies of emails back and forth and confusions that can come from the text on screen not clearly conveying tone, intention, and clear meaning. This promotes stronger relationships between team members and over time more confidence in themselves and each other.
Communicate clearly and constantly: Lead by example and let your team know when you are stepping away from your desk/computer, even if it’s for a short walk to the kitchen. This will help minimize ‘dead air’ and escalation when an urgent matter comes up. If you or a team member needs to go for an errand or tend to something within the home, then let at least one other person know to cover.
Maintain normal Daily hours: Establish the normal daily work schedule and the response time duration. This will help level-set expectations and help minimize delays and frustrations.
Leverage video calls/meetings: With all the current technological advancement, it is a lot easier to have video calls and conferences. Some people still have reservations to let people view their personal living space. This is understandable and respected. However, enabling video does have its advantages where it provides non-verbal communication, encourages people to participate in calls/meetings in professional and quiet areas, encourages people to get dressed and prepare for their workday in the morning. However, respect the individual’s wishes to not participate in video conferences as they might have personal reasons that prevent or restricts them from doing so. As long as they are engaged, participating, delivering their work, and communicating clearly.
Manage and interact with team members based on their personality and role: Understand how the others are and what type of personality traits they must better align and communicate with each of them. Do not treat everyone as if they are all the same. They are all individuals and leverage their strengths and help develop their weaknesses.
What’s in store for the Gig Economy?
In a post-COVID-19 world, the gig workforce may become even more appealing to business leaders. Since the pandemic began, those filing for unemployment has skyrocketed as workers are laid off and a record 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment in the week of March 22, 2020. With companies more willing to hire a temporary/contract-based workforce that remains for the duration of their need and no longer, the gig worker will feature more prominently on companies’ rosters as they realize the financial drain on companies is significantly lower. With the inevitable increase in contract-based workers, it becomes even more important for our culture and relationships to appeal to the gig worker. By taking the steps above, I have successfully created an environment where people aren’t stuck trying to figure something out and collaborate with others to succeed as an individual and as a team.