Examining how the gig economy is experienced by low to high skilled workers

This PhD will investigate whether a psychological contract (PC) exists between gig workers and their employer(s) within the gig economy. The psychological contract (PC) is defined as, 'individual beliefs, shaped by the organisation, regarding terms of an exchange agreement between the individual and their organisation' (Rousseau 1995: 9). It has been stated by theorists that all employees form PCs, yet little is known of how they form between an organisation and independent contractors. Gig work differs from the standard employee-organisation relationship with gig relations typically based on irregular contracts for services rather than a contract of services to distance gig workers from employee status (Friedman, 2014; Kalleberg, 2000). This consequently offers differing forms and levels of flexibility/benefits to organisations, gig workers and consumers. Such benefits are formed by the terms of the contract and the nature of the work of the gig work itself (Wood et al., 2019; McGaughey, 2018).
The study will explore how the nature of the PC in the contractor-client relationship influences the career experiences and perceptions of gig workers at different skill levels in the UK. The overall aim is to provide insight into the implications of the PC on low, mid and high skilled workers within the gig economy.
Since the aim of the research is to investigate experiences within a relatively new area, the research will follow an inductive research design. Data will be collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews to gather original primary data. Workers will be categorised into groups by skill level to explore and explain both intra and inter-group differences and similarities. Qualitative interviews are considered to offer greater ecological validity, providing rich insightful accounts and the ability to help make sense of complex organisational realities (Eby, Hurst and Butts, 2009).
An in-depth exploration into the economy's differential effects on workers may highlight whether there is a substantial variation in experiences and attitudes by skill level. Due to platforms attempting to minimise the relationship between employers and employees, there is academic, legal and political debate over whether contractors on these platforms are truly independent or whether they can be more appropriately defined as employees (Wright et al., 2017). Therefore, understanding the perceptions of organisational obligations from the worker perspective could be pivotal in establishing what type of relationship exists between organisations and workers and how this can be managed. In exploring what type of relationship exists between workers and organisations within this economy, this study aims to make a theoretical contribution by problematizing current generalisations and conceptualisations of the PC. Such insights into what relationships exist between organisations and workers may serve to aid regulatory decisions and place constraints on the extent to which business platforms can be used to circumvent employment protections.