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RECRUITING IN THE AGE OF THE GIG ECONOMY

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It is hard to pin down exactly how

many people operate in the gig

economy, partly because so many

different kinds of work fall under this

umbrella. Defined by the BBC1 as

“a labor market characterized by the

prevalence of short-term contracts

or freelance work, as opposed to

permanent jobs,” the gig economy

includes full-time freelancers,

project-based consultants, those

who freelance on the side, Uber

drivers and other app-based

workers, and many others in non-

traditional employment situations.

Employers that fail to take notice risk losing top talent to the freelance world.

Many employers see the gig

economy as little more than

a curiosity — an interesting

development, but nothing to worry

about. Other employers pay closer

attention, but only to figure out how

they can leverage gig workers for

their gain. Few, if any, employers see

the gig economy as a threat.

That’s a mistake. In fact, the gig

economy is competing for the exact

same talent your organization is.

IS THE GIG ECONOMY

YOUR TOP COMPETITOR IN THE TALENT MARKET?

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THE GIG ECONOMY:

MYTH VS. REALITY

IN REALITY, THE DATA LARGELY CONTRADICTS THE STEREOTYPES.

It is true that some gig workers see the

arrangement as nothing more than a stepping

stone. A report from McKinsey & Company2

found 30 percent of gig workers only do gig work

out of necessity, either because they can’t find

traditional jobs or they need the extra income.

On the flip side, 70 percent of gig workers do gig

work by choice. Recent research into the scope

of the gig economy suggests a large, thriving

segment of the global workforce partakes:

• Adecco/LinkedIn: According to this

report, gig workers added $1.4 trillion to

the U.S. economy in 2016 alone.3

• Intuit: A widely touted figure from Intuit

estimates 43 percent of U.S. workers will

participate in the gig economy by 2020.4

• McKinsey & Company: This report found that

162 million people in the U.S. and Europe work

in the gig economy, with 44 percent of them

using gig work as a primary source of income.

It’s understandable that so few employers

would see the gig economy as a challenge.

After all, the popular conception is that gig

workers are young and inexperienced;

they’re mainly looking to make ends meet

until they can find full-time employment.

Most of us picture gig workers doing

unskilled labor or minor freelancing projects.

On the other hand, employers believe

that the most skilled professionals want

traditional employment. They may dabble in

the occasional gig or two, but they’re

“too good” for full-time freelancing.

PEOPLEONLY CHOOSE

GIG WORK OUT OF

NECESSITY

MOST GIG WORKERS

WILLINGLY CHOOSE GIG WORK OVER

TRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT

MYTH

REALITY

VS

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Gig workers are, on the whole, highly skilled.

According to the Adecco/LinkedIn report,

73 percent of contractors have higher education

degrees, as opposed to 45 percent of traditional

workers in a comparative group. That the

majority of contract workers on LinkedIn are

in their middle or late careers also suggests

many independent workers only strike out on

their own after developing a certain level of skill.

Gig workers exist across industries;

they do more than unskilled labor.

MBO Partners found that 21 percent of

all gig workers provide professional services.

This segment of the gig workforce is growing:

In 2011, only 4.5 million independent contractors

provided professional services. By 2015, that

number had reached 6.4 million.

MOST GIG WORKERS ARE MILLENNIALS LOOKING TO GAIN

EXPERIENCE

PEOPLE OF ALL AGES JOIN THE

GIG ECONOMY

GIG WORK IS LARGELY UNSKILLED

LABOR

MOST GIG WORKERS ARE QUITE TALENTED, AND MANY PROVIDE

PROFESSIONAL SERVICESMYTH

REALITY

VS

91% of contract workers on LinkedIn

are in their middle or late careers,

while more than one-third of millennials are gig

workers5, noted an Adecco/LinkedIn report

92% of people over the age of 65 view

gig work as a legitimate career option

for themselves found a Hearts & Wallets study6

ACCORDING TO MBO PARTNERS7:

38%

27%

35%

of independent workers are millennials

are Generation X-ers

are baby boomers or “matures”

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PEOPLE OF ALL AGES JOIN THE

GIG ECONOMY

MOST GIG WORKERS ARE QUITE TALENTED, AND MANY PROVIDE

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

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Now that you know gig workers are often highly educated,

highly skilled professionals, you may wonder why so many talented

people choose the gig economy instead of full-time employment.

