Expert Forum: Consultants and the Gig Economy

Presenters: Tracy Burns-Martin, Chief Executive Officer of the New England HR Association

Date: Thursday, March 17^th, 2022

Time: 5:30 – 6:30pm CT

Place: Online Event

We hope you will join us on Thursday, March 17th at 5:30 PM CT for this UTD Expert Forum event. We will discuss how consultants can capitalize on the growing “gig economy”. First, we’ll discuss the nature of the gig economy and gig workers. Second, we’ll dive into the transactional model of how companies and gig workers engage with each other. Third, we’ll discuss some representative projects that gig workers have done for companies. Finally, we’ll share some tips for consultants on how to position themselves and build their skills to capitalize on the opportunities provided by the gig economy.

Our guest for this Expert Forum is Tracy Burns-Martin, Chief Executive Officer of the New England HR Association. 

Tracy Burns has served as NEHRA’s Chief Executive Officer since November of 2010. Prior to this role, she spent nearly 20 years working in corporate HR, holding leadership positions across various industries, including financial services, higher education/healthcare, publishing, and food/beverage. 

Tracy is the author of Before and After Resumes: How to Turn a Good Resume Into A Great One. In 2016 she received SmartCEO’s Brava Award as one of 40 female leaders in Greater Boston. In 2017, she was featured in Boston Business Journal’s series “Women of Influence”. A sought-after expert in “all things HR”, Tracy is often quoted in local and national media outlets and has been featured on various industry-related podcasts, including The Hennessy Report and HR Rebooted.

In 2017, Tracy and business partner Mim Minichiello developed and launched Hytched (www.hytched.co), an online platform connecting companies who need interim HR expertise with experienced HR professionals. Currently, in its second iteration, Hytched has seen early success as a growing “gig” resource and landed Tracy on the “Top 300 Women to Watch in HR Tech”.  

Tracy is actively involved in the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), as well as the American Society of Association Executive (ASAE). She sits on the HR Management Advisory Board at Bryant University and the Work Without Limits Business Advisory Council at UMass Medical School in Worcester, MA. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business/human resources from California State University and a master’s degree in Organizational Development from Lesley University. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Tracy has called the Boston “home” since 1996. She is passionate about advancing female leaders, raising two fabulous boys and her bulldog Moose.

Here are some of the questions we’ll discuss in this Expert Forum:

• What are some of the current trends that you are seeing in the HR and human capital space?

• What is the gig economy? When did the gig economy pick up speed and why? What data give us a sense of the size and growth of the gig economy?

• What is a gig worker and how does a gig worker differ from other types of employees (e.g., full-time, part-time, etc.)? What data give us a sense of the number and percentage of employees who consider themselves gig workers?

• What is the transactional model between companies looking for gig employees and gig employees looking for companies? What are the benefits for both parties? What lessons did you learn from Hytched?

• What are some representative gig projects that you’ve seen companies use gig workers for? Do gig projects cluster around a handful of human capital areas?

• Let’s say I want to be a gig consultant. How do I go about positioning myself in the space and building a valuable skill set?

• What national/regional companies or websites should I pursue to get connected with companies for gig assignments?

Please REGISTER for the event. You will receive an email notification with instructions to join the webinar.