the millions of workers in the gig economy who rely on fluctuating finances to make ends meet can have health outcomes just as volatile as their paycheques, according to a series of new studies.
the research,
published in the journal of applied psychology
, found that waiters, salespeople and other people who receive inconsistent compensation report worse symptoms of physical health, including headaches, back pain and poor sleep quality.
“pay volatility seems to predict worse health outcomes across a wide range of incomes,”
said gordon sayre
, author of the study and an assistant professor of organizational behaviour at emlyon business school in france. “not only was pay volatility related to worse health in lower-paid tipped jobs or among freelancers in the gig economy but for higher-paid professionals working in finance, sales and marketing where commissions and performance bonuses are common.”
in the first study, 85 u.s. workers who relied on tips completed daily surveys for two weeks about their total daily compensation and health. this group, which received tips on 80 per cent of their work days, reported an average daily tip total of $36.18 — roughly one-quarter of their total income for the day. researchers found that fluctuations in daily pay over this two-week period were associated with poor sleep quality and negative health symptoms. the larger the portion of pay that was subject to volatility, the stronger the relationship became.
the second study involved 375 people who spent an average of 29 hours per week on
amazon mechanical turk
, a site that allows workers to complete various jobs for small amounts of money. the team found that the health of participants, who completed weekly surveys over a three-week period, was affected in the same way as those who relied on daily tips.