Trust and verification in the gig economy

The gig economy is growing, with recent statistics from a report commissioned by the Victorian Government revealing that 13.1% of over 14,000 people surveyed had engaged in some type of platform work and that almost two thirds of Australians routinely rely on online platforms like Uber, Deliveroo and Airtasker to buy goods and services.

It’s clear that the flexibility and ease with which platform or on-demand work can be acquired is enticing for many people. This has been made even clearer during COVID-19 as the typical employment market has become more uncertain and the demand for platform services has risen. As we see a spike in the use of on-demand services such as food delivery and freelance services, we have seen a correlated increase in the need for independent operators to carry out these services.

Why is it important to hire right in the gig economy?

A large proportion of gig economy work involves revealing personal details of the customer to a gig worker, whether it’s a customer’s address, physical vulnerability in a vehicle, or even allowing the gig worker person into the customer’s home and access to personal items.

All of these gig economy situations inevitably require a significant amount of trust on the part of the customer. One bad experience can mean, at best, a customer lost to your competitor, and at worst, legal action and significant negative media attention for your business.

The workers you hire are therefore holders of important data and can have a serious impact on the reputation of your business. It’s clear that it’s vital to hire right in the gig economy - you must do all you can to hire suitable representatives for your business in an industry where hiring and communication is conducted digitally and rarely having any physical contact with the hired worker.

How to hire right in the gig economy

The two most important factors in the gig economy are equally important to the hiring process in the gig economy - speed and accuracy. You want the service to be delivered to the customer as quickly as possible and you want it to go to the right person in the right location every time. These factors are equally important to the hiring process - you want to be able to hire the right people as efficiently as possible.

If you’re operating a business in the gig economy, you’ll know that this is one of the most difficult things to do. All hiring processes are digital, are under significant time pressures, and identity theft is on the rise. In this climate when trying to hire efficiently to meet demand, unsuitable operators can easily slip into the workforce if not properly checked.

So how can you hire right and what are some of the main elements to verify in ensuring they are suitable for your business? One of the primary and first steps to take is to conduct identity verification, as all other screening will stem from the person’s identity. If they are purporting to be someone they’re not, this will mean the screening of their employment history or criminal background can’t be relied upon.

If their identity is confirmed as true, you can then proceed to conduct all other screening and have confidence that the results relate to the person you are dealing with. This way you minimise the risk of identity fraud and increase your confidence in the people you hire.

The identity verification app that does it all quickly and conveniently

InstaID+ is a new automated tool that allows you to quickly and conveniently conduct identity verification for your prospective workers.

Simply send a link to the applicant asking them to provide some basic details, including a photo of themselves and their photo ID, from which you can then match their identity against a range of reliable data sources. It’s also a quick and easy process for the applicant with checks being completed securely and in real-time, providing peace of mind to both parties.

InstaID+ has performed over two million biometric identity verifications, and the automated process and reliable data sources of InstaID+ means you can be assured and confident of the suitability of the person for your business.

Confirming an applicant’s identity and cross-referencing against reliable sources will help you to build trust, credibility and confidence with your customers and avoid fraudulent operators being associated with your business.

 

Find out more

Protect your business from fraudulent individuals and minimise risk. With no setup or ongoing fees, InstaID+ is easy to implement in your processes and we provide end-to-end customer support to ensure an effective verification process.