What is a “Freelance Lite” Employee?

This week, Forbes writer Jon Younger touched on an interesting new topic related to the world of flexible work. We’ve all seen drastic changes in the workforce over the past few years with the pandemic and the subsequent Great Resignation upending how we think about employee engagement, employee satisfaction, and the future of the workplace. At AllWork, we know first-hand how rapid the shift to freelance work has become with a total of  35% of workers becoming full-time freelancers in 2021. 

The workforce as a whole has reevaluated what is most important to them when it comes to their careers. It’s no surprise then that we’ve seen an acceleration in the shift from 9-5 jobs to full-time freelance work. In fact, 60% of surveyed C-suite executives expect gig workers will substantially replace full-time employees at their company within the next three years. That’s huge.

But there is another segment of the work population that has one foot in the world of full-time employment and one in the world of freelance. During the pandemic, 2 million workers joined the freelance economy, and an estimated 40% of U.S. employees have kept a side-gig while working full-time.

Full-time workers want freelancer benefits

This population of over 45 million professionals has become known as “freelance lite”. A Freelance lite employee chooses to stick with their full-time role, but expectations and priorities have shifted. Now they want a day-to-day work experience that looks more like a freelance career. Freelance lite employees already have a taste of the freelance life through their side-gig work and they now want that flexibility and work-life balance from their full-time employment.

Large companies are paying attention to this shift with Airbnb announcing the company would become fully remote and Microsoft now permitting employees to work from home half the time. While we continue to reinvent the workplace, and more companies come to rely on a blend of full-time and flexible talent, it will be interesting to see how this shift in the workforce unfolds – and just how large of a role the freelance lite employee will play.

You can read the full Forbes article here.

Planning to work with more freelancers this year? AllWork can help you onboard, manage, and pay your flexible workforce. We offer fast, easy, and compliant payment options. Get in touch at info@allworknow.com to learn more and see a demo of our platform here.