Abstract

“Gig” work - electronic-mediated platforms like Uber, leased employment, and contracting - have the common theme that they are actually forms of contracting rather than employment. This raises important challenges for our understanding of them as our models in management are based on employment and the mutual obligations embedded in it that allow employers to direct work but also influence the attitudes of employees. Those obligations do not apply to contracting, and most of the practices of modern management are prohibited by law from being used with contractors. Nevertheless, the discretionary behavior of contractors is increasingly important as they are playing bigger roles in organizations, often alongside regular employees. We consider how that might be done using the construct of employee engagement as the focus.