Spring 2020 Buffalo Business 11
"Gig work has given me a greater work-life
balance and the ability to control my time," she says.
"I get to pick and choose the work that aligns with my
strengths, as opposed to the work that's assigned to me
in a 'W-2' job."
For current School of Management undergrad
Michael Nejame, gig work looks different. It's a way for
him to make some extra money on the side while focus-
ing on his studies.
He's got two gigs: one as a tutor in the school's
Undergraduate Learning and Community Center, and
a second as a dog sitter via the smartphone app Rover.
Through Rover, dog owners connect with sitters
to walk their dogs or to watch them when the owners
are away from home. Owners can see GPS maps of
their dog's walks, get alerts when they eat and drink,
and even receive photos, videos and messages about
their dogs throughout the day.
Nejame says Rover has a lot of benefits that make
it a fit for his life.
"Getting paid to watch dogs is a dream," he says.
"There's a lot of freedom to it so I can still do pretty
much everything I want to do, all while getting paid
and getting the stress relief of having a dog around."
Nejame and Argentine are part of a growing
movement of gig workers. According to a recent study
by McKinsey Global Institute, 20-30% of the work-
ing-age population across Europe and the U.S. now
engage in some form of independent work.
It's a shi that has evolved with technology but is
still experiencing growing pains—for workers and the
companies that enable gig jobs.
Michael Nejame, BS '20
Photo: Tom Wolf
