How Gig Work Can Pay Off All Year

Many industries make use of gig workers: temporary, independent contractors who are paid to complete a specified task and usually work for several companies in any given year. These seasonal heroes alleviate peaks in demand, such as for hotel and airport workers during school breaks, amusement-park staff in the summertime, or security teams for festivals. It’s a short-term benefit, for the company and the gig economy. But it doesn’t have to be.

In this first of a three-article series, Deloitte suggests adopting a new perspective and a progressive strategy: Pro-actively manage seasonal peaks, and plan for them in a more structured way, to reap the benefits of gig workers all year round.

The Workforce Transformation Attitude

In this current labour market, where workers are never available in sufficient supply, DHL and PostNL are still able to scale up resources before a busy period. Ewout Blaauw, of DHL Netherlands, says, “The profession of delivery man turns out to be very attractive for young people, who often do this for a period, for example in addition to a study.” PostNL asks staff who normally sit behind a desk to pitch in to help package delivery, and a gig workforce supports the PostNL delivery people, who are also asked to work more.

After a seasonal peak subsides, many companies routinely scale the workforce back down. But departing gig workers take with them valuable skills and knowledge. We can be making more of our investment in the gig workforce. It starts with treating them as valuable contributors to the business. If a company can demonstrate a sentiment of value – make a gig worker feel that they are ‘one of them’ – recruiters stand a much better chance of attracting the people they want, and not losing sight of them after the peak is over.

5 Steps to Make Seasonal Peaks Business as Usual

The nature of gig work may signify autonomy and noncommitment, but that doesn’t mean the worker isn’t incentivised by some degree of stability and appreciation for their valued work. Here are five tips to breed loyalty in your gig workforce:

1. Recruit smarter.
   Many gig workers prefer to source their own jobs. Recruit using the channels that gig workers use, such as social-media platforms and websites like Upwork and Freelancer. Explain to prospects that you offer more than just a seasonal job, and make new hires feel at home with proper onboarding.
2. Offer students extra education.
   Because of flexible shifts, seasonal work is popular with students. To entice them back year after year, train students for more than the seasonal job you’re hiring for; many appreciate opportunities to build knowledge and skills for a future career. You could offer training on health and safety, team dynamics, working on intercultural teams, working with high-tech machinery or anything that could prove useful to a young worker.
3. Invest in repeat gig workers.
   Reduce time to performance by providing returning gig workers with a career path, even within limited contract terms. For example, if a gig worker comes back three years in a row, you might offer them short-term management training, and extra responsibility as a team leader. Repeat workers are worth extra investment of this kind, because their work requires less oversight, and they’ll pass on knowledge to new joiners.
4. Form a hiring alliance.
   Share the gig workforce by building a network with other companies that have seasonal peaks. (We’ll cover tips in a later article.) This works best if the companies’ seasonal peaks occur at different times of the year. PostNL, for instance, uses gig workers in the last quarter of the year, and could then ‘pass’ them on to airports or hotels for the first quarters of the following year. The workers are assured of a steady income, and – in that scenario – a free quarter to pursue other activities. The companies benefit, too, as the skills/knowledge gained at one company can transfer to the next one, and so on. But the companies need to see each other as ecosystem partners, not adversaries fighting to get enough gig workers for themselves.
5. Make them feel welcome.
   Happy gig workers are those who feel ‘at home’ in your company. They know your cultural values and aspire to uphold them, especially if they are offered an employee value proposition that’s similar to what colleagues on the payroll enjoy. If you can treat them as respected members of your workforce, you’ll reap the benefits of smoother operations, happier clients and satisfied colleagues.

The gig economy is here to stay; many workers actually prefer temporary employment to permanent work. If you see the value in finding and training this talent pool to cover seasonal peaks, meet them on their own terms: Cater to their aptitude for temporary but recurring work for clients who value them. With a loyal, returning gig workforce, seasonal peaks are no longer a hurdle to overcome. They become part of your normal way of working, and they bring year-round benefits.

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Interested in learning more about maximising a seasonal workforce? Look for the next two articles of this series early in 2024, about organisation transformation and HR transformation.