Marion McGovern

Thriving in the Gig Economy

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California’s Prop 22 – The Devil is in the Details

California’s Prop 22 – The Devil is in the Details

As a California voter, I hate the proposition process.  I have always felt it was inappropriate for the masses to legislate, since that is what we elect our state representatives to do. Unfortunately, those representatives don’t always do a good job.  They passed a law in late 2019, AB5, designed to require gig platforms to classify workers as employees and not independent contractors.  However,…

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The Gig Economy Deserves Better

The Gig Economy Deserves Better

The recent passage of #AB2257 shows just how ill-conceived #AB5 was, and how little the lawmakers understood about the gig economy.

I may not write laws, but I write books.  When I submit a manuscript to my editor, I am thrilled when the suggested changes  are minor; I know I have done a good job at my craft.  Looking at AB2257, the law recently signed by Governor Gavin Newsom to address the…

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"Agency" and the Gig Economy

“Agency” and the Gig Economy

Deloitte Research and the MIT Sloan Management Review published an interesting report recently entitled “Opportunity Marketplaces.” Their premise is that companies should create internal talent platforms  which are employee directed and enable workers to  develop new skills and investigate new intellectually challenging corporate projects.  By providing such opportunity marketplaces, employees…

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Updating "Thriving in the Gig Economy"

Updating “Thriving in the Gig Economy”

Perhaps because of AB5, the new law regulating independent contractors in California, I have been getting a lot of calls from journalists, think tanks and thought leaders about the #GigEconomy. (I even got one from a reporter in Iowa on the eve of the caucus.  “Really?”, I asked, “shouldn’t you be writing about the election?” Nonetheless in preparation for these discussions, I updated some of the…

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Books for a Disruptive World

Books for a Disruptive World

At the National Association of Corporate Directors Summit last week, Admiral James Stavrids, the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO gave a talk on global risks.  When asked how we as Board members can be most prepared, his answer was to read books, and think deeply.  In our digital culture, twitter feeds too often supplant a good book.  As an inveterate reader and author, I cheered his…

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An Escape Room for the Board Room

An Escape Room for the Board Room

Escape rooms have become a very popular entertainment option in the last decade, where participants play an escape game to collectively discover clues, solve puzzles and ultimately achieve the goal of escaping the room.  By the end of 2017, there were over 8000 venues worldwide.

Our consulting team at the Myers-Briggs Company saw this trend and recognized that the power of the concept could be…

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Politics and the #GigEconomy

Politics and the #GigEconomy

I suppose I should be happy that the #gigeconomy is at least being mentioned by some of the presidential candidates.  That said, I am disappointed with their frame of reference.

Mayor Pete has been the one who has proposed allowing gig workers to unionize.  In so doing, he had made the mistake which many people do, which is viewing the very diverse population of independent workers as a single…

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New Data on the Gig Economy: 5 Takeaways

New Data on the Gig Economy: 5 Takeaways

July 1, 2019 | Blog | 0 comments

My favorite source of gig economy data, The State of Independence in America, recently announced its 2019 findings. When I was writing my most recent book, Thriving in the Gig Economy,it seemed like a new report was being released every month, so trying to reconcile the results was often a challenge.  (I explored the issues of gig economy data in my previous blog…

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#CoolGigCompanies - Gigworker.com, A New Resource for Gig Workers

#CoolGigCompanies – Gigworker.com, A New Resource for Gig Workers

Brett Helling  wants GigWorker.com to be for independent workers what Ridester has become for drivers in the rideshare business. Ridester is the “got to” resource for rideshare drivers and customers with how to guides, industry news, and specialized promotions for all things related to rideshare apps. And Brett should know how, since he is the one that bought Ridester and grew its reach by 119%.

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A New Development in Independent Contractor Compliance

A New Development in Independent Contractor Compliance

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) today gave independent contractors a boost when it reversed a prior decision from the Obama era which had limited the definition of independent contractors.  This reversal should be a boon to some players in the #GigEconomy as well as the platforms that enable services and the companies that secure them. Independent contractor compliance may be a bit…

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The Government Shutdown and the #GigEconomy

The Government Shutdown and the #GigEconomy

There have been several articles so far this year about how furloughed federal workers are using the gig economy to make ends meet; A recent Fast Company articleindicated that services offered on the digital talent platform, Fiverr, in the Washington DC metro area increased by 41%. That means that the number of people putting themselves on the site for projects spiked in a way that was unheard…

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Grateful for Developments in the #GigEconomy

Grateful for Developments in the #GigEconomy

As an early operator in  the #GigEconomy, I am gratified by the ways in which it has grown. This year in particular,  I have to say there is much about which to be grateful at this time of giving thanks.  Here are five things to consider

1, Workers in developing countries are seeing real benefits.

A recent article published by the Oxford Internet Institute showed that gig platforms – or as they…

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To "B" or not to "B": Becoming a B Corporation

To “B” or not to “B”: Becoming a B Corporation

I am proud to be part of the leadership team of The Myers-Briggs Company that made the effort to change its corporate structure to become a California benefit corporation and obtain its B Corp certification through B Lab, a non-profit certifying entity.  Not only did we do all of the necessary work to become certified by B Labs in a way that makes us accountable for metrics beyond traditional…

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Tired of the Whining About the #GigEconomy

Tired of the Whining About the #GigEconomy

When you write a book about a topic that is often in the news, like the #GigEconomy, friends send you articles on that topic to be sure you see them.  It is nice, since every so often, one of them gets by my Google alerts.  That said, though, I received way too many  emails on this particular piece in the New York Times over the weekend, entitled “Freelancers of the World Unite, in Despair.”  I…

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The Power of Predictive Proof

0ne of the benefits of being a Board member of CPP Inc.-The Myers-Briggs Company is that we get to use the products. Each year at our off-sites, we take an assessment and then, one of the PhD psychologists on our research staff takes us through the history of the tool, key markets, and – the best part- our own results.

This year we had a remarkable experience when we took the Strong Interest…

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Community in the #Gig Economy

Community in the #Gig Economy

A challenge for many workers in the # gig economy is the isolation.  By definition independent workers are working on their own, an island away from the mainland. You do get to mingle with clients now and then, but for many, independent work is remote, and that client connection is via email, phone or maybe Skype. Freelancers, consultants, soloists or whatever term you use, are responsible for…

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#CoolGigCompanies - Shortlist – Scaling Recruitment in the Developing World

#CoolGigCompanies – Shortlist – Scaling Recruitment in the Developing World

People often ask me why I wrote my latest book, Thriving in the Gig Economy.  It was due in part to the fact that in the summer of 2016, three different investor groups approached me for ideas about gig economy platforms.  One of those groups went on to create a very cool, platform that is changing the recruitment talent markets in two high potential economies.

    Shortlistis a recruiting…

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