Adecco and LinkedIn report that 54 percent of gig workers choose

flexible work as a way to “pursue their own particular interests.”

Some of these interests include:

WHY DO TALENTED PEOPLE CHOOSE

GIG WORK?

FLEXIBILITY IN WORK AND LIFE 20 percent of workers across generations in the

Adecco/LinkedIn study named this a driver of their

decision to work in the gig economy.

INCOME POTENTIALMBO Partners reports that roughly one-fifth of full-time

independent workers earn more than $100,000 a year.

JOB SATISFACTION74 percent of full-time independent workers report they are

“very satisfied” with their work, according to MBO Partners.

BETTER HEALTH70 percent of full-time gig workers surveyed by MBO

Partners said independent work was better for their health.

SECURITY48 percent of respondents in the MBO Partners

survey felt independent work was more secure than

traditional employment.

In a nutshell, talented people choose gig work because it offers

personal flexibility, better work/life

balance, more control over one’s career,

higher earning potential, and better health.5

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With so many talented people joining the

gig economy, employers have no choice

but to respond. The gig economy is not

just a new kind of work — it is directly

competing with employers for the limited

supply of available talent.

How can employers recruit the skilled

employees they need in the age of the gig

economy? They could utilize more contract

workers, but no company can be fully

staffed by independent contractors.

These workers will only stick around for

a short period of time, and they will likely

have competing priorities.

For a business to succeed in the long

term, it needs a core team of full-time,

dedicated staff members who consistently

pursue the organization’s mission over

a period of years.

Unfortunately, the very same people

who could be these dedicated staff

members increasingly turn to gig work.

As a result, employers will have to adjust

their recruitment tactics, their workplace

cultures, and their workplace policies.

To do this, employers will have to

embrace workshifting.

WORKSHIFTINGallows employers to recruit the best employees wherever they are.

TO COMPETE WITH THE GIG ECONOMY,

EMPLOYERS MUST EMBRACE WORKSHIFTING

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Workshifting is a philosophy first popularized

by former Citrix President Brett Caine.

As Caine explained to Financial Times in 20118,

workshifting is “the idea of changing the physical

boundaries around work, shifting your work for

wherever you are and being able to do your work

literally from anywhere.”

Workshifting is more than a jargonized way to say

“remote work.” It refers to a more comprehensive

overhaul of how we understand work. It’s not

simply about being able to work from home, but

about “shifting your work patterns to wherever

you happen to be,” as Caine put it.

So, workshifting means creating organizational

cultures in which employees can work where

they want, on the devices they want, using

the methods they want, at the times they want.

The world is your workplace,

and the workday is a fluid concept.

Organizations don’t dictate tools,

processes, and procedures; they

create policies that allow for

maximum employee flexibility within

each realm — so long as targets

are met, of course.

WORKSHIFTING: ALL THE BENEFITS OF GIG WORK IN A FULL-TIME JOB

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Workshifting may seem a daunting challenge.

After all, it requires serious changes in workplace

policies, culture, and procedures. However,

many organizations are closer to workshifting

than they realize.

According to Nation 10999, half of U.S. jobs are

already compatible with remote work, but only

7 percent of employers make flexible work available

to most employees. Nation 1099 also cites the

World Economic Forum’s finding that CEOs view

“the changing nature of work” and “flexible work” as

the top drivers of change in their industries.

WORKSHIFTING BRINGS THE GIG ECONOMY TO YOUR WORKPLACE

Workshifting gives employees all of these

things within a traditional full-time job.

By allowing employees to work when, how,

and where they want, an organization

grants them the freedom and flexibility

previously found only in gig work.

EMPLOYEES

Talented professionals want more flexibility.

They want more freedom and control over

the work they do. They want their

professional lives to be more conducive to

their health, wellness, and personal needs.

PROFESSIONALS

Leaders recognize that work is changing

and their companies need to change with it.

Opportunities for workshifting already exist

within most organizations. All that remains is

for companies to seize those opportunities.

LEADERS

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As Fast Company writer

John Paul Titlow notes10, the

office environment isn’t always

conducive to creative work.

For example, 72 percent of

people have creative insights in

the shower — which you can’t do

at the office for obvious reasons.

