[This is a sponsored article with Gigple.]
The Great Resignation has reached the Malaysian shores, with around 60% of respondents planning to resign and look for a new job this year.
There were many reasons that led to this mass movement, which include insufficient pay, inflexible work arrangements, and lack of appreciation, just to name a few.
On the employer’s side, however, this phenomenon is exacerbating already long-standing, common issues: the lack of manpower and specific skills within a company.
With not enough hands, the staff members are spread even thinner, taking their time and focus away from their core business functions.
To remedy that, they could consider hiring more full-timers, or resort to hiring gig workers.
That being said, choosing one over the other has its pros and cons. Before we head into that, who’s considered a gig worker?
Who’s considered a gig worker?
First and foremost, gig workers, under the same category as freelancers, are independent contractors that are hired on a project by project basis with a set of tasks to complete.
In most industries, gig workers will only be compensated for their services after the tasks have been resolved.
There are also gig workers commonly found in Malaysia such as e-hailing drivers and delivery riders that are usually paid based on the distance and weight of the item they are delivering.
They may also be paid a commission depending on the number of deliveries they’ve made in a day.
Of course there are gig workers in other industries too, professionalising in different skill sets which include, graphic designers, photographers, visual effects artists, digital marketers, and more.
Here are some things to consider when deciding to hire gig workers over full-timers.
1. You find your business lacking the necessary skill sets
When working on a project, there may be some skill sets that are not available within the company, and it is more economical to hire a gig worker with a contract that usually lasts until the end of the project.
This reduces the unnecessary expenditure as you’re only paying for the services they provide during their tenure.
When we approached businesses about this, Gerald Miranda, CEO of Invictus Blue, a digital marketing agency, highlighted, “In a climate of lacking talent for full-time positions, using freelancers has really helped us fill gaps and maintain productivity.”
“Since we pay based on output and not time, Management can clearly measure and plan what is needed financially to complete a project,” Gerald continued.
Another example is when working on a project that involves creating a short film. It makes more sense to only bring in a freelance video editor once all the video footage has been captured instead of having them around from the start.
If you find yourself looking for the same gig worker repeatedly for multiple projects, then you might want to consider hiring them as a full-timer instead.
2. Your staff members are overloaded with tasks
During the peak period, there will be occasions where your full-timers might get overloaded with tasks.
With that in mind, it would be a good idea to hire gig workers to evenly distribute the load.
For example, if a marketing agency has multiple projects running simultaneously but don’t have enough creatives to produce the materials, they can hire gig workers to help spread the workload evenly.
Manraj Sandhu, co-founder of digital marketing agency called My Internet Business Promotions (MIB) Sdn Bhd mentioned, “We are a small company of only six full-time staff.”
“Thanks to gig workers, we are able to punch above our weight, and remain prolific in delivering results to our clients in a timely manner,” he continued.
3. You need to bolster your workforce quickly
The interview process for finding the right full-time employee can be quite lengthy, especially if the employer wants to be thorough in who they’re hiring.
Not only that, but in order for some full-time employees to be of meaningful value to the company, they’re usually required to undergo training, which further adds to cost and time required.
On the other hand, gig workers are usually already equipped with the skill sets necessary to take on certain projects immediately without the need to undergo the lengthy training process.
Using the right platform can make gig workers easier to find, and it could expedite the hiring process too.
Saurabh Thaper, the director of Go Turbo Australia, a HR solutions provider, voiced out that they relied mostly on word of mouth and referrals to look for gig workers, which can be quite slow at times.
By using a dedicated gig searching platform such as Gigple, it gives them the ability to hire gig workers much faster than relying on more rudimentary methods.
Gerald agreed with that sentiment and followed up with, “The lead time for hiring in Malaysia is excruciatingly long and finding and vetting freelancers is very tough without the right platform to reach out from.”
Manraj added that before this, it sometimes took more than a week just to schedule an interview, and they would sometimes be forced to settle instead of hiring the most optimal talent for the job just because they needed manpower immediately.
4. You feel that long-term, interpersonal relationships in the office are not so crucial
Having close relationships among colleagues used to be crucial in cultivating a healthy and productive work culture.
However, hybrid working conditions are becoming the norm these days, and more bosses are okay with just the occasional physical meetup to realign on the progress of their staff member’s tasks.
Co-workers may also feel that their work-social needs can be fulfilled without face-to-face interactions on a daily basis.
If forming long-term interpersonal relationships within the office is also not high on your list of priorities as an employer, then hiring gig workers can be something worth considering.
Choosing the right platform to look for gig workers
There are several platforms available in Malaysia that can help you search for the right gig worker for your business.
However, picking a website that’s more specialised like Gigple can help make searching much easier.
Gigple has features like free psychometric assessment that examines a gig worker’s abilities and qualifications, ensuring that they have the necessary skills.
Furthermore, they utilise the milestone-based payment release which pays based on tasks completed.
Scenario: If the gig worker completes one out of the three tasks assigned to them, the company then pays a third of the total payment. The gig worker only receives the full payment when all three tasks assigned to them are completed.
Gigple also aids in streamlining the talent acquisition process, making it much faster which, in turn, reduces the overall cost, too.
The platform also helps put gig workers at ease. Nicole, a freelance graphic artist and copywriter stated, “Finding the right gig isn’t always easy. Some clients are very difficult to work with because they are not sure about what they want and expect from a contractor.”
“With Gigple, the jobs I got were better defined as they are based on specific milestones and not time,” she continued.
Freelance software developer Kk Wong, also has a summary of using Gigple, “My work is only released to the client after it’s been paid for, which means I never have to endure waiting for the payment to be processed.”
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Having said all that, hiring full-timers or gig workers has its own pros and cons, and it’s best to evaluate what your company needs before committing to one or the other.
- Find out more about Gigple here.
Featured Image Credit: Unsplash
