The Connotation,dimension And Mechanism Of Virtual Employer Brand In The Gig Economy

With the germination and vigorous development of the flexible staffing market,the gig economy presents four characteristics: algorithm-based management,loose employment relationship,flexible gig work,and blurred organizational boundaries.The employment mode of the gig economy has a subversive impact on the employment relationship.The connotation of the traditional employer brand cannot meet the development needs of the gig economy.Although platform enterprises are promoting behaviors related to employer branding actively,such as algorithm optimization,life care,and communication with gig employees,there is little research on employer branding based on the gig economy.Employer brand is a series of values,policies and behavior systems that can help enterprises attract potential employees and motivate and retain existing employees,as the image symbol of employers has become a tool in human resource management practice,which has a positive impact on the organization to attract,motivate and retain employees,and is of great significance to the long-term healthy development of platform enterprises.Therefore,the research question of this paper is to explore the virtual employer brand by using the method of grounded research,so as to reconstruct the connotation,dimensions and mechanism of virtual employer brand.In order to better understand the methods and paths of building virtual employer brand among the gig economy,the study adopts the grounded research paradigm of Chinese management,interviewing 24 gig workers,collating and obtaining 163,000 words of original interview materials,combining with a large number of secondary sources,such as research reports,gig self-reports in Zhihu,etc.Then the study adopts the data processing process of open coding,selective coding and theoretical coding,and codes eight core categories,including work characteristics,economic value,algorithm management,third-party management,platform ecological value,gig perception,gig individual differences and gig behaviors.The research results redefine the connotation and structure of employer brand under the gig economy,define it as "virtual employer brand",finding that it is a kind of building virtual employer brand in the position of structural hole,which is composed of five dimensions: work characteristics,economic value,algorithm management,third-party management,and platform ecological value.At the same time,the mechanism model of virtual employer brand is constructed,and the virtual employer brand influences gig participation and exit behavior through gig perception,and the professional values,self-management and age of gig workers regulate the mediating role of virtual employer brand on gig perception.From a theoretical point of view,the research expands the research on human resource management of gig economy,filling the lack of gig economy in the direction of employer brand and adjusting the diversity and inclusion of employer brand under the promotion of gig economy.From a practical point of view,virtual employer branding provide reference for platform enterprises to attract and retain employees,which is conducive to the long-term healthy development of platform enterprises.The dimensions and model framework of virtual employer branding are of great significance to the practice of gig economy enterprises in the new format and the large scale of gig workers.