Solitude and daydreaming are

also key ingredients for creativity

— again, these are difficult to

find in fast-paced offices packed

with coworkers.

Now, consider the creative team

after workshifting. Let’s say the

team works in marketing and

is currently designing a new

campaign for a client.

One member of the team is

working from home when

she has a brilliant idea in the

shower. She quickly grabs her

smartphone to message the

rest of the team via group chat.

The team loves the idea.

The videographer needs to

shoot some video on location,

so he leaves the office to find

a perfect spot somewhere

outdoors. He brings his tablet

so he can stay in touch with his

coworkers — and maybe do a

little editing from his favorite

coffee shop after filming.

The group’s writer needs to put

together posts for the client’s

blog, but she’s dealing with a

serious case of writer’s block.

She could just stare at a blank

Word document until 5 p.m.,

then clock out and try again

tomorrow. Instead, she goes

home to clear her head. After

relaxing for a few hours, she

figures out the perfect blog

ideas. She pitches them to her

team via group chat, and then

gets to work.

In this scenario, each member

of the team is able to work when

and where they want — giving

them the flexibility and control

of gig work. Thanks to the

company’s smart deployment of

technology, each team member

can stay in touch with the

others throughout the process.

Regardless of where they are,

team members exchange ideas,

comment on drafts, and work

together to deliver results they

can be proud of.

WORKSHIFTING IN ACTION: TWO EXAMPLESWorkshifting is a broad concept, so it may help to imagine a couple examples of how it could play out...

SCENARIO 1: THE CREATIVE

TEAM

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Being a successful

salesperson today requires

flexibility and responsivity

to clients — clients whose

needs don’t necessarily

follow a 9-5 schedule.

Let’s say a salesperson,

Jim, is flying from New York City,

where his company is located,

to San Francisco, where he’ll

meet with a client. Thanks to

workshifting, Jim can spend

Monday and Tuesday with

his client, and then he’ll work

from San Francisco for the rest

of the week, just because he

feels like it.

On the flight, Jim is perusing

some new leads when he

notices one from a healthcare

organization. Jim prefers to

work with more tech-focused

companies, so he sends this

lead to his colleague Sarah, who

loves working with healthcare

organizations. At her desk in her

coworking space in New York

City — it’s closer to her home

than the company’s office is —

Sarah gets the lead from Jim.

She immediately reaches out to

the prospect.

Sarah loves the arrangement

she and Jim have, with each

of them trading leads depending

on their preferences for client

types and work schedules.

Sarah doesn’t love to travel, so

she mainly deals with clients

nearby. Jim is more the global

salesperson, handling clients

around the world. It gives him

an excuse to travel.

Up in the air, Jim gets an urgent

message from the client out in

San Francisco. They forgot to

ask Jim to bring some important

documents. It’s too late for Jim

to head back to the office now,

but that’s not a problem.

Ever since his company

workshifted, Jim has been able

to access the organization’s

intranet from any device,

anywhere. He uses his tablet

to log into the intranet and

download the necessary

documents.

Disaster averted.

Again, we see thriving

employees with control over

the projects they work on and

the environments in which

they work. Plus, workshifting

makes them more efficient by

ironing out potential speed

bumps through open, accessible

technology.

SCENARIO 2: THE SALES

TEAM

THANKS TO TECHNOLOGY, people are no longer tethered to a “place of work.” They can communicate, collaborate and connect from wherever they are and that changes everything.11

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WORKSHIFTING CAN WORK

FOR ALMOST ANYONE

While creative and sales teams are obvious

candidates for workshifting, it is possible

to implement workshifting throughout the

entire organization. There are some obvious

counterexamples — such as roles that

require employees’ physical presences at set

locations during set times — but in general,

workshifting is feasible for all departments.

The key to workshifting any department

is twofold. First, you must identify where

flexibility can be introduced. Then, you must

supply employees with the technology they

need to maintain productivity anywhere, any

time. Workshifting does not have to come

with a decline in performance, so long as the

right expectations are set and employees are

given the resources they need.

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SINCE THE GREAT RECESSION, HR BUDGETS HAVE REMAINED FLAT OR DECLINED.

According to The Hackett Group12,

HR budgets have recently been

falling by about 1-2 percent a year.

