But in this new Utopian age of caring and sharing, who’s losing out?
As with any gig, you only get paid for the time you’re on stage. (Nobody’s paying for the rehearsals or transporting the drum kit.) ‘Zero hours’ contracts are causing concern across the political spectrum as unscrupulous employers use them to drive down wages and lower working conditions.
And what happens, when your luxury flat in Cologne gets trashed by a group of leather-clad thrash metal enthusiasts who just happened to pop in for a party with that nice, young man you loaned it to?
While promising opportunities for new business creation, risk liability, insurance, transparency, and workforce protection issues continue to hinder the progress of the Sharing Economy. As does the fact that technological innovation and social change has often outpaced regulatory frameworks, resulting in banned services and protest from those working in traditional industries.
The future of commerce may well be of the sharing variety, but how can you ensure you enjoy the benefits without running the risks? If it is to flourish, companies must work together with policy makers to drive the sharing economy forward in an equitable way to benefit all parties involved in its exchanges.
