Emerging Employment Models & The Changing Structure of Employment Relations: Examine key tensions around the gig/contractor economy, considering org

Question 1

Emerging Employment Models & The Changing Structure of Employment Relations: Examine key tensions around the gig/contractor economy, considering organizations responsibilities toward workers and regulatory issues around employee classification.

Case 1 is OceanTech. It's a large company that's working on trying to harness energy from the ocean. And you've got a good job at this cutting-edge firm, you're being paid a little bit over $80,000 a year and you've got a great benefit package. But now, you are being put in charge to hire a team of similar sort of engineers. You can pay them reasonably well about $65,000, but they're not going to get the same sort of benefits. So, take a moment and think, what are some of the potential benefits and costs of these types of adding to your team this way, and what this might mean for not only the workers themselves but for the interactions between these new engineers you are hiring, and people like you who are already into the firm (required not less 500 words)

Case 2, I encourage you to think about is around Amazon Flex. So, those Amazon packages that you know, just arrive at your house, anywhere from 12 to 24 hours later are delivered by contingent workers. So, often these contingent workers are trying to get these shifts to deliver the packages through the Amazon Flex app and it can be very competitive to get these shifts. It's a well-paid job, they get high hourly rate. And so, some of these workers to secure the best job, the best block of time to deliver these packages, will use an automatic bot, that's a computer scripting program to go out and snag the job before a human, another worker could possibly snack the job. Now, here comes you, you're a district supervisor at Amazon Flex and you've just learned about these bots and you've got to decide, are you going to keep on letting Amazon turn a blind eye that some of its contingent workers are using these bots and or are you going to say no bots and have the software be redesigned so that there are no bots that can sort of give preference to some workers for some shifts versus others. Now, I'd like you to sit and think for a moment as a district supervisor, what official stance should Amazon take about bot usage and what are the consequences, both positive and negative about the contingent workforce using bots to sign up for delivery shifts (required not less 500 words)

Question 2

Background

So, now we'll have the opportunity to go even deeper into exploring the gig economy using Uber as a case study. So, I'd like you to take a minute to look at the picture that's about to appear on the screen and think about what does this picture reminds you of? Its a picture from a green light hub which is a place where Uber drivers can go to answer questions and get supported. So, what this picture might be reminding you of is apartheid in South Africa or maybe the Jim Crow south where blacks and whites would have to use different facilities like water fountains or bathrooms. And here at this Uber hub they're two different bathrooms, one is marked for partners and the other is is marked for employees. So, this right here is this distinction between standard and nonstandard work that we've been talking about throughout the module, and we get to see here a physical enactment of how Uber sees the distinctions between these two different types of workers. So, in the case that you'll be able to read, I provide some background information on AB5 and prop 22 in California if you're not familiar with it. But very high-level, these are legal court cases that are happening in California about whether ride hailing workers and more generally workers who are non-standard workers should be given some of the benefits that employees get, such as a minimum wage and access to worker's compensation. So, in the case there are two different sides you get to read and think about one is from the perspective of Uber, you're the protg of the chief people officer and you get in this case as you go through and think about how would you recommend that Uber approach creating a cost efficient labour model that motivates and appeals to these drivers who are currently independent contractors. Then the second half of the case, it's from the perspective of the union type or the union, the organizing a unit for drivers in southern California and what are some of the benefits you're hoping to get these drivers to advocate for? And how would you recommend that Uber go about treating its drivers coming into the future? As you read through this case, I'd like you to think through some of these questions. And what does it mean? These broader legal challenges of standard versus nonstandard workers mean for Uber the company and what does it mean for its drivers?

Now that you have reviewed the above materials, consider the broader legal challenges of standard versus non-standard workers for Uber and their drivers from both perspectives and respond to the following questions (in not less than 500 words) :

Uber Perspective: Imagine you are the protege of the Chief People Officer of Uber.(In not less than 500 words):

How would you recommend the Uber approach creating a cost-efficient labour model that motivates and appeals to drivers who are independent contractors?

Ride Share United Union Perspective: Imagine you're the advisor to the President and Press Secretary of Rideshare Drivers United (in not less than 500 words).

What benefits would you advocate for the drivers?

How would you recommend Uber go about treating their drivers going into the future?