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Cited by 56Work-Family Balance ChallengesDigital Economy and Work TransformationEmployment, Labor, and Gender Studies

Risky business: Gig workers and the navigation of ideal worker expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cameron, Lindsey D., Thomason, Bobbi, Conzon, Vanessa M.·2021·Journal of Applied Psychology
DOI 10.1037/apl0000993
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Abstract

Managers and customers often expect individuals to be "ideal workers" devoted entirely to work, and this devotion is typically displayed through being available to work at any time, on any day (Reid, 2015). During the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals in lower-paid, customer-facing jobs were expected to not only be available but also to take on physical risk. However, the ideal worker literature has paid relatively little attention to how risk relates to ideal worker expectations, reflecting in part the extant literature's focus on professionals who face relatively little physical and financial uncertainty. In this article, we draw upon the experiences of nonprofessional "gig" workers (TaskRabbit workers) to examine how they manage customers' ideal worker expectations-including risk-using data from interviews (n = 49), postings from online worker forums social media, and offical company communications. We show how these workers engage in different tactics to manage risk in response to customers' expectations, including two tactics-covering and withdrawing-that have not been discussed in prior ideal worker literature. In doing so, we expand scholarly understanding by showing how concerns about risk shape workers' responses to ideal worker expectations, particularly in customer-facing service work outside of traditional organizations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

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Crossref · 10.1037/apl0000993

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  • Workers who experienced incongruence between their risk preferences and customers' expectations of ideal workers responded through identity management tactics such as passing or withdrawing to avoid risks.

    “In contrast, workers who experienced incongruence between their risk preferences and customers' expectations of ideal workers responded through other identity management tactics, such as passing (e.g., changing tasks or customer bases) or withdrawing (e.g., stopping working), to avoid such risks.”

    From Gig work and gig workers: An integrative review and agenda for future research (2024) · cites this paper as Cameron et al. (2021)

  • Workers who experienced congruence between their risk preferences and customers' expectations of ideal workers tended to embrace the risks of catching COVID-19 during the pandemic because they could make more money.

    “Cameron et al. (2021) found that workers who experienced congruence between their risk preferences (e.g., identified risk as inherent or accepted risk considering financial or social benefits) and customers' expectation of ideal workers (e.g., ideal workers should take certain risks at work) tended to embrace the risks of catching COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic as they could make more money”

    From Gig work and gig workers: An integrative review and agenda for future research (2024) · cites this paper as Cameron et al. (2021)

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Authors
Cameron, L. D., Thomason, B., & Conzon, V. M.
Affiliations
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
  • Boston College (US)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Applied Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2021-12
Volume
106
Issue
12
Pages
1821-1833
ISSN
  • 0021-9010 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1854
DOI
10.1037/apl0000993
OpenAlex
W4200410107
Cited by
56
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 1
FWCI
9.70
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Applied Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
University of Pennsylvania
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Work-Family Balance Challenges
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Economy and Work Transformation
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Employment, Labor, and Gender Studies
Keywords
gig work, TaskRabbit, COVID-19 pandemic, risk management, customer expectations
MeSH terms
COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Commerce, Humans, Motivation, Pandemics

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