OA Community Meeting, September 7 – Worker Misclassification and Open Talent

Governments are making moves on how contingent workers should be treated. Are you ready?

In the evolving landscape of today’s workforce, traditional work models are undergoing rapid transformation. Contingent workers, who contribute expertise without permanent employment, are at the forefront of this shift. However, the challenge of properly classifying these workers has sparked discussions on worker misclassification.

Globally, governments are taking steps to address the issue, necessitating a close watch for businesses that heavily depend on gig workers. Adaptation to evolving regulations is paramount. Remaining proactive amid these changes is vital. By staying informed and agile, companies can navigate worker classification challenges seamlessly.

Leading this discussion, we had Jason Posel, an open talent trailblazer and the Founder + CEO, Greenlight.ai. With a keen understanding of the evolving landscape of work, Jason has pioneered innovative solutions to bridge the gap between modern business needs and the talents of the contingent workforce. Joining him was William Hays Weissman, an esteemed Employment Attorney and Shareholder at Littler with a wealth of labor law and talent management expertise. Together, they bring valuable insights and unique perspectives to our understanding of the evolving dynamics in today’s workforce.

Register for a free OA Community Membership here, and a calendar invite will follow.

CHAT TRANSCRIPT

00:10:48 Link: Good to see everyone 🙂
00:14:45 Open Assembly: Reacted to “Good to see everyone…” with 👍
00:18:00 Steve Rader: A bad influencer
00:18:07 Ashley Ryall: Reacted to “A bad influencer” with 😂
00:18:31 Arthur Ransier: I’ve missed the last few meetings but welcome the opportunity to connect with any new/existing members, if we’re not already in touch on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ransierarthur/
00:18:42 David Ehrenthal: Building awareness is not always influencing!.
00:19:20 Glen Hodgson: Petition: https://chng.it/HkRLFHZwZv
00:20:12 Ashley Ryall: All month long in October, Freelance Business Month will be featuring a lot of speakers and experts surrounding this group, thanks to Elina Jutelyte (I’ll be hosting a session too!) https://freelancebusinessmonth.com/
00:20:22 Link: Reacted to “All month long in Oc…” with 👍
00:21:33 Open Assembly: Open Talent Platform Collective member Graphite is hosting a webinar on September 14, 2023 | 2:00 pm ET : Navigating an Uncertain Economic Environment with Independent Talent with Vikram Ashok, Founder & CEO, Graphite and Ludwig Pierre Schulze, Managing Partner, Alumni Venture: https://resources.graphite.com/navigating-an-uncertain-environment-with-independent-talent
00:22:04 Vanessa Miller: Reacted to “Open Talent Platform…” with 👏
00:22:35 Elizabeth Eiss: Glad to be back! Elizabeth Eiss, Founder & CEO eeiss@resultsresourcing.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabetheiss/ResultsResourcing
00:22:44 David Messinger: Congrats to the platforms!
00:22:52 John Healy: Reacted to “Congrats to the plat…” with 👏
00:23:04 Link: NEXUS: Future of work generations- we meet every 2nd Thursday at 2pm EST starting September 14th. https://www.linkedin.com/events/nexus-futureofworkgenerations7105577873008189441/
00:23:27 Link: Congrats Ashley!!
00:23:32 Steve Rader: Thanks for all you have done with us! Congrats!
00:23:38 Vanessa Miller: Reacted to “Thanks for all you h…” with 👏
00:24:44 Steve Rader: For anyone interested, world bank gig report just released: https://blogs.worldbank.org/voices/promise-and-peril-online-gig-work-developing-countries
00:24:58 Ashley Ryall: Reacted to “Thanks for all you h…” with 🤗
00:25:03 Todd Brous: Reacted to “For anyone intereste…” with 👍
00:25:07 Link: Reacted to “For anyone intereste…” with 👍
00:26:00 Open Assembly: Barry Matthews / CEO – Open Assembly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-matthews-2a51a32/
00:26:30 Ashley Ryall: Reacted to “Congrats Ashley!!” with 🤗
00:26:56 Link: If you would like to connect on Linkedin 🙂 https://www.linkedin.com/in/linkdreams/
00:27:06 John Healy: Reacted to “For anyone intereste…” with 👍
00:27:15 John Healy: Reacted to “Thanks for all you h…” with 👏
00:27:18 Vanessa Miller: I’ll be attending the two SIA upcoming events in Dallas, CWS Summit Sept 17-19 and Collab in the Gig Economy Sept 19-21. Curious if anyone else here will be there!?

