Uber Work: A New App Linking Temp Workers with Vacancies
Everyone knows Uber as the app you use to get around, and Uber Eats as the app you use when you don't feel like cooking. But what's Uber Work?
The tech giant recently announced that their new app Uber Work would be live from tomorrow in America. The aim of the new service is to make connecting businesses with temporary workers as easy and effective as possible, something the company says is a serious bottleneck for businesses. The idea, according to Uber, started with matching blue collar workers like chefs and servers with businesses that need temporary staff to fill in the gaps in their lineup. But they say the applications can be far-wider. 
The new app will allow workers to see a potential gig's schedule, hours, pay, skill requirements and even dress code. It will also track work time, logging when users clocked in, clocked out and took breaks. Check out the screenshots, the app looks clean and definitely part of the same family as Uber and its Eats partner. Though it is only going to start in the US, the tech company say they would like to roll-out the service worldwide eventually.
You can only imagine the benefit this app could have in South Africa, allowing people to look for work when they need it without traveling to the place to ask and possibly get rejected. We already have apps like SweepSouth that connect cleaners with dirty homes in the same way Uber matches drivers with riders. 
One issue highlighted by critics is the ongoing employee battles Uber faces with their refusal to accept their drivers as employees of Uber. They state drivers are private contractors or ‘gig workers’ and are therefore not entitled to employee benefits. The same issue could arise with Uber Work, as Uber could be seen as the employers of the temp workers that will use the app. Uber seems to be avoiding this by getting third party staffing agencies to do the employment screening, verification, payroll and taxes.
Take a tour below! 