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Risky business: Gig workers and the navigation of ideal worker expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cameron, Lindsey D; Thomason, Bobbi; Conzon, Vanessa M.
  • Cameron LD; Management Department.
  • Thomason B; Department of Applied Behavioral Science.
  • Conzon VM; Department of Management and Organization.
J Appl Psychol ; 106(12): 1821-1833, 2021 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1592062
ABSTRACT
Managers and customers often expect individuals to be "ideal workers" devoted entirely to work, and this devotion is typically displayed through being available to work at any time, on any day (Reid, 2015). During the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals in lower-paid, customer-facing jobs were expected to not only be available but also to take on physical risk. However, the ideal worker literature has paid relatively little attention to how risk relates to ideal worker expectations, reflecting in part the extant literature's focus on professionals who face relatively little physical and financial uncertainty. In this article, we draw upon the experiences of nonprofessional "gig" workers (TaskRabbit workers) to examine how they manage customers' ideal worker expectations-including risk-using data from interviews (n = 49), postings from online worker forums social media, and offical company communications. We show how these workers engage in different tactics to manage risk in response to customers' expectations, including two tactics-covering and withdrawing-that have not been discussed in prior ideal worker literature. In doing so, we expand scholarly understanding by showing how concerns about risk shape workers' responses to ideal worker expectations, particularly in customer-facing service work outside of traditional organizations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Pandemics / COVID-19 Type of study: Prognostic study / Qualitative research Limits: Humans Language: English Journal: J Appl Psychol Year: 2021 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Pandemics / COVID-19 Type of study: Prognostic study / Qualitative research Limits: Humans Language: English Journal: J Appl Psychol Year: 2021 Document Type: Article