FLEXIBLE WORK: How not to exploit ourselves

By Rebecca Seal

The Solo Collective

14/04/22·43m 28s

The work that academic Heejung Chung does is fascinating. She studies flexible working (among many other aspects of work) with particular focus on how gender dynamics can and do impact both the work we do and the choices we make about that work. She's just written her first book The Flexibility Paradox: Why Flexible Working Leads to (Self-)Exploitation, which is all about why we need to think carefully as more and more of us move into flexible work - especially solo workers - because working flexibly, while emphatically a good thing for most people, can also lead to overwork and burnout. Instead of rushing into flexibility, we need to think carefully about how to get it right, while we can - while work is evolving as swiftly as it is now.

The Solo Collective is sponsored by Tide business banking: banking made easy for sole traders and small businesses. We are also sponsored by Pension Bee, which has a flexible pension product specifically for self employed people.