Different directions or the same route? The varied identities of ride-share drivers
Abstract
In this article we draw on personal narratives to study the identity work conducted by ride-share drivers to make sense of their occupational identity that is made problematic by the ambiguity of their legal classification and the precarious nature of their material conditions. Our contribution is twofold. First, we reveal the specificity of the identity work conducted by gig workers in comparison to other groups of workers such as employees and independent workers. We uncover the narratives that gig workers use to construct a coherent discourse that accommodates the trade-offs that their occupation involves. Second, we provide an understanding of the experience of gig workers. We adopt the term ‘sub-entrepreneur’ to refer to a type of independent contractor who experiences less freedom than those with true entrepreneurial scope and autonomy in their work. This definition assists in our reflection on our findings in relation to the future of gig workers, gig work and gig platforms.
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Biographies
Emmanuel Josserand is a Professor of Management at UTS and Director of the Centre for Business and Social Innovation (CBSI). His research focuses on intra- and inter-organisational networks, including in relation to identity work in such networks. Emmanuel has managed and participated in many projects of applied and fundamental research including ARC linkage, CRC, Swiss National Foundation project, EU projects and contract research. Emmanuel was formerly co-Director of the Centre for Management and Organisation Studies at UTS. Before joining UTS, he was a Professor at University of Geneva where he served as the Head of the Steering Committee for the PhD in Management, the Director, Executive MBA and the Delegate of the Rectorate for e-learning. Prior to that he was an Associate Professor at Paris-Dauphine University. He has a strong international publication track record with more than 100 scientific publications, including books and peer reviewed journals. He also has extensive experience in consulting as an independent adviser or in partnership with several consulting firms in Paris and Geneva.
Sarah Kaine is currently Research Director: Future of Work, Organising and Enterprise in the Centre for Business and Social Innovation (University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Business School). Sarah is active on a number of boards. She is a founding Director of the McKell Institute, and is a member of the advisory group for the Centre for Future Work and of UTS Council. Sarah is interested in innovation in employment relations and regulation – beyond the bounds of traditional labour law, corporate social responsibility and its link to industrial relations and the regulation of labour standards in domestic and international supply chains. Specifically, Sarah has explored possibilities for regulatory alternatives in a number of industrial contexts, including publicly funded care service provision and in privately controlled road transport. Her current research explores multi-stakeholder regulation of domestic and international supply chains, and work in and regulation of the digitally enabled economy. Sarah’s research has appeared in journals such as Human Relations, Journal of Business Ethics, Economic and Industrial Democracy, Human Resource Management Journal, Australian Journal of Labour Law and the Journal of Industrial Relations. Prior to becoming an academic Sarah worked as an industrial relations practitioner and a consultant to not-for-profit organisations.
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Article first published online: June 9, 2019
Issue published: September 2019
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