Correspondingly, the number of new

full-time HR hires also falls by about

1 percent per year. With little spare

manpower or money to dedicate to

new recruitment initiatives, it may

be a smarter choice to collaborate

with a third-party recruiter.

A third-party recruiter can market your workshifting policies to the right audience without taking HR pros and hiring managers away from their daily duties.

Partnering with a third-party

recruiter will require some spending,

but most third-party recruiters

don’t earn a fee until they’ve made

a placement. The organization only

pays when it sees results — which is

less risky than pouring money and

manpower into branding initiatives

that may not pan out.

Workshifting may keep existing employees

from leaving for the gig economy, but it won’t

automatically translate to recruitment results.

For that, you need a strong recruitment

advertising and employer branding strategy.

Marketing your workshifted organization to

candidates takes time and effort, as any sound

business strategy does. You could handle

this initiative in house by assembling a dedicated

team, but this approach leaves a lot to be desired.

THIRD-PARTY RECRUITERS:

YOURPARTNERS IN COMPETING WITH THE GIG ECONOMY

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WHY A THIRD-PARTY RECRUITER IS KEY TO ATTRACTING GIG-INCLINED PROFESSIONALS

The key to any recruiting initiative’s success is making sure the message reaches the right audience. Third-party recruiters can be invaluable partners here.

As part of their job, a recruiter needs to

understand the lay of the land in a given

talent market. That means the recruiter

will know what kind of professionals are

available and what those professionals

want from employers.

Armed with this knowledge, a recruiter

can identify the right audience for your

workshifted policies.

Recruiters spend significant time vetting

prospective candidates. Over the course

of this process, recruiters learn what

candidates look for in new roles. When

a candidate stresses flexibility, freedom,

control, or any of the other benefits of

gig work, the recruiter can introduce them

to your workshifting program.

THIRD-PARTY RECRUITERS CAN MARKET

WORKSHIFTING PROGRAMS TO THE RIGHT AUDIENCE

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THIRD-PARTY RECRUITERS CAN MAKE THE SALE

Alerting professionals to the existence of a workshifting policy is not, in itself, enough to convince them to abandon freelancing for traditional employment. This kind of convincing requires a certain amount of selling — which a third-party recruiter is ready to do.

Third-party recruiters are

accustomed to selling even the

most skeptical candidates on roles.

This, in fact, is a critical component of their

success. After all, recruiters can’t make

placements if they can’t get candidates on

board. Third-party recruiters are personally

invested in selling candidates on your roles.

It’s how they pay the bills.

These sales skills are the reason why

organizations work with third-party recruiters

in the first place. A company could post its

jobs online and fill its own roles, but that

strategy isn’t likely to bring in the best talent.

Choosier candidates — candidates who can

afford to be picky because their skills are in

high demand — won’t pay much attention

to job board posts. Lower-quality candidates

who are less concerned with fit may send

resumes en masse, leaving the organization

with a pipeline of substandard applicants.

Third-party recruiters, on the other

hand, actively work for candidates.

They find the best fits and prove

why the role is right. To hire gig-inclined

professionals, you’ll need a recruiter like this.

After all, someone has to help the candidate

asses the real opportunity in the role and

identify the gains that will offset losing the

benefits of a gig-based role.

Candidate hesitance can be especially hard

to overcome when dealing with passive

candidates, who make up the majority of all

candidates. When a passive candidate works

independently and is their own boss, they

may be even more hesitant. In this situation,

a third-party recruiter can demonstrate to

a passive candidate why moving from gig

work to traditional work within a workshifted

organization is the right choice.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that better work/life balance and professional development opportunities are among the primary reasons13 why candidates will switch roles — both of which are things a workshifted organization can offer employees.

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While many independent workers view the gig economy as a career choice in itself, many are using their gig work strategically. According to the Adecco/LinkedIn report, 29 percent of independent professionals view gig work as a stepping stone to full-time opportunities. Third-party recruiters can find these people and win them over to a client.

The recruiter acts like a guide in

this scenario. Candidates may be

nervous about making the move

from gig work to traditional employment —

especially younger professionals with less

experience. This nervousness may be

enough to convince a candidate to simply

stay in the gig economy.

