Germany’s fairest digital labor platform – Fairwork Rating 2021
The Fairwork Rating 2021
The Fairwork Foundation evaluates over 100 platforms in 11 countries around the world based on 10 objective criteria. This year, Zenjob tops the table in Germany with 9 out of 10 points, making us the fairest digital labor platform in Germany. Other platforms in the table are Gorillas, Uber or Wolt. Since the last round of ratings, the criteria that researchers use to evaluate platforms have become even more rigorous. Since we scored 8 out of 10 in the last round, we have actually improved in two senses.
Despite this good rating, we will not stop working on our service and will always critically scrutinize our working conditions.
Methodology
To achieve an objective evaluation of the platforms, the researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute and TU Berlin first do desk research. Afterward, they also conduct qualitative interviews with platform employees and talk to platform operators. These can provide evidence for the individual criteria that assess the fairness of the service offered. The results from the three research steps are finally reconciled and a final rating is formulated on the basis of this.
Zenjobs rating and adjustment
Many of the evaluation criteria were met by Zenjob from the outset. For example, our contracts and terms and conditions have already proven that we have earned points in the area of fair management and fair contracts. Zenjob also scored points in all other categories, such as fair pay and fair conditions, which are mainly about hourly salary and safety at work. Thanks to our collaboration with Fairwork, we have also included explicit anti-discrimination and diversity clauses in our terms and conditions in addition to our regular anti-discrimination studies at Zenjob. We are also commended by Fairwork for our initiative about fair representation and workers’ voice.
We started a pilot program for worker representatives to offer our workers a new channel to raise issues and concerns. This initiative is also considered a model by other platforms and is a good step in the right direction to get the missing point.
Through the work of the Fairwork project, working conditions in the platform economy can be improved step by step. Fairwork serves as a kind of TÜV for platforms and workers can use the awards and ratings as a guide.
We hope that through this and other projects, the potential of platform work will be used sustainably and fairly, and we are committed to this in addition to our cooperation with Fairwork.
Comprehensive information on methodology and rating can be found in the Fairwork Foundation Report.
Zenjob stands out as the only one that provides contracts in a market that is normally defined through its freelancing/independent contractor nature.