The Erasmus University (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) studied the mental health of platform workers versus those of people in other occupations. The outcome was shocking.
Mental health is a problem
Around 3620 employees of platforms like Uber, Gorillas and Takeway.com were interviewed. The outcome was the mental health of people who do so-called platform work is worse than that of people in other professions. Platform workers are more often exhausted and less enthusiastic about their work.
The workload amongst this group is huge. Mentally but also physically because of the heavy backpacks and risks of accidents whilst in traffic.
Lonely and tired
Some of the interviewed platform workers say they feel lonely and experience no support from their co-workers simply because they don’t see them often. Also, the shifts of the workers give them less time off with family and friends. Some of them work 4 hours during the daytime, get a few hours off and then have to go back for four more hours during the night. The unpaid waiting times in between jobs have a negative effect on the wages per hour. Some of the companies advertise that you can earn 13 euros per hour, while in reality, it is just over 7 euros an hour.
EU Regulation
EU has already dropped a bill to protect the platform worker. If at least two of the following criteria apply to a platform worker, the company should hire them as an employee.
- The platform determines the hourly wages
- The platform decides the dress code
- The platform oversees revenue and quality of work
- The platform limits the freedom of workers by handing out sanctions
- The platform limits the workers in building up their own clientele
The problem is that the platform worker must prove that their company violates at least two of the above-mentioned terms. They may be hesitant to do so for fear of losing their job.
Developments in On-Demand Delivery
An industry that uses platform workers is the quick commerce industry. In a recent Episode of the Does Logistics Matter? Podcast, Food Retail Trend Watcher Gijsbregt Brouwer and host Martijn Graat discussed the developments in quick commerce and on-demand delivery.
Author Bio
Dimitry Vleugel is the founder of Androidworld.nl. He writes about Technology, Android, and Google. He is a podcast producer and presenter and hosts Tech, Android, and Human Interests podcasts. He is also a LogisticsMatter editor and the producer of the Does Logistics Matter? Podcast.
Photo by Kai Pilger on Unsplash
Source: NOS