The recruiter can guide the candidate

through the hiring process from start to

finish, putting the candidate at ease along

the way. The recruiter can also use the

organization’s workshifting program to

show the candidate that moving from gig

work to traditional employment doesn’t

have to be a radical change.

In fact, candidates of all stripes may have

objections or second thoughts during the

recruiting process. One of a third-party

recruiter’s most valuable skills is their

ability to allay candidate objections.

The recruiter takes the time to get to know

both candidate and client. When candidates

begin to worry the role is not right, the

recruiter can draw on their knowledge to

make a strong case for why this is the best

career option for the candidate.

THIRD-PARTY RECRUITERS BRIDGE THE GAP

BETWEEN GIG WORK AND TRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT

29% of independent

professionals view gig work as a stepping

stone to full-timeopportunities

70% of the workforce

are passive candidates14 of millennials

say working remotely would greatly increase

their interest in an employer15

68%

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The gig economy presents to

many professionals a particularly

attractive opportunity. You’ll need

someone with strong sales skills

on your side in order to convince

candidates to choose traditional

employment instead — even

in a workshifted environment.

Third-party recruiters are those

salespeople.

The best third-party recruiters will come to learn your organization inside and out. They’ll understand the benefits of your employment, and they’ll craft careful strategies to sell those benefits to the best candidates.

In addition to being accomplished

salespeople, third-party recruiters

can also serve as guides for

skeptical gig workers. A recruiter

will shepherd the candidate through

your recruiting process. At every

step along the way, the recruiter can

address the candidate’s concerns

and quell their fears, ultimately

proving to the candidate why your

company is the right choice.

The gig economy is large and growing larger

every day. Skilled professionals are increasingly

choosing independent work over traditional

employment. This essentially makes the

gig economy a competitor in the talent market.

With such attractive benefits to offer, gig work

may leave employers scrambling to

find the talent they need.

To effectively compete with gig work, employers

must embrace workshifting. Doing so will grant

top talent the freedom, flexibility, and fulfillment

they could previously only find in gig work.

But workshifting is just one piece of the puzzle.

The other key component to recruiting talent

away from the gig economy is to partner

with a third-party recruiter.

TO RECRUIT TOP TALENT,

COMBINE WORKSHIFTING AND THIRD-PARTY RECRUITING

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7 KEY TAKEAWAYS:62 million people in the U.S. and Europe work in the

gig economy today.

70 percent of gig workers do gig work by choice.

Independent professionals tend to be highly educated

people in their middle or late careers, and many of today’s

gig workers provide professional services.

Professionals choose gig work for its freedom, control,

flexibility, and work/life balance.

Workshifting allows an organization to provide to its

employees all the benefits of gig work while keeping those

employees on board as full-time workers.

As HR budgets and staff sizes stay flat or shrink, it makes

sense for organizations to partner with third-party

recruiters to find top talent.

Third-party recruiters have the skills necessary to market

your company, sell top candidates on your roles, and guide

them through the recruitment process from start to finish.

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6BountyJobs simplifies

the entire working process between

employers and agencies so you can both focus

on hiring the best talent, faster.

Learn more abouthow BountyJobs can help today.

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1 http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38930048

2 https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/employment-and-growth/independent-work-choice-necessity-and-the-gig-economy

3 https://www.adeccogroup.com/power-of-work/flexible-working/

4 http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/24/news/economy/gig-economy-intuit/index.html

5 https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/07/20-surprising-stats-freelance-economy.html

6 http://www.heartsandwallets.com/uploads/7/8/3/2/78321658/most_workers_choose_gig_economy_especially_older.pdf

7 https://www.mbopartners.com/state-of-independence/

8 https://www.ft.com/video/34949330-39e0-3b3d-bc32-515b1f2e9c96

9 http://nation1099.com/gig-economy-data-freelancer-study/

10 https://www.fastcompany.com/3063626/7-surprising-facts-about-creativity-according-to-science

11 http://business.shaw.ca/ResourceDetail.aspx?ResourceId=6442451975

12 https://www.thehackettgroup.com/key-issues-hr-1801/

13 https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/unemployment-rate

14 https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/business/talent-solutions/global/en_us/c/pdfs/Ultimate-List-of-Hiring-Stats-v02.04.pdf

15 https://www.aftercollege.com/cf/2015-annual-survey

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