4 Essential Health and Personal Wellness Tips for Gig Workers

Charlie Svensson

For many gig workers, it all boils down to doing tasks they were contracted to do for their client, whether they are doing it at home or at their client’s workplace. Since they are not technically employees of their clients, the can’t be covered for health insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, and many other benefits that regular employees get. In fact, according to surveys on Easy Essay, the below points represent the plight of gig economy workers:

• 64% of gig workers in the survey had no sick pay and many of them had to go to work, even when sick, so as not to forfeit their wages for the day.
• Nearly 50% are not compensated during the holidays, which means many of them have to go to work, even on holidays, just to make a little extra cash.
• Only slightly more than 30% of gig economy workers can access health support in their workplace, as opposed to more than half of regular employees.
• Most gig economy workers in the survey pointed out that they like to have formal contracts drawn up before starting work that offer some basic health and safety benefits that put them at par with regular workers.

As if that’s not enough, yet another study from this paper service has pointed out that gig workers that work on-site make up about 12.5% of all deaths on the job.

Clearly there is a problem here, and there needs to be a major change for gig economy workers, whether they are working at the client’s site or in their homes. The matter is being debated in government, so mostly it’s a lobbying issue.

Meanwhile, there are things you can personally do as a gig worker to promote your own health and personal wellness. In this article, we shall give 4 of the most important tips.

1. Ask questions and be assertive

If your client’s workplace seems potentially hazardous, or you are not given basic safety gear and information, such as where the fire exits are, you need to speak for yourself. Ask your employer and colleagues those all-important questions until you know exactly how safe you are. One way you can tell is by looking at what regular employees are provided with. If they have work boots, goggles, and helmets, but the same isn’t provided to you, then there is a problem and you need to speak up.

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2. Make sure you get the right amount of sleep

Studies show that many adults just don’t get enough sleep. The United States Center for Disease Control has a helpful table showing the necessary amount of sleep for each age group. As an adult, you need at least 7 hours of sleep per every 24 hours.

Understandably, it may not always be possible to get that much sleep. However, you need to try to get that much whenever you can sneak it in. When you are groggy from not getting enough sleep, your alertness levels go down. That means you are more likely to make mental and physical mistakes, which in turn means you are more likely to put your safety and health at risk. According to Essay Help, some of the dangers you can expect to expose yourself to when you don’t get enough sleep include the following:

• Your motor skills become impaired
• You take unnecessary risks and make poor decisions
• Your information processing and memory capabilities decline
• You are more prone to stress
• Your productivity levels skydive

The main takeaway here is to make sure you get enough sleep. It’s far more important than you might think.

3. Work on stress relief

Sources of stress might differ between gig workers and regular employees. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have as much of an impact. One of these sources is the uncertainty that comes with not being a regular employee. Often gig workers have to give up their job security in order to enjoy the freedom of being able to work when and where they want. There months where nothing happens and there are days where months happen, which is to say work is not a regular stream, but more of a series of spurts of varying volumes and intensities. This variable and unpredictable switch between feasting and starving can dramatically elevate stress levels.

Other common sources of stress include impostor syndrome when switching from one workplace or team to another, unrealistic demands from clients, working long hours, including on weekends, without any pay for overtime, lacking a social life, and internal stressors, such as being a perfectionist or going the extra mile just to keep a client.

These stressors can add up over time, and you may not even have access to therapy. In that case, you’ll need to manage the stress through other methods. Below are some things you can try:

• Take walks on a regular basis
• Meditate
• Do breathing exercises
• Take time off on a regular basis

4. Keep your diet healthy

Being mindful of what you put into your stomach is an important skill to develop. Your diet isn’t just about feeling full after a meal, but is responsible for re-energizing your tired body. It also helps you get good sleep and keeps your body at a healthy weight. A good diet is also good for the long term, as it lowers the chances of having some chronic lifestyle disease later in life.

Wherever and whenever you eat, make sure you’re eating healthy food. Avoid fast foods, or foods with lots of fats. Instead, take protein, whole grains, salads, and dietary supplements to help you calm your mind.

You need to be especially wary of carbs in general and sugar in particular. While they may give you lots of energy in the short term, they tend to make your body get groggy and lethargic, once the effects wear off. This is known as ‘crashing’. Many of the symptoms of crashing are the same as if you had never had enough sleep. Your focus and alertness levels will plunge.

Conclusion

I decided to keep those tips few, so as to make them easier to implement. As you can see, they are all within your power. You can start this very minute and see the results in action. Your health and personal wellness are in your hands. Take care of them. Like they say, prevention is better than cure.

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Author Bio

Charlie Svensson is a fast, engaging freelance writer skilled in content writing and blogging. He currently works for Assignment Help UK, a research paper writing service. In his free time, he also runs an essay writing service. His favorite topics include education, social media, marketing, SEO, motivation blogging, and self-growth. He has excellent skills and is adaptable enough to reach diverse audiences.

NOTE: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Nannocare. Nannocare is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with the author of this article, or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates.