THE WORLD OF WORK
SESSION 6
The gig economy
Student’s paper
Goal : YOU WILL HAVE TO DECIDE IF YOU WANT A JOB IN THE GIG ECONOMY ?
Words of the day :
Dismiss= fire someone = kick out = lay off someone ………………………..
A dismissal( un renvoi)
At the last moment = on short notice( au dernier moment)
………………………….
STEP 1 WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE SELF EMPLOYED ? be your own boss ?
VOCABULARY :
To be self employed = to be your own boss = to be an independent contractor = to work freelance
THE QUALITIES Have I got what it takes to set up a business?
- an ability to network;
- a sense of initiative;
- good persuasion and negotiation skills;
- focused on your goals;
- strong decision making skills;
- an ability to work quickly under pressure;
- confidence to take risks when necessary;
- an ability to work independently.
Your notes :
I would love to be self employed since I want to choose my own timetable
I am not ready for that .it is too much responsibility
I don’t wish to because i do not have the means( les moyens ) and it would put too much pressure on my shoulders.
STEP 2 ANOTHER FORM OF INDEPENDENT WORKER : the GIG economy
LISTEN AND COMPLETE
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A. ˈhɒlədeɪ peɪ holiday pay ( les congés payés) |
B. kənˈtræktəz C. contractor (un employé indépendant sous contrat) |
D. ɡɪɡ a gig = une mission courte |
E. dɒʤ dodge (eviter) |
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F. rɪˈdʌndənsi redundancy ( chomage) |
G. ˈleɪbl label
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H. flɛksɪˈbɪlɪti I. flexibility |
J. raɪts rights ( les droits) |
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K. friː lɑːns freelance |
L. abusing əˈbjuːzɪŋ |
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It is a LABEL ……………….that makes a world of difference.
Being an employee in many countries gives you…RIGHTS ………….. to HOLIDAY PAY ………….., minimum wage and REDUNDANCY ………..if you lose your job.
As the so-called GIG ………….economy grows, more people are working …FREELANCE …………, as independent…CONTRACTORS …………. which gives them increased…FLEXIBILITY …………. but none of those basic protections. Some unions are saying that some companies are ABUSING ……………. the free lance status to…DODGE ………. the cost of paying an employee.
Definition :
THE GIG ECONOMY MEANS SHORT MISSIONS FOR INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS AND NOT FULL TERM EMPLOYEES
THE CONS
THE GIG WORKERS DO NOT HAVE A SECURE JOB
THERE IS NO REGULAR PAY
THE CONTRACTORS DO NOT BENEFIT FROM THE EMPLOYEE ‘S RIGHTS SUCH AS SICK PAY ( congés maladie ) and REDUNDANCY
THE PROS
A GIG ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE MORE HOLIDAYS AND MORE FLEXIBILITY
BUT IT ENABLES YOU TO HAVE SEVERAL JOBS AT THE SAME TIME
EXTRA VOCABULARY :
REDUNDANCY = UNEMPLOYMENT
Become became become ( devenir)
TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK +TO BECOME RICH VERY RAPIDLY
HOMEWORK
1. relire la leçon
2. apprendre le vocabulaire nouveau
STEP 3 WRITTEN UNDERSTANDING
PARTNER A
1. READ THE TEXT AND SELECT THE KEY WORDS
According to one definition, it is "a labour market characterised by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work, as opposed to permanent jobs".
In the gig economy, instead of a regular wage, workers get paid for the "gigs" they do, such as a food delivery or a car journey.
In the UK it's estimated that five million people are employed in this type of capacity.
Jobs include couriers, ride-hailing drivers and video producers.
Proponents( people in favor of) of the gig economy claim that people can benefit from flexible hours, with control over how much time they can work as they juggle other priorities in their lives.
In addition, the flexible nature often offers benefits to employers, as they only pay when the work is available, and don't incur staff costs when the demand is not there.
Meanwhile, workers in the gig economy are classed as independent contractors.
That means they have no protection against unfair dismissal, no right to redundancy ( = unemployment) payments, and no right to receive the national minimum wage, paid holiday or sickness pay.
2.READ THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS AND PREPARE AN ANSWER
SO WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF A GIG ECONOMY ?
HOW MANY PEOPLE WORK IN THE GIG ECONOMY IN THE UK ?
WHAT ARE THE PROS OF THE GIG ECONOMY ?
WHAT ARE THE CONS OF THE GIG ECONOMY ?
3. NOW ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO YOUR PARTNER ON HIS/ HER TEXT
SO WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF A ZERO HOUR CONTRACT ,
WHAT ARE THE PROS OF SUCH CONTRACT FOR THE EMPLOYER?
WHAT ARE THE CONS OF SUCH CONTRACT FOR THE EMPLOYEES?
YOUR NOTES
PARTNER B WHAT IS A ZERO HOUR CONTRACT ?
READ THE TEXT AND SELECT THE KEY WORDS
A: Zero-hours contracts, or casual contracts, allow employers to hire staff with no guarantee of work.
They mean employees work only when they are needed by employers, often at short notice. Their pay depends on how many hours they work. no particular number of hours or times of work are specified that is why it is called a zero-hour contract as you never know how many hours you are going to work.
They are used to enable on-call scheduling (appel à la demande) . This term is used to refer to on-call shift ( a shift = une équipe de travail/ une période de travail) scheduling practices
Some zero-hours contracts require workers to take the shifts they are offered, while others do not.
Sick pay is often not included, although holiday pay should be, in line with working time regulations.
There is concern that zero-hours contracts do not offer enough financial stability and security.
Employers say zero-hours contracts allow them to take on staff in response to fluctuating demand for their services, in sectors such as tourism and hospitality.
2.READ THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS AND PREPARE AN ANSWER
SO WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF A ZERO HOUR CONTRACT ?
WHAT ARE THE PROS OF SUCH CONTRACT FOR THE EMPLOYER?
WHAT ARE THE CONS OF SUCH CONTRACT FOR THE EMPLOYEES?
3. NOW ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO YOUR PARTNER ON HIS/ HER TEXT
SO WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF A GIG ECONOMY ?
HOW MANY PEOPLE WORK IN THE GIG ECONOMY IN THE UK ?
WHAT ARE THE PROS OF THE GIG ECONOMY ?
WHAT ARE THE CONS OF THE GIG ECONOMY ?
YOUR NOTES
STEP 6 CLASSIFY THE JOBS IN THE PROPER CATEGORY
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GIG ECONOMY |
PERMANENT JOB |
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· Delivery drivers
· . Chefs and front-of-house restaurant staff:
· Taxi drivers
· Pet sitters and dog walkers:
· Tax inspector
· Truck drivers
· Accounting and finance
· Social media management: Including roles such as Instagram marketer
· Software development: Often a remote job that can be done from anywhere you have a good internet connection.
· Care work:
· Librarian
· Chartered accountant
· Civil servant
· Labor jobs: Whether your skills are in painting and decorating you can do as an independent contractor.
· Freelance writer
· Optician
