Dynamics of flexible work and digital platforms: Task and spatial flexibility in the platform economy

Abstract

Flexibility is recognized as one of the major shifts in the future of work. As emerging forms and structures of work challenge us to rethink how work is organized, specifically through the digitization of work by digital platforms, we are witnessing shifts in workplaces that challenge common models of full-time employment. To date, most frameworks looking to understand flexibility and flexible work arrangements are rooted in traditional employment settings. Building on existing concepts of flexibility and flexible work arrangements, this study examines how platform workers make sense of flexibility. Our findings conceptualize two central dimensions of worker flexibility, task and spatial flexibility, which are driven by the different attributes of the platform work. Our findings also demonstrate that different platform types, and the ways in which they mediate flexibility, leads to important differences in the ways workers experience their work.

Keywords

• Flexibility
• Non-standard work
• Digital platforms
• Future of work
• Trust and risk