The document discusses the "uberization of the workforce", where traditional employment models are changing as more workers take on independent contractor roles similar to Uber drivers. This presents challenges for companies in managing a mobile, global workforce with different expectations. There are risks to both the talent, such as ensuring they have the right skills, and risks from the talent, like higher customer switching costs. The document provides tips for companies to effectively manage freelance talent such as developing their employer brand, building a talent community, and embracing a compliant regulatory approach.

1. Uberization of Workforce
Human Resource Management

2. Prepared By
Manu Melwin Joy
Assistant Professor
SCMS School of Technology and Management
Kerala, India.
Phone – 9744551114
Mail – manu_melwinjoy@yahoo.com
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Please seek permission to reproduce the same in public forms and presentations.

3. Uberization of Workforce
• In a session called Talent,
Culture and Risk: the Next
Frontier, John Bremen,
Human Capital & Benefits
Leader for North America,
talked about the fourth
industrial revolution: the
change to workforce
dynamics that he
described as the
“uberization of the
workforce.”

4. Uberization of Workforce
• Like Uber drivers whose
status as workers has
changed, many workers
today do not follow the
traditional description
of the employee who
reports to a job every
day and goes home at
the end of that day.

5. Uberization of Workforce
• A variety of work
arrangements are on the
rise and while the nature
of work changes, so does
the workforce – in fact,
changes in the personal
habits and preferences of
the workforce are often
driving changes in the
nature of work.

6. Uberization of Workforce
• The resulting revolution
presents employers with
multiple challenges. A
mobile, global, free-floating
workforce can mean talent
shortages, intense
competition for top talent
and a workforce where the
expectations of one
generation may be opposite
of those of previous
generations.

7. Uberization of Workforce
• For those facing the
challenge of assessing
and managing the risks
associated with talent,
there are two categories
of risk to look at.

8. Uberization of Workforce
• First, there are the risks to
talent. Do workers in the
new age have a sense of
commitment? Do they have
the right skills and training?
Do they exercise the right
level of judgment and
discretion? Do they aspire to
leadership positions and
have leadership skills? Are
they ready to step into roles
being left by retiring Baby
Boomers?

9. Uberization of Workforce
• Second, there are risks from talent.
Less committed, shorter-term
workforce can present safety
issues. Change among the client-
facing people at an organization
may have a negative impact on
retaining customers. John
mentioned an alarming statistic to
underscore this point. He said that
customers switching from one
vendor or provider to another cost
organizations a total of $1.6 trillion
dollars last year. These are big
stakes. Clearly the risks associated
with talent cannot be ignored by
any organization determined to
succeed in this century.

10. Tips to manage freelance talent
• Make the brand stand out:
Qualified freelance workers
have more options than ever
about who they choose to
work for. Make sure your
employer brand is developed
with an eye toward attracting
the best independent workers.
Showcase the exciting things
the company is doing and the
types of projects talent would
work on,as well as how such
opportunities will help them
learn something new and
advance their careers.

11. Tips to manage freelance talent
• Turn independent
workers into brand
ambassadors: It’s likely
that the best independent
workers have similarly
qualified peers.
Encouraging existing
contractors to spread the
word about your
company and its
opportunities will help to
create a pool of talent
eager to work for you.

12. Tips to manage freelance talent
• Build a talent community:
Once you have an established
talent pool, it is important to
retain those individuals – and
the knowledge they have
gained at your company – by
establishing a talent
community. This way, you can
keep them engaged and easily
access great talent already
familiar with your company,
rather than having to find new
workers for each new opening.

13. Tips to manage freelance talent
• Be a talent advisor:
Independent workers are
continuously looking for new
opportunities to try new
things. Work with managers to
see which positions
traditionally filled with
permanent hires can be filled
with independent talent. Not
only will this help determine
where alternative work
arrangements can address
business needs, but it will also
open new doors for those
individuals.

14. Tips to manage freelance talent
• Embrace a compliant
approach: As the
freelance economy
grows, so have the
number of regulatory
bodies cracking down on
misclassification of
contractors and
independent workers.
Consulting with an expert
about such regulations
will help maintain a
compliant approach.

15. Uberization of Workforce
• As companies will
increase their
dependence on
independent talent in
the coming years, the
time is now to optimize
your freelance strategy.

16. Uberization of Workforce
• By understanding how
your organization can
prepare for this shift
already well underway,
and adapting current
processes to make a more
inviting environment to
independent workers,
your organization will be
well prepared as the
Uberization of the
workforce continues.