Engage gig workers to meet business needs
Key takeaways
Side hustles appeal to diverse audiences. From the parent who wants to save for vacation or the student looking for a solid career, short-term and contract workers today want good paying jobs that match their skillset.
Contract work and virtual side hustles are more accessible and more popular than ever.
A recent McKinsey and Company survey on the independent workforce found that, “A remarkable 36 percent of employed respondents — equivalent to 58 million Americans when extrapolated from the representative sample — identify as independent workers.”
Also known as gig work, these part-time, side jobs are no longer relegated to driving for a ride-share company or buying groceries for anonymous customers to make a little extra money to supplement full time pay, save for a vacation or simply to help ends meet in a household.
Gig workers – who range in age from college students to working adults – have an opportunity to make money from the comfort of their home and on their own schedules utilizing hard skills such as planning and organization, and interpersonal communication.
Whatever their reason for taking on a side hustle, it’s clear this flexible workforce fills a business need. Here’s how companies can take advantage of gig work to support business needs, while offering good-paying and interesting work like insurance enrolling to a prospective hire.
How to assess your workforce before supplementing with a gig worker
Before bringing on an independent worker, it’s important to assess your business needs. If you need extra help during a certain time of year (e.g., benefits season) or for a special project, see if you answer yes to any of the questions below:- Do you lack the budget to hire another full- or part-time employee?
- Are you short on in-house talent to do the job?
- Is your project a short term opportunity?
What to look for in a gig worker
Understand that you may not attract a hire who is intimately familiar with your brand. It will be your job to introduce them to your company and its values. You will want to assess and verify their skillset to ensure their background matches your business needs. No matter what, good communication skills are always on the list of attributes to consider.What kind of work makes a good side hustle?
When you think about hiring a gig worker for job that has the possibility for interesting, scalable work, the insurance business is a good example.Supplemental work doesn’t have to mean becoming a driver or delivery person. In fact, people with certain skills may be drawn to more professional work as their side gig, and many are looking for high-paying supplemental work, according to Monster.
For example, someone looking for a professional side hustle might opt to become a trained Optavise benefit adviser or independent agent.
Gig workers can work on their schedule meeting individually with employees (e.g., in person, virtually or via phone) during enrollment periods to help employees understand their options and make informed decisions for their families.
As an Optavise benefits adviser, they can put their people skills to work educating and explaining the benefit to employees or working directly with insurance agents. Either way, their side hustle can bring extra income.
As side hustles appeal to diverse audiences, companies might consider engaging these workers who are looking for good paying jobs that play to their skillset. Those who need flexible work on their terms have options.