Gig Economy and Mental Health: The Pros and Cons of Being a Gig Worker
How Gig Economy Can Give Boost to Workers?
In the wake of pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus, where global economies are collapsing, gig economy is rising tremendously and becoming a newly trended workforce system.
Gig economy has rapidly transformed the workforce system. Gig economy has become the new black in work force system.
Individuals put forth their skills to work for generating an income without the commitment of full time 9–5 job. Freelancing has many perks such as flexibility due to which freelancing can be considered as a rewarding and exciting career option.
Where gig economy and freelancing has many advantages and perks, on the contrary have negative mental health impacts. No wonder working independently and establishing a personal freelance business sounds very pleasing, however there are many shortcomings of working independently.
Here are common ways that freelancing can impact the mental health of gig workers for better and for the worse.
Health Benefits of Self Employment
- Entrepreneurial Control
Having a control of entrepreneurial level over career future is perhaps the biggest and the ultimate health benefit of freelancing. It is becoming a normal that Individual workers leaving behind the conventional corporate rat race and concentrating on self-growth and development while searching for productive and profitable pay along with flexibility.
These might not entirely be new career and professional objectives however freelancing empowers freelancers to pursuing these goals and objectives in a completely new perspective.
Factors like freedom to make career and workload deviations at will, absence of fear of getting fired and in general feeling in control of their personal and professional life and future have wonderful effects on the overall mental health of a freelancer.
2. Organizing Work Schedule as Per Liking
Most individual workers fail to find the balance between work and personal life. However it never takes away their freedom and ability to organize their working schedule around their personal or social life having tremendous positive effects on their physical and mental health.
If a freelance writer or artist feels the most productive in the wee hours of night, freelancing allows freelancers to work up until the dawn and sleep till or through the afternoon without fearing a disapproving boss.
3. Freelancing Boosts Self Esteem
The interesting mental and physical health advantage that freelancing has provided to the individual working professionals is that it has changed the conventional perspective and mentality of competition that employees in the corporate sector struggle and suffer with.
Individual workers take on clients themselves according to their needs and demand while engaging with them on equality basis while collaborating with them in their projects.
This equality helps building a sense of self-esteem and self-pride immensely boosting individuals’ confidence levels. Overcoming individuals’ insecurities and depression while positively enhancing their own personal perspective of themselves.
Mental Health Challenges Faced by Gig Workers
- Lack of Proper Breaks
When in control of own fate, it’s tough to recognize as to when to push the off button. Independent working and entrepreneurship are often glorified for the flexibility and freedom, however freedom and flexibility also comes with hitches and snags. Dark side of independent working is revealed when individual workers tend to become persistent and in results to suffer from relentless ambition of never to stop working.
Nonexistence of proper working parameters usually results in consequences such as having a long-lasting struggle of time management and lack of ability to take appropriate breaks, both of them being an enormous risk to a freelancer’s mental health.
Majority of individual workers claim that they don’t have the luxury of taking a non-working retreat.
Individual workers’ lack of ability to unplug from work and rest have overwhelming negative physical and mental health effects. Therefore, it’s crucial for freelancers to learn and develop the ability of unplugging from work on priority basis.
2. Struggle to Acquire Health Insurance
Another most obvious factor having negative impact over the health of an individual worker is not getting access to corporate sponsored health insurance. Freelancers are expected either to look after and provide for themselves or to avail government funded healthcare options.
Due to these reasons of paying fully for their own healthcare, individual workers ignore self-health and minor health related issues up until they become major health concerns.
3. Stress of Being Overwhelmed
Confidence of freelancing is directly proportional to the stress associated with it. Gig and contract workers are constantly dealing with closing dates, taxes, managing between complex tasks while tending to the various expectations of various clients. Resulting in high levels of stress and anxiety especially at specific times in day, week, month or year.
