On Thursday, November 3rd, 2022, thousands of Twitter workers didn’t know if they would have a job in the morning. Those who were directly hired at Twitter woke up to an email with either a new assignment or a severance package. But contract workers like Melissa Ingle got nothing.
A More Ethical Approach to Employing Contractors
Beyond doing the right thing, responsible contracting attracts and cultivates talent, lifts employee morale, generates returns, and bolsters your brand.
August 02, 2023
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Summary.
For companies, the practice of outsourcing labor to third parties has become attractive: they get a pre-screened, flexible workforce and the ability to offload the responsibilities of legal employment to someone else. That compelling opportunity has spread far beyond tech to industries from healthcare and logistics. Unfortunately, this workforce model comes at a cost, to both workers and companies. There is a way for employers to contract out responsibility without exposing workers to harm — and themselves to increased liability — by adopting six pillars: 1) all workers should be paid family-sustaining wages and benefits, 2) equal pay for equal work, 3) provide workplace safety protocols and give the workers a voice, 4) demand equitable procurement, 5) offer pathways to fulltime employment, and 6) be transparent.