I know Jason will be 🙂 !

https://web.cvent.com/event/8948fed3-7b35-4f44-aa79-53433d354261/websitePage:5dd27e51-6348-4f2c-a931-f9162b7613d6
00:27:35 Open Assembly: Jason Posel, the founder and CEO of Greenlight.ai: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonposel/
00:27:44 Open Assembly: Greenlight.ai: https://www.greenlight.ai/#
00:28:11 Open Assembly: William Hays Weissman, Employment Attorney at Littler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamweissman/
00:28:19 Jay Makarov: Reacted to “For anyone intereste…” with 👍
00:28:26 Open Assembly: Littler: https://www.littler.com/
00:29:07 Michael Morris: Replying to “I’ll be attending th…”

I will be there!
00:34:36 Vanessa Miller: Reacted to “I will be there!” with 👏
00:35:53 Todd Brous: (Is it just me… but… some days I feel like my entire life is one big uninsurable risk. 😜)
00:39:55 Todd Brous: I love this slide!
00:40:58 Bradley Cooper (SASR Workforce Solutions): One of the newest frustrations is the additional of New AI/Automated Employment Decision Tool laws such as the NYC LL144 that went into affect on July 5th, another level of complexity to ensure our policies/processes and technology are compliant in one metro area that does not apply across all localities in the US.
00:41:02 Ashley Ryall: Reacted to “(Is it just me… but……” with 😂
00:42:46 Todd Brous: Is the “worker control” the largest factor?
00:43:09 John Healy: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/misclassification-facts.pdf
00:43:29 Steve Rader: Disentangling 100+ years of legal framework supporting the full-time employment model is going to take a lot of time and effort (really wished we had never coupled benefits to employer… would have been so much simpler)
00:43:52 Todd Brous: Replying to “https://www.dol.gov/…”

Thanks for this! (I was just searching for it!)
00:44:50 Todd Brous: I love this slide too!
00:45:22 John Healy: Replying to “Disentangling 100+ y…”

benefits…and tax collection….both bound to the employer in the incumbent model
00:48:53 Steve Rader: Although you could argue that the platform is providing a subset of what the enterprise provides (part of HR function and part of management functions).
00:51:06 Todd Brous: “Staff augmentation has always been an EE relationship”

Silly question… What’s an “EE relationship?”
00:51:46 John Healy: employee – employer
00:52:05 Todd Brous: Replying to “employee – employer”

OHHhhh!
(Facepalm.)
00:52:08 Todd Brous: Replying to “employee – employer”

Thanks!
00:53:13 John Healy: Is there a clear line that platforms can establish to viably operate as a connector of people and opportunity, but not a primary employer?
00:53:19 Shawn Fields – Field Nation: It’s all about the tax dollars. Attach the tax burden to the employee so that they’re paid regardless…and prevent this continual encroaching government pursuit of the $$$.
00:53:30 Todd Brous: Replying to “Is there a clear lin…”

Good question!
00:53:34 David Messinger: Reacted to “It’s all about the t…” with 👍
00:54:14 Shawn Fields – Field Nation: Sort of like workers councils and benefits in EU…
00:54:34 David Messinger: Reacted to “Is there a clear lin…” with 👍
00:54:55 Glen Hodgson: The European Parliament want to have a universal presumption of employment in the EU while the European Commission wanted 5 criteria (meet 2 of 5 and you are an employee)
00:56:58 Pick My Brain: Reacted to “Is there a clear lin…” with 👌
00:57:21 Pick My Brain: Replying to “Is there a clear lin…”
Excellent question indeed.
01:02:23 Glen Hodgson: Do we not think that if the EU takes the wrong approach then this will set a very negative global precedent?
01:03:14 Todd Brous: I give the delivery drivers 4 more years… I really want self-driving food delivery.
01:07:16 Open Assembly: Podcast: Transform Work with Jason Posel, Founder and CEO of Greenlight.ai: https://open-assembly.com/podcast/transform-work-with-jason-posel-founder-and-ceo-of-greenlight-ai
01:07:28 Jay Makarov: Reacted to “Is there a clear lin…” with 👍
01:08:20 Vanessa Miller: Reacted to “Podcast: Transform W…” with 👍
01:08:26 John Healy: thanks both!
01:08:38 Bradley Cooper (SASR Workforce Solutions): Thank you everyone!
01:08:47 Janice Stevenor Dale: Really appreciate this discussion. Thanks for Open Assembly and Barry Matthews!

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OA Community membership is free to every platform, business, and individual engaged with, or interested in, the Open Talent community. Whether you represent an open talent platform, a business using freelance talent, or you are an independent freelancer, we welcome you as a member of the community. We hope you will engage in the conversations, invite colleagues to join the community, and help the Open Talent Economy grow and thrive.