FordHarrison attorneys are on top of the changes and challenges your business will face in the rapidly growing gig economy.
The gig or shared economy is characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work, and its growth has been fueled by technology platforms that largely did not exist in the 20th Century, when wage and hour regulations and worker classification laws were enacted at the federal level and in many states.
The rapidly growing gig economy sector of the workforce has been operating largely with rules that don’t neatly fit with its common business model. As one Court put it, a trier of fact analyzing gig-economy workers is effectively handed a “square peg and asked to choose between two round holes.” This can subject a gig-based business to substantial legal exposure under a variety of federal, state and local laws, and to unwanted attention from unions, plaintiffs’ attorneys, and even other industry groups who may perceive gig-based business as infringing on their “territory.”
While the gig economy has transformed the transportation, hotel and delivery industries, it may soon begin to alter other industries as well, such as healthcare. With the growth of technology platforms enabling the gig economy, work arrangements may not technically replace employment relationships, but may alter them in unexpected ways and upend long-standing expectations. As the economy shifts, it is vital for every company to understand the structure of its workforce, its competitive environment, the opportunities and threats presented by gig economy-enabling technology, and how the evolving legal landscape governing worker classification will affect its business.
FordHarrison attorneys are focused solely on labor and employment law, and are on top of the changes and challenges your business will face in the gig economy, as government agencies, unions, and plaintiffs’ attorneys are looking for any mistake. Our attorneys stay informed about every Department of Labor opinion letter (whether from Washington or one of the 50 states) and about changes to federal, state and local law. This is necessary to meet our commitment to provide up-to-date advice about existing and nascent threats and exposure, helping businesses ensure a compliant labor force, and defending any legal action challenging workers classification.
If you would like us to prepare a proposal to assist your company with your labor and employment law needs, please contact clientservice@fordharrison.com.