Abstract
Online freelancing platforms, such as Upwork, hold great promise in enabling flexible work opportunities where freelancers can combine their work with other life responsibilities, hereafter work-life. However, prior research suggests that platform features and self-managing demands of freelance work can jeopardise this apparent flexibility. In this paper, we report findings from a qualitative study, combining a 14-diary and semi-structured interview with 15 Upwork freelancers. We explored online freelancers' work practices, challenges, and the impact of platform features on their everyday lives. Our qualitative data suggest that platform features and individual context shape online freelancers' work-life practices. Freelancers develop strategies to mitigate platforms' constraints and balance their individual preferences and responsibilities. Further, our findings illustrate how platform features challenge freelancers' availability expectations, work autonomy, and work detachment. This paper contributes an empirical understanding of the factors influencing online freelancers' work-life practices by drawing upon Wanda J. Orlikowski's Structuration Model of Technology. This theoretical lens renders the interplay of freelancers, platforms, and instituted norms of freelance work.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 106 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-32 |
| Number of pages | 32 |
| Journal | Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | CSCW1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 16 Apr 2023 |
| Event | ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2023 (CHI23) - Congress Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany Duration: 23 Apr 2023 → 28 Apr 2023 https://chi2023.acm.org/ |
Keywords
- Gig Economy
- Online Freelancing Platforms
- Online Freelancing
- Upwork
- Work Practice
- work-life balance
Research Group keywords
- Interaction Research Studio
