Analysis: New research shows how hidden algorithms and multiple stakeholders have become a new form of worker control in the gig economy
By James Duggan, Anthony McDonnell, Ronan Carbery and Ultan Sherman, UCC
Many restaurants in Ireland have struggled to rebound from the impact of the pandemic. However, food-delivery platforms have provided them with a much-needed lifeline. Deliveroo's Irish operations saw its gross profit rise by 75% in 2021, with record profits also being recorded at Just Eat. Huge demand from customers who were unable to dine at their favourite restaurants subsequently led to a surge in courier numbers working for these platforms.
While Deliveroo directly employs around 10 people in Ireland, it is estimated that over 1,000 workers – who are classified as self-employed contractors – deliver food on behalf of the platform. In the rideshare (or transportation) sector, Uber reportedly had over 5.4 million self-employed drivers worldwide in 2022, with at least one million of these in the United States.
A key selling point of this type of work has been that workers can purportedly decide when, where and how often they wish to work. Deliveroo, for example, promises "work that fits around your life", while Uber offers the chance to "fit driving around your life, not the other way around".
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Today With Claire Byrne, the challenges facing food delivery drivers In Dubin
But the reality appears to tell an increasingly different story. Although flexibility and autonomy are regularly touted as hallmarks of work in the digital age, developments have increasingly cast doubt on this narrative. Unions representing gig workers have been embroiled in a series of long-running disputes with corporate giants of the gig economy for much of the last decade. Similarly, individual stories have highlighted concerns about the precarity experienced by these workers and the potential exploitation of workers. Typically, any such accusations have been stringently denied by organisations.
At the centre of these disputes is the ongoing struggle for control and rights between workers and platforms. More recently, a growing number of studies on gig work have exposed a new form of worker control that lurks beneath the surface: algorithmic control.
Our research challenges the notion of autonomy in gig work by highlighting an intricate and comprehensive system of algorithmic control that shapes the lived experiences of workers. Enabled by self-learning technologies, this new form of control empowers platform organisations to manage worker performance and strategically regulate rewards, all in the name of aligning worker activities with company objectives.
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While control is a key feature and need within all organisational forms, the online labour platform business model offers a distinct and novel approach. On the surface, one might expect organisations to hold all the power, but our study reveals additional layers of algorithmic control that are markedly different to how other organisations operate.
Non-organisational personnel – including those outside the company's structure, such as customers and restaurants – play a significant role in shaping the fate of gig workers. By feeding the algorithm based on their direct interactions with workers, these people can influence worker efficiency and contribute to the worker rating systems used by labour platforms. These ratings typically govern ongoing access to gigs, and therefore, a worker's ability to earn.
Our findings paint a challenging picture for gig workers, who find themselves at the mercy of multiple stakeholders, each with their own set of unique demands. To maintain access to work and secure a steady income, gig workers are compelled to constantly navigate the intricate dance of satisfying labour platforms, customers, and even restaurants providing services on food-delivery platforms.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's The Business in 2019, does the gig economy really have advantages for workers? With journalist Fionn Rogan and Gillian Horan from employer brand company The Pudding
Customers, for example, wield a high degree of control by quantitatively rating gig workers’ performance and therefore influencing how they approach tasks. Workers with low ratings may face repercussions from the algorithm, which can range from subtle warnings to complete removal from the platform.
Likewise, restaurants on food-delivery platforms can influence the earning potential of workers. Workers told us that lengthy, unpaid waiting times in restaurants significantly reduced their average hourly earnings. This highlights an additional complexity faced by gig workers, where the delivery efficiency and earning potential are directly linked to the efficiency in supply. There is, however, little the worker can do to influence restaurants to be timelier so that waiting times are kept to the absolute minimum.
Algorithmic control, with its ability to monitor, evaluate, and shape gig workers' behaviour, blurs the line between independence and subservience. By prioritising organisational objectives and ensuring task efficiency, this control system fosters a complex network of power dynamics that seem largely invisible to those not directly involved in gig work.
A broader understanding of algorithmic control and its challenges faced by gig workers can pave the way for meaningful reforms and improved working conditions
The myth of 'being your own boss’ is shattered as gig workers realise that their actions are meticulously guided by technologies that serve the interests of platforms. This is especially concerning when we see some of the platform-driven narratives surrounding gig work being repeated by the UK's Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who suggested that people over the age of 50 looking for work should consider delivering takeaways and avail of the "great opportunities" afforded by gig work.
As governments and policymakers continue to grapple with the grand challenge of regulating gig work, a broader understanding of algorithmic control and the multifaceted challenges faced by workers can pave the way for meaningful reforms and improved working conditions. Acknowledging these challenges is a small but important step towards creating a more equitable and sustainable gig economy. In addition, the wider use of algorithms within traditional work also needs to be critically examined from multiple stakeholders and perspectives.
Dr James Duggan is a Lecturer in Human Resource Management at Cork University Business School at UCC. He is a former Irish Research Council awardee. Prof Anthony McDonnell is a Full Professor of Human Resource Management at Cork University Business School at UCC. He is a former Irish Research Council awardee. Dr Ronan Carbery is a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management at Cork University Business School at UCC. Dr Ultan Sherman is a Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management at Cork University Business School at UCC.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
